Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Shedai
A Revolutionary Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Shedai 1888-1974. Commander Battalion Azad Hindustan 1941 Italy: President of Free India Movement Europe and Italy 1920-1945. He spent his entire life fighting against British rule in India. The best part of his life was spent in self-exile in Asian and European countries – away from his homeland. Shedai Born in 1888 in Sialkot city and graduated from Murray College Sialkot. Shedai,s father, Ch. Ghulam Ali Bhutta was a senior teacher of Science, Mathematics and English language in 1860 at Scotch Mission High School Sialkot city, First missionary school in Punjab and second in sub-continent India. He owns agriculture land in small beautiful village Kotli Bhutta near Head Marala Sialkot district. He participated in politics under guidance of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jouhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali. He joined “ Anjuman - Khadam-i - Kaaba ”, organized by the Ali brothers .
Soon he became Shedai – e – Kaaba . Throughout India there were only nine Shedais and Muhammad Iqbal Shedai was one of them. 1920 Hijrat Movement started when Maulana Muhammad Ali Jouhar and Maulana Abdul Majeed Sindhi declared India as “ Darul Harab ” and exhorted Muslims to migrate to Afghanistan. Shedai took an introductory letter from Maulana Jouhar in name of Mujahid Fazl Elahie Wazirabadi then living in Chamarkand ( Mohamad ) to help Shedai to cross over to Afghanistan, Kabul. Thousands of Indian Muslims were already there as refugees. King Amanullah of Kabul appointed Shedai as his Minister for Indian refugees. 1923 Shedai reached Italy after two years stay in Moscow, with the aim of opening contacts with this country after the failure of the negotiations, opposed by the Indian communists. Met in Rome Maulavi Barakatullah (an Indian nationalist) and dott .
Carlo Arturo Enderle (an Italian, son of Rumanian parents, of Islamic faith with the mane Al Ibn Giafar and an expert of Islamic culture ; The following year he moved to Milan, where met o Lanfranconi , an industrialist interested in the Italian economic expansion in India
1926 Shedai left Italy and moved to Marseilles. He lived in Paris for ten years until March 1938, when was expelled from France. After externment from France, Shedai reached Luson in Switzerland. 1936, April German government ban entry of iqbal shedai in Germany. But this ban was withdrawn in Augest 1938 due to effort of afghan friend and Mr Dr Nonhitling a minister.
He lived in Paris for a decade. During this period he actively participates in independence struggle for his home land, India. He remained in touch with all leaders of Indian parties and played a major role in organizing many meeting for Azad Hindustan.
March 1938 Shedai moved to Switzerland as a representative Ghadar party, but also of the Mujahidin Party of Waziristan. In Luzon in Switzerland he was introduced to the younger brother of Mussolini, the Italian Dictator. He accompanied younger Mussolini and reached Rome in 1941. Benito Mussolini permitted Shedai to work against the British rule of his country from 1941 till his down-fall in 1944. Where he made propaganda Radio and supported the creation of the Indian battalion. Shedai’s work against the British imperialism was on three fronts. He organized the Azad Hind Government (in exile), Established Radio Himalaya in Rome Recruited the Indian prisoners-of-war in Azad Hindustan Battalion to fight against the British rule in subcontinent. Radio Himalayas used to "broadcast to India in Indian languages and English and speak for an Indian liberation movement". The programme had been broadcast from Rome and was run by Iqbal Shedai
The story of the first contacts between Italy and Indian nationalism, dating from the early 1930s, effectively outlines the physiognomy of the nationalists and political leaders of the main independence leader who then reached varyingly Gandhi , Nehru, Bose and Muslim Iqbal Shedai , representative of the Gadar Party in Europe The second world war broke out the relations of cooperation with the latter two intensify and Shedai becomes one of the main advisers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Arab and Islamic issues. . Bose had to cooperate (and compete) with Shedai , take his help in setting up his own radio infrastructure, even staff, and retained even the name of Shedai’s organization “Azad Hindustan ” with a minor abridgement as “Azad Hind
Mussolini established an Italian based Indian corps and promoted iqbal sheda to the rank of generalissimo. Shedai assumed command of the centro militare india CMI in April 1942.Shedai canvassed POWS facilities in Italy and Libya suggesting that Indian take advantage of golden chance to be patriots of their homeland
Shedai returned to Pakistan after Independence of the sub-continent. Early 1950s he went back to Italy. He became Professor of Urdu in Turin University and he taught Urdu language to the Italians for a decade. Mawlana Azad, then the Indian government Education Minister, met Shedai in Rome and offered him a lucrative post to come to Delhi and work for the Government of India, which he declined. In 1964, he returned to Lahore and spent the last ten years of his life. On 13 January 1974 in early morning hours, the call from Almighty came and he answered it. He was buried in Miani Sahib Lahore.
