
KARACHI:
Had we adopted Jinnah’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state, we could have avoided many major crises. Quaid elaborated on his concept and vision of a Muslim-majority state to be governed by the principles of democracy, peace, and justice for all. In Islam, there is no place for extremism or fundamentalism. In an Islamic state, there is no place for a monarchy or dictatorship and a democratic system of governance has more in common with Islamic teachings than any other existing systems.
Unfortunately, conspiracies started immediately after Quaid-e-Azam’s death. The first Constitution was delayed when the First Constituent Assembly was dismissed. What followed thereafter has been chaos, corruption, and abuse of power, whilst those at the helm, hostage to their conflicts of interest, compromised our sovereignty with no long-term plan to achieve economic self-sufficiency, or improve human resources. On the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday in 1945, Quaid-e-Azam said, Islam came into the world to establish democracy, peace, and justice; to safeguard the rights of the oppressed. It brought the message of equality of the rich and the poor, of the high and the low.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) fought for these ideals for a major part of his life. Is it not, therefore, the duty of every Muslim, wherever he may be, to do his best to preserve the great ideals and the glorious traditions of Islam, to fight for the equality of mankind, the achievement of man’s legitimate rights, and the establishment of democracy? Within a few years of Quaid-e-Azam’s demise, his vision of a modern democratic welfare state was replaced, and the political process was disrupted by banning politicians of repute. Since then, the country has remained stuck in undemocratic practices, which have led to its current state.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2023.
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