Muhammad Hanif
BY definition, integration means diverse collections within a dominion that are privileged by law with similar rights irrespective of their financial, social and educational background or regional associations. Integration is the process, under which all state institutions are struggling to provide uniform and equal attention to the residents of the state. The national integration is the determination of the people aimed at living together, sharing traditions, ideals, culture, history, religion, language and customs, and efforts of the government, the state institutions and intellectuals in the civil society, to use the people’s determination to build an integrated nation. In Pakistan, national integration is sought within the framework of the Federalism Model, which appreciates diversity within the federal structure of the state and the federating units. The governments of federating units and the central government are acknowledged as legitimate and supreme establishments within respective jurisdictions. The common pronouncement of federalism is unity with diversity. The current challenges to achieve the national integration in Pakistan are: different languages in the provinces; overemphasis on provincialism thus generating separatist tendencies; socioeconomic inequalities; erosion of Pakistan’s ideological identity; sectarianism; extremism and occasional political instability.
The above mentioned challenges to Pakistan’s national integration still exist because the Pakistani politicians and the decision makers have ignored to emulate Quaid-i-Azam’s leadership qualities, use Pakistan’s Ideology, with Islam as a national binding force and Quaid’s Vision of Pakistan, which ensure equal political, social and economic opportunities and human rights to all citizens of Pakistan and also help achieve political and economic independence and sovereignty of Pakistan. These also shun the provincialism, sub-nationalism, sectarianism, extremism, and economic disparities. In 1971, political polarization in Pakistan had provided India with an opportunity to dismember it. In view of the above, to achieve a sustaining national integration in Pakistan, at the time of Quaid’s Birthday Anniversary, it is important to refresh and follow Quaid-i-Azam’s Islam centred, Pakistan’s Ideology reflected in the two-nation theory, based on which Pakistan was created and Quaid’s Vision of Pakistan. A gist of the two-nation theory and Quaid’s Vision of Pakistan, published in the Nazria-i-Pakistan Council Web Site and reflected in the form of his sayings is as under.
Quaid-i-Azam used the two-nation theory as the main argument to convince the British Government to divide the British India into two dominions. The two-nation theory was a concept that emphasised a separate state for the Muslims in the subcontinent. Mr Jinnah explained the theory, “It is a dream that the Hindus and Muslims can ever evolve a common nationality. Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs and literary traditions. They neither intermarry nor eat together, and indeed they belong to two different civilisations which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions’. The All India Muslim League, led by Quaid-i-Azam started asking for an independent state, when its main demand (proposed by Mr Jinnah), that in an independent India, in the Central Legislature, Muslim representation shall not be less than one third, one-third representation shall be given to Muslims in both central and provincial cabinets and Muslims should be given an adequate share in all services, with the constitutional guarantees, was rejected by Mr. Ghandi and Nehru as top Congress leaders.
Before and after the partition of India, Quaid-i-Azam had given his Vision for Pakistan in the following words; we should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men, where Islamic culture and social justice could find free play. The great majority of us are Muslims. We follow the teachings of the Last Prophet [PBUH]. We are members of the brotherhood of Islam, in which all are equal in rights, dignity and self-respect. Consequently, we have a special and a very deep sense of unity. As Islam gives full rights to the minorities, in Pakistan all are free to go to their temples, their mosques or to any other places of worship. You are now equal citizens of Pakistan irrespective of your religion, caste or creed. Democracy is in the blood of the Muslims, who look upon complete equality of mankind and believe in fraternity, equality and liberty. Thirteen hundred years ago the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had laid the foundation of democracy. Let us lay the foundation of our democracy on the basis of truly Islamic ideas and principles. Our Allah Almighty has taught us that discussion and consultation shall guide our decisions in the affairs of state. The Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah are the general code for the Muslims, a religious, social, civil, commercial, military, judicial, criminal and penal code.
The federating units of the national government of Pakistan would have all the autonomy, but certain vital powers will remain vested in the Central Government. There should be a system of competing political parties working within the Constitution and democratic framework of Pakistan. The bureaucrats should do their duty as servants of the people and they should not be concerned with this or that political party. Education is necessary for the socio-economic development of the country and as the basic condition for the success of democracy, as a sound basis for political culture, political socialization and recruitment of the political system of the country. An independent Judiciary was the basic need of time as it alone could protect and enforce all the rights. We must present the world an economic system, based on the true Islamic concept of equality and social justice. Pakistan should have foreign policy to have good relations with all the neighbours and other countries and respect UN Charter. Pakistan should be strong in defence to deter any aggression. You as a nation cannot rise to the height of glory unless your women are side-by-side with you. You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty.
Provincialism, corruption, nepotism and sectarianism are a curse, which must be discouraged. Our duty to the State comes first; our duty to our Province, to our district, to our town and to our village and ourselves comes next. With unity, faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve. Remember, we are building up a State which is going to play its full part in the destinies of the whole Islamic world. We must develop a sense of patriotism, which should galvanize and weld us all into one strong nation. Failure is a word unknown to me. In the light of the above discussion, it can be said with confidence that if Quaid’s vision of our motherland is brought into planning and execution by its successive governments and all of us play our part, then Pakistan will soon become a fully integrated nation to make it a great country.
—The writer is an ex-Army Colonel and Senior Research Fellow, Strategic Vision Institute, Islamabad.
