Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi (1917 – 25 September 1981), a notable Pakistani politician, gained prominence hailing from the modest town of Gujrat in Punjab, Pakistan.
His professional journey commenced within the police force, where he served as a constable. However, shortly after the establishment of Pakistan, he transitioned into the realm of business. Collaborating with his elder brother, Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi, a textile engineer, the siblings jointly acquired and managed a textile mill in Gujrat. Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, belonging to the Warriach clan, identified as a Jat.
Venturing into local politics during the 1950s, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi found himself at odds with Nawab of Kalabagh Amir Mohammad Khan, the governor of West Pakistan, during Ayub Khan’s rule. As the Secretary-General of the Convention Muslim League, he emerged as an opponent of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. This opposition led to his imprisonment, and the government, in its conflict with Bhutto, confiscated his family’s property.
Tragically, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi met his demise in 1981 in Lahore, falling victim to an assassination orchestrated by Razaq Jharna, a member of Al-Zulfikar, a terrorist organization led by Murtaza Bhutto.
Early Life
Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi’s father was Chaudhry Sardar Khan Warraich. The father of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi, was the older sibling of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi. While Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi was brought up in Gujrat, he departed from his hometown in 1939 to pursue advanced studies. In 1940, he successfully obtained his degree in textile engineering from Amritsar.
Business
Upon returning from Amritsar, Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi joined forces with Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi to establish a family-owned textile business in Gujrat. Following the 1947 independence, the brothers took their entrepreneurial spirit a step further, founding two textile units known as Gujrat Silk Mills and Pakistan Textile Mills.
Expanding their business horizons, the duo ventured into Lahore in 1950, where they set up Parvez Textile Mills. This particular unit specialized in weaving, finishing, and dyeing processes. Keen on technological advancements, Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi traveled to Japan in 1951–52 to import state-of-the-art textile machinery for the Gujrat and Lahore units.
Equipped with his expertise in textiles and astute business acumen, Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi’s leadership ensured the continuous prosperity of the family’s textile units. Undeterred, the family directed their efforts toward diversification, establishing Modern Flour Mills in both Lahore and Rawalpindi, marking another successful chapter in their entrepreneurial journey.
Political Career
In 1956, Chaudry Zahoor Elahi made the decision to embark on a political career, while Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi continued to oversee the family business. Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi secured the position of Chairman of the Gujrat District Board in 1958. Concurrently, in the same year, he also earned a seat as a director of the National Bank of Pakistan. This marked the initiation of his twelve-year tenure as a recurring member of the National Bank’s board of directors.
In 1958, the imposition of martial law by General Ayub Khan brought about the enforcement of the Elected Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO). This order was employed to disqualify politicians for the subsequent five years. Faced with the EBDO, politicians had two choices: voluntary retirement from politics or confronting punitive actions from the government. Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi stood as the sole politician to challenge the draconian EBDO law. Despite being exonerated of all charges by the EBDO Tribunal, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi fell victim to the martial law regime and was handed a six-month prison sentence.
Despite these challenges, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi emerged victorious in the 1962 elections and was elected as a Member of the National Assembly. Subsequently, he assumed the role of Secretary General of the Pakistan Muslim League’s Parliamentary Party of United Pakistan. During this period, the family also acquired the English daily Pakistan Times, a publication based in West Pakistan.
Political Resilience and Economic Reclamation (1970-1980)
In 1970, Elahi secured a seat in the National Assembly as one of the few Pakistan Muslim League members elected. After the disintegration of East Pakistan in 1971, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto assumed control, leading to the nationalization of major industries, including flour mills. Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, among nine opposition leaders, was forcibly ousted from Parliament on Bhutto’s orders. Despite facing politically motivated charges, from alleged buffalo theft to supplying arms to Balochistan rebels, he persevered.
Undeterred, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi continued vocal opposition. For delivering an anti-government speech in Karachi’s Hotel Inter Continental, he was arrested, receiving a five-year prison sentence from a special tribunal. Despite imprisonment in various jails, predominantly in Karachi, he remained resolute.
The Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) gained traction in 1977, leading to the arrest of top leaders, including Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi. Upon General Zia ul Haq’s takeover on July 5, 1977, Elahi and others were released. General Zia ul Haq pledged fresh elections within 90 days. Despite filing his nomination from Gujrat and Lahore Constituency No.3, elections were postponed with Z. A. Bhutto’s arrest. Due to the economic decline of nationalized industries, the Zia government decided to return them to original owners, and the Chaudhry family regained control of their nationalized flour mills.
Al-Zulfikar Assassination and Family Transition (1981)
After General Zia’s actions against the Bhutto family, Murtaza Bhutto founded Al-Zulfikar. Ghulam Mustafa Khar, in exile in London, conveyed to a close associate of Chauhdry Zahoor Elahi about Al-Zulfikar’s plot to assassinate Elahi. Tragically, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi became the first victim of Al-Zulfikar when he was assassinated in Lahore in September 1981. Murtaza Bhutto publicly accepted responsibility for the assassination in his interview with BBC.
In the wake of this tragedy, the Chaudhry family made the decision for Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the sons of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi and Chaudhry Manzoor Elahi, to assume leadership of the family business and enter politics.