Agha Nasir Ali

Agha Nasir Ali (1918-2014) became the first civil servant of Kashmir to qualify by competitive exam (1941). He was the First Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar (1955-1958) and retired as Secretary to the Government of India.^[1][2][3]

Early Life and History

Agha Nasir Ali was born in 1918 at his ancestral house, 'Qasr-e-Qazalbaash', Agha Manzil in Nawa-kadal area of Srinagar Kashmir.^[2] Born to Begum and Agha Zafar Ali Qazalbaash, Nasir was the eldest of the three siblings. His mother Begum Zafar Ali, an educationist and legislator, was the first Woman Matriculate of Kashmir.^[1] Nasir's maternal Grandfather Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain, then Governor and later Home and Judicial Minister in Maharaja Rule was the first matriculate of Kashmir. The Agha family was one of the most illustrious and highly educated families of Srinagar Kashmir. They were Qizilbash/Qazalbaash with a Turkic-Afghani origin. The Qazalbaashi Aghas are new to Kashmir. It was in the late 1820s, during the disarray in Afghanistan leading to the First Anglo-Afghan War that Agha Raheem, a Qizilbash magnate migrated from Kandahar (Afghanistan) to Kashmir. Agha Raheem's ancestors were Commanders in the Royal Afsharid forces of Emperor Nader Shah and before that the Safavid Shah's of Iran. The members of this family have held respectable offices of Royal Physicians, Ministers, Wazir-e-Wazarat, Officer Patwar Bahi (Director Land Records), Thanadaars and Tehsildaars during the Maharaja Rule in Kashmir and had the privilege of Darbar Nishini in the court of the Maharaja. Agha Nasir's Great Great Grandfather Agha Muhammad Baqir Qazalbaash was the Royal physician to Maharaja Ranbir Singh Bahadur GCSI, CIE. Nasir's Great Grandfather Agha Ali Naqi Qazalbaash was the Royal Physician to Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. Nasir's grandfather Agha Sher Ali and his brother Agha Mirza Ali were both in the Kashmir Police Services and served as Thanadaars during the Maharaja Rule. Nasir's father Agha Zafar Ali served in the office of the Governor as a Clerk before his premature retirement from the services.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Agha,(Turkish), (Urdu:آغا) also Aga (from Turkish: agha meaning "chief, master, lord") was an honorific title for a civilian or military officer, or often part of such title, was placed after the name of certain military functionaries in the Safavid & Ottoman Empire especially among the Qazalbaash/Qizilbash. Later the descendants of these important functionaries started using the title as a surname. Though the word Agha specifically meant a chief among the Qazalbaash, but in India and Pakistan the Syeds too use the title which should be Aaka (Urdu:آقا) (Persian, aaqa, used for a religious master, leader) and not Agha, which is a military title.^[10][8]

Education And Career

Agha Nasir Ali was educated at the Mission School,at Fateh Kadal, (later the Biscoe School) in Srinagar.He passed his matriculation in 1935. He graduated in Arts with distinction from Sri Pratap Singh College, famously known as SP College Srinagar.(1937).During Dogra rule, Maharaja used to nominate individuals for training in civil services in England. This privilege was exclusively given to the kin of those who served in the top Aristocracy. Nasir came to know that Maharaja Hari Singh has nominated his finance minister Thakur Kartar Singh’s son for civil services training to England and on his return he would be inducted as an official in Dogra administration. Nasir approached Gopalaswamy Iyengar, the then Dogra Prime Minister of J&K and told him that he too should be sent to England for the civil service training, as his grandfather Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain was also a Minister in Dogra regime and his Muslim identity shouldn’t mar his chance.^[1] Iyengar told Nasir that the Mahahraja was considering induction in the administration through competition and soon the Civil Service exams will be introduced in the valley. Nasir kept on pressing for the demand for introduction of Civil Services in the state. Meanwhile, Nasir left for Aligarh to pursue his MA LLB. Agha Nasir completed his M.A,LLB from the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University and in 1940 went to his Lahore residence where the family used to spend the winters.( Lahore then being a part of undivided India). It was the year 1941 when the Civil Service exams were introduced in the valley by Maharaja Hari Singh.^{[11] [1]} The prime Minister personally congratulated Nasir for playing an instrumental role to kick start civil services in the state. Nasir showed his inclination to join the administration and carry forward the legacy of his family. Agha Nasir Ali topped the first K.C.S exam held in the state in 1941. He became the first civil servant from state who secured bureaucratic post through competition, rather than nomination.^[2] His first posting was as a Tehsildar with a monthly allowance of Rs 250. After serving as Tehsildar, he was appointed as Wazir-i-Wazarat in Hari Singh’s regime. In 1947, nomenclature of official postings was changed and with that, state services were amalgamated with central services. He was inducted into the Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S) and was appointed as District Commissioner. In 1954 Agha Nasir Ali was appointed as the first Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Kashmir.^[1] He held the office till 1958. Nasir served in various capacities in the state including Director of various departments of the State, Financial Commissioner, Commissioner Secretary, Principal Secretary before his deputation in the central Government where he served in various capacities at the Central level. He served in the capacity of Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, later Union Labour Secretary, and retired as Secretary to the Government of India in 1978. Agha Nasir's Uncle Aga Syed Ahmed (I.A.S) was the Home Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, and later Member of Parliament Lok Sabha (1967-1977).^[12][13] Agha Nasir Ali's younger brother Agha Shaukat Ali resigned from the Civil Services and joined Muslim Conference as its General Secretary on the advice of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Shaukat moved to Pakistan and served in various capacities including Information Secretary to the President of Pakistan M.Ayub Khan. Agha Shaukat Ali was given various Diplomatic assignment during his career.Agha Nasir's youngest brother Agha Ashraf Ali retired as Commissioner of Higher Education in J&K. Nasir's Cousin Aga Muzaffar (I.A.S) became the eighth Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir.His brother Afzal Aga, an I.C.S, was the Chief Secretary of Punjab, Pakistan.^[14]

Agha Nasir Ali passed away on 4 November 2014 (10th Muharram- The Day of Ashura) at the age of 96 in New Delhi after a prolonged illness.^[2] He was laid to rest at the Nizamuddin's Delhi. He was survived by his four children from his pre-deceased wife Nuzhat Aiwan Mallik. He was also survived by his second wife.^[2][1]

Family

Agha Nasir Ali was married to Nuzhat Aiwan Mallik, daughter of Mallik Fazl, a scion of a distinguished family of Lahore, then estate Manager to the Maharaja of Kashmir. Nasir and Nuzhat had four children. Three daughters and one son.^[2][15] The eldest daughter Shafaq Hussain was married to Aftab Hussain, grandson of Sir Fazl-i-Hussain of Pakistan. The second daughter Sehyr Saigol, owner at Libas International^[16] is married to Mian Nasim Saigol of the Saigol Group Lahore Pakistan and the youngest daughter Dr.Anjum Ahmed is married to Dr Pervez Ali Ahmed son of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed former President of India. Agha Nasir's son Oliver Agha is a New York-based lawyer.^[17] After the death of his first wife, Nasir married Dr Shaheena who hailed from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.^[18] She had four daughters from her previous marriage to a lawyer, Mohsin Rizvi from Lucknow. Nasir adopted her two daughters Toshina and Mohsina. Nasir also adopted one of Shaheena's grandsons Mohammad Ali who was born to Shaheena's daughter Haya Rizvi alias Naina, from her divorced husband Kalbe Hassan, son of noted Shia Cleric from Lucknow Kalbe Sadiq.^[19]

References