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LAHORE, Nov 16 (APP): The birth anniversary of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, the visionary Muslim leader who coined the name “Pakistan,” was celebrated with great reverence across the country on Sunday.
Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was a dynamic and influential figure in the political landscape of the subcontinent. He played a pivotal role in shaping the ideological foundation that led to the creation of Pakistan.
Born on November 16, 1897, in a middle-class landowner family in Hoshiarpur district of eastern Punjab, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali received his early education in Jalandhar before completing his BA in Lahore in 1918.
At just 18 years old, while addressing the inaugural session of Bazm-e-Shibli at Islamia College, Lahore in 1915, he first proposed the idea of a separate Muslim state for the northern regions of India. His vision for a separate Muslim homeland continued to evolve, and by 1928, he was appointed as a lecturer at Aitchison College, Lahore.
Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was also deeply involved in journalism and remained actively engaged in the political and intellectual movements of the time. His passion for the cause of Muslims in the subcontinent was further evident when, in 1933, while studying law and politics at Cambridge University, he published his groundbreaking pamphlet “Now or Never”. It was in this publication that he first proposed the name “Pakistan” for the envisioned separate Muslim state.
His vision was ultimately realized on August 14, 1947, when Pakistan emerged as an independent nation.
After the creation of Pakistan, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali briefly visited his homeland in 1948. However, following the death of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he returned to England, where he spent the remaining years of his life. Chaudhry Rehmat Ali passed away on February 3, 1951, and was buried in Cambridge, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the history of Pakistan.