ON midnight of 14 August, a new state was carved out of the subcontinent, where Muslim majority could live in peace and dignity with members of other faiths. For centuries, Muslims have lived in the subcontinent. Under Mughal rule, there was peace and harmony amongst members of other faiths. The problem started when British colonialist promoted religious acrimony between members of Hindu majority and other faiths, especially the Muslims. It was part of colonial strategy of “Divide and Rule”. They encouraged extremist right wing Hindu supremacist elements. In Punjab, a Hindu nationalist Lala Lajpat Rai believed that Hindus and Muslims were two separate nations, who cannot coexist. He expressed these views in a letter written in 1924 to a Bengali nationalist CR Dass. A Hindu extremist, Godse assassinated Gandhi Jee on 30 January 1948, because he was against oppression of minorities. This criminal is revered by Modi’s BJP and Shiv Sena, who consider him as a hero. Hatred for Muslims and members of other faiths has increased ever since Modi has come to power.
On 16 July 1905, the Raj announced division of Bengal, into a Hindu majority West Bengal and Muslim majority East Bengal. This created unrest among Muslims, who in December 1905 formed their own national organization. In December 1906 the foundations of Muslim League were laid at Dacca by Nawab Viqarul Mulk and Mohsinul Mulk. It was attended by many, including Maulana Zafar Ali. This division along communal lines also caused resentment amongst Hindus of West Bengal, who feared that they would become a minority community in a province that incorporated Bihar and Orissa. The division was reversed after six years on demands of Hindu nationalists. It, however, created doubts in politically conscious Bengali Muslims. Their resolve to have a separate identity and platform consolidated. The constitution of AIML was adopted at Karachi, followed by first session at Amritsar in 1907.
By August 1947, Jinnah’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state was established, after a political struggle led by him and other pioneers of our freedom movement. On 11 August 1947, MAJ elaborated his vision of a modern democratic welfare state with self-rule by people and a constitution as supreme law, ensuring equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of their faith, creed or sex. The citizens of Pakistan must understand that their survival is wedded to economic revival of Pakistan. Nature has given us abundance of natural resources. All that is needed is leadership, with no Conflicts of Interest, which is committed to MAJ’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state. Pakistan must invest in development of human resources, enforce meritocracy in recruitment, shun cronyism and deradicalize this country, with zero tolerance for extremists.
Under Mughal Rule, there was relative peace and the subcontinent was more prosperous than most countries in Europe. The subcontinent’s GDP in 17th century varied between 25% and 35% of the world’s total GDP. By the time the British left in 1947, it dropped to almost 2%. The disillusion and despondency that is being systematically inculcated through social media, funded and instigated by unfriendly countries, with complicity of a few of our own misguided individuals, is a sure recipe for disaster. We need to move forward collectively as a nation, for betterment of Pakistan. It is also time for all of us, especially those who are at helm, in the executive or civil and uniformed bureaucracy, for some self-reflection and ask themselves, “Ask not what your country can do for you – Ask what you can do for your country”.
What Pakistan needs is to adopt the vision of Father of Nation, for a modern democratic welfare state, with self-government, through their elected representatives. In the words of MAJ “If we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the wellbeing of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor. If you work in cooperation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you make.”
The pioneers of our freedom struggle never wanted this country to be hostage to extremists of any shade or opinion, including religiosity, sectarianism and ethnicity. Distorting the history of our political struggle, remnants of Unionists and bureaucracy has damaged this country. The welfare state that MAJ envisioned had no place for such divisive elements. In every democratic country, there are centripetal and centrifugal political forces, with differing opinions and manifestoes. It is responsibility of the State and its political leadership to work within contours defined in the constitution and resolve their differences on the floor of NA, or through negotiations in its various parliamentary committees. There is no space for politicians with obstinacy or arrogance in Jinnah’s Pakistan.
The self-centred political midgets, who have assumed role of guardians of our ideology and civil or uniformed bureaucracy, must understand significance of the oath they pledge on assumption of office. Quaid had emphasized upon this on 14 June 1948. Pakistan is haemorrhaging from within because of the greed of a few. The energy crisis we face today, which threatens our sovereignty and national security, is because of the insatiable greed of a few. The failure of one of three constitutional pillars of State, namely the Judiciary, to focus on giving judgments based on laws and the constitution, instead of relying frequently on “Doctrine of Necessity” to appease powerful few, has harmed Pakistan. The Judiciary is the only constitutional pillar of State, which must never be seen to be involved in politics, or exhibit favour or bias. Unfortunately, they failed to do so, when constitution was suspended or to appease populist regimes.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
