Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas

Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas (1904-1967) was a lawyer and a leading politician of Jammu and Kashmir. After his migration to 'Azad Kashmir' in 1947, he became the pioneer supreme head of the Azad Kashmir (AJK) government. He is known as Quaid-e-Kashmir Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in Azad KashmirThe Kashmiri leader died in Rawalpindi on December 18, 1967 and was laid to rest in Faizabad near Rawalpindi, close to the capital city of Islamabad, Pakistan. When the state of Jammu and Kashmir was suffering from the atrocities of Dogra Raj and the Muslim majority in Kashmir was being subjugated, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas rose to the occasion with great valor and devotion and dedicated his life for the liberation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas was born in a middle class Gujjar family of Chaudhry Nawab Khan on February 4, 1904 at Jammu. He graduated from the Prince of Wales College, Jammu. He received his law degree from the Lahore Law College, and started his career as a lawyer in Jammu. He was offered a position of Sub-Judge but he refused to serve the Dogra raj.

He reorganized the socio-political organization Young Men’s Muslim Association, which was established earlier in 1909 and was the only platform that Muslims were using to raise their political voice in Jammu and Kashmir. This organization conducted some massive demonstrations against the Dogra rule and its activities, which won wide admiration among the Muslim masses.

In order to safeguard the rights of the Muslims of the Valley of Kashmir, another organization, All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference was established. Its president was Sheikh Abdullah while Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas was elected as its secretary general. Later the organization was renamed as Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. But when Sheikh Abdullah developed his association with Nehru and the All India National Congress, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas withdrew from the National Conference. As the struggle between the Congress and the Muslim League over the partition of India had its repercussions in Kashmir and the idea of Pakistan gained ground among the people, the National Conference lost its popularity. Consequently, the Muslim Conference was revived under the leadership of Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas. The Muslim Conference being the real representative of the Muslims of the Valley demanded Kashmir affiliation to Pakistan on July 19, 1947.

Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas enthusiastically campaigned for the affiliation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan. He arrived in Pakistan after the transfer of prisoners in 1948 when the ceasefire in the Kashmir conflict took effect and served the Azad Kashmir government till 1951. He presented the case of Pakistan in the United Nations along with Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan when India asked UNO to resolve the issue, which ended up with forming of the cease-fire line between the 'Indian-occupied Kashmir' and Azad Kashmir.

In 1951, he resigned as head of the Azad Kashmir government and did not participate in government politics after that.

He died of stomach cancer on December 18, 1967 and was buried at Faizabad, Rawalpindi, Pakistan as he willed to be buried in Pakistan. He is survived by three sons Tariq Abbas, Tahir Abbas, Farooq Abbas and two daughters Rahat Abbas, Wajahat Abbas. In 1995, Pakistan Postal Services issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor his services. In 2006, a public event was organized in Rawalpindi, Pakistan to observe his death anniversary on 19 Dec 2006 where the leaders of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, Sardar Abdul Qayyum and Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan paid tributes to him.