Pakistan was created for economic emancipation of Muslims: Liaquat Merchant

Pakistan was created for the economic and social welfare of the Muslims of the subcontinent to help them free themselves from the shackles of economic bondage.

This was stated by Liaquat Merchant, president of the Jinnah Society, at a press conference at the Arts Council on Tuesday evening. The press conference was held to enlighten the media about the work and accomplishments of the Jinnah Society and to outline its agenda.

Merchant briefed the media on the conferral of Jinnah Awards on those who had contributed to the betterment of society. The awards were conferred on the following between 1997 and 2017: Abdul Sattar Edhi; Hakeem Muhammad Saeed; Graham Layton; Dr Ruth Pfau; Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan (OPP); Dr Ishrat Hussain, former governor, State Bank of Pakistan; Air Marshal (late) Asghar Khan; Ahmed Ali Khan, Editor, Dawn; IA Rehman, director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; Dr Adeeb Rizvi; Imran Khan; and the late Ardeshir Cowasjee.

Merchant was quick to clarify that Imran Khan had been rewarded for his yeoman’s service in helping the victims of the 2010 nationwide flood and getting relief to them against heavy odds. It was, he said, for his selfless work during the deluge that he got the award.

Merchant said that the Jinnah Society had been formed in 1997 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the creation of Pakistan. He mentioned two books, the Jinnah Anthology by Professor Sharif-ul Mujahid and himself, containing excerpts from the Quaid’s speeches, and Quotes from the Quaid. He said that 100,000 copies of the latter had been distributed among the schools and colleges free.

Earlier, Ameena Saiyid, secretary-general of the Jinnah Society, said that setting up a Jinnah Chair at the Karachi University was being contemplated. This year, she said, the society planned to confer another three Jinnah Awards.

The whole idea, she said, was to project the ideals and values propagated by Jinnah and was an attempt to “bring back” Jinnah’s Pakistan. Quotes from the Quaid, she said, was to be updated.

She quoted tributes to Mr Jinnah from personalities like Sir Pethwick-Lawrence and the late British movie star Christopher Lee, who classified Jinnah as a great visionary. Ashraf Wathra, former governor, State Bank of Pakistan, reminiscing about Jinnah, said that Mr Jinnah was a person whose schedule was most meticulously chalked out in minutes and seconds and that he always abided by it. He was most punctual. He never violated the officially laid-out schedule.

“Compare this with today,” he said, “when government officials just don’t abide by the official schedule, when they, despite being the hosts at various functions, are inordinately late, and are least pushed about this inordinate delay.”

“The Quaid would never have tolerated this lack of discipline,” he said. Noted journalist Ghazi Salahuddin lamented the way the authorities that be toyed with history, and in this regard he cited the case of the Quaid’s motto of “unity, faith, discipline”, which, he said, now was being projected as “faith, unity and discipline”.

Pointing to a portrait of the dapper Quaid attired in an immaculately tailored Western lounge suit, he said, “Who could ever expect such a person to be the head of a theocratic state?” He said that we had to revive the values of tolerance and magnanimity preached by the Quaid.

Artist Jimmy Engineer said the Quaid had bequeathed us a precious legacy in the form of Pakistan but lamented that we had frittered it away through our own acts of omission and commission, and today, except for Nepal and Turkey, no country gave a visa on entry to Pakistanis. We had gathered such an unsavoury reputation worldwide, he said.