JAMIA ISLAMIA (1963-1975): THE FIRST ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Jamia Islamia (present day Islamia University) was situated in Bahawalpur. In the British colonial period, Bahawalpur State was one of the autonomous princely states. After the partition of British India, on 7 October 1947, Bahawalpur State decided to ascend to Pakistan. On 14 October 1955, the framework of the One Unit program was implemented and as a result Bahawalpur State was merged with West Pakistan. The last ruler of Bahawalpur State was Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V (b. 1904, d. 1964).^[1] The institution which is known as Jamia Islamia has a history of almost one and half centuries consisted of four different phases, Madrassa Sadr Diniyat (1879-1925), Jamia Abbasia (1925-1963), Jamia Islamia (1963-1975) and Islamia University Bahawalpur (1975-Present). It was established by Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan IV in 1879 as a basic level religious madrassa and at that time its name was Madrassa Sadr Diniyat. In 1925 the last ruler of Bahawalpur State, Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V upgraded the institution as higher level religious educational institution on the pattern of Jamia Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt and renamed it as Jamia Abbasia. Jamia Abbasia (1925-1963) was the combination of traditional / religious and modern / contemporary education. Jamia Islamia was an upgraded and a more modern version of Jamia Abbasia. It was the first Islamic University of Pakistan. During this phase, the institution was a modern / contemporary and as well as a religious / traditional institution but now the modern aspects of the institution started to dominate. President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan came for the inauguration of this phase of the institution. The name of the institution Jamia Abbasia was replaced with Jamia Islamia and Auqaf Department undertook the institution. This research deals with this third and the shortest phase of the institution and examines the relevant structural features such as the administration, curriculum, teachers, students, famous visitors, institutional changes and the status of the institution etc.