Sayed Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi (Sureh Badshah) peer pagaro

Sayed Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi(urdu) پير صبغت الله شاه راشدي شهيد (Sindhi)شهيد صبغت الله شاهه راشدي:Peer Pagaro the sixth, was a spiritual leader of the Hur Freedom Movement during Pakistan's freedom struggle against British colonialists.

Hur (Arabic: حر meaning "free", "not slave") is a Sufi Muslim community in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Their spiritual leader is Pir Pagaro.

Soreh Badshah (شهيد سورهيه بادشاهه)(the Victorious King) is the title given to Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi by his admirers. He was hanged by the British rulers on 20 March 1943 in the Central Jail Hyderabad, Sindh. His burial place is not known and is still a mystery. The people of Sindh have requested the British government to disclose his burial place; however, so far this demand has not received a response.


Freedom Struggle

The Hur movement began with Sibghtullah Shah Badshah. [1831-1779] and reached its peak in the days Sibghtullah Shah Shaheed Suraih Badshah, when the Hurs become active against their British rulers who imprisoned many in Vasarpur district Ahmed Nangar.

Sibghatullah Shah 1 provided forces to Syed Ahmed Shaheed to fight against Sikhs and since then these people have been called "Hurs" [free people] The freedom struggle was started by Syed Sibghtullah Shah Shaheed Awal in 1246[Hijri].

Pagaras' and their followers fought against their British rulers for 108 years from 1843 to 1951.

In 1922 when Sibghtullah Shah II [Sureh Badshah] becomes Pir Pagara he was 12 years old. He realized that British officer’s behavior towards Hur Jamat and the Sindhi people was insulting and Humiliating, he resented and rose voiced against British rulers. He organized, encouraged and determined to continue struggle against British rulers. As a result Marsha law was imposed by British rulers to control the Hur movement. Pir Sahib made Grange Bungalow as his general head quarter. He with planning recruited his followers for armed struggle, training them to fight and to continue an armed struggle. Their slogan was “home land or death”.

After the arrest of Pir Sahib the Hurs increased their activities against the colonial government by attacking Police stations, government buildings, railway stations as well as telephone and irrigation systems in order to paralyze the government and to pressure British to release their spiritual leader.

The railway train "Lahore mail" was derailed by Hurs on 16 May 1942. When Hurs attacked army and police they raised the slogan of “Bheg Pagara”. To crush Hurs, Grange Bungalow their center was bombarded and destroyed on 26 May 43. Lastly he was arrested on 24 October 1941 & was sent to Seoni in India jail.

Dargah Sharif & bungalow in Pir Jo Goth were destroyed in 1943.

In 1942 important leaders of hur Jamat were arrested. Pir Sahib was brought back from Seaoni to Sindh in January 1943 and was arrested in Hyderabad central jail. The hurs made the Makhi forest their base for their activities.

The Government then began air bombing over grange bungalow, makhi forest and Dargah Sharif and arrested thousands of Hur leaders along with their families and kept them in concentration camps till 1952.













History of the Hur freedom Movement

During the British rule, Pir Pagaro declared his community "Hur" (free from British slavery). The British tried to crush the uprising and that started an armed resistance by Hurs. Ultimately the British passed the infamous law "Hur Act" where the entire Hur community was declared criminals and were ordered to be shot to death on sight.

The Hurs continued their struggle even after the hanging of the Pir Sahib, right up to the time of the independence of Pakistan, Pakistan having acquired the status of an independent country.

Pir Pagaro Sayyed Sibghatullah Shah was hanged on March 20, 1943 and the British left Pakistan in four years' time on 14 August 1947. After the end of British rule, Pir Pagaro's two sons, who were in British custody in England, were released and came back to lead their community. Sindh was a province in the newly independent Pakistan. The sons of Sibghatullah Shah Shaheed were brought to Pakistan in December 1951 after long negotiations. The elder son, Pir Sikandar Shah, Shah Mardan Shah, became the new Pir in February 1952 and died on 10 january 2012 at the age of 83.



Sindh Assembly pays tribute

Sindh Assembly passed a resolution unanimously to pay tribute to Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi Pir Pigaro, the father of chief of PML-F Pir Sahib Pagaro. The resolution jointly moved by opposition leader Jam Madad Ali, MPAs Dr Muhammad Rafique Banbhan, Abdur Razzaque Rahimoon, Syeda Marvi Rashdi and Nusrat Abbasi says, This house resolve to pay tribute to Shaheed Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, Pir Pagaro alias Soriah Badshah,on the occasion of his death anniversary falling on 20 March. .