Abdul Hafiz Mohamed Barakatullah also known with his honorific as Maulana Barkatullah was an Indian revolutionary with sympathy for the Pan-Islamic movement.⁣
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Barkatullah was born on 7 July 1854 at Itwra Mohalla bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.⁣ In February 1904 he left for Japan, where he was appointed Professor of Hindustani at the University of Tokyo. In the autumn of 1906, at 1 West 34th Street in New York City, a Pan-Aryan Association⁣
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He went to Japan in 1909, where he worked as a professor. He started a journal ‘Islamic Fraternity’, while working as a professor. The ‘Islamic Fraternity’ was banned by the British in 1912 because of its anti-government stand and for supporting the revolutionaries. Meanwhile, he lost his job and went to America again, where he joined the Gadar Party and became its Vice President.⁣
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He went to Germany in 1914, where he started the ‘Indian Council for Independence’ along with his fellow revolutionaries like Har Dayal and Champakaraman Pillai. ⁣
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From Germany, he went to Turkey to garner support for his cause. He met Anwar Pasha, the President of Turkey and successfully gained his support for the armed struggle. After that, he and his comrades declared independence for India on 2 October, 1915 and formed the ‘Government of India in Exile’ with Raja Mahendra Pratap, as its President and Barkathulla Bhopali as the Prime Minister. Turkey and Germany recognized the ‘Government of India in Exile’.⁣
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This alarmed the British who compelled the Afghan Government into denying shelter to Barkathullah. As a result, Barkathullah went to Russia to seek help where he met the Russian leader, Lenin. But, he could not get any positive response from Russia. ⁣
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He went back to Germany once again and started publishing several revolutionary newspapers secretly. He gathered support from the people to the armed struggle inspiring them through his newspapers. He also delivered a powerful speech against the imperialists in the Anti-Imperialist Conference held in Belgium in 1927.⁣
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He took his last breath on 20 September, 1927 in USA. ⁣
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In 1988, Bhopal University was renamed Barkatullah University in his honour.⁣
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