Unity, Faith, Discipline: Quaid-i-Azam's timeless message for Pakistan

The late Berkeley historian, Professor Stanley Wolpert, stated in his magnum opus, The Jinnah of Pakistan, “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.”

This remarkable feat culminated on August 14, 1947, with the creation of Pakistan. Jinnah’s driving force was a principle that later became, with slight variations, the national motto of Pakistan: Unity, Faith, Discipline (Ittehad, Yaqeen, Nazm). Throughout his life, he embodied and championed this principle. He advocated for the Muslims of India to unify, have unwavering faith in their goal, and maintain discipline in their pursuit of a separate homeland. It is through this steadfast commitment that Pakistan’s destined path become would become a reality.

Although he changed the course of history, modified the global map, and created a nation-state in 1947, Jinnah’s quest began seven years earlier in Lahore, the cultural hub of the undivided India.

The annual session of All India Muslim League was held at Lahore in March, 1940. The Lahore Resolution that changed the course of the subcontinental history was presented on 23rd and passed on 24th March 1940. This resolution clearly stated, “No constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principle, namely, that geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority, as in the North-Western and Eastern Zones of India, should be grouped to constitute ‘Independent States’ in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.”

During his presidential speech, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, highlighted why Muslims deserved a separate homeland. He said, “Notwithstanding a thousand years of close contact, nationalities which are as divergent today as ever cannot at any time be expected to transform themselves into one nation merely by means of subjecting them to a democratic constitution and holding them forcibly together by unnatural and artificial methods of British parliamentary statutes. What the unitary government of India for 150 years had failed to achieve cannot be realised by the imposition of a central government.”

He further argued, “(Islam and Hinduism) are not religions in the strict sense of the word but are in fact, different and distinct social orders and it is a dream that the Hindus and Muslims can ever evolve a common nationality and this misconception of one Indian nation has gone far beyond the limits and is the cause of most of our troubles and will lead India to destruction if we fail to revive our notions in time. The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and literature. They neither intermarry, nor inter dine together, and indeed they belong to two different civilisations, which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. Their concepts on life and of life are different. It is quite clear that Hindus and Muslims derive their inspiration from different sources of history. They have different epics, different heroes and different episodes. Very often the hero of one is a foe of the other, and likewise, their victories and defeats overlap. To yoke together two such nations under a single state, one as a numerical minority and the other as a majority must lead to growing discontent and final destruction of any fabric that may be so built up for the government of such a state”.

Ironically, the Lahore Resolution itself did not mention the word “Pakistan” but spoke of a separate Muslim homeland. Critics later dubbed it the “Pakistan Resolution.” Jinnah believed achieving this goal required the Muslims of the subcontinent to exhibit unity, have a strong faith in the cause, and collectively work towards it. Therefore, Jinnah continuously reminded the Muslims of this principle. In his message on the occasion of Eid in October, 1941, he urged the people to demonstrate unity (Ittehad), faith (Yaqeen), and discipline (Nazm).

On the fifth anniversary of the Lahore Resolution in 1945, Jinnah declared, “In our solidarity, unity and discipline lie the strength, power and sanction behind us to carry on this fight successfully. No sacrifice should be considered too great. I can assure you that there is nothing greater in this world than your own conscience and, when you appear before God, you can say that you performed your duty with the highest sense of integrity, honesty and with loyalty and faithfulness.”

Therefore, it was no surprise that within months of the creation of Pakistan, on December 28, 1947, Quaid-i-Azam underscored this principle in his address, declaring it the pathway to overcome the difficult phase of post-partition trauma. He said, “We are going through fire: the sunshine has yet to come. But I have no doubt that with Unity, Faith and Discipline we will compare with any nation of the world. Are you prepared to undergo the fire? You must make up your minds now. We must sink individualism and petty jealousies and make up our minds to serve the people with honesty and faithfulness. We are passing through a period of fear, danger, and menace. We must have faith, unity and discipline.”

History demonstrates that whenever Pakistan has embraced unity, faith, and discipline, it has overcome seemingly impossible challenges. In 1947, the British leadership and the Indian National Congress dismissed Pakistan as unviable, convinced Jinnah and his supporters would soon rejoin India. However, Pakistan defied these predictions. Despite the horrors of partition, Pakistan established itself as a viable state with a functioning government. The nation’s nuclear weapons program and its success in the war on terror are further testaments to this principle in action. However, whenever these core values have been neglected, the nation has suffered. Center-periphery issues, ethnic and sectarian divides, the separation of East Pakistan, and periods of political polarisation all illustrate this point.

The notion that Pakistan faces a critical juncture is not new, but its significance is felt more deeply today than ever before. In recent times, there have been troubling political divisions and a worrying trend of idolizing certain personalities. Rather than prioritising institutions, there’s been a shift towards focusing on individuals, and labeling someone as a traitor or patriot has become more of a political game driven by biases. With social and economic indicators on the decline, what’s really needed is a return to the founding principles of unity, faith, and discipline advocated by Quaid-i-Azam. Furthermore, cultivating discipline in our daily lives and professions is paramount. Always remember, wherever we are, whatever we do, we are all Pakistanis. One nation, one country! If we strive to make Pakistan the nation Jinnah envisioned, this is the path to follow.

-The author is a Karachi based academic.