Rayyan Baig
“Few Individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah did all three”. ‘Stanely Wolper’
ALL the communities and people from various faiths lived in an atmosphere of fraternity and cooperation for centuries in the subcontinent. They enjoyed religious freedom and equal opportunities of life, especially under the Muslim rulers of India. The Britishers, through intrigue, succeeded Mughals and thereafter ruled the subcontinent till 1947. They plundered the wealth of subcontinent whereas oppressing all the local communities, especially Muslims. The principle of their rule was not to unite, rather to create fissures among various communities and divide them so that they can’t stand for their rights. To get rid of foreign masters, the first attempt was made in the form of a rebellion of 1857 which failed, bringing more hardships for locals, especially for Muslims. Later political struggle started and Indian National Congress was founded in 1885, which became the first modern national movement. The All-India Muslim League was established in 1906, which initially started as a literary movement but later advocated for establishing a separate homeland for Muslims. Quaid-e-Azam always wanted to bring all Indian communities together and was a great advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity. He initially even opposed the introduction of separate electorate in the district boards and municipalities on a communal basis.
In December 1912, Quaid-e-Azam addressed the annual meeting of Muslim League, but formally joined it in April 1913. However, he remained member of Congress as well till 1920 and kept working for the Hindu-Muslim unity. Through his efforts the Lucknow Pact was also signed between both the parties. His efforts to unite the two communities continued and made him to be known as “Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity”. However, as Quaid-e-Azam interacted more and more with the Congress/Hindu leadership he became aware of their duplicity, narrow-mindedness and prejudice against Muslims/ other minorities. Quaid-e-Azam later disassociated himself from the Congress and concentrated on Muslim league. While the Congress leadership was busy in their cunning politics, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Keshav Baliram Hedgewar appeared on the screen and founded RSS and gave Hindutva ideology, which is fully blooming under Modi’s BJP Government.
The Nehru Report of 1928 laid bare the intentions of Congress, it was intended to ruin the future of Muslims in India. In response to “Nehru Report” the Quaid-e-Azam gave his famous “Fourteen Points”, which formed the basis for the creation of Pakistan. During 1937-39 Congress rule in 11 provinces, Muslims saw the trailer of what they would face in Hindu- dominated country. During said period the Congress declared Hindi as the official language, cow slaughtering was prohibited, Congress flag was adopted as national flag, Vande Mataram song, which glorified the ethnic cleansing of Muslims, was adopted as national anthem and obligatory. Mandar education at elementary level was introduced. Quaid-e-Azam could foresee that the Congress leaders were in no mood to give equal rights to Muslims after the Britishers leave. He could also sense the mania of Hindutva in a few Hindu leaders, especially from RSS. He was convinced that only a separate homeland would guarantee the Muslims safety, equal rights and opportunities in life.
Quaid-e-Azam and his companions had the vision to foresee what cunning Congress/Hindu leadership were scheming. In 1930 in his presidential address at Allahabad, Allama Iqbal laid the foundation of “Two-Nation Theory” and gave the dream of a separate homeland for Muslims. In 1946 Quaid-e-Azam said, which was published in Civil & Military Gazette, “If we do not succeed in our struggle for Pakistan, the very trace of Muslims and Islam will be obliterated from the face of India”. The extremist Hindus in India consider Muslims as non-native, unholy and they are seen with contempt and suspicion. RSS wants to purify India by cleansing/converting Muslims and other minorities into Hindu religion by “Ghar Wapsi” like stunts. The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A and the enforcement of CAA & NRC are just a few steps of the overall grand plans of RSS to eliminate Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities from India and make it a pure Hindu State.
Mr Gandhi and other Congress leaders succeeded in deceiving and misleading a few Muslim and other minority leaders by promising equal rights and bright future for minorities in India. All these leaders e.g. Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Master Tara Sing, Shaikh Abdullah and Ambedkar etc witnessed the betrayal of Hindu leadership, with remorse, in their lifetimes. In the recent past, a few pseudo Pakistani journalists/intellectuals also got deluded and questioned partition of the subcontinent and creation of Pakistan. A few would refer to the predictions of Maulana Azad about Pakistan to demean Quaid’s decision of creation of Pakistan. The present miserable state of affairs of people of the IoK and the minorities in India has avouched the wisdom of Quaid-e-Azam. All those leaders who opposed the Quaid and chose to stay back in India must be repenting in their sepulchres. Their progenies in IoK/India and pro-Indian Muslim leaders, including a few sensible Hindu and other minority leaders now substantiate Quaid’s wisdom. Quaid-e-Azam was a great visionary leader; he gained Pakistan at the cost of his health, personal life and bright career. We can never thank him and would always remain indebted to him for protecting us from the tyranny of extremist narrow minded Hindus and carving out an independent homeland for us.
—The writer is freelance columnist.
