KARACHI:
Muhammad Ali Jinnah is a legendary figure in the history of the subcontinent. He was known to be a shrewd parliamentarian, constitutionalist, and a political leader. Being an ardent supporter of Indian self-government based on the consensus of the Muslim League and Congress during the early phases of his politics, Jinnah began his political career by first joining Congress in 1906 and later Muslim League in 1913. He began organising the League, which was again made a single conglomeration, and started preparing for the elections that were held in 1936-37.
Jinnah made it clear that the elections of 1945-46 would decide whether Muslims support the Muslim League or not. Resultantly, the elections were swept by the Muslim League and Jinnah became a charismatic leader of the Muslims. Despite his poor health, he sacrificed his health for the Muslims of India and led them to victory as a general on the battlefield. In August 1947, Jinnah’s vision and efforts of a free Muslim homeland finally materialised.
The Quaid-e-Azam was the embodiment of love, compassion and courage. He changed the course of history and created a nation-state that he grabbed from the jaws of his enemies. He was given the governorship of the new Muslim state. He built the new nation from scraps and stabilised the country after its inception. He outlined the basics of the constitution of Pakistan, which would be based on the principles of Islam. While demanding the state of Pakistan, he said that Muslims should have a state in which they could live and breathe as free individuals and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play.
The Quaid-e-Azam should not just be remembered for giving Muslims a separate homeland but also for laying the basic Islamic principles of equality, liberty and harmony to form the foundations of Pakistan.
Azfar Khan
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2021.
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