Remembering the Quaid

Never before was the message of the Quaid-e-Azam, the Founder of Pakistan, so relevant as it is now. As we observed the 143^rd birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation yesterday, we have to remind ourselves that the Quaid had the foresight to see the necessity of a separate homeland for the Muslims of South Asia. What is now happening in India under the rule of the Hindu fascist Bharatiya Janata Party has once again emphatically vindicated the validity of the Two-Nation Theory.

It was under the able leadership of the Quaid that Pakistan was achieved where Muslims live in freedom with their heads held high. Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a statesman. There is no doubt about this. His biographer Stanley Wolpert says, “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.” Many other authors of international repute have paid him glowing tribute in these words, “Jinnah was the creator of a nation, while Gandhi was a mere creature of a nation.” Some misguided Muslims adhered to a romantic notion of a united India where the Muslim minority could coexist with a brute Hindu majority had opposed the Quaid in his endeavour to carve out a separate homeland for the Muslims of South Asia. The Quaid had to fight on two fronts: Hindus and those who called themselves nationalist Muslims. The Quiad, through a persistent sense of purpose and sheer dedication to the noble cause, succeeded in achieving the goal of a separate Muslim homeland.

Jinnah had called Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan, so it is in consonance with his ideals that the Kashmiris have been fighting relentlessly to get themselves freed from the Indian yoke. Pakistan is giving them sustained moral support. Now the Indian oppression has reached such an unprecedented level that even those who had supported the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir state as a part of India are fully convinced of the need for J&K joining Pakistan. The Quaid emphasised faith, unity and discipline. Are we subscribing to his ideals? The answer is lamentable. We have discord and disorder. It’s time for a serious and deep introspection.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.