One
of the disciples of the Báb, Shaykh Saʼid-i-Hindi, was from Multan,
Pakistan, and was instructed by the Báb to spread the religion to his
homeland. The Shaykh converted a blind man named Basir from Multan, who
traveled to Iran, met Baháʼu'lláh, and was later killed for his beliefs
while in Iran.[4] Another early Indian convert was Qahru'llah, who met
the Báb in Chihríq and returned to India.[5] Baháʼu'lláh later
encouraged followers to travel to India and spread the Baháʼí Faith
there.[6]
In 1921 the Baháʼís of Karachi elected their first
Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly and acquired a Baháʼí Center before
independence.[7][8] In 1923, still as part of India, a regional National
Spiritual Assembly was formed for all India and Burma which then
included the area now part of Pakistan.[9] By 1956 Baháʼí local
assemblies spread across many cities,[10] and in 1957, East and West
Pakistan elected a separate National Baháʼí Assembly from India and
later East Pakistan became Bangladesh with its own national assembly.[9]
In 1978, Baháʼís in Pakistan established a Montessori School in Karachi
that continues functioning as the "New Day Secondary School".[11] The
school started with three students and by 2015 had over 700
enrolled.[12] There are about 12 Baháʼí Centers (a.k.a. Baháʼí Halls)
spread around Pakistan.
The
Local Spiritual Assembly of Quetta was formed in 1943 by Baháʼís from
Mumbai and Iran while the Local Spiritual Assembly of Hyderabad was also
formed in 1943 by Baháʼís from Karachi. A spiritual assembly was
elected for the first time in Jammu in 1946. Baháʼís from Karachi were
among those to help elect the local spiritual assemblies in Sukkur and
Rawalpindi in 1948. Further local assemblies were formed in Sialkot in
1949, Multan, Chittagong, and Dhaka in 1950, Faisalabad in 1952,
Sargodha in 1955, and Abbottabad, Gujranwala, Jahanabad, Mirpurkhas,
Nawabshah, and Sahiwal by 1956 thus raising the number of local
spiritual assemblies to 20. Hand of the Cause Dorothy Beecher Baker
spoke at a variety of events in India extending her stay twice to speak
at schools – her last public talk was in Karachi in early 1954.[36]
A newsletter published by Baháʼís loyal to Remey announced in 1964 that almost all the Baháʼís in Pakistan accepted Remey as the successor to Shoghi Effendi.
Courtesy : Wikipedia
At the start of the Crusade, Pakistan was administered by the National Spiritual Assembly of India, Pakistan and Burma. The Guardian’s Plan called for both Burma and Pakistan to form separate National Assemblies, and Pakistan was first to achieve this with the calling of its first Convention in Karachi on April 27-30, 1957. Hand of the Cause Shu’a’u’llah ‘Ala’i was the First Guardian’s personal representative. Later on The Second Guardian declared Shu’a’u’llah ‘Ala’I as covenant breaker for going against the Will and Testament of Abdul Baha and denying the matter of continuation of Guardianship.
Mr. Hashmatullah Qureshi was the Secretary of the newly formed National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’i of Pakistan and after the demise of the first Guardian Shoghi Effendi, he followed the second Guardian Mason Remy fulfilling the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.
