Ghulam Ali Allana known as G. Allana (22 August 1906 – 8 March 1985) was a friend and biographer of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. Mr Allana entered politics at an early age and played an active part in the Pakistan movement. After Partition, he was instrumental in forming the

Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry Since its inception in 1950, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) has advocated and voiced the collective opinion, concern and aspiration of the private sector and offered helpful advice and solid assistance to the Gove ...

. He was a member of the

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was ...

Legislative Assembly, besides being the mayor of

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

. Internationally, Mr Allana represented Pakistan at over 100 conferences, served on the governing body of the International Labour Organisation, and the president of the International Organisation of Employers, Brussels. At the United Nations he led a number of peace and diplomatic initiatives/working groups and went on to become chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1975. For his contributions he was awarded the United Nations peace medal and was also a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. He was also an English-language Pakistani poet and a counselor and friend to Fatima Jinnah, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's sister.G. Allana – a man of many facets
The News International (newspaper), Published 8 March 2012, Retrieved 4 April 2018

Early life and career

Ghulam Ali Allana was born in 1906 to an Ismaili

Khoja The Khojas ( sd}; gu, ખોજા, hi, ख़ोजा) are a mainly Nizari Isma'ili Shia community of people originating in Gujarat, India. Derived from the Persian Khwaja, a term of honor, the word Khoja is used to refer to Lohana Rajp ...

family in Karachi,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He received his basic education at ''Sindh Madressatul Islam'' in Karachi. Then he attended St. Patrick's High School and

D. J. Sindh Government Science College Dayaram Jethamal Sindh Government Science College, ( sd, ) commonly known as DJ Science College, is a public community college that is affiliated with the University of Karachi — it is located near Burns Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Pre ...

in Karachi. G. Allana became active in politics at an early age and played an active role in the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

. After independence of Pakistan in 1947, he served as the second

Mayor of Karachi Mayor of Karachi (Urdu: ) is the executive of the Karachi metropolitan corporation and the Karachi local government system of the city of Karachi which is the third tier of governance in Pakistan after Federal and provincial governments. Pre ...

after the partition (25 May 1948 – 8 July 1948). He served as founder President of the FPCCI until 1954.

Family

He married Jenubai in 1928 and had two daughters and a son with her.

Books

*''Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah: The story of a Nation'', published in 1967 by Ferozsons,

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

*''Pakistan Movement: Historical Documents'', published in 1977 by Islamic Book Service, LahoreProfile of Ghulam Ali Allana (G. Allana) on Heritage Society website
Retrieved 5 April 2018 *''Our Freedom Fighters'' *''His Highness Aga Khan III'' *''I had Reached your Door Steps'', a poem in English *''The Lost Star'', a poem in English

Awards and recognition

*Peace Medal of the United Nations in 1977 by UN Secretary General

Kurt Waldheim Kurt Josef Waldheim (; 21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. While he was running for t ...

, awarded to him for his services on a global basis in the humanitarian field. *Human Rights Medal awarded in 1978 by the Human Rights Organization of Pakistan. To recognize his services to Pakistan, a road in

was named, ''G. Allana Road'', after him.Routes for Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi announced
The News International (newspaper), Published 24 January 2013, Retrieved 4 April 2018

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allana, Ghulam Ali 1906 births 1985 deaths Pakistani poets Pakistani Ismailis English-language poets Pakistani civil servants Mayors of Karachi Pakistani people of Gujarati descent St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni