KARACHI:
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah dedicated his entire life to emancipate the Muslims of the sub-continent, which eventually led to the creation of Pakistan. However, the Quaid did not live long enough to see his country develop. He left for his heavenly abode on 11th September 1948.
Competent and visionary leadership is a major determinant when taking stock of a country’s development and progress. This is why Pakistan’s ailments and festering sores remain unresolved even today. Instead, problems have accumulated and exacerbated. If Jinnah had lived longer, we would have rapidly paved the path towards progress and prosperity. His early demise took away a chance for Pakistan’s polity to mature and democratic institutions to stabilise. The Quaid, being a towering figure, could have also united the people of different regions within the country. He would have elaborated on the three guiding principles of ‘Unity, Faith and Discipline’ that we have long forgotten.
Throughout history very few men have yielded as much power as him, and yet he remained uncorrupted. Stanley Wolpert, a well-known American historian, has paid a tribute to Jinnah in his book Jinnah of Pakistan. He writes, “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. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three”.
Salma Tahir
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2021.
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