Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan

Chaudhary Muhammad Abdul Rehman Khan was the Rana of Rahon Jagir and Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Unionist Party. (January 3, 1927 to July 26, 1930) (October 24, 1930 to November 10, 1936) (April 5, 1937 to March 19, 1945)

Biography

He was son of Chaudhry Ameer Khan. Born in Rahon Jullunder. He completed his primary education from Jullunder. He became MLA after the death of Chaudhary Jang Baz Khan. Jang Baz Khan was the Rana of Rahon and his brother. The Jagir of Rahon came into the hands of Abdur Rehman. In 1927 for the first time he was elected member of the legislative assembly from jullunder, he remained member till july 26 1930. Second time in 1930. He joined Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam,and also supported the Red Shirts Movement led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, The working committee of the MAI, in a meeting at Lahore on 12 June 1933, took the decision to participate in the three bye-elections for the Punjab Assembly. It selected three prominent MAI figures as its candidates to contest these polls. The second candidate was Chaudhry Abdul Rahman Khan, he was a prominent member of a Ghorewaha Rajput family of Rahon Jallundhar, He was selected to contest the Muslim urban seat from the Sheikhupura, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur and Jullunder’s area. He led the Ahrar agitation in Kapurthala. The movement for the rights of the poor Muslims in Kapurthala State raised its profile and popularity even further. The princely state of Kapurthala, situated on the west bank of the river Bias, in the Punjab had 57 percent of Muslim population but a Sikh ruler, Maharaja Jagjeet Singh. The vast majority of Muslims were peasants, living in abject misery. Sixty percent of the state revenue accrued through the taxes paid by Muslim peasants. More over the Hindu moneylenders subjected the poor peasantry of Begowal and Bholeth areas of the state to the merciless economic exploitation. So the situation was ripe for Ahrar to intervene immediately after their Kashmir campaign which had won Ahrar tremendous accolade as champion of the Muslims. Until independence in 1947 the Rana of Rahon and the Rajrana of Jadla controlled most of the estates, while the Muslim Rana of Rahon Chaudhary Abdul Rehman moved to Pakistan and settled in Rehmanabad Khanqa Dogran.

Family

Rehman was married and had four children. His daughter was Apa Nisar Fatima mother of Ahsan Iqbal. She was Member National Assembly of Pakistan from Lahore. The draft bill was moved by Jamat-i-Islami’s Apa Nisar Fatima, provided for death sentence alone for acts constituting insult to Muhammad.

References

• http://www.pu.edu.pk/departments/doh_journal/Previous%20Issues/samina%20awan.pdf
• http://spaces.brad.ac.uk:8080/download/attachments/748/Brief32finalised.pdf
• http://pap.gov.pk/uploads/previous_members/L-1927-1930.htm
• http://pap.gov.pk/uploads/previous_members/L-1930-1936.htm
• http://pap.gov.pk/uploads/previous_members/L-1937-1945.htm
• http://namdar.net/Ghorewaha.htm
• http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/Chapter%2019.htm