Is it time to go back to the basics and embrace Muslim nationalism?
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: As a nation, we take a lot of pride as being an ideological state. One often hears rhetoric of the far right, laden with faith and challenging basic human nature or quest for identity. Pakistan is a diverse country; from Gilgit-Baltistan to the shores of the Arabian Sea, it has diversity all round. The people of Pakistan are of different colours, faiths and cultures but if there is any common denominator, it is religion.
The idea behind the creation of Pakistan was Muslim nationalism, according to which Muslims and Hindus were to be part of separate nations within the Indian subcontinent. The idea did not negate the individual cultural identity of Muslims of the region; Bengali Muslims were ‘Bengali Muslims’ not ‘Muslim Bengalis’. Similarly, Punjabi Muslims were ‘Punjabi Muslims’ not ‘Muslim Punjabis’ and so forth. Unfortunately, the idea of Muslim Nationalism got replaced with Pan-Islamism after Independence. The Punjabi and Urdu-speaking ruling elite turned Pakistan into a theo-democracy instead of a Muslim democracy. The consequences were harsh and the height was East Pakistan giving way to Bangladesh.
The 1970 elections divided two wings into Bengali nationalists and Muslim socialists, both secular ideals. The 1970 elections created a very odd situation for the rightist Pakistani establishment; there was fear that if both political sides take a pragmatic approach and agree to some political arrangement for the future of Pakistan, it would most likely be a new secular constitution. It was like a nightmare for the establishment, which then initiated a military operation, and later held sham by-elections to weaken Bengali nationalists by awarding seats to right-wing parties. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was picked up from his residence in Dhaka on the night of March 25 and shifted to West Pakistan where he remained until the fall of Dhaka. No efforts were made during those months for reconciliation. It seems like nothing has been learnt from the tragedy. Present-day Pakistan is somewhat facing the same identity-related issues. Is it time to go back to the basics and embrace Muslim nationalism?
Malik Atif Mahmood Majoka
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2016.
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