Agha Badar e Alam Durani Law College, Sukkur
This law college was established in July 1954, with the assiduous efforts of late Agha Badar e Alam Durani, who was then working as President District Local Board of Sukkur. Initially, the college began its function in the premises of District Local Board. Syed Mazhar Ali Shah was appointed as its first Principal. The college was inaugurated by Mr A.K. Brohi, then Federal Minister for Law. The District Local Board of Sukkur continued its funding for the college for two years. This made its founder, Agha Badar to spend sleepless nights and determined to reopen it with the collective efforts of college s visiting faculty and the Principal Mr. Mazhar All Shan. On July 9,1956 college was registered with the assistant registrar of the Joint Stock Company, Khairpur Region and Syed Mazhar Ali Shah was elected the first chairman of the society.
The law college, under its new name of Sukkur Law College, started functioning from July 20,1956 in District Local Board premises with permission granted by the late Agha Badar e Alam Durani, President of the District Local Board. Syed Mazhar Ali Shah continued as Principal of the college. Since then the Law College has undergone the process of changing its nomenclature for couple of times: once after its first principal, Mazhar Ali Shah, and again after Agha Badar e Alam Duram. The Sukkur Law College Governing Body continues to function under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor of Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, with which the College is affiliated.
[Source: Sukkur: Nostalgia of things past by Momin Bullo | Coordinates: EFT]
This post has been updated with new information provided by: Dr. Naseem Aftab Shah
Syed Mazhar Ali Shah in the era of 50's was a well known figure in Sindh. He studied from Karachi, Bombay as well as from Oxford University London, he contributed his whole life for the betterment of educational system and for this very purpose he formed an educational society named as “Sukkur Law College Society” and he was the Founder & Chairman of that society.
Feeling the lacking of law education in the region it was his vision to establish an institution to encourage the people of region to divert their minds towards law education. To fulfill his vision he established a law college in 2 rented rooms in the premises of District Local Board office on temporarily basis in 1954. At that time District Local Board was headed by Agha Badar-e-Alam who was the Chairman of District Local Board and he has no contribution in the establishment of Law College except allowed 2 rooms on rent within the District Local Board Office.
But after some time District Local Board on the instruction of the Chairman Agha Badar-e-Alam Durrani withdrew its patronage and asked him to immediately close down the college. After the withdrawal of patronage by the District Local Board he ( Syed Mazhar Ali Shah) approached the then Commissioner Khairpur for remedy and he was kind enough to donate a piece of land on 99 years of lease for construction of college. On the approval of the Commissioner Khairpur, the Municipal Committee, Sukkur executed an agreement of 99 years of lease with him i.e. Syed Mazhar Ali Shah.
After acquiring the rights of plot he put his all out efforts to erect the college building for this very purpose he invested all his savings and arrangement of private efforts of students to finalize the construction of college building without the help of any aid or grant from any institution or government Agency. After the span of 4 years, new college building come to existence and become operative in 1960 and the college was named as MAS ( Mazhar Ali Shah) Law College, Sukkur, the foundation stone of said college was laid by former late President & Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the then Minister of Power, Fuel & Natural Resources on APRIL 24, 1960. The college run satisfactorily and gain high amount of praise among the masses, meanwhile a City Arts College also established within the premises of Law College in order to facilitate the people of region to get education in Arts faculty too who do not want to be a law graduate.
In recognition of efforts took by Syed Mazhar Ali Shah the then President of Pakistan Field Marshall Muhammad Ayub Khan sent him on world tour to promote Education Literacy System especially in Law. He received highest amount of recognition and was appraised with” Statue of Abraham Lincon” by the Mayor Lester E. Collins in recognition of his efforts as published in Illinois State Journal, Springfield on April 06 1960, he was also appraised in other news paper Santa Barbara on March 30 1960 and in other various newspapers of United States of America.
On May 06 1962 the then President of Pakistan Field Marshall Muhammad Ayub Khan inaugurated Ayub Bridge Sukkur and after inauguration presented him the model of Ayub Bridge as souvenir to notable citizen of Pakistan.
On Feb. 15 1966 he was again awarded by the Government of Pakistan a “Double Barrel Gun, besides other awards from time to time in recognition of his services Though he (Syed Mazhar Ali Shah) was the founder & Principal of Law College but he did not ask/receive any salary from college till 1967 then after the College Board approved Rs.1600/- salary in his favour which he received till his death. He expired on Feb. 05, 1970 and was buried in the college premises on demand of the students & colleagues.
After his death, college runs under his name till nationalization. In 1974 and to please the Durrani family who were die heart activists of Pakistan People Party renamed the college as Agha Bader-e-Alam Durrani Law College to please the then PPP government even though Mr. Durrani has no connection & contribution with college or management and City Arts College was merged with Islamia Arts & Commerce College Sukkur.
The daughter of Syed Mazhar Ali Shah raised voice against this decision of change of name in favour of Agha Badar-e-Alam Durrani who has no concern with the college administration rather he ordered to close down the college when it was running in District Local Board premises in 1954, but no one was there to hear her cry because these people were/are very influential, powerful and didn’t have any resource to combat with these people even after the lapse of almost 50 years. Further to add here that after the Principal ship of Syed Mazhar Ali Shah all the later Principals accommodated their family members by hiring them in college pay roll.
In 2008 the then management of the college decided to sale the college premises to builder mafia and all arrangements were completed, so to safe guard the vision of her beloved father and in the interest of people of Sukkur a petition was filed with High Court Bench Sukkur which was admitted & decided in her favour. After the decision of Honourable High Court Bench Sukkur the management demolished the existing college building and new building is constructed on June 03 2017 with the help of government grant of above 30(m) again to please the said community.
Moreover, after the lapse of almost 73 years, the properties left by the Hindus who migrated to India are still running in their names but the name of MAS Law College is replaced in favour of PPP activist Agha Badar-e- Alam Durrani which is injustice with the person who devoted his entire life for establishment a Law College in the region.
It has also heart burning that the Heritage Department, Government of Sindh has also incorrect & wrong information on their web site to damage the image of Syed Mazhar ali Shah who put down his sincere long life efforts for promotion of education system in the region.
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