‘Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan is waiting on us to create it’

Falling on the day of the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s 141st birth anniversary, the last day of the 10th International Urdu Conference came to a euphoric end as a distinguished panel of speakers explored in depth Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan, his achievements, while also honestly reflecting upon the reasons that led to his ideals being left adrift.

Introduced as an FIR against the abduction of Quaid’s Pakistan, the paper read out by renowned scholar Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed stole many a heart as the audience broke into several rapturous applauses as the scholar read it out; the applause that came at the end of the paper’s reading lasted for about a minute.

“Since this FIR cannot be lodged with a police station, I’m registering it at the Arts Council in the presence of the people of Pakistan,” said the former director of the University of Karachi’s Pakistan Study Centre.

“The country’s civil and military bureaucracy tried to kidnap the Quaid’s Pakistan after listening to his August 11 speech,” he said, alluding to Jinnah’s address delivered to the country’s first constituent assembly in which he stressed on Pakistan being a pluralist state rather than a theocratic one.

The speaker cited several quotes of the Quaid-e-Azam with respect to his idea of a modern nation state. “Quaid-e-Azam did not envision a theocratic state,” he asserted. To further drive his point home, Dr Ahmed also read excerpts of edicts issued by religious leaders against the country’s founder and the All India Muslim League.

One intriguing example he cited was of acclaimed theologian Shabbir Ahmad Usmani who to every religious leaders surprise chose to support Jinnah’s political movement. On being inquired about his decision to accept Jinnah’s leadership despite some religious scholars prohibiting their followers from supporting him for they thought of him to be a non-Muslim, hence an infidel, Dr Ahmed quoted Usmani’s analogy that he drew before his questioners.

The religious scholar told the men that he had once had to board a vessel bound for Saudi Arabia where he was compelled to continue his voyage in a ship whose captain was a non-Muslim. But when the vessel made it to its first destination, an Arab populated area, an Arab took control of the ship and the non-Muslim captain had to abandon it. Dr Ahmed stated that, “The religious scholar had in short explained the plan devised to abandon the Quaid’s concept of Pakistan and take control of the country’s ship.”

Reviving Quaid’s ideology

Also among the speakers was Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, who said it was incumbent upon all citizens to struggle for the revival of Qauid’s Pakistan. “We will continue our efforts to revive his ideology even if we have to face enforced disappearances,” said Rabbani while responding to the issue highlighted by renowned journalist Ghazi Salahuddin in his speech.

Rabbani regretted that the country’s sane voices gradually conceded space to the ones promoting intolerance and extremism. “One of our ironies [Pakistani nation’s] is that we left the path of resistance and adopted the way of compliance.”

The senate chairman stated that Qauid-e-Azam believed in federalism and wanted Pakistan to have a parliamentary form of government. “But we disobeyed him by introducing dictatorships and a presidential form of government which weakened the country’s institutions and deprived the provinces of their due rights.” He also termed the use of religion to further political agendas an antithesis of what Quaid-e-Azam believed in.

‘Not abducted yet’

Dissenting with Dr Ahmed’s opinion, former information minister and writer Javed Jabbar said, “The people of Pakistan never elected religious extremists as their representatives. There has been only one exception, that of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s victory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2002; but it would hopefully not happen again.

“I don’t think the Quaid’s Pakistan has been kidnapped. The kidnappers have been making desperate attempts to abduct it though.” Referring to Qauid-e-Azam’s personality traits, he said Jinnah was a modern man who rejected religious and cultural orthodoxy.

“He wasn’t a religious scholar, yet exhibited what exactly Islam expected from its believers through his character. Jabbar said defining Muslim nationalism by creating a new homeland was among some of Jinnah’s greatest achievements. “We must all strive to build this country as per the founder’s ideology. Quaid’s Pakistan is waiting on us to create it.”

The speaker advised Pakistanis to be optimistic about the country. “Qauid-e-Azam delineated an ideological outline for the country. He wasn’t responsible to draw the country’s picture, instead it is our responsibility to complete it and fill it in with vibrant colours.”

A vision destructed

In his speech, columnist and author Ghazi Salahuddin said it was tough for him to speak of Jinnah’s concept of Pakistan on the occasion of the founder’s birthday. “It’s a cheerful occasion. Yet we have to discuss the Qauid’s concept of Pakistan and lament the destruction of his vision.”

Paying glorious tributes to the country’s founder, he read out a quote academic Stanley Wolpert’s book ‘Jinnah of Pakistan’, in which he noted that, “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.”

However, Salahuddin regretted that the nation did not live up to its founder’s teachings. “It has become extremely difficult for anybody who embraces the Qauid’s political ideology and wants its implementation in Pakistan to live in this country. How unfortunate is that!”

Touching upon the persisting issue of enforced disappearances, he said that Dr Ahmed still managed to register an FIR against the country’s abduction, but there was nobody who would dare pursue these cases today in the country.

Scholar Harris Khaliq shed light on the different phases of the founder’s life, stating that he was a genuine leader who never sought for bloodshed or chaos for his movement to be a success.

“Instead he was ready to negotiate with his opponents at all times only to save the people of India. However, he had to finally strive for a separate homeland where all citizens could live on an equal basis.”

Earlier in the day, a session was held to analyse the criticism on Urdu literature and raised questions regarding its gradual demise during Pakistan’s 70 years. Having improved considerably in the last decade, a session on the present status of theatres was also held; the panellists for the session were Zain Ahmed, Yasmeen Tahir, Samina Ahmad and Naeem Tahir among others.

As compared to previous editions, all five days of the conference were flooded with attendees especially during evenings, so much so that it would get difficult to find a spot in the auditorium. The event came to a delightful end with satirist Anwar Maqsood reading out excerpts from his writings.