Mr. Abdul Majeed serves as Chairman of the Board of National Foods Ltd. He is Co-Founder, Director and Chairman of National Foods Limited and Associated Textile Consultants Private Limited.
Don’t just see the beginning;
keep the complete picture in mind
- Mr. Abdul Majeed
Mr. Abdul Majeed serves as Chairman of the Board of National Foods Ltd. He is Co-Founder, Director and Chairman of National Foods Limited and Associated Textile Consultants Private Limited. After graduating from the F.C. College, Lahore, with a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics, he was selected by the British Council for Higher Studies in Textile Engineering. Mr. Abdul Majeed also completed B.Sc. (Honors) in Technology from Manchester University in 1959. Mr. Abdul Majeed is also heading Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust, Sindh, and Textile Institute of Pakistan as the Chairman and Chancellor respectively. He is also a Member of the Board of Governors of National Textile University, Faisalabad and has also previously served as a Member of the Federal Textile Board and the Engineering Development Board of the Government of Pakistan. With a keen interest in continuous innovation, Mr. Abdul Majeed’s contribution has been pivotal in leading the Research & Development team at NFL. He has also been an active member of the Rotary District 3270 in different capacities besides his engagement in other social forums. Moreover, he is also the Vice President Alumni Association of F.C. College, Lahore, former Board Member of Pakistan Institute of Management and the Society for the Promotion of Arabic, Karachi. He is a life member of the Arts Council, Karachi and a professional member of World Future Society, Bathesda, USA, along with being a member of the International Geosynthetic Society, USA.
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Enjoyed your holiday yesterday, the 23 March? We guess most of the people out there slept through it and had a good time. No problem with that, but we should also think about the Pakistan Movement and the great struggle and uncountable sacrifices made by our forefathers to achieve a home for us all, just to appreciate our homeland and thank God for giving us this beautiful country.
So, just to jolt your memories, we interviewed Mr Abdul Majeed who ‘was fortunate’ to attend the 27th annual session of All India Muslim League (AIML), in which the Lahore Resolution, popularly known as Pakistan Resolution, was passed. It was drafted between 22nd to 24th March, 1940, by the Working Committee of the AIML. The resolution was presented by Maulvi Fazlul Huq at Minto Park (now Iqbal Park). After the Lahore Resolution, Muslims finally had a tangible goal to work for. In a matter of seven years, the Muslims of British India achieved a miracle - Pakistan. Mr Majeed spoke to Us about his recollections of this historic occasion.
My recollections of the historic Pakistan Resolution
I was seven years old when my father, a school teacher of a small village, Kalaske, about 15 kilometres west of the Gujranwala City, took me to Lahore. He told me he was taking me to a meeting that would prove to be the turning point for the Muslims of India. It was my first visit to Lahore and I confess I was more excited about seeing this great city and meeting my older brother - a student of Dayal Singh College - than attending the session of All India Muslim League in which Lahore Resolution was passed. I was fortunate to attend the 27th session of Muslim League held in Lahore between 22-24 March, 1940.
The foresight and wisdom of Quaid-e-Azam
What most people don’t know is that on the eve of 23 March, there was a clash between the police and members of Khaksar Movement. The Khaksar Movement was started by Allama Mashriqi in 1931, with the aim of freeing India from the rule of the British. In that clash, more than 200 khaksars were martyred and, as a result, the situation in Lahore became very tense. Quaid-e-Azam was advised to postpone the session, but he refused. However, after arriving in Lahore, he went to visit the injured khaksars in the hospital. The foresight and wisdom of Quaid-e-Azam saved the day and this historic Annual Session of All India Muslim League (PIML) was held as planned. Nevertheless, the session was held in an emotionally charged atmosphere. Along with Lahore Resolution, Khaksar Resolution was also passed, condemning the massacre of the khaksars by the police.
Two-nation theory
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah considered the Pakistan Movement to have started when the first Muslim set foot on the sub-continent. The two-nation theory paved the way for Pakistan’s birth. The theory was promulgated as a result of discriminatory steps against Muslims initiated by the Hindus. In 1867, Hindus started Urdu Hindi Controversy; in 1875, the Hindus formed Arya Samaj, the aim of which was to convert Muslims to Hinduism; in 1852, Gao Mata Raksha; and in 1920, Shuddi Movement.
After the British took over, Muslim leaders realized that the British would have to leave eventually, but after their exit, they would not be able to live according to their religious and moral values. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan said this in 1867; the same thing was reiterated by Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar in1911, Khairi brothers in1927, and Sir Aga Khan in 1928.
Iqbal’s dream
The idea of a separate state for Muslims was first floated by Allama Iqbal in 1930’s session of AIML. The Lahore Resolution was the culmination of the objectives where these separate Muslim states were defined geographically. Also, principles were laid down for the social and legal structure. An interesting thing is that it was the Indian press that first referred it as Pakistan Resolution, because Chaudhry Rahmat Ali came up with the name for the new Muslim state in this session.
At this session, Quaid-e-Azam read out a letter by Lala Rajpat Rai written to a famous Bengali leader, C.R Das. In this letter, he wrote that it would be better if we accept that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations.
The three important clauses of this historic resolution are ignored, which is why we are facing difficulties. The first clause dealt with geographic location and demanded that the regions where Muslims were in majority should be made independent Muslim states.
The second - and the most important - clause guaranteed that Muslim government would safeguard the minorities in the new states. Something we have not been able to do to-date; so we are at fault here. The third clause concerned governance. The plan was to prepare for legal and socio-economic issues the Muslim government would have to deal with after taking over the management of the new country.
I took away a lot from this august session. It gave me confidence that Muslims are not inferior. We were living in villages where Hindus were better educated; they had better jobs and businesses.
Why is our youth frustrated?
They’re frustrated because our education system has failed to produce useful citizens with high moral principles. There are hardly any dedicated teachers nowadays. After my primary education, I was sent to Lahore where I was admitted into Islamia School at Multan Road and believe me, all our teachers devoted their time to prepare us for the future. They wanted us to become useful citizens of the new country.
A state’s economic policy is directly linked to education and unfortunately two major areas - emphasised in Pakistan Resolution - health and education are totally neglected by the State. That’s why our young people don’t have opportunities for growth.
Talented young people go abroad and serve other countries. I went to Europe, too. I am a graduate of Manchester University, but I came back, and so did some of my friends. My friends who stayed back initially earned higher salaries, but those of us who returned are doing a lot better than them now.
Message to the youth
My message is that of Quaid-e-Azam: Unity, Faith and Discipline. And, study, study and study! If you can distinguish yourself abroad, you can do it here, too. Don’t just see the beginning; keep the complete picture in mind because at the end of the day, there is no place like home, and Pakistan is our home.
