Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinah was a brilliant statesman and 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 stark challenges of life. Before partition, 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. To rid the exploitation and domination of brute Hindu majority, Muslims of the subcontinent waged struggle under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-iAzam for separate homeland to that they could lead their lives according to their way of life. The significance 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 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”. The Quaid had stood for the rights of the Muslims even when he was member of the Congress. In 1916, Lucknow Pact was the result of his efforts whereby Congress accepted the rights of the Muslims for separate constituencies, and was prepared to give constitutional guarantees to them. When Gandhi claimed that in India, Congress alone represented all sundry including Muslims, Quaid-i-Azam was convinced that Muslims could not expect a fair deal from the Congress in united India.
He therefore made up his mind not to accept less than a separate homeland for the Muslims. Those who criticize Jinnah for not supporting the “Quit India movement” launched by Congress did not have the vision to understand the Quaid’s strategy. In his memoirs, former Congress President Abul Kalam Azad had said: “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 statement was enough to vindicate Quaid-i-Azam’s position and his decision to accept nothing short of an independent country. Quaid-i-Azam was a man of principles and set very high standards and values. He never compromised on principles but as a matter of strategy he showed flexibility on less important issues with a view to achieving broader objective.
He considered each and every proposal whether coming from the British or the Congress in the form of Lucknow Pact, Roundtable Conference or Cabinet Mission, and used every opportunity for securing the rights of the Muslims. A great majority of Muslims of the sub-continent had reposed full confidence in Quaid-i-Azam because they accepted his concept and perception of the new state – Pakistan. Today, the myriad political and religious parties, intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals have variegated views and perceptions about the purpose for and rationale behind the creation of Pakistan. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to conclude from his speeches that he was a democrat, but he was against unbridled capitalism and feudalism. He had declared in unequivocal terms that beneficiaries of jagirs, feudal lords and exploiters were to have no place of privilege in an independent Pakistan.
The problem, however, is that his speeches are often misinterpreted by the vested interest especially status quo forces. A few religious parties insisted that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam; therefore shariah should be enforced. While others hold the view that it was created to rid the Muslims of the exploitation by the Hindu majority. Quaid-i-Azam had envisioned Pakistan to be a modern progressive state, rooted in the eternal values of our religion 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 24th April 1943 he 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 civilization? If that is the idea of Pakistan I would not have it”.
In his address before the Constituent Assembly on 11th August 1947, he vowed to fight corruption, bribery and black marketing, and asseverated not to tolerate jobbery and nepotism. In fact, it was well thought-out first policy statement in which he had given guidelines and the parameters within which constitution of Pakistan should be framed by the representatives of the people. “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”, he declared before the constituent assembly. At another occasion, he had made it absolutely clear that it was not going to a theocratic state.
He was a great visionary, and could understand that in that case every sect would come out with its own interpretation of the Holy Qur’an and sunnah. And the resultant conflicts and clashes between the sects would lead to bloodshed, as is happening today. Quaid-i-Azam had indeed said that we would seek guidance from the Holy Qur’an to create a just society to ensure socio-economic justice; but did not hint even remotely that shareah would be enforced in Pakistan. It is unfortunate that some militant groups wish to impose their version of Islam through force, which is at variance with the perception of great majority of the Muslims. Terrorists have killed thousands of people in suicide and bomb attacks during the last 15 years. Pakistan government at long last had decided to eliminate extremism and terrorism in very form and manifestation, and to establish the writ of the state.
