Arain People (Arain Tribe History) & Some Prominent Arains

Arain People (Arain Tribe History) & Some Prominent Arains

by Muhammad Usman Shahid

I proud to be a member of the Arain family, not just for the tribe/caste member, but because of the services of the Arain family people that they had served, is serving and will serve InshaAllah to the Islam, the Muslim Ummah, the Subcontinent people & Pakistan particularly.

The Arain are descendants of Arab invaders to the Indian subcontinent. Akbar Shah Khan Najeebabadi, an Indian historian of Islam, wrote that they entered India thru Debal, Sindh with Muhammad Bin Qasim in 92 Hijri (711CE). He referred to them as Areehai from Arreha (Jericho) which was Punjabized with a nasal sound to Arain. It is believed the word Arain is derived from the Arabic name Ar-Ra'i, "The shepherd", a title indigenous to Arabia.

Most Arains are very fair, and many have colored eyes, which means that they could not be of Indian ancestry. This is more true because of the fact that even today Arains don't like to marry outside their clan. Even highly urbanized Arains do not like to marry "outsiders", resulting in Arains being the purest race in the subcontinent, Arains claim Arab descent, based upon the fact that nearly all Arains are Sunni Muslims as was Muhammad Bin Qasim. Under the British Raj after the two Anglo-Sikh wars the Arains who were classified by the British as a non-martial race (at that time they were an almost exclusively agricultural caste of Muslim farmers and small landholders.) was brought into the Punjab to replace the Sikhs, who classified as a martial race were sought by the British as new recruits. Unlike many of the Muslims from Afghanistan, who were slow to accept the change to the British educational system and the change from Persian to English, the Arains stressed the importance of education for their children, and with the wealth gained from their hard work they were soon dominating the legal profession in Punjab and as lawyers have found around the world, their move into politics was an easy one. Arain is the Largest and most populated tribe in Pakistan.

• Arains mostly use the family names (some former titles) of: Chaudhry, Mian, Mehar, Malik, Ramay, Bhutta, Ghurki, Ramday, Bhutto, Sardar, Kardar, Saleemi, Hijazi, Sheikh, Shah, Saleemi, Baari, Shami and Alrai.

Some Prominent Arains: 

• Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar Mehar of Ali Baig (Retired) Superintendent of Azad Kashmir Courts.
• Shah Inayat Qadri - A famous Sufi of the Qadiri order, who was the spiritual leader of Punjabi poets and saints Baba Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah.
• Nawab Mian Muhammad Fazil - Received the royal title of Nawab from Emperor Aurangzeb.
• Mian Qadir Buksh Nadir - Artillery Commander, author of, "Muftah-ul-Qila" (Persian text book on science of gunnery in 18th century).
• Mian Sahib of Nankana Sahib - Great Sufi and Spiritual Healer Having Followers Around the World.
• Mian Iftikharuddin - Congress Party member and later member of the Muslim League under Mohammed Ali Jinnah, landlord and founder of the Imroze and Pakistan Times Newspapers.
• Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto - A Big Landlord and Prominent Politician of Sindh, He was the Chairman of All India Arain Convention in 1905.
• Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz - An influential politician of the Punjab in the 1920s.
• Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - Fourth President of Pakistan (1971 to 1973) and ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan (1973 to 1977).
• General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq - The sixth President of Pakistan (Chief of Staff Pakistan Army)
• Benazir Bhutto - First Female Prime Minister of a Muslim Country, Two time Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988-1990) and (1993-1996).
• Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto - 8th Governor and Chief Minister of Sindh.
• Sardar Ameer Buksh Bhutto - Vice President of Sindh National Front and also ex-Member of Sindh Assembly.
• Justice Mian Shah Din Humayon (1868-1918) - First Muslim Judge in British India.
• Sir Mian Muhammad Shafi (1869-1932) - Member of Viceroy's Executive Council.
• Justice Sir Mian Abdur Rasheed - First Chief Justice of Pakistan (1947).
• Jam Raeena, Banu Sama (from Banu Aamir branch of Al-i-Adnan) Ruler of Sindh and father of the Arain tribe in India.
• General Adina Beg Zafar Jang Bahadar, General and Ruler of Doaba and Punjab.
• Chaudhry Muhammad Ali - Fourth Prime Minister of Pakistan.
• Mian Sher Muhammad Sharaqpuri, Great sufi and spiritual leader of Indo-Pak
• Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry - First Chief of Pakistan Air Force.
• Lt General Faiz Ali Chishti - General of Pakistan Army.
• Wasim Akram - Ex Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team.
• Justice Mian Saqib Nisar - Supreme Court of Pakistan.
• Maher Muhkum Din - Governor of Lahore During Sikh Raj.
• Mohammad Hanif Ramay - Former Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab Pakistan.
• Imran Nazir - A Pakistani Cricket Player.
• Mian Muhammad Azhar - Former Governor of Punjab Pakistan.
• Shah Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi - A Freedom Fighter in 1857, His Army drove the British out of Ludhiana and Panipat, but he was defeated and killed in Delhi.
• Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan.
• Abdul Razzaq - A Famouse Pakistani Cricketer.
• Mian Anwarul Haq Ramay - Ex Member of Parliament from Sahiwal.
• Shehbaz Ahmad, Ex Captain of Pakistan Hockey Team.
• Abdul Hafeez Kardar - First Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team, Former Minister of Punjab and Pakistan's Ambassador to Switzerland.
• Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq - Former Attorney General of Pakistan.
• Sardar Asif Ahmad Ali - Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, His father Sardar Ahmad ali and Uncle Sardar Muhammad Hussain were also Members of Parliament from Caesar Punjab.
• Mohammad Sarwar - First Muslim Member of British Parliament.
• Sarfraz Nawaz Malik - Former Fast Bowler and Member of Punjab Assembly.
• Tahir Zaman, Ex Captain of Pakistan Hockey Team.
• Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir - Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff.
• Mian Zahid Sarfraz - Former Interior Minister of Pakistan.
• Sultan Rahi, Famous Punjabi Film Star.
• Dr. Anwar Ali - Chairman Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
• Farooq Yousuf Ghurki, Provincial Minister for Information and Technology of Punjab.
• Neelam Jabbar Chaudhary - Provincial Minister for Population Welfare Punjab.
• Mian Raza Rabbani - Former Leader of the House in Senate and Minister of Law and Justice.
• Tariq Choudhry - Ex Senater of Pakistan.
• Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed Kohastani - (EX MNA), His Son Chaudhry Asim Nazir was also MNA and Chaudhry Zahid Nazir was Dstrict Nazim of Faisalabad.
• Vice Admiral Ahmed Tasnim - The only Navy officer of Pakistan have been Awarded Sitara-e-Jurat Twice.
• Nasim Hijazi - Famous Urdu Writer of Islamic History Novels.
• Qudrat Ullah Shahab - writer of famous book "Shahab Nama"
• Habeeb - Film Star.
• Muhammad Iqbal Ghurki - Former Transport Minister of Punjab.
• Lt Gen Naseer Akhtar - Ex-Corps Commander of Pakistan.
• Qudrat Ullah Shahab - Former Pakistani Ambassador to the Netherlands and His Father was the Governoer of Gilgit during Dogra Rule.
• Naseem Viky, Famouse Stage Actor.
• Chaudhary Abdul Ghaphoor - Ex Federal Minister and MNA from Bahawalnagher.
• Choudhary Nazir Ahmad Arain, Ex Minister of Punjab and MPA from Vihari.
• Tariq Aziz, Film and Tv Star and Ex Member of National Assembly.
• Admiral Haji Muhammad Saddiq Chaudhry, The First Pakistani Navy Commander In Chief.
• Aziz Ahmad - Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
• Lt Gen Ghulam Mustafa - Ex-Corps Commander and Incharge Strategic Command of Pakistan.
• Mian Amer Mehmood, Mayor of Lahore Pakistan.
• Saleem Elahi - A Pakistani Test Cricketer.
• Samina Khalid Ghurki - Federal Minister of Social Welfare and Special Education, Her Husband Khalid Javed Ghurki was also a Member of Parliament and Nazim of Wahga.
• Jahangir Badar - Senator, Ex Federal Minister and Secretary General of PPP.
• Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad Bhutta - Member of National Assambly from Lahore.
• Mian Shamim Haider, Former Federal Minister of Sports and Railway.
• Pervez Malik - Member of National Assembly from Lahore.
• Mian Muhammad Zaman - Former Federal Minister and Chairman Federal Land Commission.
• Lt Gen Mian Muhammad Afzaal, Chief of General Staff (1989-1991).
• Shafiq Arain - Former Minister and Member of Parliament in Uganda and UN Ambassador for East Africa.
• Mian Attaullah - Famous Politician Spiritual Leader and Ex Federal Minister.
• Chaudhry Assad-ur-Rehman, Former Federal Minister and Member of Parliament Three Times from Toba Tek Singh.
• Malik Mohammad Qayyum - Former Attorney General of Pakistan.
• Mian Umar Hayat, Mian Muhammad Usman, Mian Abdul Waheed, Mian Aziz u Rehman Chan, Mian Muneer, Mian Margoob Ahmad, Mian Muhammad Aslam are all Arains Members of National Assembly of Pakistan from Lahore.
• Mian zahid Sarfraz, Mian Amjad Hasin, Mian Abdul Manan - Ex Members of Parliament from Faisalabad.
• Yasmin Rehman - Member of Parliament from Lahore.
• M-Hamza - Ex Member of Parliament from Gojra.
• Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq - Ex MNA and District Nazim of Toba Tek Singh.
• Hon Capt (SardarBahadur) Muhammad Ismail (IOM , OBI) British Indian Army.
• Subedar Kifayat Ullah (IDSM) British Indian Army .
• Chaudhry Badar ud Din (PPM)- Retd DIG Police / Ex Director FIA.
• Vice Admiral Farooq Rashid - Chief of Staff Pakistan Navy (2004-05) Rector Bahria University (2006-09).
• SHAHID HAFEEZ KARDAR, Governor of State Bank of Pakistan.
• KHALID ANWAR, Ex Federal Minister of law and Justice of Pakistan.
• Chaudhry Hamid Hameed Arain, MNA from Sargodha of PML N in 2013 Election