Jinnah’s Pakistan: Then & now

On August 14, 1947, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah succeeded in evolving his vision of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent into reality. However, the present state of affairs in Pakistan signifies most of what Jinnah had warned against. The kind of Pakistan Jinnah had truly envisioned can be understood in the light of his speeches and statements on various occasions.

Jinnah made it crystal clear that he wanted a democratic Pakistan. “I do not know what the ultimate shape of the constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type,” his words were loud and clear. Three years before the creation of Pakistan, Jinnah explained, “It is the Muslims’ demand for freedom because they want to establish their own real democratic popular government in Pakistan.” Any other way of governance goes against the principles laid out by Jinnah. Today, Pakistan is still a long way from becoming a democracy in the true sense.

Our beloved Quaid was a proponent of freedom of speech, which is an essential component of democracy. He encouraged constructive criticism of the state. Addressing the Edwardes College, Peshawar in 1948, he said, “Praise your government when it deserves.... criticise your government fearlessly when it deserves.” Today, the ruling powers are intolerant towards dissent, opposition, and oftentimes dissenting voices are forcibly silenced.

Jinnah was a strong advocate of civilian supremacy. When Pakistan came into existence, Quaid reminded that the armed forces were the servants of the people and that they “do not make national policy; it is we, the civilians, who decide these issues and it is your duty to carry out these tasks with which you are entrusted.” While addressing the officers of the Staff College, Quetta on June 14, 1948, Jinnah read out the oath taken by the armed forces of Pakistan and advised them to “study the Constitution, which is in force in Pakistan, at present and understand its true constitutional and legal implications when you say that you will be faithful to the Constitution of the Dominion.” Thus, he made it quite clear that the armed forces were to have no role in the political matters of the state. Unfortunately, our armed forces failed to pay heed to these instructions and let go of their oath. After Jinnah’s demise, four times, this newborn state fell prey to the menace of dictatorship. In the current scenario, we can still witness military intervention in politics now and then which further disrupts the delicate democratic fabric of the state.

Bureaucracy is the most important institution for any state, and Jinnah extensively talked about its role. He explicitly told the civil servants in his address on March 25, 1948; “You are not concerned with this or that political party; that is not your business...You do not belong to the ruling class; you belong to the servants.” In another talk with the civil servants in April 1948, he directed that they “should not be influenced by any political pressure, by any political party or individual politician” and carry out their duties to the state and its people impartially and honestly. The bureaucracy in today’s Pakistan is not working as Quaid had wished and is involved in all kinds of corruption and dishonesty in their tasks.

The Father of the Nation stressed the significance of the rule of law in his speech made on October 30, 1947, “The scrupulous maintenance and enforcement of law and order are the prerequisites of all progress.” Presently, the rule of law remains a secondary consideration in this state. The weak are subjected to it but the powerful can evade it. This selective justice is one of the chief reasons why Pakistan is not progressing as it should be.

Youth plays a pivotal role in the progress of a country. The duty that Jinnah assigned to the youth is evident in these excerpts from his speeches. On November 27, 1947, Quaid-i-Azam delivered his message, “The importance of education and the right type of education cannot be over-emphasised. There is an immediate and urgent need for training our people in scientific and technical education.” He understood that only through education youth could be of any help to the state of Pakistan. Guiding the students in March 1948, he instructed, “Your main occupation should be in fairness to yourselves, in fairness to your parents and indeed in fairness to the State, to devote your attention solely to your studies...Only thus will you be an asset and a source of strength and of pride to your State.” Reiterating this in his address to the students of Islamia College, Peshawar, on April 12, 1948, he said, “You must devote yourself whole-heartedly to your studies, for that is your first obligation to yourselves, your parents and to the State.”

The founder also told the students not to confine themselves to becoming government servants. Instead, he encouraged them to explore new avenues and direct their attention toward other fields like science, banking, industry, and technical education. Today, much of our youth is either directionless or headed in the wrong direction. Education has lost its value; we are producing graduates but facing a dearth of intellectuals. The flawed education system is also to be blamed. This is the reason that when the government recently announced the re-closure of educational institutes, students were seen rejoicing and chanting “Corona zindabad” which depicts the current state of intellectual depletion our education sector faces.

Quaid-i-Azam believed that without women equal participation in state affairs, success cannot be achieved. He kept his sister Fatima Jinnah side by side during his struggle. In Quaid’s words; “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you. We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners”. It was Quaid-i-Azam who broke away from the accepted and traditional view of the role of Muslim women in society and brought about a radical transformation in it, “There are two powers in the world. One is the sword and the other the pen. However, there is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.” The current condition of women’s rights in Pakistan is deplorable. The women, especially from the periphery, face all kinds of marginalisation and injustice. It’s a long journey before gender equality can be attained. However, that’s a road we must keep marching on.

Now for the advice that we all desperately need in current times, Quaid assured the nation of Pakistan, “Divided you fall. United you stand.” He told the people time and again that their success depends on their “Unity, Discipline and Faith.” He went on to say; “We, therefore, need a wider outlook, an outlook which transcends the boundaries of provinces, limited nationalism, and racialism. We must develop a sense of patriotism which should galvanise and weld us all into one united and strong nation.” In a public meeting on March 21st, 1948, our Father of Nation asserted; “Provincialism has been one of the curses; and so is sectionalism -Shia, Sunni, etc... You should think, live and act in terms that your country is Pakistan and you are a Pakistani.” We lost East Pakistan in 1971 when we failed to follow our founder’s message. If anything, the debacle should teach us not to repeat the same mistakes with other provinces of Pakistan. Unity cannot be established without first accepting and then respecting the differences. Pakistan needs to look nowhere else for guidelines as to what the role of every individual or institution should be to push Pakistan forward in the race of progress when Jinnah’s pearls of wisdom are there to show us the way. We had memorised his quotes and words of wisdom, yet never implemented them in our lives, which is why our condition is not improving. Quaid-i-Azam’s sagacity can still be our saviour, only if we try. Ask yourself; Is this the Pakistan Jinnah dreamed of, or is that dream still an unfulfilled one?

– The writer is a graduate student of Iqra University Islamabad,

and an independent analyst.

She can be reached at:

areejfatyma549@gmail.com