Abdullah Haroon

Sir Abdullah Haroon (1 January 1872 – 27 April 1942) (also spelled Seth Haji Sir Abdoola Haroon) was a British Indian politician and businessman who made major contributions towards developing and defining the role of Muslims in economic, educational, social and political fields in the Indian subcontinent. He lost his father at an early age of four and was raised by his grandmother who was a deeply religious lady. Early in his life, he worked as an 'assistant bicycle repairman' for 4 annas (quarter of an Indian rupee). He deeply believed in the dignity of labor. Then in 1896, at the age of 24, he started his own business as a small merchant in Karachi. He soon became very successful and was called Sindh's 'Sugar King' by his contemporaries due to his business trades in sugar.

In 1913, he developed an interest in politics. He first became a member of the Karachi Municipality from May 1913 to September 1916. Again, he was a member of this body from 1 May 1921 to 21 August 1934.

Meanwhile the decline of the Sind United Party led him to organize the Muslim League in Sindh in 1938 and he was elected its president in 1939.

Death and legacy Abdullah Haroon died on 27 April 1942 in Karachi. He had donated ten thousand rupees to the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1942. He was a philanthropist and active in social welfare projects throughout his life and contributed to many charitable institutions. According to Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust..."he had given away a princely sum of Rs 88,961 to charities, which would be equivalent to about Rs 10 million today".

Abdullah Haroon was widely considered to be so honest in his conduct with people that even Mahatma Gandhi had remarked about him, "I will trust this man with a blank cheque".