A Brief Life Story of Mir Haji Ghulam Muhammad Khan Talpur

His Brief Life Story

Mir Haji Ghulam Muhammad Khan Talpur was Khan Bahadur Mir Yar Muhammad Talpur’s only son. He was born in the year 1909. When he was 13 years old, he went on a pilgrimage to Makkah with his grandfather. In 1931, he married the daughter of his uncle, Mir Abdullah Khan. His elder son, Mir Muhammad Nawaz Khan Talpur was born in 1934, and his younger son, Mir Yar Muhammad Khan Talpur (II) was born in 1938. Mir Muhammad Nawaz Khan Talpur has one daughter and Mir Yar Muhammad Khan has one son, Mir Atta Muhammad Talpur (the editor & owner of this website).

Mir Ghulam Muhammad Khan was a large landowner in his neighborhood. He inherited only 11000 acres of mostly barren land from his father, but thanks to his keen interest in agriculture and hard work, he added thousands of more acres to his ownership. Nobody granted him a jagir or a feud, but he bought and built his own land with his own resources.

He held a low profile in politics, but he served as Vice President of the Mirpur Municipal Committee for over a decade. He was also given the honorary title of ‘Justice of Peace,’ and for a time he had the powers of a magistrate. He did not contest in any provincial or national assembly elections, but he was a staunch supporter of Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah. The editor of this website has several letters written to him by Mr. Hidayatullah, who later became Chief Minister of Sindh and Governor of Sindh.

He was an avid antique collector, and he provided most of the archives for the editor of this website. Unfortunately, many beautiful collections of books, manuscripts, and historical documents were destroyed in a fire that broke out in his townhouse in 1983. He was a primary source of knowledge for the late Mir Muhammad Bukhsh Talpur, who authored a book about the Mankani Talpur Mirs of Mirpur Khas.

He was a generous and kind person. When President General Ayub Khan implemented land reforms, he distributed most of his land to his peasants, bore all the allotment expenses, and paid all installments of their allocated land out of his own pocket. Old people recall his goodness and kindness, and those who were given his lands still express their gratitude to him.

In the early 1950s, he was involved in a car accident with a train, which resulted in partial damage to both knees. As a result of this, he had trouble walking, which was the main reason he kept a low profile. In 1970, he made another pilgrimage with his son, Mir Yar Muhammad Talpur.

Unlike other Taplurs, he did not enjoy hunting and sporting. He despised animal cruelty and was as loving and compassionate to animals as he was to people. He kept a large number (several thousand) of sheep, camels, buffalos, cows, and some horses on his farms in Sherwah (Balochabad), Sultanabad, Sajnah, Halaro, Sonain, Leth, Panhwarki, and Nai Khipri due to his interest in livestock. He regularly helped the poor people of the Thar region, who frequently migrated to his farms during times of drought. He was well-known for his generosity and charity.

After a brief illness, he died on April 23, 1986. He is buried alongside his illustrious father in his family’s ancestral Chitorri graveyard. May his soul rest in peace.

 

“Sipasnama” welcome speech by Mirpur Khas Municipal Committee to welcome Mir Bandeh Ali Khan Talpur, Revenue Department Minister of Sindh. 1939.