Saving Jinnah’s Pakistan (II)

LAHORE: This is in reference to Mubarak Ali's article of August 14 and Ayesha Siddiqa's article of August 15 on Jinnah’s Pakistan.

Jinnah's Pakistan is important because he broke the "putative" link between citizenship and religion through his August 11 speech. This is an undeniable historical fact even if we don't consider the thesis that Dr Ayesha Jalal famously put forth, which proves precisely that there ought not to be a "putative" link between state and nation and consequently "citizen" and identity.  On an emotional level, the emphasis on Jinnah's Pakistan is to create a level playing field, so that Faiz's Pakistan and Bulleh Shah's Pakistan can compete with Iqbal's Pakistan on an equal footing. I have no qualms in admitting that in its present use, Jinnah's Pakistan was first put forth by yours truly. Guilty as charged.  Given its founding myth, Pakistan will NOT undo religious extremism or achieve any kind of secularity without Jinnah's help.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2010.