Jinnah Ka Pakistan

Today Pakistan is at crossroads of its political destiny. So, the debate about
nature and character of Pakistan is more intense and demands answers
today than it has been in the past. One of the reason why this debate is still
raging is because its founder passed away just a year after its independence.
What is nature of Pakistan? What is role of Islam in the country? What is
the role of other religions? These are the questions which need to be
addressed by the state but we have been kept in darkness for so long.
Like many Pakistanis, these questions arose in my mind as well and unlike
many, I started research on it and found something very relevant and
interesting. But that is far from our self-created reality which we are being
taught and shown for years. Before reading this article, I want every reader
to open up his mind for logical reasoning to reach the truth. I am writing
this article because every patriotic Pakistani needs to know this side of
picture as well.
Generally, there are two main school of thoughts in Pakistan about nature
and character of state. One, who want to see Pakistan as pure Islamic or
theocratic state and we mockingly call them “mullahs”. Other, who want to
see Pakistan as secular state where Islam has no role in state affairs and we
mockingly call them “pseudo liberals” or “maghrib k chamchey”. Most
Pakistanis still demand for a balance between these two. No voice, in this
scenario, is more important than Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s. Let us study and
analyze him to see what he wanted Pakistan to become. Whether a
theocratic state, autocratic state or what.
Let us open up our debate on nature of state by Quaid’s perspective. Pro-
Islamic school of thought places arguments from Jinnah’s speeches.
“The adoption of western economic theory and practice will not help us in
achieving our goal of creating a happy and contented people”.
(On inauguration of State Bank of Pakistan)
“It is no longer a foreign government as it was, but it is now a Muslim
government and Muslim rule that holds the reign of this great independent
state of Pakistan”.
(17th April, 1948 on Address to Tribal Jirga in Peshawar)
“Constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed but I am sure it will be of
democratic type embodying the essential principles of Islam. Islam has
taught us equality of men, justice and fair play to everybody”.
(Radio address to People of USA)

Reading these speeches ‘only’, I was so convinced that Jinnah wanted

Pakistan to be a theocratic state with Islamic rules only. But to develop a
true and unbiased opinion, examining other side of picture is equally
important.
Secular school of thought too, presents arguments from Quaid’s speeches.
“If we want to make this great state of Pakistan happy, we should work in
cooperation. No matter to what community a person belongs, Hindu
community or Muslim community, no matter what is his color, caste or
creed, he is first, second and last a citizen of Pakistan with equal rights and
privileges”.
(11th august, 1947 to constituent assembly of Pakistan)
“You are free, you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your
mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may
belong to any religion, caste or creed that has nothing to do with the
business of state. We are starting with this fundamental principal that we
all are citizen and equal citizen of state”.
(August 1947 on becoming first governor general of Pakistan)
Last but not the least where Jinnah openly negates the idea of Pakistan
being theocratic state.
“In any case, Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state to be ruled by
priests with divine mission. We have many non-Muslims- Hindus,
Christians and Parsees but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same
rights and privileges as any other citizen and will play their rightful part in
the affairs of Pakistan”.
(Feb 1948 on radio broadcast to People of USA)
______Pen Drop (with confusion) ________
Both school of thoughts have reasonable arguments then one question
arises in mind. Was Jinnah a confused person? Answer obviously is a big
“No”. Without his spot on decision making, “Pakistan” would have been
nothing but a dream. So what to do now? Let’s investigate the matter little
further.
If we see the occasions on which these speeches were made, later one has
more weightage. Address of Governor General of Pakistan to his first
cabinet & constituent assembly cannot be taken into ordinary sense. But
this can’t deny the importance of arguments given by Pro-Islamic school of
thought. This confusion brought me to read some books over this matter by
well-known scholars and authorities.
Fatima Jinnah’s voice is equally important in this matter as Mr. Jinnah’s
due to her activism in Pakistan’s movement. She writes in her book “My
Brother” that purpose of Pakistan’s movement was to secure political rights
for Muslims which they were being deprived of due to Hindu majority.
Now, matter becomes very clear. Quaid didn’t want Pakistan to run Islamic
rules as law due to minority community and Pakistan’s movement was a
political movement to secure basic rights for Muslims and to lift their living
standard. It was not a movement for Muslims for religious purposes only as
it is often shown. If this would be the matter, nobody would have practiced
any other religion in Pakistan-- ever.
If we examine early years of Pakistan’s birth. Very few people know that in
the very first federal cabinet of Pakistan, Zafarullah Khan, who belonged to
Ahmedia community, was appointed as minister of Foreign Affairs and
common wealth relations while Jogendra Nath Mandal, who belonged to
Hindu community, was appointed as Law minister. Jogendra Nath
belonged to low Hindu caste and he joined Muslim League with the
narrative that Hindus like him would be more secure in Jinnah’s Pakistan
than in India. Two most important posts after Head of the state were
awarded to non-Muslims. Another thing that is important to mention here
is section-17 of interim constitution, which was adopted by country’s first
constituent assembly, gave powers to Jinnah to pick up his cabinet. Thus,
first ever cabinet was selected by Mr. Jinnah himself.
Ayesha Jalal, granddaughter of Manto and leading scholar and historian of
Pakistan, places her arguments from Jinnah’s speech to first interim
constituent assembly of Pakistan.
“You will find that in course of time [in Pakistan] that Hindus would cease
to be Hindus and Muslim would cease to be Muslims; not in the religious
sense because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the
political sense as citizen of the State”.
Many national and international think tanks have criticized Jinnah because
of his this act. Even Stanley Wolpert, an admirer of Jinnah, criticized him
and said that he was abandoning his two-nation theory. Was Jinnah so
nerd and naive that he was unaware of his own actions? Can, a man like
Jinnah who changed the Geo-Politics of the world, be confused? No! He
was firm with his actions like he always had been. He was showing the
world the practicality of his first speech in which he said that state has no
problem with anybody’s religion. Appointing Sir George Cunningham as
first governor of KPK (NWFP at that time) and Sir Frank Messervy as first
commander and Chief of Pakistan army was another blunt move by Mr.
Jinnah to make his intensions very clear.
It became very clear that Jinnah wanted to make a nationalist Muslim state.
He doesn’t want Pakistan to become leading country in Islamic world only,
he was foreseeing Pakistan as one of the great nations of the whole world.
One last question pops up in mind. If Jinnah wanted to make Nationalist
Muslim state then what were those statements of Muslim ideology all
about?
The answer is Muslim ideology can be preserved by making Pakistan as
Nationalist Muslim state only. We can’t make others love or like Islam
forcefully but we have to demolish that narrative that has built in the mind
of non-Muslims about Muslims. That we can do by showing them our true
image, and that is not extremism or narrow mindset but that is tolerance,
acceptance, generosity and well behavior with other religions. Jinnah
wanted the same thing. He wanted us to implement teachings of Islam in a
society where non-Muslims were also a part. He made it clear that every
citizen of Pakistan regardless of his religion is equal. So there would not be
any law or any action in Jinnah’s Pakistan that could hurt the sentiments of
any Hindu, Christian, Ahmedi or Parsee. Everyone is equal in the eyes of
state as long as he is loyal to the country. This is what Jinnah envisioned. A
NATIONALIST MUSLIM STATE.
I would not be more proud of my religion and my country if I see any non-
Muslim Pakistani visiting abroad saying with pride that I live in that
Muslim state where everyone is equal. That is the Muslim state which runs
on true spirit of Islam. Tolerance, acceptance, compassion and justice. In
that Pakistan, there won’t be any sectarian violence, human rights problem,
extremism or corruption. That would be the state expressing true meanings
of Islam and Pakistan. Narrative of Mr. Jogendra nath (which I mentioned
earlier) while joining Muslim League opens many new doors of thoughts on
us.
Now, if we read arguments made by both school of thoughts again, it makes
complete sense. He wanted Islamic Principles because Islam is only religion
which gives space and protection to other religions. He wanted these
principles practiced by society. As far as Laws of state are concerned,
respect of every religion should be there. That’s what Jinnah envisioned
and that’s what I believe. If Jinnah had lived little longer, a more humane,
integrated and state oriented Pakistan would have emerged.
In 1971, when Jinnah’s critics jubilantly cried, “Jinnah’s Pakistan is dead”.
They were wrong then and they are wrong now. Jinnah’s Pakistan would be
alive as long as there are Muslims who feel for the dignity of other Muslims
and who care for other humans regardless of their caste or religion in their
midst. In that sense, I am Jinnah’s Pakistan and there are millions other
who are Jinnah’s Pakistan. This is what Jinnah taught us. Muslims must
live up to nobility and compassion of Islamic ideals. Most importantly, they
must stand up for the rights of every human regardless of his religion, caste
or creed. In this sense, Jinnah’s Pakistan will live forever. If we live up to
these ideals, then there is no power on earth who can undo Pakistan.
Pakistan Zindabad
Quaid e Azam Pa-indabad
A Proud Muslim and A Proud Pakistani signing off.
Until next Time !
References and Notes:
1. “My Brother” by Fatima Jinnah Chapter 1
2. “Why Jinnah Matters” by Akber Ahmad (leading authority in the
world on contemporary Islam).
3. “Burden of History” by Dr. Ayesha Jalal (PhD in History from
Cambridge University and academy scholar at Harvard University)
4. “What Jinnah would have envisioned” by Nadeem Parcha (DAWN)
5. Speeches of Quaid-e-azam Muhaamad Ali Jinnah as Governor
General of Pakistan, Karachi: Sind observer press, pp.9-10.1
6. Stanley Wolpert (1984), Jinnah of Pakistan, New York: Oxford
University Press, pp 337-340.