On 5 February 1945 Quaid in response to a request of Editor Muslim Views, based in Colombo Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on the occasion of the Holy Prophet PBUH birthday stated in his message “Islam came in the world to establish democracy, peace and justice; to safeguard the rights of the oppressed, It brought to humanity the message of equality of the rich and the poor, of the high and the low.
The Holy Prophet PBUH fought for these ideals for the major part of his life. Is it not, therefore, the duty of every Muslim, wherever he may be, to do his level best to preserve the great ideals and the glorious traditions of Islam, to fight for the equality of mankind, the achievement of man’s legitimate rights and the establishment of democracy? We in India believe that Pakistan is our legitimate demand, our birthright. We believe that it is in consonance with democratic principles and justice.”
Within a few years of MAJ’s demise, his vision of a modern democratic welfare state was replaced by a country with an authoritarian set-up that finally emerged with all its brutality, contradictions and hypocrisy in 1958. The political process was disrupted by banning politicians of repute, including those who had participated in the political struggle waged by AIML under the dynamic leadership of MAJ. Jinnah’s modern democratic welfare state became an anathema for Ayub and members of junta like Wajid Ali Burki etc., and an authoritarian state replaced it, with an elitist culture that has become a burden on the economy.
Even at a time when Pakistan faces its worst economic crunch, a consequence of years of mismanagement, austerity as far as the elite of this country, both paid and elected are concerned, is something that other citizens must observe and not them. Even the daily commute from the residence of a former PM by a helicopter to his office was justified and portrayed as an austerity measure. Not even the imminent threat of default and bankruptcy seems to deter the elite from abusing the system that is already in a limbo. Like every year, once again a special flight has been arranged for the parliamentarians and other elites to perform Hajj. The spirit of pilgrimage demands that the journey be undertaken by every Muslim, on his own expense, to seek forgiveness and blessings of the Almighty for themselves.
The State should only be involved to facilitate in making arrangements for logistics and accommodation, to be paid for by those seeking to perform this pilgrimage. Why should the State have to bear the burden and make special arrangements when the spirit of pilgrimage requires that all Muslims are equal before the Maker. This elitist culture is like a cancer that has become a burden on the economy. Irrespective of who rules this country, bad precedents were set by the likes of Ayub Khan, Wajid Ali Burki and other members of his junta, who revived the British Raj legacy of allotment of state lands to the paid servants of the state. This was a practice which British Colonialists did not practice in the UK, but only in the colonies, to buy the loyalties of natives, and reward them for their service to HM Government, instead of their own motherland.
Ayub Khan allotted to himself 500 acres of prime agricultural land and the likes of Wajid Ali Burki etc went berserk awarding evacuee property to their kith and kin. Even those who did not own even a house before 1947, have managed to become owners of expensive commercial property, on Mall Road or Anarkali in Lahore and other major cities like Karachi, Rawalpindi etc. At the time of partition in August 1947, the affluent Hindus migrated, leaving behind houses, lands and assets, which were to be given exclusively to those who migrated to Pakistan from areas which became part of India, where they held property etc on providing evidence of their ownership. What happened was abuse and this continues till today and now the elite considers it their right. The Father of the Nation stated “I have lived as plain Mr Jinnah and I hope to die as plain Mr Jinnah”. This is the bitter truth and reality. If Pakistan has to survive, and it must, for the sake of over 230 million citizens, who live in it, we must adopt Jinnah’s vision of a democratic welfare state for all citizens and not just the elite.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
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