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Letter from Nawab of Tank to M.A. Jinnah

Sub title : Political Work in NWFP and Requesting Support for Ancestral Claim

Date of publication: 1947

Language: English

Page: 3p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 28029

Keyword: Nawab of Tank -- M.A. Jinnah -- NWFP -- Muslim League -- Tribal Areas -- Pakistan | Ancestral Land Restoration -- British Annexation -- Title of Nawab -- Pre-Partition Mobilization

Abstract: A detailed personal letter from the Nawab of Tank to M.A. Jinnah, recounting his solitary but successful efforts to revive the Muslim League in the NWFP after its electoral defeat, and his extensive work to mobilize tribes (Wazirs, Mahsuds, Bhittanis) across the border for the Pakistan cause. The Nawab also presents a personal request: he seeks Jinnah's support in petitioning the Viceroy for the restoration of his family's ancestral estate (85 villages in the Tank subdivision), which was annexed by the British in 1847. He explains his tactical retention of the title "Nawab" to retain arms privileges and avoid prejudicing his claim, vowing to renounce it once his status is restored and pledging all his resources to Pakistan.

Description: This file contains a revealing letter from the Nawab of Tank, a regional aristocrat and Muslim League activist, to M.A. Jinnah. It provides a ground-level view of political organizing in the NWFP and the strategic cultivation of tribal alliances for Pakistan. The letter is notable for intertwining personal ambition with political ideology, as the Nawab seeks Jinnah's patronage to reclaim his family's lost sovereignty and merge it with the future Pakistani state. His explanation for retaining his title—to legally stockpile arms—offers a pragmatic glimpse into the security concerns of the period. This document highlights the complex interplay between local feudal authority, tribal dynamics, and the national movement for Pakistan, as well as the personal appeals that flowed to Jinnah from diverse quarters seeking his intervention. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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