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CURRENT: Quaid-e-Azam;Youm-e-Wafaat
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The Quaid: a brilliant statesman
The Quaid: a brilliant statesman
By MOHAMMAD JAMIL
A leader with consciousness of the social, cultural and economic conditions of the people and world vision approaches innermost feelings of the masses and successfully leads them in their pursuit of political freedom, economic independence, evolution of vibrant society, achievement and progress in various facets of life. Pakistan, the beacon of hope for the Muslims of South Asia and beyond, was created under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He was not a traditional politician but a great leader, brilliant statesman and a master strategist, who fought the case for Pakistan so well that he not only frustrated the designs of the British that wished to see the subcontinent united in one form or another till the last moment, but also made the brute Hindu majority believe that division of the subcontinent had saved it from some bigger catastrophe.
In Pakistan, there is an ongoing debate for the last sixty-one years about the purpose and rationale behind the creation of Pakistan. Different schools of thought interpret Quaid-i-Azam's speeches to serve their ends, but the Quaid had envisioned Pakistan to be a modern progressive state, rooted in the eternal values of Islam, and at the same time responsive to the imperatives of constant change.
In his presidential address at the All India Muslim League session at Delhi on April 24, 1943 Quaid-i-Azam outlined his vision about Pakistan: "I have visited villages; there are millions and millions of our people who hardly get one meal a day. Is this civilisation? If that is the idea of Pakistan I would not have it." In the same speech he said: "A lot of mischief is being created. Is it going to be Islamic Government? The constitution and the government will be what the people will decide."
He envisaged a free, progressive, humane, and modern Pakistan, ruled by just laws, where everybody irrespective of religion, colour, creed or cast would be equal before law. Unfortunately, efforts were made to distort his speeches even when he was alive, and the vested interest had tried to remove his August 11, 1947 speech before the Constituent Assembly from the record.
By going through the full text of speeches of the Quaid delivered on April 24, 1943 and August 11, 1947 one could find the guidelines and the parameters within which the Constitution of Pakistan was to be framed by the representatives of the people. He had made it absolutely clear that it was not going to a theocratic state because he was aware of the fact that every sect would come out with its own interpretation of Quran and Sunnah. And the ensuing clashes between the sects could have been used by the anti-Pakistan forces to prove that Pakistan was not a viable proposition.
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was no doubt one of the most charismatic leaders in the recent history that happened to be there at the right moment when Muslims of the undivided India were facing ugly challenges of life. Before partition, the Muslims were not allowed to lead their lives according to their faith and culture; they were deprived of their basic rights, and were not provided equal opportunities in education, services and business fields. But the beauty of the Quaid's leadership was that there was hardly any instance in the annals of history whereby a leader got independence and created a sovereign state without a shot being fired. In the words of Professor Akbar S Ahmed, a Cambridge scholar: "Islam gave the Muslims of India a sense of identity; dynasties such as the Mughals had given them territory; poets like Iqbal created in them a sense of destiny; Jinnah's heroic stature can be understood from the fact that by leading the Pakistan movement and creating the state of Pakistan, he gave them all three."
There is no denying that initially Quaid-i-Azam was the ambassador of Hindu Muslim unity, and in the presence of foreign domination he did not wish to exacerbate the contradictions between the Muslims and the Hindus. He stood for the rights of the Muslims even when he was member of the Congress.
In 1916, the Lucknow Pact was the result of his efforts whereby Congress accepted the rights of the Muslims for separate constituencies, and it was willing to give constitutional guarantees to them. After participating in the Roundtable Conference 1930-32, Quaid-i-Azam was convinced that the Muslims could not expect a fair deal from the Congress. No sooner did Gandhi claim that Congress alone represented India than the Quaid made up his mind that at an opportune time he would not accept less than a separate homeland for the Muslims.
Indian leadership, pseudo-intellectuals and even some misguided elements in Pakistan thought that Quaid-i-Azam was a tool in the hands of the British, and that Pakistan was created as a result of an intrigue. William Rushbrook, a British official, who later joined the Time as a leader-writer, was the witness to the negotiations held between the Muslim League and the Congress. He wrote in his book titled The State of Pakistan: "Anybody who knew Mr Jinnah would vouch for that he could never become a tool in anybody's hands." Another writer, Hector Bolitho in his book titled Jinnah quoted Mr Gandhi having expressed his joy over the idea of creation of Congress in the mind of a retired Secretary of Indian government Allen Octavian Hume, who laid the foundation of Indian National Congress in 1885-a fact nobody could deny.
Those who criticise Jinnah for not supporting the "Quit India movement" launched by the Congress should go through the memoirs of former Congress President Abul Kalam Azad who wrote: "The scheme in my mind was that as soon as the Japanese reached Bengal, and the British forces withdrew towards Bihar, the Congress would step in and take over the control of the country."
This is enough to vindicate Quaid-i-Azam's position and his decision to accept nothing short of an independent country. Those who consider creation of Pakistan as an intrigue of the British and Quaid-i-Azam should read the personal report of the last Viceroy Lord Mountbatten sent to the British government vide Report No 3 dated April 17, 1947, in which he passed derogatory remarks about the Quaid, labelling him "stubborn and a psycho-pathetic case."
But Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a man of principles and a trend-setter who introduced a new style in politics, and set very high standards and values. He never compromised on principles but as matter of strategy he showed flexibility on less important issues with a view to achieving broader objective.
It was in this context that he considered each and every proposal whether coming from the British or the Congress in the form of Lukhnow Pact, Roundtable Conference or Cabinet Mission, and wished to use every opportunity including his Fourteen Points for securing the rights of the Muslims. But once he knew about Britain's decision of leaving the subcontinent, he single-mindedly focused on a separate homeland for the Muslims, and did not care about the 'last wish' of the British to keep India's unity in one form or another. The Quaid - a charismatic leader inspired the people and accomplished what would otherwise look like a wishful thinking.
The writer is a freelance columnist
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