Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, a key figure in shaping Punjab’s Muslim identity, played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s creation through his political foresight and advocacy.

We are all familiar with the Badshahi Masjid and its rich history; however, do we truly understand its complete story? We know that it was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1671 AD, under the supervision of Muzaffer Hussain, also known as "Fidai Khan Koka." The Badshahi Masjid remains the largest and most recent of the grand imperial mosques from the Mughal era, and it was the second-largest mosque in Pakistan until the construction of the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. It continues to be one of Pakistan's most iconic landmarks.
Few people know that during the Sikh rule in Punjab, the mosque suffered tragic neglect and deterioration. It fell into disrepair and was even used for keeping cattle, making prayers impossible due to the stench and lack of cleanliness. This neglect reached its peak under Sikh governance, leaving the mosque in a deplorable state. How many of us know who revitalized this mosque, restoring it to the condition we see today? I’m sure this is a question only a few can answer. 
Visitors to the grand mosque often come to see the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal, whose grave lies at the base of the stairs. However, has anyone ever noticed or visited the grave directly opposite Allama Iqbal's, on the other side of the stairs leading to the mosque? It remains uncovered and largely unattended.
Allow me to shed light on the grave in question. It is the final resting place of Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, the man responsible for restoring the grand mosque to its former glory in the 1930s. He initiated extensive repairs and renovations, raising funds through donations to return the mosque to its original form. The renovation was entrusted to Nawab Alam Yar Jung Bahadur by Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan.

Few people know that during the Sikh rule in Punjab, the mosque suffered tragic neglect and deterioration. It fell into disrepair and was even used for keeping cattle, making prayers impossible due to the stench and lack of cleanliness. 

When Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan passed away, his family wanted to bury him at his ancestral qabristan (graveyard) in Wah, located just adjacent to the famous Wah Gardens (where many of his descendants are also buried). This is the same place where Emperor Jahangir, upon seeing the natural beauty and greenery, was so spellbound by its landscape that he exclaimed “Wah!”—and thus, the name “Wah” took root, according to popular folklore.
While little has been written about Sir Sikandar, this article marks the first in a series that I will contribute to Hilal, aiming to spread the message to our nation, especially to the youth, to make them aware of the “Heroes of Pakistan” who played a pivotal role in the Pakistan Movement. These figures are not listed in order of merit or seniority but are selected randomly. While writing this tribute to this great man, I am reminded of the words of Mark Antony from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar:
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them.
The good is oft interred with their bones.”
History’s obsession with leaders and the tendency to narrowcast the nation’s founders is a global phenomenon. Some scholars have sought to address the under-recognition of key figures in Pakistan's founding. For example, Professor Dani coined the term ‘founding fathers of Pakistan’ (Banieen-e-Pakistan), highlighting various stages in the country's development and identifying individuals, alongside Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who played a pivotal role in the creation of the nation. Dani’s work emphasizes the concept of ‘The Real Founding Fathers of Pakistan’. Research in the decades since has advanced our understanding of founding figures, particularly in conceptualizing what defines a founder. This article applies these insights to Pakistan, focusing on the overlooked contributions of Sikandar Hayat Khan. Recognizing the diverse voices in Pakistan's founding is crucial, not only for historical accuracy but also for understanding a nation that remains an enigma and continues to evolve its national identity.
Sikandar Hayat Khan's significant contributions are acknowledged by Patrick French, who noted his role as India's most powerful Muslim politician during his leadership of the Unionist Party of Punjab. 
During World War I, Sikandar Hayat Khan initially served as a War Recruitment Officer in his native Attock District. Later, he became one of the first Indian officers to receive the King's Commission, serving with the 2/76th (later the 1/2 Punjab Regiment) on the Western Front in France. For his distinguished service in the Great War and the Third Afghan War, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, Military Division (MBE, Mil.) by the Government of British India.
After 1920, Sikandar Hayat Khan turned his talents to business, becoming a director or managing director of several companies, including the Wah Tea Estate, the Amritsar-Kasur Railway Company, the People's Bank of Northern India, the Sialkot-Narowal Railway, the ACC Wah Portland Cement Company, the Wah Stone and Lime Company, Messrs. Owen Roberts, the Punjab Sugar Corporation Ltd., Messrs. Walter Locke & Co, and the Lahore Electricity Supply Co. He also entered grassroots politics, serving as an honorary magistrate and Chairman of the Attock District Board. He briefly served as the acting deputy governor of the newly established Reserve Bank of India in 1935 before returning to lead his party in Punjab in 1936.

For his distinguished service in the Great War and the Third Afghan War, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, Military Division (MBE, Mil.) by the Government of British India. 

On January 2, 1933, Sikandar Hayat Khan was awarded knighthood by the British government and was promoted to Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). The following notice from St. James’s Palace was published:
“The KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire: —To be a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order: Khan Bahadur Captain Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, M.B.E., Member of the Executive Council of the Governor of the Punjab.”
After the death of Unionist Party leader Fazl-i-Husain, Sikandar Hayat Khan succeeded him. In the 1936-37 elections, he led the party to a decisive victory in Punjab and was elected as the Premier. Forming a coalition government with Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians, Sikandar Hayat Khan served until his untimely death in December 1942. He worked towards independence, ensured an equal voice for Muslims, and contributed to the founding of Pakistan, earning the respect of his contemporaries and recognition as a founding father.
Sikandar Hayat Khan's work towards independence began early, leading the Reforms Committee. Notably, his pamphlet addressing constitutional issues and his stance on the war effort were significant. In 1939, he published "The Outlines of a Scheme of Indian Federation," proposing a governance transition framework and cementing his commitment to self-rule. As Sir Reginald Coupland (1943: 204) noted, Sikandar Hayat Khan was only the second prominent Muslim politician to engage in constitutional discussions, highlighting his pivotal role: 
“The sober and concise analysis of the existing situation with which he prefaced his proposals was in marked contrast with most previous Moslem publications. There is no reference to Hindu ‘atrocities’, no emotional appeals to Moslem sentiment, nothing about the Islamic world at large, no attacks on ‘British imperialism’. The constitutional problem is treated as a purely Indian problem which Indians can and must solve themselves.”¹

On January 2, 1933, Sikandar Hayat Khan was awarded knighthood by the British government and was promoted to Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). 

There is remarkably clear-cut evidence of the perceived need among Indian leaders at the time to educate themselves to become competent managers of their own affairs in due course. An evolutionary peaceful transition of this sort may, however, not have been popular at the time and unfairly contributed to suspicions that Sikandar Hayat Khan was a British loyalist. However, from a historical perspective, his concerns were warranted and prescient. Sikandar Hayat Khan’s scheme was widely publicized, and he advocated it until his death. During a meeting with Gandhi in July 1939, for instance, Sikandar Hayat Khan shared his scheme. Gandhi’s confidence in Sikandar Hayat Khan’s approach is reflected in his response, mentioned by Pirzada:²
“Dominion status is a bitter pill for Congressmen to swallow and although the scheme is too complicated to form an opinion, yours is the ONLY solution of a constructive character… I am glad that you have decided to publish it in full. I must thank you for taking me into confidence and asking me to give my opinion on it.”
Sikandar Hayat Khan pushed for constitutional reform during a meeting with Winston Churchill in Cairo, advocating for the autonomy outlined in his "Outlines of a Scheme of Indian Federation”. During the meeting, Churchill proposed a monarchic governance model for post-war India with Sikandar Hayat Khan as King, which he declined, reaffirming his commitment to democracy and a federated governance model. This conversation had a significant impact.
Sikandar Hayat Khan's support for the Allies during World War II was driven by philosophical, strategic, and pragmatic considerations. He condemned the Axis powers' oppressive policies, including the persecution of Jews. Strategically, he believed that supporting Britain could pave the way for political concessions, drawing from the historical precedent of World War I. His stance reflected a commitment to securing greater autonomy and advancing the broader goal of independence, with a focus on safeguarding the rights and future of Muslims in the subcontinent.
 Sikandar Hayat Khan stated at the time: ‘I believe that valor and sacrifices of our fighting men alone can win India freedom just as they won [the] 1921 reforms by their sacrifices during last war’. He was also concerned that if Britain lost the war, British India would be open to invasion from forces in the East, West and Northwest, as well as chaos at home. In a letter to Jinnah, dated December 25, 1941, Sikandar Hayat Khan wrote:
“I have from the very outset of this war pleaded for a policy of wholehearted and unconditional support, because it is my fixed conviction that bringing this war to a successful conclusion is of vital importance to India and the Muslims throughout the world… by withholding our support at this critical juncture we will be jeopardizing the safety of our country… If, God forbid, the Nazis and Japanese succeed in this war, all our political aspirations, and ambitions of a free and equal partnership, will be frustrated for good.”
Sikandar Hayat Khan critiqued Nehru's approach, arguing that Nehru demanded immediate independence without a clear plan for achieving it if the British lost the war. Sikandar wrote that Nehru was "banking on a victory of the anti-Axis powers but without any help from the political party to which he belongs since it is wedded to a policy of non-violence." He questioned how independence would be achieved if the British lost the war, highlighting Nehru’s reliance on non-violence. At the war's start in 1939, the Indian Army had over 200,000 troops. Under Sikandar Hayat Khan’s leadership, by 1940, the army’s size had increased to a million. India ultimately supplied more than two million army, navy, and air force combatants, primarily from Punjab, making it the largest volunteer force at the time. These soldiers, including Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians, fought in West Asia and North Africa against Nazism. Sadly, 89,000 of these soldiers were killed in battle.
The greatest service Sir Sikandar did for the Muslim people was after the 1936 Elections, held under the 1935 Act. His Unionist Party had won almost all the Muslim seats in the Punjab Assembly. The Muslim League had won only two Muslim seats, of which one was that of Raja Ghazanfar Ali, who joined Sir Sikandar's Unionist Party as a Parliamentary Secretary. The sole member belonging to the Muslim League party was Malik Barkat Ali. The Muslim League in that Election had lost in all the Muslim majority provinces. 
As can be seen in the following table showing the 1936-37 election results in the Muslim majority provinces, the Muslim League had lost in every one of them.
Sir Sikandar's Party had secured such an overwhelming majority that there was no immediate pressure for him to join the Muslim League. However, witnessing the discrimination faced by Muslims in the Hindu-majority provinces, where the Indian National Congress (INC) had failed to protect Muslim interests—such as the Hinduisation of schools and services, compelling Muslim students to sing Vande Mataram, a song offensive to them—Sir Sikandar, influenced by his education at Sir Syed’s M.A.O. College, Aligarh, could not remain indifferent. Motivated by his commitment to safeguard Muslim rights, he voluntarily led his Muslim-majority party in Punjab to the Muslim League's 1937 session in Lucknow.
He invited his classmate, Sir Mohammad Saadullah, the Chief Minister of Assam, and his friend, Sir Fazlul Haq, the Chief Minister of Bengal, to join him at Lucknow. Both had won clear majorities of the Muslim seats in their respective provinces. They, along with Sir Sikandar, joined the Muslim League.
Sir Sikandar also signed the famous Sikandar-Jinnah Pact, under which all Muslim members of the Unionist Party would become members of the Muslim League in the Assembly. In the future, Muslim candidates for the Assembly would be required to obtain Muslim League tickets.
This action by Sir Sikandar placed the Muslim League on the political map of India. Without it, the Lahore (Pakistan) Resolution of 1940 would not have been possible, nor would the creation of Pakistan have come to fruition.
Sir Sikandar's detractors, a small group of ten or fifteen individuals from the pre-Pact Muslim League, were not pleased to see Unionist Muslim Leaguers dominate the Muslim League in Punjab. They conspired and created problems for Sir Sikandar, but Mr. Jinnah swiftly intervened, as seen in a letter he addressed to Malik Barkat Ali on November 20, 1937. This letter clearly demonstrates the respect Quaid-i-Azam had for Sir Sikandar.
“I have received a very long letter from Ghulam Rasool and also from Sir Mohammad Iqbal and from yourself. I have not been well enough to tackle the various details that are referred to there. But it seems to me that it is unnecessary to stress points of detail. May I just state one principle, once the Muslim Members of the Unionist Party or any Mussalman who becomes a Leaguer and pledges himself to the creed, policy and programme, he is no longer anything else but a Leaguer. And those who have been already in the League are not better than these Leaguers.” 
"I hope you will show this letter to Sir Mohammad Iqbal and Ghulam Rasool. I have appointed some members to the Central Parliamentary Board which were suggested by Sir Sikandar Hayat but that does not mean that I am not going to appoint some other members representing Punjab which may be suggested by Sir Mohammad Iqbal, Malik Zaman Mehdi Khan, Ghulam Rasool and yourself."
Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan writes in his book, The Nation that Lost its Soul: 
“This clearly proves that there is no difference between the Unionist Leaguers and the handful of original members of the Muslim League that existed. This action proves that Jinnah appreciated Sir Sikandar's action of having helped to strengthen the organization. This is what he told me in Karachi when he called me to discuss the irregularities committed by the Muslim Leaguers after the partition. He told me that he wished to God that my father had not died before him; he would have died in peace knowing the destiny of Pakistan to be in safe hands. I am glad that I in my humble way, was able to serve the cause of Pakistan following in the footsteps of my father.”3
(To be continued…)

The writer is a military historian and biographer. 
E-mail: [email protected]

1. Coupland, R. 1943. Indian Politics 1936‐1942: Report on the Constitutional Problem in India, Part II. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2. Sharifuddin Pirzada,  Foundations of Pakistan: 1906-1947. Volume. 1: 1906-1924. All India Muslim League Documents. 1969 Edition.
3. Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan, “The Nation that Lost Its Soul”, Jang Publishers, Lahore, April 1995.