Quaid believed in fair play and justice to all

What was the ideal for which Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and our elders struggled after March 23, 1940? Has that ideal been achieved? Why socio-economic justice is still foremost in our minds?

The Quaid never wanted a state ruled by landlords and capitalists who flourished at the expense of masses by a vicious and wicked system which made them selfish. What prevailed before August 14, 1947 has not yet come to an end, city elders argue. They say the Quaid rightly pointed out that “greed and selfishness make such elements subordinate to the interests of others in order to fatten themselves.” The situation has not yet changed for the better.

Necessity is the mother of invention and law demands we must do something without loss of time to save the country and make it a welfare state where people do not die of hunger and poverty and disease.

That’s possible only when we stop seeking monetary help from others, surrender to the will of God and mentally decide to serve the cause of homeland.

The masses have realised they are the final arbiters of their destiny: adoption of any imperialist economic theory and practice won’t help achieve the goal of creating a happy and prosperous Pakistan.

How relevant today also is the Quaid’s address at the Madras session of the All-India Muslim League in April 1941? He said: “I have always believed – and I think I am right in believing – that no government will ever succeed without creating a sense of security and confidence in the minorities. No government will succeed if their policy and program is to be unjust and unfair and tyrannical over the minorities. The acid test of success of any government of a representative character is that the minorities must feel that they will have fair play and justice.”

As regards the Government of Pakistan, he reiterated in Karachi on October 11, 1947, that “we shall pursue our settled policy in this respect and we shall continue to protect the life and property of minorities in Pakistan and shall give them a fair deal.

We do not want them to be forced to leave Pakistan and that so long they remain faithful and loyal to the State they shall be entitled to the same treatment as any other citizens.”

Similarly, 19 days later at the Punjab University, Lahore, he reminded people that “the tenets of Islam enjoin on every Musalman to give protection to his neighbours and to the minorities regardless of caste and creed. Despite the treatment which is being meted out to the Muslim minorities in India, we must make it a matter of our prestige and honour to safeguard the lives of the minority communities and to create in sense of security among them.” —zasarwar@hotmail.com