SMIU celebrates 75 years of elevation of institution from school to college

KARACHI: Sindh Madressatul Islam University on Thursday celebrated the completion of 75 years of elevation of Sindh Madressatul Islam to the level of college on June 21, 1943 by the hands of its illustrious alumnus Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Addressing the meeting held to celebrate the day, Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh, Vice Chancellor of Sindh Madressatul Islam University said that exactly 75 years ago on this day, 21 June 1943, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had inaugurated “Sindh Madressah College” elevating his Alma-Mater from school to college.

He said that the Quaid had specially come from Bombay to Karachi for this occasion and was visibly observed sentimental during his speech delivered at the inaugural ceremony. “On that occasion the Quaid had also donated some amount for his Alma-e-Mater and had appealed to the audience that they must support SMI, because the institutions can’t be run without financial support,” Dr Shaikh said.  

Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh further said that Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had spent a longest period of his academic career at SMI ranging from 1887 to 1892. This is why, he had developed a deep association with his Alma-Mater, which, he had exhibited on various times including during writing his Last Will in 1939 in Bombay, where he had bequeathed one third of his residual property to SMI and after four years of it, he had come to SMI to upgrade it. In the last days of his life, the Quaid had also visited his Alma-Mater, because he seems very weak in a picture, which is preserved in the Jinnah Museum of SMIU.  

 “Today the Alma-Mater of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah has become university, and is being considered as one of the modern and best quality universities of the country,” Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh said added that today we proudly follow the legacy of founder of Pakistan by working on his ideals, because, without following his ideals, the country and the nation couldn’t progress and move forward accordingly.