MM Rahmatullah: Today is the 105th death anniversary Nawab Sir Salimullah, founder of University of Dhaka, BUET (AhsanullahEngineeringCollege) and Sir Salimullah Muslim Orphanage. The Nawab of Dhaka was the largest Muslim zamindar in British Bengal & Assam based in Dhaka city. The title of Nawab, similar to the British peerage, was conferred upon the head of the family by the British Raj as recognition of their loyalty in the time of the Sepoy Mutiny. The self-definition is a family instead of an estate due to certain legal considerations imposed by the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950.They were not sovereigns, but played an important role in the politics of South Asia. The family was owner of Dhaka Nawab estate, and was seated at Ahsan Manzil palace. Nawab of Dhaka was the title of the head of family and estate. Khwaja Alimullah was the first Nawab of Dhaka instated by the British Raj. In 1952 the East Pakistan Estates Acquisition Act formally abolished the estate. Khwaja Habibullah Khan Bahadur was the last reigning Nawab of Dhaka. Successive land reform in Pakistan and Bangladesh brought an end to the remaining landholdings of the Nawab family.

Dhaka Nawab family was founded by Maulvi Khwaja Hafizullah Kashmiri, who acquired considerable wealth from trading in leather and gold. His fortune was built trading leather, spices, and salt with Armenian and Greek merchants. He also purchased some floundering zamindari estates, on sale everywhere in Bengal under Permanent Settlement, and indigo factories in Barisal District and Mymensingh District.

Hafizullah acquired Atia pargana in the then Mymensingh district (now in the Tangail district). Hafizullah bought a 4-anna (one fourth) share of the pargana, including Dhamrai, the Atia Mosque built in 1608 and much of Madhupur forest, in 1806 on the strength of a mortgage bond for Rs. 40,000. Profits from this purchase inspired him to buy more land properties. He also acquired Aila Phuljhuri in the Bakarganj Sundarbans, a 44000 acres (180 km²) area bought for Rs 21000 in 1812, at a revenue demand of only Rs 372 annually. After clearing of the jungle was affected, in the late 1870s, its estimated total rental income appeared as high as Taka 220,502.

Due to an absence of any surviving male successor of Hafizullah, his estate on his death descended on his nephew Khwaja Alimullah, son of his deceased elder brother Ahsanullah, whom he groomed as an estate manager. His landed acquisitions were added to those of his uncle, consequently making the united zamindari and taluqdari one of the largest in the province. Before his death in 1854, Alimullah made a waqf for a united status of the zamindari which was to be managed jointly by a mutawalli.

His nephew, Khwaja Alimullah, who was the third son of Khwaja Ahsanullah, is reported to have been an enterprising member of the clan, and laid the foundation upon which successive heads of the family built their prosperity and power. He purchased Ahsan Manzil which was a French trading house. He learnt English and encouraged members of his family to learn English, and forged ties of friendship with Englishmen by mixing with them freely. He did some development work for the DhakaMunicipality and with the help of the British he set up the Ramna Race course. He bought thoroughbreds for his race course and established the Gymkhana Club. He purchased the famous diamond, Dariya-e-Noor at a Government auction in 1852 held by Hamilton and Company of Calcutta. The diamond was initially exhibited at The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park but failed to sell for a desirable price and as a result was sent back to India. The diamond is presently in a vault of the Sonali Bank in Dhaka.

In 1846 he made a Waqfnama in favour of his second son Khwaja Abdul Ghani, and made him a powerful Mutawalli (Manager) for the management of all the properties of the Nawab Family. This helped preserve the wealth of the Nawab family as it could not be divided by descendants. That Waqfnama was the main key responsible for the success of the Nawab Family of Dhaka. Khwaja Alimullah despite being a Sunni he financed the Muharram festival of the shia Muslims in Dhaka. He started in 1843 after the death of Ghaziuddin Haider who was the Naib Nazim of Dhaka. He died on 1854 and was buried in the Begum Bazar graveyard.

Khwaja Abdul Ghani, son of khwaja Alimullah and Zinat Begum, was made the Mutawalli of the estate. Under him the land control of the family was extended to many parganas in the districts of Dhaka, Bakerganj, Tripura, and Mymensingh.

Nawab Salimullah was the first man of the Nawab Family of Dhaka to actively participate in politics. He is reported to have said that, his grandfather, Nawab Sir Abdul Ghani, and his father, Nawab Sir Khwaja. Ahsanullah, were men of international renown and were imbibed with the love of their country and people, but, they refrained from participating in politics. It was in his destiny to open the door to politics for the Nawab Family of Dhaka. Nawab Sir Salimullah died in Calcutta on 16 January 1915, and his coffin was brought to Dhaka by a special launch, and he was buried in the family graveyard in Begum Bazar."

The Dhaka Nawab Estate was abolished in 1952 under the East Bengal Estate Acquisition and Tenancy Act (1950). Only the Ahsan Manzil complex and khas lands held under raiyati rights were exempted from the operation of the Acquisition Act. But due to many unresolved family claims many assets of the Estate were still controlled by the Court of Wards. The land reforms board, which is the successor of the Court of Wards, still holds those assets on behalf of the family.

The influence of Dhaka Nawab family on the Muslim Students League eroded after the partition, particularly after Muhammad Ali Jinnah`s pronouncement on the state language issue in 1948. The anti-Khwaja faction of the Muslim League broke away from the All Bengal Muslim Students League, and established East Pakistan Muslim Students League in 1948. This Students League spearheaded the Language Movement that began that year.

The university on whose initiative and donated land is celebrated in the university premises today. Nawab Salimullah will probably be neglected even in the centenary celebrations of the establishment of DhakaUniversity in 2021 and those who oppose the establishment of DhakaUniversity will be banished. Those are obviously pathetic for us and the all citizens of this continent.