Anniversary thoughts

Sixty Nine years ago Pakistan crashed on the map of the world due to singularity of purpose of one man — a westernised, liberal democratic leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah crowned later by his people as Quaid-i-Azam.

He fought his battle by not going to jail, not through barrel of the gun nor street agitation but through his cold logic and ultimate power of the vote. He established Pakistan against the wishes of the British colonial masters, Hindu communal chicanery and diehard opposition of the bigoted Mullas.

Jinnah Sahib’s achievement was all the more astounding. He could not speak Urdu, yet he held spell bound hundreds of thousands of Muslims whereever and whenever he spoke in undivided India. They did not understand him but they had blind faith in his leadership.

He was not a religious person, nor was he anti-religious. Religion for him was essentially a personal affair. So his Pakistan was not to be a theocratic state. He was categorical in putting it straight that “religion shall have nothing to do with the business of the state.”

Jinnah Sahib was a Westminster trained politician — a disciple of Liberal member of British Parliament, an Indian by birth, Dadabhai Naoroji. He imbibed in himself liberal, democratic values with no room for bigotry, discrimination, inequality in the treatment of people — beholding that all are equal irrespective of caste, creed, colour or gender — his vision of Pakistan was egalitarian and not religious.

What does one write to celebrate the greatest day in a nation’s life — its independence anniversary — when it falls under the shadow of death, impending doom and disaster. Though traumatised into a paralysis of thought, the way to survival is not despondency but to get tougher, look for answers to waddle through gravity of the situation — in the spirit that lead to the creation of Pakistan.

Even since Jinnah Sahib’s secular, liberal, egalitarian Pakistan was hijacked into an establishment state soon after his death and assassination of his trusted lieutenant Liaquat Ali Khan; bigoted elements in cahoots with civil, military, judicial troika have had a field day. For seeking legitimacy from foreign powers to continue to usurp the democratic rights of the people, dictators, one after the other (Field Marshal General Ayub Khan and General Yahya Khan), bartered national interests and exposed Pakistan to uncalled for belligerency.

First by waging American Jihad by General Ziaul Haq against the Soviet Union on the pretext of stemming the tide of communist threat through Russian occupation of Afghanistan, a peaceful Pakistan was forced to become victim of gun and heroin culture, host to three million Afghan refugees — leading to total breakdown of law and order and dissipation of all its pristine values.

In the second period post 9-11, kowtowing to an ultimatum by American Secretary of State General Colin Power, yet another dictator General Pervez Musharraf sold all that was left of our national interests. The tragic pass where we stand today is his legacy.

Terrorism is his gift to the nation. Initially he used terrorists as non-state actors or his strategic assets for the persuasion of his myopic agenda. How right has been the observation of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State — “when you rear snakes in your backyard for others, some day they would bite you.”

That’s what has been happening in Pakistan since more than a decade. It seems that terrorists have a carte blanche to do whatever they want to, strike whereever they want to. Each bloody blow like recent Quetta killings results — besides flood of goriest condolences— in dozens of high powered meetings, setting up of new task forces, national action plans sans actions, more verbal re-dedications both from the civil and military leadership to leave no stone unturned and their avowed determination — much strongly worded than the previous ones — not to give up until terrorism is eliminated from the country — seems to be all sound and fury signifying nothing.

Over the years in a scenario overcast by the emergence of religious, sectarian and extremist organisations with the connivance of powers that be, even educated people are scared to talk of Quaid’s vision. It is good to know that his historic speech of 11th of August 1947 — popularly known as his Magna Carta for Pakistan, has been rediscovered after 1989 when the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had it retrieved from the junk and had it reprinted in a book along with his other speeches.

What is so significant about this speech? What happened to it in Quaid’s life time would unfold the whole conspiracy to subvert his scheme of things for Pakistan as he envisioned it. Much before he had warned that “the greatest achievement for which there is no parallel in history” would be smeared and tarnished.

Indeed. A bigoted bureaucrat — secretary general of the government — Choudhry Mohammad Ali who later became prime minister — ordered it to be censored of those portions where Jinnah Sahib mentions of Pakistan not to be theocratic state, where religion would have nothing to do with the business of the state.

Let us stop and ponder — what is there to celebrate the most important day in a nation’s life — its independence anniversary — when it has fallen  under the pall of uncertainty. I conclude with the inspiring words of the Quaid: “We have undoubtedly achieved Pakistan and that too without bloody war, practically peacefully, by moral and intellectual force, and with the power of the pen…”  

Though traumatised into a paralysis of thought, the way to survival is not despondency but to get tougher, look for answers to waddle through gravity of the situation — in the spirit, determination and its original raison d’être that lead to the creation of Pakistan. The ultimate way forward in the words of Quaid remains democracy — “Democracy is in the blood of the Muslims, who look upon complete equality of mankind, and believe in fraternity, equality, and liberty.”

The author is the former High Commissioner of Pakistan