The nation is celebrating Independence Day of their hard-earned country today while facing serious national crises, including extreme lawlessness, environment of insecurity and loadshedding as well as internal and external dangers to its sovereignty. Creation of Pakistan is a monumental event, which should have generated unbounded jubilation but the popular euphoria has been dampened by the lurid and gruesome accounts of lawlessness and acts of terrorism.
Politics in Pakistan has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency; politics of blame game and these crises, entirely created by the vested interests and wrong policies of the ruling elite, have not only universally spoiled the image of the country but weakened it in many respects. However, these unfortunate, painful and deplorable national issues have not been able to vanish people's zeal, enthusiasm and spirit to celebrate their most vital national day, and they are displaying their emotions just to pay due tributes to its Founder, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and those who worked and rendered valuable sacrifices for the just cause of Muslims of South Asia.
M.A. Jinnah, who was gifted with the ability to foresee and analyse problems and offer solutions in most effective manner, had stressed in a statement on the 24th of August, 1947 that Pakistan should be kept absolutely free from disorder because the outbreak of lawlessness is bound to shake its foundations and cause irreparable damage to its future. Father of the Nation had warned the countrymen to be aware of their enemies, who do not wish well to Pakistan, and would not like it to grow strong and powerful. In fact they would like to see it destroyed and will welcome nothing better than that widespread disorders should break out within its borders, thereby causing administrative dislocation.
Addressing a function on the 23rd January, 1948, Quaid-i-Azam had declared that "while giving the fullest support to the principles of the United Nations Charter, we cannot afford to neglect our defences. The primary responsibility for the defence of our country will rest with us."
The nation observed that his words came true as due to rulers' unrealistic policies, supplemented by anti-Pakistan elements, we could not maintain its integrity and their actions resulted into the unfortunate break-up of the country in 1971. Now, frequent acts of terrorism, violation of our territory and Drone attacks, causing loss of precious lives and immense resources are the direct result of Pakistan's support to international war against terrorism. The nation is not generally supportive of this policy, being followed for the reasons best known to the rulers.
The conception of Pakistan ie separate homeland for the Muslims has been traced back by the historians to the entry of Islam in the sub-continent and attributed to Muhammad bin Qasim, the first Muslim conqueror of Sindh in 711 A.D. to Sheikh Ahmad Sirhand (d.1624), to Shah Waliullah (d.1762) and later to Jamaluddin Afghani (d.1897).
Over 150 years of British rule and nearly 350 years of its presence in India came to an end on the stroke of midnight of 14th August, 1947 (27th Ramazan,1366), spelling the birth of two independent dominions of Pakistan and India. The freedom from colonial rule is a turning point in history of South Asia and most outstanding achievement of the Muslims, which also marked the successful culmination of their historic struggle for Pakistan, led by dynamic, charismatic, gigantic and exemplary leadership of their beloved and undisputed leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The Quaid struggled for foundation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of South Asia as he firmly believed that the Muslims as a nation had their distinctive culture, traditions, way of life, and moral as well as social values. It was entirely due to his commitment as well as unflinching and determined efforts, supplemented by wide support and valuable sacrifices of the Muslims that within seven years of the adoption of Lahore Resolution by Muslim League in March, 1940, Pakistan emerged as an independent and sovereign State in the comity of nations.
New generation must be made aware that we did not receive Pakistan on a silver platter; we paid a heavy price for it. Pakistan came into existence as the result of successful struggle of the South Asian Muslims against two imperialisms, British and Hindus. British imperialism at no stage was in alliance with the Muslims. Throughout the Muslim struggle for safeguards, they had to fight for every single demand, and every demand was tenaciously resisted by the Congress.
The British, which followed a divide-and-rule policy in India, believed that the Muslims were responsible for the anti-British uprising of 1857, and therefore, they were subjected to ruthless punishment and merciless vengeance. The doors were closed on them in every department. The landed gentry were disinherited through large-scale confiscations. Besides, the greatest constitutional change brought about by the war of 1857 was the transfer of power to the British Crown from East India Company after which British Indian Empire was officially established.
By the end of the 19th century several nationalistic movements had started in India. Indian nationalism had grown largely since British policies and their complete insensitivity to and distance from the peoples of India and their customs created such disillusionment with them that the end of British rule became necessary and inevitable.
The social reformer and educator, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (d.1897), was the first to conceive a separate Muslim homeland and emphasise the fact that India was a continent rather than a country. He had pointed out that India was inhabited by peoples belonging to different races and were following different creeds. In fact as early as 1867, he had clearly foretold the separation of the two nations - Hindus and Muslims.
The compelling urge of the Muslims to organise themselves politically led to the founding of All India Muslim League at Dacca in 1906 with Aga Khan as its permanent President with the objective of safeguarding the Muslim interests, rights, articulating their demands and countering Hindu propaganda. Having defined the political goal for the Muslims of India, the Muslim League remained engaged in infusing objective awareness among the Muslim community about their future destiny and it strived with sustained vigour to organise them by fostering complete harmony and unity in their ranks.
The Nehru Report in 1928 made the cleavage between the Hindus and Muslims wider than ever. This led to the formulation of the famous 14 points by M.A .Jinnah in March, 1929, as the minimum points of Muslim demands, which sought to set up five stable Muslim provinces to balance the seven Hindu ones under a federal constitution with adequate checks and balances.
The ideological exposition of a state, based on nationalism, was provided by great poet- philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal in his presidential address to the 21st session of All India Muslim League at Allahabad in December 1930. Defining India as a "continent of human groups belonging to different races, speaking different languages and professing different religions, he believed the Muslims demand for creation of a Muslim India within India" to be perfectly justified. He called for the Punjab, the North West Frontier province, Sindh and Balochistan to be amalgamated into a single state.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was a great political strategist, constitutionalist and distinguished parliamentarian, worked untiringly for years for Hindu-Muslim rapprochement in South Asia, but he was completely dismayed when at the Round Table Conferences, called by the British Government in London in 1930 and 1931, the Hindu delegates, including Mr Gandhi, broke up all chances of Hindu-Muslim agreement over a few seats for the Muslims in Bengal and Punjab. He fell so despondent that he left India and settled down in England for some time. With passing of the Government of India Act 1935, he returned to India fully determined to organise the Muslims to secure their rightful place in the body politic of India.
The elections of 1937 proved to be a turning point when the Congress obtained an absolute majority in six provinces, and the Muslim League did not do particularly well. A most dangerous situation was created for the Muslims by coming into office of Congress Ministries in the Hindu-majority provinces, which were hostile to the Muslims in spirit and action, and had launched a campaign of persecution, demoralisation as well as economic and cultural suppression against the Muslims. The Quaid had skilfully exploited the Congress mistakes and miscalculations and turned its every error of judgement into a political victory for the League, which was growing apace in popularity and power. He used that opportunity for improving League's organisation. The Congress Ministries resigned by late 1939.
In 1938, the first Sindh Provincial Muslim League, conference with M.A. Jinnah in the chair, demanded through a resolution an independent federation of Muslim majority provinces and princely states, and recommended to the All India Muslim League to devise a scheme of constitution under which Muslims may attain full independence.
On the 18th October, 1939, the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow issued a statement after holding a series of talks with political leaders, including M.A. Jinnah, Gandhi and Nehru, defining the attainment of dominion status as the constitutional goal for India, indicating the British Government's preparedness to modify the Government of India Act in the light of Indian leaders' views. The Quaid reaffirmed Muslim League's demand for reconsideration of the Government of India Act of 1935 as whole and insisted on approval and consent of the two major communities, viz, Muslims and Hindus, before enactment of any constitution by the British Parliament or any declaration by the British Government in that regard.
Addressing delegates to the 27th annual session of the Muslim League on 23rd March, 1940, in Lahore, Quaid-i-Azam reaffirmed that the Muslims were a nation according to any definition of a nation and they must have their homeland, territory and state. He was then given the title of Quaid-i-Azam (supreme leader) by the Muslims of India.
At its historic session, the Muslim League unanimously adopted a Resolution, moved by Premier Fazlul Haq of Bengal, declaring that the areas of Muslim majority in north-western and eastern India should be grouped together to constitute independent states - autonomous and sovereign - and that any independence plan without this provision was unacceptable to Muslims.
On the 9th April, 1946, a convention of the newly-elected Muslim League Legislators of the Central and Provincial Assemblies in Delhi passed a resolution, demanding that the Provinces of Bengal and Assam in the North-East and the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan in the North-West be constituted into an independent and sovereign state of Pakistan.
A special three-member Cabinet Mission, headed by Secretary of State Lord Pethick Lawrence, and Sir Stafford Cripps and Mr A.V. Alexander as members, arrived on 24th March, 1946, and held talks with Indian leaders on the issue. However, finding no meeting ground between the League and Congress, the mission made its own proposals on 16 May. The plan recommended that there should be a union of India, consisting of the British India and the Indian states, dealing with the subjects of foreign affairs, defence and communications while all other subjects and all residuary powers shall rest in provinces. The plan recommended that constitution-making machinery will be set up to frame the constitution.
The interim Government was formed by the Congress members on 2nd September, 1946, under Pandit Nehru as invited by the Viceroy; the Muslims, however, went unrepresented. The Muslim League consented to join the 14-member Executive Council on 25th October, feeling that political power should not be left entirely into the hands of the Hindus as it would be fatal for the Muslims. The League Councillors were sworn in on 26 October, 1946.
The British Government made the famous statement on the 3rd June, prepared by the last Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, regarding the mechanics of the division of the sub-continent. On the 10th June, All India Muslim League Council adopted a resolution, stating although the Council could not agree to the partition of Bengal and the Punjab, it accepts the fundamental principles of 3rd June Plan for the partition of India. The Indian Independence Act was passed by the House of Commons on 15 July, 1947, and the House of Lords next day to set up the dominions of Pakistan and India. It received the Royal assent on 18th July, 1947, and Pakistan emerged as an independent sovereign state on August 14, 1947.
Other significant events of the struggle for Pakistan which took place between the period from 1905 to 1947 included partition of Bengal (1905-11), Simla deputation (1906), Minto-Morley Reforms, Lucknow Pact (1916), Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, Khilafat Movement(1919-1924), Simon Commission (1927) Delhi-Muslim Proposals (1927), the Communal Award, the Government of India Act 1935, Cripps Mission (1942), Gandhi-Jinnah talks (1944), Wavell Plan and Simla Conference (1945) and General and Provincial elections (1945-1946).
(Muhammad Saeed Akhtar, is Senior Journalist, Broadcaster, and ex-Editor, Quaid-i-Azam Papers Project).
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