Pir Sabir Shah

Pir Sabir Shah پير صابر شاہ
Born	1955 Sirikot
Other names	Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah
Occupation	Politician
Known for	Chief Minister and President PML(N),KPK, Pir of Qadri Sect
Relatives	Professor A Jamil Khan S.I

Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah or more commonly as Pir Sabir Shah is a Pakistani politician from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. He served as the 18th Chief Minister of the province from 20 October 1993 to 25 February 1994.^[1]

Family

Pir Sabir Shah hails from a religious family of Sirikot in Haripur. His father Pir Hafiz Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah was the son of great saint Pir Hafiz Syed Muhammad Ahmad Shah. Pir Ahmad Shah served his spiritual guide and teacher Khwaja Abdur Rahman Choharvi a saint of Hazara from Qadiri dynasty of Sufism in the vicinity of Haripur city for many years and then he was assigned to preach the teachings of Islam at Chittagong, Bengal. He went to Bengal and lived there for many years preaching the teachings of Islam. Many Bengalis embraced Islam on his hands and many of the weak believing became practising Muslims. Pir Tayyab Shah, the lonely son of Muhammad Ahmad Shah, got his education and spiritual training from his father. He led a simple life and brought change into the lives of people interacting through love for humanity, peace and preaching of justice among the fellow beings. This gave him a status of a leader among his tribemen and others. Every now and then when a dispute would arise among the people, they would come for a verdict from Pir Muhammad Tayyab Shah.

After the death of his father, Pir Tayyab Shah became the spiritual leader of the followers of his father. And a famous madrasa in South Asian Sub-continent founded by (Grand Father of Pir Sabir Shah) Allama Hafej Syed Ahmed Shah Sirikoti in 1954, name Jamea Ahmadia Sunnia Alia. Now it is one of the biggest Islamic institution in Bangladesh and south asia with 3,000 students (male). Another Girls complex is situated in a near distance to the Jamea.

Education

Pir Sabir Shah got his early education from school at Sirikot. He completed his bachelor's degree from Government College, Abbottabad getting the Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Peshawar with Arabic and Islamic Studies as the core subjects and he is an outclass speecher in the subjects. He further went for higher education from International Islamic University, Islamabad. He also did his diploma in Arabic language from Institute of Modern languages Islamabad. Despite going through the religious and conventional education systems, he had been very curious about day to day affairs and the modern education specially science and politics. He was always interested in the history of Pakistan during his school and college time. At university he studied about national and international politics and gained in-depth knowledge in these two areas. He was never interested in getting involved in the practical politics. However, it was famously predicted by his grandfather that Sabir Shah would become a famous leader of Pakistan (" Sabir Shah Pakistan ka leader hoga aur Bangaal ka Pir hoga"- Hafiz Syed Pir Ahmad Shah Sirikoti) and in near future become the Pir of Bengal.

Political career

In the year 1985, Pir Hafiz Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah was approached by the followers and residents of Sirikot and surrounding areas, they demanded that Pir Sabir Shah should lead them in the forthcoming provincial elections. Pir Sabir Shah was also approached by these people and the decision was put to his father. Pir Tayyab Shah called on a grand jirga and asked the people about the matter. The attendants unanimously agreed that Pir Sabir Shah should contest the elections on their behalf. Pir Tayyab Shah granted his consent to the matter by establishing that his prayers would accompany the will of the people if Pir Sabir Shah would serve the people instead of governing them.

Pir Sabir Shah contested the elections and got a great win as an independent candidate. He was asked by the Muslim League to join them after winning election. He aspired them that since he was chosen and elected by people so they have the right to give their consent for joining a party. Once again a grand jirga of the people was called in at Shatalo Shareef, Sirikot and they agreed to let him join the Pakistan Muslim League. He won all the elections of 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1997 contesting from his constituency PF-43 (provincial frontier −43) of Haripur.

He served as the 18th Chief Minister of the province from 20 October 1993 to 25 February 1994.

Being the provincial head of Muslim League, he appointed Mehtab Ahmed Khan as Chief Minister of N.W.F.P with the consent of party. Realising his role in the politics and his vision for the national politics, he was appointed as the adviser on political affairs to the prime minister from 1997 to 1999. His party has given him the role of the President of PML N in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Sabir Shah is the member of provincial assembly contesting election from PF-52 constituency of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For his constituency he served much more than a capacity of any provincial legislator in Pakistan.

Pir Sabir shah from PML(N) was winning the election of National Assembly from NA-19 constituency at Haripur with a comfortable margin till midnight on the election day of 12 October 2002 against Omar Ayub Khan from PML(Q) with a difference of 20000 votes. But due to poll rigging, it was announced in the morning that Umer Ayub won by 20000 and that he got majority of votes from tehsil ghazi which is the home town of Pir Sabir shah, also most of the rigging take place in far flung villages which are mountains beside Tarbela lake. Pir Sabir Shah also lost his pronvincial election from PF-52 as this was his new constituency after re-demarcation of the constituency.

The 2003 'Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali led government' was mere a rubber stamp and the real power was being exercised by the agencies on the directives of the President General Pervez Musharraf as per the stance of Pir Sabir Shah.^[2]

Several political activists and two constables were injured in scuffles between the police and charged activists of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at Attock Bridge near here on 10 September 2007. The land link of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab was cut off on night between Sunday and Monday by Punjab Police to stop PML-N workers from proceeding to Islamabad to welcome their leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his return home after seven years exile.^[3]

President PML-N Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pir Sabir Shah, has expressed his sorrow and grief over the tragic death of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in a Rawalpindi bomb blast and held President Musharraf responsible for it.^[4]

Pir Sabir Shah along with the leaders of other three parties in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly through a resolution on 12 August 2008 Tuesday called upon President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf to take vote of confidence from his electoral college or resign under Article 44(3) of the Constitution immediately. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly also called upon the Parliament to table motion of impeachment against Musharraf in accordance with Article 47 of the Constitution if he doesn't take a vote of confidence.^[5]

The deadlock over the renaming of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP) cornered the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s chief but the acceptance of Khyber with Pakhtunkhwa may bring serious consequences for his party in Hazara division. “Khyber is the engine and Pakhtun the bogie,” Sabir Shah said. He said the ANP could not win the name of Pakhtunkhwa despite Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly resolution, support by the president, prime minister and all other parties. He said it was their victory. Sabir Shah said he was now expecting the ANP to focus on real issues such as loadshedding, bad law and order, price-hike etc.^[6]

References

1. http://www.pap.gov.pk/pro-ass/nwfp.htm#cm pap.gov.pk
2. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-107715323.html
3. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32851295_ITM
4. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-172848741.html
5. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-182879576.html
6. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=232176