The association of Pakistan with the countries lying to its West has a long history, reminiscences of which can still be seen in Pakistan’s national life today. Due to these influences, it so happened that a distinct nation emerged within the sub-continent that continued to live without a name for centuries, and took to be referred as a religious minority. Hence, when the name of ‘Pakistan’1 was allotted to this un-named nation (the areas where Muslims Technical Lahore were in majority) and when after the process of self-discovery and self-realization the Muslims realized that they were indeed a ‘nation according to any definition’ belonging to a ‘different religious philosophies, social customs, literatures and civilization’. Then, the reserve formed due to lack of name, deceptive phrases like minority, and the unjust attitude during atrocious Congress2 rule 3, 4 ceased to be a reserve anymore, and the nation envisaged the possibility of creating a country for themselves where they could ‘develop to the fullest their spiritual, cultural, economic, social and political life’. So, triggered by the Islamic morals and led by their ‘Quaid-e-Azam’5 Mohammad Ali Jinnah, 6 Muslims of India marched to their destiny of sovereign status and won the battle for Pakistan not with an army but with the power of words written with their determination.
It was Jinnah who guided his people to the cause of the freedom. It was Jinnah who stood steadfast for the rights of Muslims of India. And it was indeed Jinnah who led his devoted followers to victory. And all of this with in a decade. It could only have been his utmost devotion and faith in the cause of his dream – the realization of which was thought to be impossible, carried by his strong willful character, which led him to carve out a nation out of a subjugated minority and establish a cultural and national home for it. He brought millions of Muslims together on a platform against the two adversaries, each of them far stronger then himself and his community, and allied in their opposition to the creation of Pakistan.
Could it have been easy for a man who lived a life deemed modern by the people he was struggling for? How could such a man who studied at London, dressed mostly in the latest English-style suits7 (before 1937), spoke a foreign language (English) which most of the Muslim masses who flocked to listen to his speeches couldn’t even understand and married8 out of his religion (Parsi), managed to weld the highly conventional Muslims under his banner of separate Pakistan at the age of sixty-four (in 1940)? He could not have done it unless he staunchly believed that the Islamic values of the community he was supporting were in consonance with progress and modernity, which he practiced.
Jinnah’s forty-four (1904-48) years public political life justifies that he was the most westernized political leader of Muslims. No Muslim political leader of his time could equal him in terms of modernity and a modern outlook. He believed in moderation, ordered progress, democratic norms, Islamic ideals, integrity, dedication, honesty and hard work. These were the core values he was committed to throughout his political career; these formed the part of his personality and these he aspired to see in his country.
Jinnah had a very clear and a straightforward idea about the system of Government he wanted in Pakistan. He wanted to make Pakistan a real Islamic State through democratic process stating that the ‘constitution of Pakistan would be of a democratic type, embodying the essential principles of Islam’ as ‘Islam and its idealism have taught democracy’. ‘Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state to be ruled by priests with a divine mission as there were many non-Muslims in Pakistan who would share equal rights and privileges as other citizens’. ‘Religion, caste or creed will have nothing to do with the affairs of the state’ for Islam teaches, equality, justice and fair play for everybody.
It may be noted here that, by democracy, Jinnah never meant Western system of democracy, but a sort of Islamic democracy which is at home with Muslims’ ethics, aspirations, values and code of morality as the state which he founded was inhabited by people of various races and ethnicities, religions and castes, so a purely western style of democracy could never suit here. Jinnah wanted to see Pakistan an embodiment of progressive, modern, dynamic and forward-looking Islam. Same were the qualities he sought in the nation of his State. He envisioned a nation that is open-minded with high social and moral ethics and highest aims in economic growth, national solidarity and education. Jinnah said that there were three main pillars, which go in making a nation worthy: education, economic and industrial strength, and defence. His famous slogan of Unity, Faith and Discipline were designed precisely to appeal to the Muslims sense of national solidarity. Jinnah rejected western capitalist economic system and emphasized on an economic system based on the concepts of equality and social justice. He believed that Pakistan was blessed with enormous economic resources and potentials and it is for the people to make best use of them. Laying his importance on national consolidation he urged the nation to ‘work in co-operation, forgetting the past’ and called provincialism a ‘poison’ considering it one of the barrier towards the progress and development of a nation. He emphasized the necessity of educating the nation in ‘scientific and technical education in order to build up future economic life’ so Pakistan could ‘compete with the world’. He envisioned the national character of Pakistan built on ‘highest sense of honor, integrity, selfless services to the nation, and sense of responsibility’ and ‘fully equipped to play a part in the various branches of economic life’.