I wish we would learn from our great leader and work for the betterment of the country collectively
ISLAMABAD: I have long lamented witnessing the creation of Pakistan, its dismemberment in 1971 and then its gradual deterioration at the hands of its own people. I was a part of the freedom movement and can still recall the passionate rallies held by the Congress and the Muslim League in Rawalpindi. I remember that, more often than not, the workers of Congress led by Bhim Sen Sachar would clash against the workers of the Muslim League who would then respond in kind. The revolutionary atmosphere truly invigorated the spirits of those fighting for freedom.
In 1906, Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined the Congress and was welcomed by its leadership as the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. Jinnah was an exceptional leader who possessed much talent and foresight. He had sensed very early that the Congress wanted freedom without sorting their communal issues while the Muslim League insisted on the opposite. When the Congress seemed oblivious of the concerns of the minorities, who at the time were mostly Muslims, Jinnah left the Congress and joined the Muslim League. He was very quickly labeled a traitor. Nehru predicted that Jinnah would fail miserably because he did not enjoy the inherent power of a strong political party. At this, Jinnah replied by a promise of showing how well-organised and unassailable the League would become, a promise that eventually came to fruition. The genius of Mr Jinnah was such that he categorically proved his opponents wrong by not only turning the League into a force to be reckoned with but by also pushing hard for a separate state for the Muslim minority.
However, it seems that since its inception Pakistanis themselves are trying to favour Jinnah’s opponents by placing the country on a path of constant fighting, corruption and bigotry. I wish we would learn from our great leader and work for the betterment of the country collectively.
Raja Shafaatullah
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2020.
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