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Suhail Haleem
NEW DELHI, OCT 27: On September 20, 1947, around noon, a riotous mob gathered outside the `Nehar Wali Haveli' at Kucha Saadullah Khan in the Walled City, thirsting for blood. About 40 Muslims were holed up inside, fearing for their lives.
The mob made a lot of threatening noises, but maintained a safe distance fearing that the people who had taken shelter inside the ancestral property of General Pervez Musharraf, now Chief Executive of Pakistan, could be armed.
Fortunately, the police arrived in time and escorted them to the Purana Qila on Sher Shah Suri marg, where arrangements had been made to accommodate displaced people.
``Mob mentality was at work and everyone wanted to occupy evacuee property,'' says a septuagenarian, then around 20 years, who saw it all.
The man came here from Lahore well before the riots broke out and was staying with his brother-in-law, the principal of a top Delhi college, when communal riots broke out. He now has a stake in the Haveli.
``It is possible that young Pervezcould have been in the group that was escorted out by the forces,'' he said, on condition that his identity not be disclosed. But the young General was not. Original deed documents now available with UNI reveal that Pervez Musharraf's father, Syed Musharrafuddin, had moved out of the Haveli at least a year earlier.
On November 4, 1946, Musharrafuddin signed as a witness the documents (Taqsim Nama), by which the heirs of Qazi Mohtashimuddin, the General's great grandfather, divided the huge Haveli among themselves. He gave Baron Road, New Delhi (near Minto bridge) as his place of residence. The document, bearing an impression of King George V, was registered with the sub-registrar of properties, province of Delhi.
The Haveli, spread over 24,817 sq ft and valued in 1946 at Rs 1,00,000, was divided between the five siblings (three brothers -- Motaminuddin, Nizamuddin and Muizuddin -- and two sisters) according to the `Shariat' (Islamic law) which provides for a share to daughters in the father's property.Musharrafuddin's mother Amina Begum and aunt Syeda Begum both got equal shares measuring 2569 sq ft (then valued at Rs 12,500). Interestingly, the three brothers took it upon themselves to pay the Rs 6,000, a huge sum then, that had to be spent on the ``development of the property''. Qazi Nizamuddin had to pay Rs 3,000 and the other two brothers Rs 1,500 each.
There is another very interesting tale surrounding the Haveli and it involves the Gola family, which now occupies part of it, and some ``friendly ghosts who pay occasional visits''.
Every Thursday, without fail, the Golas pray and offer flowers at a small ``mazar (grave)'' that stands in a corner of their commercial complex.
Ask for an explanation and the three brothers -- Sandeep, Hemchand and Rakesh -- narrate with reverence: ``When the building was coming up, our father Prem Chand faced all sorts of difficulties. The structure collapsed thrice, leaving everyone flummoxed. But after our mother prayed at the mazar, everything turned out fine. Wehave kept up the ritual ever since.''
Adorning the mazar are two ceramic tiles with `Allah' and `Mohammed' inscribed on them, and a black plaque, which they claim they found in the rubble of the original structure, with inscriptions from the Quran. The building is visited by ``friendly ghosts'', they claim.
On the paternal side, General Pervez Musharraf's family tree could not be traced beyond his grandfather -- Syed Sharfuddin -- who died early, leaving behind a young widow to take care of his two sons.
Amina Begum returned to the `Nehar Wali Haveli' and stayed there till her elder son, Ashraf, found a job with the Department of Revenue, and was allotted accommodation on Baron road.
The family later shifted to Arambagh in Pahargang and Qureshi Manzil on Khajoor road at Karol Bagh before migrating to Pakistan.
Little is known about Sharfuddin. He was born at Makhdoom Patti, a locality in Panipat (undivided Punjab) and is believed to have come from a family of `sajjadanasheens' (caretakers of Sufishrines).
The search in Panipat was only partly productive. Birma, probably the oldest living `jamadar' in the city, and the only one to remember the Sharfuddin family, says: ``Their house (still good condition) is right next to the dargah of Hazrat Shah Makhdoom.'' He remembers little else. The family shifted to Delhi well before Independence.
Nizami, an employee of the Department of Food, had signed the `Taqsim Nama' as the second witness. However, inquiries revealed that he also opted for Pakistan at the time of Partition, where he died around 1988.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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