The Abdullah Khan Mosque was built by Abdullah Khan during the reign of
Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. Khan was a
cook of
Prince Dara Shikoh, the elder son of
Shah Jahan, and in 1743 CE, rose up to the position of
kotwal (Chief police officer) of Lahor] for his services. The mosque was completed in by the Falak Beg Khan, and was built on the premises of the shrine to Pir Shah Kaku. In 1762, the
Bhangi Misl Sikh army conquered Lahore and occupied the mosque, together with the public square. The Muslims were not allowed to enter and pray, although Sikhs were given the right to
pray. The Sikhs built a
gurdwara called
Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh in remembrance of
Sikh martyrs in the courtyard while the Mosque building was used as a residence for the Sikh priest.
British rule and demolition of the mosque After
British colonial occupation of the Punjab in 1849, The Mosque became an issue between Muslims and Sikhs again. Muslims protested against the Sikh occupation Shaheed Ganj Mosque. On April 17, 1850, Nur Ahmed, a Muslim resident of Lahore, claimed to be a
mutawallī (trustee) of the mosque and filed a case in Punjab High Court. Nur Ahmed filed several suits between 1853 and 1883 to recover the Shaheed Ganj Mosque, but courts maintained the
status quo. On 29 June 1935, the Sikhs announced that they would demolish the Shaheed Ganj Mosque. Several thousand Muslims assembled in front of the mosque to protect it and Anjuman-i Tahaffuz-i Masjid Shahidganj (Organization for the protection of the Shaheedgunj Mosque) was formed.
Sir Herbert Emerson, the
Governor of the Punjab, tried to negotiate to find mutually acceptable solution. But, on the night of 7 July 1935 the Sikhs demolished the mosque, minutes of
British India Privy Council say "by or with the connivance of its Sikh custodians", leading to riots and disorder in Lahore.
Muslim reactions Jamaat Ali Shah (1834–1951), born in Alipur Sharif Dist,
Sialkot, Pakistan, led the Shaheed Ganj Mosque movement. After the mosque's demolition, Muslims held a public meetings on 19–20 July at the
Badshahi Mosque, and marched directly on the Shaheedganj mosque. There were riots on 20 and 21 July in which the police opened fire, and killed 12 Muslims.
Court case On 25 May 1936, a Judge of the
District Court of Lahore dismissed the suit which Muslims had filed after the demolition. The judgement of
Bombay High Court on 2 May 1940 on
Masjid Shahid Ganj Mosque vs Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak recognized the building as a mosque, but maintained that the
Statute of limitations has passed since the property has been occupied by the Sikhs for more than 170 years. == Architecture ==