Abdullah Sahib

Abdullah Sahib was the Governor of Gilgit Agency during Dogra rule and was one of the earliest graduates of Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College. He was the father of Pakistani writer and civil servant Qudrat Ullah Shahab.

Early life

He was born in an Arain family of Chamkor Sahib village, in Ambala district Punjab, British India. At age six he was orphaned. After losing his father's property in loan servicing, he dedicated his life to education—something that could not be taken away from him—and became the first Muslim student to top the matriculation examination in Ambala District, Punjab province during the early period of the Aligarh Movement, led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Abdullah Sahib soon joined Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College where he excelled in English, Arabic, Persian, Philosophy and Mathematics. When he finished his BA he was one of the earliest graduates of Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College.

Career

Sir Syed arranged a scholarship for Sahib to take the Indian Civil Service exam in England, which he refused following his mother's request. This upset Sir Syed greatly, who expelled Abdullah from Aligarh and asked him not to show his face again. Abdullah Sahib honoured his words and became a clerk in remote Gilgit. He was soon made governor of the province. He spent eighteen to twenty years there and his three sons and three daughters were born there. He was a close associate of Maharaja Pratap Singh of Kashmir, and was an expert on international relations, especially with Russia and China.

See also

• Qudrat Ullah Shahab, his son
• Aligarh Muslim University

References

• Shahab Nama, by Qudrat Ullah Shahab