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| ممتاز ادیب اسماعیل ذبیح کو آزاد صحافیوں کی تنظیم کے صدر اقبال یوسفی قائد اعظم بیج لگا رہے ہیں |
Born into a family known for its deep scholarship and spiritual insight, Maulana Ismail Zabeeh inherited an intellectual tradition that shaped the trajectory of his life. His father, Akhundzada Moulana Ghulam Yahya Hazarvi, a revered religious scholar, had succeeded Moulana Ashraf Thanvi as head of Jamia Ilahiyat after Thanvi departed for Thana Bhawan in the early twentieth century. This early exposure to scholarship, discipline, and classical religious training left a lasting impression on the young Zabeeh.
He pursued rigorous education at Jamia Ilahiyat Kanpur, Darul-Uloom Deoband, and Jamia Milliah Delhi, where he came under the tutelage of leading scholars, including Dr. Zakir Hussain—later President of India. These formative years polished his intellect and grounded him in a broad understanding of religion, literature, and contemporary political challenges.
Early Political Awakening
His political consciousness emerged remarkably early. At only fourteen, he became an active participant in the Civil Disobedience and Quit-India movements of 1927, demonstrating unusual courage for his age. His passion for writing also matured young; he produced thoughtful treatises on religion and travel during this period. His Urdu translations of classical Persian works such as مرقع دہلی by Nawab Dargah Ali Khan appeared in 1931 in Khawaja Hasan Nizami’s literary magazines Paishwa and Maulvi.
The Journalist Takes Shape
His journalistic career began in the early 1930s when he launched the satirical periodical Bombay Punch from Bombay. Later, in Kanpur, he founded the literary monthly Arif, which became known for publishing original works by poets and scholars such as Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Maulana Azad Subhani. Through Arif, he cemented his position as an emerging voice in Urdu journalism.
The 1931 Kanpur Riots Report
His rise to prominence accelerated after he authored the historic Kanpur Riots Report at just seventeen. This chilling and meticulously documented study of the 1931 communal tragedy became both a literary landmark and a key historical document. It exposed the horrors inflicted on the Muslim minority during the riots and earned him recognition across the subcontinent.
Political Role Before Partition
In 1937 he was the youngest delegate to the All India Muslim League session in Lucknow. The next year, he became Publicity Secretary of Majlis-e-Ahrar, and in 1939, after the arrest of Maulana Ataullah Shah Bukhari, he briefly served as Acting President. His activism frequently brought him into conflict with the British authorities, and he endured long periods of imprisonment alongside major political leaders of India.
A Strategist of the Pakistan Movement
After his release in 1941, he launched the weekly Quami Akhbar in Kanpur, which soon became a prominent daily and a powerful voice for Muslims in UP. His political and journalistic acumen soon caught the attention of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who appointed him Head of the Muslim League’s Publicity Campaign in UP for the decisive 1946 elections.
His strategy and relentless work—much of it financed from his own resources—led to a sweeping victory in which the Muslim League won nearly all 67 Muslim-reserved seats in UP. He was also entrusted with managing Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan’s famous election campaign from Hapur, which resulted in a historic victory against Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Kazmi. Musarrat Hussain Zubairi later documented this accomplishment in his autobiography, emphasizing its enormous impact on the Pakistan Movement.
Migration and Journalism in Pakistan
After migrating to Pakistan, he co-founded the Urdu daily Khursheed in Karachi. In 1949, he launched the English newspaper Voice of Sindh from Hyderabad. His contribution to Sindh’s intellectual infrastructure included donating the press that would later become the Sindh Text Book Board Press, a gift made at the request of Chief Commissioner Hashim Raza.
He later moved to Swat in 1953 at the invitation of his friend, the ruler Major General Jahanzeb, and authored the first comprehensive work on the region, “مناظر سوات”. By 1954, he settled in Peshawar, from where he helped publish the daily Anjam, which eventually evolved into the daily Mashriq, with Zabeeh serving as its Chief Editor for a period during the 1960s.
Founding the Muslim Editors’ Movement
In 1947, along with Altaf Hussain (Dawn) and Hameed Nizami (Nawa-i-Waqt), he convened the First All India Muslim Newspaper Editors Convention at Arabic College, Delhi. Quaid-e-Azam inaugurated the convention, and Quaid-e-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan presided over it. After Partition, the organization moved to Lahore, laying the foundation for Pakistan’s professional newspaper editors’ association—a legacy strongly tied to his vision.
Exile and the Loss of a Personal Archive
The UP government destroyed his precious archives, journals, and Muslim League publicity material, effectively erasing decades of historical documentation. He was denied entry to India for life, even when he sought to visit his parents’ graves—an emotional blow he carried silently.
Islamabad – His Vision for a Capital
Maulana Zabeeh was among the earliest proponents of establishing Pakistan’s capital in the region now known as Islamabad, and he proposed the very name that the city bears today. Through his persistent lobbying, F-9 Park was named after Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah in 1995. His advocacy also resulted in numerous roads and public locations being named after heroes of the Pakistan Movement.
Character and Personal Principles
Throughout his life he displayed exceptional integrity. He never demanded favours, pensions, or privileges from any authority. Dignitaries visiting him left impressed by his intellect, humility, patriotism, and unwavering commitment to the ideals of the Quaid and the welfare of ordinary people.
A Legacy of Scholarship
Maulana Ismail Zabeeh wrote extensively on religion, politics, history, and regional studies. His important works include:
- اسلام آباد – منزل مراد، ماضی، حال، مستقبل
- اسلام آباد – تاریخ، تعمیر، اور شمالی علاقے
- قرآن کریم کے انقلابی فیصلے
- برصغیر میں مسلمانوں کے عروج و زوال کا آئینہ
- ارتھ شاستر – چانکیہ کی رموز سیاست و حکمرانی
His two voluminous books on Islamabad remain unparalleled in their depth and archival value.
Final Years and Passing
After a decade-long illness, he passed away on 27 September 2001 in Islamabad and was laid to rest in the city’s main graveyard. His passing prompted nationwide tributes, memorial sessions, and editorial reflections. The Nation wrote:
“Maulana Ismail Zabeeh’s death will be widely mourned… He leaves behind an intellectual and historical legacy that enriched this world far more than what he inherited upon entering it nearly nine decades earlier.”
