Plain Mr Jinnah
THERE is book “Plain Mr Jinnah” written by Syed Shamsul Hassan, who served as Office Secretary of All India Muslim League Delhi office and was a close confidant of Quaid-e-Azam MAJ.
It is based on personal papers and correspondence between him and other politicians between 1942 to 1946.
On 7 August 1947, Quaid summoned Shamsul Hassan (SH) to his residence at 10 Aurangzeb Road Delhi.
MAJ felt that Nehru and Mountbatten had betrayed their assurances to him that they will protect the Muslims from communal hatred of Hindu extremists.
He handed SH a bag containing personal documents to keep in safe custody, not to be given to anybody.
On October 1947, SSH went to meet the Quaid, the GG Pakistan, who was in Lahore. A visibly old MAJ instructed SH that the contents of the documents should be kept secret for 20 years and revealed after that, so that the future generations should know the true facts of the political struggle for the creation of Pakistan.
There is also an Urdu translation by Munir Ahmed Munir titled “Sirf Mister Jinnah”.It is an unfortunate bitter truth that this book is not available in the market, for reasons best known to those at helm.
Recent events in India should make it clear to everybody in Pakistan that Quaid had the vision to foresee, what many could not, such as the likes of Azad, who opposed creation of Pakistan.
Even today there exists many, who despite MAJ’s vision that our future lies in a modern democratic welfare state for all citizens, consider themselves to be wiser, by stating that democracy is not suited to this country.
Why should all citizens not be aware of true historical perspective, since it contradicts the distorted version that is being projected?
We are facing a perpetual crisis which threatens our economy and national security because of political instability and our failure to adopt Jinnah’s vision.
Pakistan was created by politicians of repute who realized the importance of awakening the Muslims of the subcontinent and it is they who were able to establish a sovereign independent state on 14 August under the dynamic leadership of MAJ who made Allama Iqbal’s dream a reality.
The foundations of AIML were laid on 30 December 1906 at Dacca by Nawab Waqarul-Mulk. A 57-member Committee was announced to prepare a draft for the constitution which achieved the task by mid of 1907.
This was unanimously approved on 29-30 at a meeting in Karachi presided by Adamjee Pir Bhai, and a 71-member Committee was announced.
It was decided to form a 40-member Central Committee and Provincial League Committees.
The first meeting was held at Aligarh, presided by Mian Shah Din from Lahore on 18-19 March 1908 to establish the central office and other provincial offices
Agha Khan was appointed President for three years with Syed Hassan Bilgrami as Honorary Secretary, Haji M Musa Khan as Joint Secretary.
This was followed by a well-attended meeting on 30, 31 December at Amritsar presided by Ali Imam to discuss Minto-Morley Reforms.
It is the moral obligation of all citizens that MAJ’s vision is not hijacked by adventurers and opportunists.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
