On Jinnah’s Pakistan

The nation celebrated its Independence Day with traditional enthusiasm, zeal and fervor in commemoration of the creation of Pakistan 73 years ago under the indomitable leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Winning independence for the Muslims of the Subcontinent was indeed an unparalleled event of the twentieth century. Nations celebrate their independence days to renew their commitment to the vision bequeathed by their founding fathers with regard to nation-building; paying homage to them for their efforts and sacrifices for the cause of independence; transmitting the spirit of independence to the posterity; utilizing the occasion for soul-searching and appraisal of the efforts to fulfill the vision of the architects of independence and taking credible corrective measures to retract from the detours that might have been taken along the way. While evaluating our success in fulfilling the objectives of independence and providing rationale for celebrating Independence Day, we will have to seek guidance from the vision of the Quaid and not just ritualistic festivities.

Jinnah had a vision about the future of the country and the challenges that it had to surmount to make Pakistan strong, prosperous and a respected country among the comity of nations. He wanted Pakistan to be a democratic and progressive state, taking inspiration from the lofty principles of Islam. In line with his vision, he also enumerated the tasks that were at hand to translate the objectives of independence into reality which he pointed out in his address to the constituent assembly on the 11th of August in 1947.

He reminded the legislature and the future government that the first duty of a government was to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects were fully protected by the state. That is the universally accepted objective of governance and the most important ingredient of the responsibility of the state and the government, without which it is impossible to implement and pursue the objectives of independence and strengthening the national moorings.

Jinnah also wanted the elimination of bribery and corruption on a priority basis. He said: “We must put it down with an iron hand. I hope that you will take adequate measures as soon as it is possible for this assembly to do so”. The next thing in the order of priority mentioned by him was the evil of nepotism and jobbery. He was very clear and intensely aware of the debilitating impact of this menace, which stemmed from the archaic colonial system of governance and had inbuilt avenues of promoting a culture of graft and entitlement and nepotism; a tool that fomented social injustice.

The architect of Pakistan also wanted the government to focus on promoting the well-being of the people, particularly the poor. He said, “Now what shall we do? Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the….poor”. He reiterated economic justice and utilization of state resources for the well being of the less privileged classes – a basic catalyst of peace and tranquility in a society.

On communal harmony and rights of the minorities, he said: “If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this state with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed; that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

Jinnah was a firm believer in justice and fairness, which he enunciated in these words: “I shall always be guided by the principles of justice and fair play without any prejudice or ill-will, in other words, partiality or favouritism. My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality, and I am sure that with your support and cooperation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the world”.

On the basis of what the founding father envisioned and prescribed for Pakistan, and taking a look at the course that it has traversed during the last more than seventy years, it is hard to say that this is the Pakistan that Jinnah envisioned. Our leaders never tire of pronouncing their commitment to the vision of the Quaid and the objectives of independence but have never taken credible steps to implement that vision.

Pakistan is still governed under the colonial system of governance; democracy remains fragile; justice and fair play are not to be seen anywhere; national unity is in tatters and more than 40 percent people are living below the poverty line. These are undeniable facts that vitiate the vision of the Quaid. We as a nation have failed on all counts. It will indeed become his Pakistan when the country goes the way it was supposed to go and was governed the way he wanted it to be governed.

The country is at a crossroads at the moment because it failed to traverse the course chartered by its founding father. The reality is that the realization of his vision, as also enshrined in the Pakistan Resolution, was only possible through consolidation of democracy, its uninterrupted continuation and reforms in the system of governance through collective wisdom of all the political forces. For that, all the political parties and political leaders would have to abandon the politics of self-aggrandizement and think in terms of promoting the well-being of the people by providing a system of governance that has all the attributes pointed out by the architect of the country.

The prevailing political atmosphere in the country unfortunately is not very encouraging as far as strengthening of democracy is concerned. Politicians are still refusing to learn from past mistakes and self-inflicted catastrophes. They need to change their attitudes. Pakistan will move forward when they start thinking in terms of national interests, and when state institutions show the wisdom of operating within their own spheres of constitutional powers.

We need to seriously think about our past follies as a nation and path correction in conformity with the vision of the founding father. Independence celebrations will become meaningful when the country starts treading the path indicated by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The writer is a freelance contributor.

Email: ashpak10@gmail.com