PAKISTAN will never get freedom from Makhdooms, Shahs

President’s Hala visit to benefit Makhdooms From the Newspaper | 7 hours ago HYDERABAD, Dec 25: President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Hala on Tuesday may politically benefit the Makhdooms, put into an uncomfortable position by their allies by forming a local political alliance. In his first visit to the Makhdooms house in Hala on Tuesday, he spoke to a gathering of notables, including local politicians, parliamentarians of the Pakistan People’s Party, ministers Naveed Qamar, Pir Mazharul Haque and Syed Murad Ali Shah. He praised the Makhdooms in the light of their long association with the PPP since their father, Makhdoom Mohamm-ad Zaman Talibul Maula, joined the PPP. He said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Amin Fahim’s son Jamiluz-zaman would together serve the people of Hala. He said the PPP would get votes on the basis of its performance. Host Amin Fahim, his brother Dr Rafiquzzaman and Jamiluz-zaman were also present. Mr Fahim had reached Hala on Monday night. It was his first appearance in his hometown after the formation of the Awami Ittehad Alliance, formed recently against the Makhdooms by local politicians associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and other parties. A 30-member delegation of notables and local politicians also called on the president. They included Sajjadanasheen of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s shrine Syed Nisar Hussain Shah. It is also learnt that former PML-F MPA Jalal Shah Jamote announced joining the PPP in the president’s presence. Dada Hashim Samoon – who has joined the Awami Ittehad Matiari – also announced his support for the Makhdooms. Others who announced their support for them included Jiandal Shah, a relative of Syed Shah Mohammad Shah, senior vice president of the Sindh United Party. SUP local leaders are also part of the alliance. Likewise, Sarfaraz Rahu, son of Nazeer Rahu, a close aide of Amin Fahim, attended the lunch though his father did not. “Our alliance is intact,” says Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote, convener of the alliance. According to him, Dada Hashim Samoon was pressured by Hyderabad SSP Farid Jan Sarhandi to announce his support for the Makhdooms. “He did it accordingly as he had no other option,” he adds. He says Jalal Shah Jamote joined the PPP considering that he would contest for PS-44, which Jalal Shah had won in 2002. Raees Nazeer Rahu, Raees Ali Ahmed Nizamani, once trusted men of the Makhdooms, did not attend the function.—Staff Correspondent ================ Politicking: Gohar Ayub, son to join PML-N this week By Muhammad Saqadat Published: December 26, 2012 Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. HARIPUR: Former national assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan and his son Omar Ayub have finalised a date to formally join the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N). Omar said on Tuesday that they would formally be announcing their move on December 27 at a press conference in Raiwand. He also said that Raja Faisal Zaman, the son of late Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) senior minister Raja Sikandar Zaman, would also be joining the PML-N. Youngest son of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Gohar won elections through the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) when the Islami Jamroohi Ittehad (IJI) came to power after controversial elections. Gohar, being a close associate of Nawaz Sharif, was then elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly. From 1993-1997 he served as Deputy Opposition Leader during the second tenure of the late Benazir Bhutto-led PPP government. He was then appointed the foreign minister in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet after the 1997 elections, but was removed from the position by General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf in October 1999. Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. He later joined the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) and fielded his son Omar on a PML-Q ticket in NA-19 Haripur as he did not have a bachelor’s degree at the time. Omar, although a political novice, defeated Pir Sabir Shah, the sitting provincial president of PML-N with a heavy margin and was chosen as minister of state for finance in the cabinet of then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz. However, the changing political dynamics eventually cost Omar his family seat during the 2008 elections and he lost to PML-N candidate Sardar Mushtaq Khan with a margin of over 40,000 votes, coming third. Both father and son continued to remain affiliated with the PML-Q that eventually divided into two more factions and being close relatives of the head of the PML-Q (Likeminded), Salim Saifullah Khan, jumped into his boat. About three months ago, when the leadership of PML-Q (Likeminded) and PML-N agreed on a seat adjustment and announced Omar as joint candidate for the next elections, the sitting MNA Sardar Mushtaq said he would join the Pakistan Peoples Party instead. This cleared obstacles that Omar and his father faced. They also convinced Nawaz Sharif to soften his stance on accepting those who left the party at earlier dates. Sources say that the PML-N chief had no other option but to accept Omar as he has no electable candidate for NA-19 after the defection of Sardar Mushtaq to PPP. It has yet to be seen how effective Omar will prove for Nawaz Sharif as Dr Raja Amer Zaman, the elder son of late Raja Sikandar Zaman, is also considered as strong candidate from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Although it has yet to be seen if the PML-N can win the seats required for forming the next government, Nawaz Sharif’s ‘backtracking’ from his previous stand of not accepting those who had abandoned him indicates that he is to win maximum seats. Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012. ===========

The Siddis of Junagadh & Karachi

Obama's Step Brother
This is part of my Mahim Police Sandal procession,the Mahim police pays the tribute to their patron Saint Makhdoom Shah Baba al Mahimi..the first salute and salami is done by the Mahim police than the Urus commences so to speak..


The Siddis will perform at the procession , I did not shoot their performance as I had hurt my barefeet and aborted the shoot .

The Siddis are Indians of African descent settled in Junagadh and other parts of Gujrat including Mumbai.They speak Gujrati with an African dialect.


About the Siddis

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddi

The Siddi, Siddhi, or Sheedi (Urdu: شیدی ; Hindi: सिद्दी or शीदि; Gujarati: સિદ્દી) are an Indian ethnic group of Black African descent. The Siddi population is currently estimated to be 20,000-55,000, with Gujarat state of India being the main population center.[1][2] Siddis are mainly Sufi Muslims, although some are Hindus and some Roman Catholic Christians.[3]

There are conflicting hypotheses on the origin of the name Siddi. One theory is that the word was a term of respect in North Africa, similar to the word Sahib in modern India and Pakistan.[2] Another holds that it is a degeneration of the word Sayyid or Sayyadi, which is used for descendants of Prophet Muhammad.[2] A third theory is that the term Siddi is derived from the title borne by the captains of the Arab vessels that first delivered Siddi slaves to India. These captains were known as Sayyid (again, signifying the lineage of Prophet Muhammad), so their black captives were named after them.[4]

Similarly, another term for Siddis, habshi (from Al-Habsh, the Arabic term for Abyssinia), is held to be derived from the common name for the captains of the Ethiopian/Abyssinian ships that also first delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent.[4] The term eventually came to be applied to other Africans as well, and referred not only to emancipated Siddis but to their descendants too.[5]

Siddis are also sometimes referred to as Afro-Indians.[6][7][8] Siddis were referred to as Zanj by Arabs, and Seng Chi (a malapropism of Zanj) by the Chinese.[9][10][11]

The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in the Indian subcontinent in 628CE at the Bharuch port. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic invasions of the subcontinent in 712CE.[13] The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army, and were called Zanjis.

Most Siddis, however, are believed to be the descendants of slaves, sailors, servants and merchants from the Bantu-speaking parts of East Africa who arrived and became resident in the subcontinent during the 1200-1900CE period.[14] A large influx of Siddis to the region occurred in the 17th century when Portuguese slave traders sold a number of them to local princes.[2]

In Western India (the modern Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra), the Siddi gained a reputation for physical strength and loyalty, and were sought out as mercenaries by local rulers, and as domestic servants and farm labor.[2] Some Siddis escaped slavery to establish communities in forested areas, and some even established small Siddi principalities on Janjira Island and at Jaffrabad as early as the twelfth century. A former alternative name of Janjira was Habshan (i.e., land of the Habshis). In the Delhi Sultanate period prior to the rise of the Mughals in India, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut was a prominent Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of Razia Sultana (1205-1240CE). Although this is disputed, he may also have been her lover.[15]

As a power center, Siddis were sometimes allied with the Mughal Empire in its power-struggle with the Maratha Confederacy.[2] However, Malik Ambar, a prominent Siddi figure in Indian history at large, is sometimes regarded as the "military guru of the Marathas," and was deeply allied with them.[16] He established the town of Khirki which later became the modern city of Aurangabad, and helped establish the Marathas as a major force in the Deccan. Later, the Marathas adapted Siddi guerrilla warfare tactics to grow their power and ultimately demolish the Mughal empire.[16]

Some accounts describe the Mughal emperor Jahangir as obsessed by Ambar due to the Mughal empire's consistent failures in crushing him and his Maratha cavalry, describing him derogatorily as "the black faced" and "the ill-starred" in the royal chronicles and even having a painting commissioned that showed Jahangir killing Ambar, a fantasy which was never realized in reality.[17]

Some Indian Siddis are descended from Tanzanians and Mozambicans brought by the Portuguese.
[edit] Siddis of Gujarat
Siddi Folk Dancers, at Devaliya Naka, Sasan Gir, Gujarat.

Presented as slaves by the Portuguese to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in Junagadh a district of the state of Gujarat, India.

On the way to Deva-dungar is the quaint village of Sirvan, inhabited entirely by Siddis, a tribe of African people. They were brought 300 years ago from Africa, by the Portuguese for the Nawab of Junagadh. Today, they follow very few of their original customs, with a few exceptions like the traditional Dhamal dance.[18]

Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populations, some African traditions have been preserved. These include the Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called Dhamaal (Gujarati: ધમાલ, fun).[19] The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of East Africa.[19] The Goma also has a spiritual significance and, at the climax of the dance, some dancers are believed to be vehicles for the presence of Siddi saints of the past.[20]

In Pakistan, locals of Black African descent are called "Makrani", "Sheedi" or "Habshi". They live primarily along the Makran Coast in Balochistan (see also Makrani), and lower Sindh. In the city of Karachi, the main Sheedi centre is the area of Lyari and other nearby coastal areas. Technically, the Sheedi are a brotherhood or community distinct from the other Afro-Pakistanis. The Sheedis are divided into four clans, or houses: Kharadar Makan, Hyderabad Makan, Lassi Makan and Belaro Makan.[21] The sufi saint Pir Mangho is regarded by many as the patron saint of the Sheedis, and the annual Sheedi Mela festival, is the key event in the Sheedi community's cultural calendar[22]. It features songs and dance clearly derived from Africa.[23][24]

Linguistically, Makranis are Balochi or Sindhi and speak a dialect of Urdu referred to as Makrani.

Famous Sheedis include the historic Sindhi army leader Hoshu Sheedi[25] and Urdu poet Noon Meem Danish[26][27]. Sheedis are also well known for their excellence in sports, especially in football and boxing. The musical anthem of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, "Bija Teer", is a Balochi song in the musical style of the Sheedis with Black African style rhythm and drums[2]. Younis Jani is a popular Sheedi singer famous for singing an Urdu version of the reggaeton song Papi chulo... (te traigo el mmmm...)[3].
[edit] Films

* 2003 - From Africa...To Indian Subcontinent: Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora. By Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy, in close collaboration with Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy and the Sidi community. DVD-R. ISBN 1880519291.

* 1983- Razia Sultan , an indian urdu film directed by Kamal Amrohi , is about The film is based on the life of Razia Sultan (played by Hema Malini) (1205-1240), the only female Sultan of Delhi (1236-1240) and her speculated love affair with the Abyssinian slave Jamal-ud-Din Yakut (played by Dharmendra, he was reffered to in the movie as a habshee.

* 1999 - Mon petit diable (My Little Devil). Directed by Gopi Desai. Om Puri, Pooja Batra, Rushabh Patni, Satyajit Sharma.

[edit] See also

* Zanj
* Afro-Asian
* List of Scheduled Tribes in India
* Murud-Janjira
* Siddhis of Karnataka
* Malunga
* Black Indians (the Americas)
* Chaush
* Makrani
* African Pakistani