Oxford historian Professor Ian Talbot has said that Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah envisioned Pakistan to be in peaceful co-existence with India, and wanted the two countries to be collaborating in international affairs.
The head of history department of Balliol College Oxford added that the Quaid-i-Azam even thought of a sort of Munro doctrine for the subcontinent to ward off any threats to its territorial integrity.
The well-known historian was delivering a lecture on "Jinnah's vision for Pakistan and the emerging Pakistan-India détente" at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, on Thursday morning.
It came as a pleasant surprise to many among the large audience of students, foreign envoys and scholars, that the building blocks of such a vision came on the eve or even after independence when the two countries were embroiled in some bitter problem of large scale migration, incipient Kashmir issue and other discords in the wake of partition.
In support of his assertions of Indo-Pakistan collaboration in international affairs, and having a "Munro doctrine" of hands off the subcontinent, the Oxford historian presented a number of quotations from the Quaid-i-Azam's speeches and interviews in those days.
Being a strong believer in justice and fair play in domestic and external matters, the Quaid-i-Azam did not foresee a prolonged bitter relationship between the two countries.
It was his strong belief of eventual good relationships between the two countries that the Quaid-i-Azam was negotiating for the purchase of a houseboat in Srinagar with its British owner.
Professor Talbot recalled that in his parting speech from New Delhi on way to Karachi, the Quaid-i-Azam asked the Indians to forget the past and start afresh for peace and prosperity of the two countries.
Past must be buried, he asserted, expressing earnest wishes that both would live in peace, and bear no aggressive design against each other.
He even talked of a joint India-Pakistan declaration on the line of the American Munro Doctrine.
Professor Talbot commented that the ideals may not match the demands of real politick, but the Quaid-i-Azam's hopes of good relationships did not end despite periods of conflict.
In May 1948, the Quaid-i-Azam suggested that both countries should co-ordinate with each other in international affairs and should collectively defend our frontiers of land and sea.
Speaking about other elements of the Quaid's vision in the realm of international relations, Professor Talbot said that the founder of Pakistan believed that the new country had a role to play in the world of Islam. At that time many Muslim countries were struggling for freedom against imperialist rule of Britain, Holland and other countries.
BIGGEST EVENT: In the context of the New World Order emerging from the ashes of the Second World War, the Quaid-i-Azam saw the country's role against foreign occupation, oppression and economic exploitation. Pakistan's emergence as a Muslim Power was seen as an epochal event for the Muslim world.
Al-Ahram, Cairo's leading daily, regarded creation of Pakistan as the biggest event in the Middle East.
MUSLIM CAUSES: The role of the government naturally was to give moral and material support to the Muslim causes of Kashmir, Palestine and Indonesia. There was a pronounced shift to breakaway from the British foreign policy.
Even before that, Professor Talbot recalled that at the meeting of the Muslim League in Patna in 1938, the Quaid supported Palestinians against gangsterism and lauded their freedom struggle against foreign occupation.
And in 1942, he condemned the foreign designs to partition Palestine, assuring full support to the Palestine. In Indonesia too, the Quaid was against the so-called Dutch police action there.
He had been voicing strongly against European colonialism and emancipation of the subjugated people.
However, Professor Talbot observed that the international sentiment is moving less in favour of emancipation in the contemporary world, which is dramatically altered since 9/11.
In the context of India and Pakistan, the speaker said that the Quaid's vision was still relevant despite the transformation.
The Quaid had believed in cordial relations between the two countries for the security of the subcontinent. Such a rapprochement would benefit the people in many ways.
He said that the perennial conflict made the two countries laggards in social indicators, per capita income, rate of literacy and human development were badly hit.
Perhaps realisation has dawned of the wide gulf between the potential and the achievements. Both have been held back by the history of conflicts. From a pragmatic point of view, there is a compelling case for the two to come to peace for mutual benefit of the people.
REALIST: He further pointed out that Jinnah was a realist and preferred a positive approach. He never lapsed into cynicism. The great thing about him was that he was prepared to lead and not follow the popular views.
To him the worst thing was delibitating cynicism. He had suggested that the two people should not be bound by their past but make a fresh start despite the turmoil of the day.
Justice and fair play were the hallmark of his life, speeches and actions. He was for moderate and enlightened approach to Islam and foreign affairs. "So at this juncture, his vision is very pertinent and we need to go back to him in the future."
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