Karim Kassim was the younger brother of Varas Bandali Kassim
(1875-1956). He was born in 1878 in Karachi, where he acquired his formal
education from Sind Madresa-tul-Islam School upto fourth class. He held a
strong command in English, Gujrati and Sindhi languages. Muhammad Ali Jinnah,
the founder of Pakistan was his classmate.
Karim Kassim left Karachi most probably in 1908 and made Hyderabad as
his next home. He built a beautiful bungalow at Prince Aly Road, Hyderabad. The
bungalow was an expensive and also an exclusive construction. Prince Aly Khan
also stayed at the bungalow during his visit to Hyderabad. He had a vast
flourishing leather business, and besides Karachi and Hyderabad he had its
branches in Bombay, Delhi, Lahore, Agra, Kanpur, Quetta, etc. Karim Kassim was
an owner of more than 100 acres of land on the bank of Phuleli river in
Hyderabad, where he built beautiful gardens and residential buildings,
decorated with latest swimming pools, known as Karim Bagh. He was the first in
Hyderabad to introduce the motorcar and telephone.
Karim Kassim enjoyed prosperous and eventful life. He was a member of
the Municipal Corporation in Hyderabad for 25 years and elected every year. He
had cordial relations with the eminent individuals of his time, namely Nizam of
Deccan, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Sir Ghulam Hussain
Hidayatullah, Sir Haji Abdullah Haroon, etc. He also had friendly relations
with the feudal families of Sind, including Mir of Khairpur, Talpur, Mirs and
others. He also had close contacts with influential British officers.
Karim Kassim was a dedicated social worker both inside and outside the
community. The Viceroy of India also conferred upon him the title of Khan Bahadhur in 1918 for his
meritorious services during the first world
war.
On May 6, 1920, Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah said in the Kharadhar
Jamatkhana, Karachi that, “I appoint
Karim Kassim as my Wazir. Wazir Karim Kassim will execute his office as a Wazir
of all over Sind and I tell to all the jamats
of Sind to follow the orders of Wazir Karim Kassim and assist him in the
community affairs.” The Imam also
told him, “Wazir Karim Kassim, I congratulate for your office of the Wazir and
bless you. Inshallah, you will work
to enhance unity in the jamats.”
The Jamatkhana in Hyderabad was built in 1899, when there were about a
hundred Ismailis in the town. The jamat
increased after 25 years and reached upto 325. Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah
donated Rs. 20,000/- for the new Jamatkhana. Varas Karim Kassim donated Rs.
10,000/- and other donors shared for Rs. 11,000/- The new plot was purchased
for Rs. 18,000/- and Varas Karim Kassim laid its foundation stone on Tuesday,
July 21, 1924. All the Ismailis, including Huzur Mukhi Hussain Alarakhia, Mukhi
Rahmatullah Bana, Kamadia Vali Mohammad Suleman, Missionary Hamir Lakha, etc,
attended the foundation ceremony.
Karim Kassim was appointed as the President of Khwaja Ismailia Sind
School on January 20, 1926 and he was also the President of the Hyderabad
branch of the Recreation Club Institute. He was also the first President of the
Ismailia Association for Sind in 1928, formerly known as the Anjuman-e-Ishait-i
Islam.
Karim Kassim also took active
part to re-establish and re-settle a number of people who lived in the slum area in
the interior parts of Sind. He
extended his monetary support to set up and maintain small businesses for their
livelihood. He also acted as the President of H.H. The Aga Khan Council for
Hyderabad and Upper Sind, whose jurisdiction extended from time to time to
Punjab and Frontier.
In 1941, the British India declared him as J.P. (Justice of Peace).
Karim Kassim is also credited to
have arranged marriages in Sind and spent his own money in the ceremonies. Imam
Sultan Mohammed Shah was so pleased with his noble service that he awarded him
the special title of “Commissioner for
Marriages” with a silver casket and a letter of appreciation in 1949.
He married twice. His first wife was Danabai, who gave birth of a son,
Hussain and a daughter, Zainab or Jenubai. Zainab married to Dr. Ghulam Ali
Allana. She was the first Muslim lady in India to be appointed as a
parliamentary secretary in 1931, a post that she held upto 1951 in the Sind
Government. She was also elected as a member of the Sind Legislative Assembly
in 1937 at the time of the separation of Sind from Bombay Presidency and
continued to be M.L.A. upto 1952.
His second wife was originally a Hindu Rajput, called Khushali. She
embraced Ismailism by the hands of the Imam and was named, Kulsoom. She was
well educated and interested in the Islamic History. She also performed waez locally in Hyderabad, and was also
the founder President of Ladies Committee. She died in Hyderabad on October 8,
1955. She was the mother of a son and six daughters.
Varas Karim Kassim died on December 8, 1958.