‘I Am Ajeeb’: An Iconic British Pakistani/Kashmiri Tale of Perseverance and Success

Ishtiaq Ahmed 

Mirpur: Undoubtedly, it was an honor to be invited and asked to speak at the launch event of the biographical book ‘I Am Ajeeb’ at the Al- Jaber Hotel in Mirpur city.

The launch event was organized by the Pakistan Press Club’s Literary and Cultural Forum (UK) and hosted by its Chairman Sajid Yusuf. 

This gathering of personalities from the world of literature and journalism was presided over by the former Chief Justice of Azad Kashmir,  the honorable Azam Khan whereas Mohammed Ajeeb CBE ,most befittingly,  was the Chief Guest.

The book ‘ I Am Ajeeb’, is a stylish rendering of Mohammed Ajeeb’s life journey  by the celebrated author of ‘ Pakistan to England’ Yaqub Nizami,  a mentee and a close family friend of Mohammed Ajeeb Yaqub Nizami,  with loving care , painstakingly captures the lived experiences of the great man.

In the book, Mohammed Ajeeb recalls and details his fascinating life journey from childhood days in the village Chatroah on the outskirts of the district Mirpur , to his first migration to Karachi 1954 and then onward to the UK in 1957. 

It provides fascinating insights not only into his personal evolution but also to the political, religious, and cultural shaping of the British Pakistani / Kashmiri diaspora in Britain.

On arriving in the UK , Mohammed Ajeeb was simply not content with ‘ Earn and Live’. He very quickly immersed himself in the social and political affairs of the community, becoming active in the local trade union movement and equality and human rights lobbies at an early age. 

This naturally propelled him towards joining the labor party and being elected to the Bradford Council in 1979 for the first time. 

In 1985 , he was appointed as the first non-white Lord Mayor of Bradford City,  overcoming huge odds and challenges that presented themselves to Black and Asian politicians in the British party political system laden with racism and cynicism.

In the book, Mohammed Ajeeb unsparingly delves into his personal, professional, political and community journey with great candidness. Nothing is left untouched. It is this that makes this a fascinating read. 

In explaining  his motivation for this painstaking work, the author Yaqub Nizami says “ The aim of writing this book was to make our new generation aware of the difficulties faced by the first generation”.

This indeed is a noble aim and to do so by committing to paper for posterity the inspirational life story of our foremost icon Mohammed Ajeeb is a great service to the community and our evolving identity in Britain.

May I take this opportunity to firstly thank the Pakistan Press Club for hosting this most befitting and beautiful first event to launch the publication of the autobiography of Mohammed Ajeeb bhai. This in itself will no doubt take an historic precedence due to course.

Secondly, may I express my deepest gratitude to Yaqub Nizami for his painstaking efforts to listen and capture for us the story of a unique person, personality and an institution of man. 

Both Myself and Yaqub Nizami have witnessed and shared Mohammed Ajeeb’s many moments in his journey as he tried to navigate some huge challenges in the way of an ambitious, visionary and passionate, refusing to hold back.

Mohammed Ajeeb’s story is of passion, hard work and unflinching perseverance and persistence against many odds in a society laden with racism, discrimination and resentful of its former colonial subjects rising above their status.

Therefore, Ajeeb’s story is a story of not a person but an entire community and those of us who have tried refused to be confined to mere economic migrants.