There are two kinds of leaders: those who are created by history and those who create history. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a leader who created history. He orchestrated the emergence of a separate homeland for Muslims of the Subcontinent seven years after the Pakistan Resolution was adopted on March 23, 1940.
His decision to create Pakistan on an ideological basis was unparalleled in the 20th century. He was an ardent advocate of democracy, social justice and constitutionalism.
Jinnah was absolutely clear about the motivating force and objectives behind the Pakistan Movement and also had a vision about the nature of the polity Pakistan was going to be. For the benefit of the younger generation, it is pertinent to narrate, in the Quaid’s own words, his views on the Pakistan Movement and his vision for Pakistan.
In an interview with a foreign correspondent in November 1945 he said, “Politically, Pakistan would be a democracy. This would be a Muslim state...there would be no social barrier of any kind against Hindus or anyone else. The Musalmans are people who believe in and act on the basic principles of equality of mankind and fraternity”.
Speaking in Chittagong on March 26, 1948, Jinnah explained the ideology that inspired the Pakistan Movement. He said, “You are only voicing my sentiments and [the] sentiments of millions of Musalmans when you say that Pakistan should be based on sure foundations of social justice and Islamic socialism which emphasises equality and brotherhood of man… we fought for Pakistan because there was a danger of [the] denial of these basic human rights in the Subcontinent. We aspired for these great ideals because of centuries of dual domination by the foreign rulers and by a caste-ridden social system.
“This domination continued for over two hundred years until we realised that it would ultimately mean [the] complete extinction of Musalmans individually as human beings and collectively as a nation. After all, the story of Pakistan, its struggle and its achievement is the story of great human ideals struggling to survive in the face of odds and difficulties”.
While addressing government officers after Independence, on October 11, 1947, Jinnah said, “The establishment of Pakistan for which we have been striving for the last ten years is… an established fact today but the creation of a state of our own was a means to an end and not the end in itself. The idea was that we should have a state in which we could live…as free men and which we could develop according to our own lights and cultures and where principles of Islamic social justice could find fair play”.
Addressing a public rally on March 23, 1940, where the Pakistan Resolution was adopted, Jinnah observed, “Musalmans are a nation according to any definition of a nation and they must have their homeland, their territory and their state. We wish to live in harmony and peace with our neighbours as a free and independent people. We wish our people to develop to the fullest our spiritual, cultural, economic, social and political life in a way that we think best and in consonance with our own ideals and according to the genius of our people”.
As is crystal clear from the foregoing discourses of the Quaid, it was not merely the desire for economic emancipation that motivated Muslims to rally around his cause to create a separate homeland. They had higher objectives in view which would automatically trigger economic emancipation and freedom from domination. Jinnah wanted Pakistan to be a democratic polity, which would draw inspiration from the lofty principles of Islam – particularly the concept of social justice. But he did not want it to become a theocracy. He believed Islam to be a complete code of life, regulating all aspects of human activity and serving as the only force that could boost unity and cohesion.
But the nation regrettably failed to follow the script bequeathed by the founder of Pakistan and is still wandering in the wilderness to find its direction and lost sense of unity. The history of our nation is the history of treachery and betrayal of the objectives for the creation of a separate homeland. It is the history of flouting and undermining the vision of the founder of Pakistan; a history of pummelling the constitution and governing through extra-constitutional steps. It is also the history of politicians subverting the continuation of democratically- elected governments by urging military takeovers to settle scores with their opponents.
The challenges that we face today are a sequel to the never-ending betrayal of the objectives of Independence and the vision of the Quaid. I am sure the Quaid must be turning in his grave to see what we have done to his Pakistan.
As we celebrate the birth anniversary of an infallible leader like the Quaid, the best way to pay tribute to him would be to take a pledge on the part of the nation – particularly those anti-democracy forces and state institutions who have pushed the country into a precipice – to revisit their conduct. They must retake an oath to abide by the vision of the Quaid, follow the constitution and contribute their share in nation-building by remaining within the confines of their constitutionally prescribed roles and responsibilities. The egregious challenges that we face today can best be tackled through national unity, democracy and an unswerving commitment to constitutional norms.
It is believed that the worst democracy is better than the most benign dictatorship. This maxim endorses the existing global realities. Nations which have achieved economic progress are the ones where democratic systems are in vogue, state institutions respect the principle of separation of power and people are equal before the law and enjoy fundamental human rights without facing any discrimination. This is the only recipe which can help surmount the challenges the country is facing and carve for it a respectable niche in the comity of the nations.
The writer is a freelance contributor. Email: ashpak10gmail.com