Quaid’s pictures on display at Heritage Museum. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL, INP
The town was abuzz since last one week with people from various walks of life paying tribute to their leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the run up to his anniversary - some remembering his edicts, others exhibiting rare collection of his photographs.
Empowering youth and implementing Jinnah’s vision is important for a sovereign nation, shared speakers at a conference “Vision of Quaid” organised by International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and Muslim Research Institute (MRI) here on Tuesday, said a press release.
Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Ch. Barjees Tahir who presided over the meeting said “Unless we govern Pakistan on the lines of Quaid’s teachings, the dream of a successful nation will not come true.”
No nation can progress with corruption in its system, so we also need to get rid of the menace of corruption, he said.
In his address IIUI President Dr Al-Draiweesh said the principles given by the great leader are in accordance with the teachings of Islam.
He termed him as versatile and honest in whatever he did and he will be live through his deeds and the vision he gave to people.
Former senator Akram Zaki paid tribute to the Jinnah saying that he was a man of law who always abided by law and told others to obey the law. “He fought the battle of freedom of Muslims with power of arguments and law, he also wanted it to prevail in the society”, he added.
The IIUI Vice President, Chairman MRI Sultan Ahmed Ali, Dr. Mumtaz, former secretary of Election Commission of Pakistan Kanwar Dilshad, Asif Rizvi, Dr. Noor Fatima, Abdul Baqi and other renowned scholars also shared their views on the Jinnah’s life, work and struggle for freedom.
A couple of miles apart, a two-day photo exhibition on Jinnah’s life opened at Lok Virsa Complex, Shakarparian today.
It was organized by National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage in collaboration with Directorate of Electronic Media and Publications (DEMP).
It includes 200 black & white photographs showing Jinnah’s life, his family members at various stages of the Pakistan Movement. Many photographs feature Jinnah holding official meetings and attending functions after the creation of Pakistan.
Photographs of the historical moment of the governor General addressing the first Constituent Assembly on August 14, 1947 are also on display.
Besides photographs, there are publications focusing life, struggle, work and sayings of Jinnah for visitors to buy.
The opening ceremony was held at the Heritage Museum. Parliamentary Secretary for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Barrister Mohsin Ranjha inaugurated the exhibition.
In his speech, Barrister Ranjha paid rich tributes to the father of the nation for his valuable contribution towards creation of Pakistan. “I am personally impressed by personality of the Quaid-i-Azam and this was the reason that I chose the profession of law. Our younger generation needs to work hard by following in the footsteps of Quaid. Our youth have a great potential, and I advise them to make the country prosperous by adopting his teachings in letter and spirit.”
The present government is determined to work for the development and prosperity of the country and its people according to the vision of our great leader, he added.
Appreciating the efforts of Lok Virsa and DEMP he said “it will go a long way in creating awareness among the masses in particular youth about the achievements of our national leader and his struggle for the creation of Pakistan”.
School children, youth, art and culture lovers and media attended the event.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2013.
COMMENTS (16)
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For over 3, 4 millenniums, foreign invaders have invaded the land of Indus. Finally Quaid e Azam puts it right. Reestablishing the indus valley civilisation as modern Pakistan giving native people the right determine what they want.
Indians can cry about the two nation theory all they want for eternity.
@Queen:
Very true. But the difference between Indian's and Pakistani's is that the Indian's will eventually return to their homeland. Where as, the Pakistanis just stay in the West.
Nonetheless, the emigration rate is higher amongst Pakistanis than Indians.
@Major Iqbal: True Mr Iqbal. The same way every year thousands of Indian and Bangladeshis stand in line to migrate to the Middle Eastern countries to earn some money to send back home???? And in the same way several Indians and Bangladeshi flock to Pakistani newspapers websites to know more about Pakistan right???
We should be thank you for taking time out to read ET.
@Someone:
Sir, I very much doubt there will be a Pakistan left standing in the near future.
The state is crumbling under its own weight. That's why many Pakistanis stand in line for a VISA to the West in Islamabad.
Two nation theory has now shatterred and turned to Three nation theory and may move to many nation theory if your stand on Kashmir continued to remain the same.
“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-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”― Stanley Wolpert, Jinnah of Pakistan
@Major Iqbal: Speak for yourself. We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is our home. You Indians need to stop being obsessed with two-nation theory as no Pakistani really gives a hoot about your 'Akhand Bharat' dream
Revisionist, armchair historians falsely promote the idea that pakistan was born out of no real need simply to fulfil the megalomaniac whims of Jinnah. This is simply false and unfairly undermines both Pakistan and Jinnah. And most importantly fails to look at the part played those who acted across the border, namely congress, Nehru and the discriminatory behaviour of subcontinents hindu populace in the creation of Pakistan. To say that pakistan’s ills today are a results of Jinnah, is simply ignorant. Yes Pakistan today is going through a crisis, but that has been the result of decades of bad policies and is no way a reflection of Jinnah himself or indeed the need for the creation of Pakistan.
In case one needs reminding, the two nation theory advocated that Muslims of subcontinent shared a unique identity based on that strongest of bonds, Islam, distinct from our Hindu neighbours. Even though we may have shared some commonalities with our hindu neighbours, the Muslims of the subcontinent, were most definitely anchored on entirely different civilizational tectonic plates to them. This is not to say that we could not live peacefully with our hindu neighbours, it’s just a testament to a fundamental truth.
In fact jinnah as late as 1946 who proposed a federal style united India based on Pakistan existing inside of a United India. This was rejected by Nehru. It was Nehrus inflexibility which ultimately meant that the subcontinent was divided, something Indias very own Jaswant Singh has acknowledged.
This identity shared by the subcontinents Muslims was relatively innocuous and and it was not until the widespread and systemic discrimination they endured, that this identity gave itself to the larger movement for the creation of Pakistan, and the need to safeguard muslim interests. Let us not forget the dire social, economic position of the subcontinents Muslims at the turn of the last century., shunned socially by the larger hindu population and without any garuantees that come the end the end of the british raj, they were not to be succumbed to the tyranny of majority hindu populace in a democracy. It is a pipedream that muslims simply demanded the creation of Pakistan for no reason.
It was Jinnah, who sought to safeguard this identity and with it the rights of muslims in a united new nation of India that was to be born after the dissolution of the British Raj. He was repeatedly blocked by Nehru in his attempts to find a solution to keeping a united india and also ensuring the rights of indias muslims.
This courageous man simply led the movement for Pakistan, that already existed in 'form, desire and ideology’ to its natural conclusion. And he did with the sort of dedication and honesty that is the basis for legend. (let us not forget that even when he was dying and succumbing to his illnesses, he did not let it deter from his desire to see Pakistan come to fruition.) To that i say Bravo Mr Jinnah - one of history’s all time great leaders and men.
@Major Iqbal: No. The real tragedy is failure of some to accept the reality of Pakistan's existence.
@Major Iqbal: Absolutely right. Partition of India was Jinnah's biggest mistake.
Jinnah suffered from severe personality discrepancy. He had an excessive obsession for the British culture. If one covers the face of his photos, nobody can judge that the man holding a dog in his lap is a Hindustani. Only his face and his desi-accent English speeches revealed his nationhood. He along with Sardar Patel, Nehru, Gandhi and whoever else, staged a drama of two-nation politics, whose script was thoroughly and minutely prepared from their very shrewd Gora masters. We are destined to (mental) slavery.
Jinnah is truly called the Quaid e Azam , i agree with Two nation theory, the birth of new countries around the world re itrate the fact that you cant stop peoples aspirations, only issue is some choose to do it peacfuly others cant get over the reality.
Jinnah was a learned person. However, his 'Pakistan theory' is the best bad idea of 1940s.
Lip service all the way. How many attend for the sake of publicity and how many pay their taxes and then attend a ceremony? Merry Christmas and Salams
Jinnah....i m sorry....we couldn't fulfiiled ur dreams
The current tragedy in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) and Afghanistan is a de facto result of Jinnah's so-called "Two Nations" theory.