As 23rd of March approaches, the spirit of patriotism swells inside each Pakistani. This date marks the formal decision of the All India Muslim League to establish a separate Muslim state. But it must be remembered that only after seven more years of vigorous effort were the dreams of our legendary politicians achieved.
Even though most of us are aware of the importance of Pakistan Day and the Independence Day, we may not completely know about the events which led to these. The beliefs and efforts put into the making of this nation provide a code of ethics for us and our children. Here are six facts about the Pakistan Movement we all should know and educate our children accordingly:
It was first proposed by Allama Iqbal that a separate Muslim state be established.
Sure, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan proposed the 2 nation theory way earlier but he did not go as far as to suggest that Muslims should have a different state. This idea was first introduced by Allama Muhammad Iqbal in 1930 while he presided over a Muslim League meeting in Allahabad. In fact he give a pretty concise plan as to which areas this new state should have. Another interesting fact is that despite them being Muslim majority areas, he did not call for Bengal and Kashmir to be included in the new Muslim state.
The name of Pakistan was suggested by Rahmat Ali originally as ‘Pakstan’ in 1933.
Rahmat Ali studied at Cambridge University and despite his position as a student in Britain, he managed to found the Pakistan National Movement. He campaigned for Pakistan through writings, together with a couple of other Indian students. He is known for writing a pamphlet by the name of ‘Now or Never’. In this he backed up Iqbal’s idea and proposed a name for the new Muslim state; Pakistan (originally spelled ‘Pakstan’). The letters in ‘Pakstan’ actually refered to the areas Rehmat Ali wanted it to contain; Punjab, Afghan province (NWFP), Kashmir, Sind and Balochistan.
Originally, Quaid e Azam was not in favour of a new Muslim state.
From 1909 to 1921 Muhammad Ali Jinnah remained a part of both the Muslim League and the Congress. He left the latter in 1921 but still believed that Hindus and Muslims could cooperate. When the Congress issued the Nehru Report, Jinnah stated that it asked for ‘unacceptable sacrifices from Muslims’ and described this event as the ‘parting of the ways’. He then produced his fourteen points, which would form the basis of all Muslim negotiations, with both the British and the Hindus till Pakistan was established. Even then he did not campaign for a separate country. The 23rd of March 1940, marked the first time Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself agreed to the need of a separate state for Muslims and passed the Pakistan Resolution. It shows that our Quaid was a positive minded person. He was an advocate of peace till the very end.
While working for Pakistan, Quaid e Azam was suffering from tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis (TB), then a fatal disease had taken upon our Quaid. He knew about this, but did not let anybody know. He feared it would make him vulnerable to his enemies and the thousands of Muslims, (even non-Muslims) looking up to him for freedom would lose all hope. So despite his painful condition he kept on working for this beloved country so we could live and breathe in free air. This was also a reason for his early death in 1948.
Quaid e Azam believed that both men and women played an equal role in the Pakistan movement.
He said addressing students of the Jinnah Islamia College for Girls in Lahore ‘I am glad to see that not only Muslim men but Muslim women and children have understood the Pakistan scheme. No nation can make any progress without the cooperation of its women. If Muslim women support their men, as they did in the day of their Prophet of Islam, we should soon realize our goal’ (1942). He encouraged women to actively take part in politics. An event narrated by Shaukat Ara, a prominent member of the Muslim League, tells us that women marched alongside him up to the stage during a presidential meeting. In a women’s gathering in late 1947 Jinnah said ‘half of Pakistan is yours because you have put in no less effort to achieve it than men.’ He let female students arrange marches for the great cause. But perhaps the greatest role women played was when they brought food and water to the wounded men and spent their time learning to heal the injured. This is a great example for young girls today.
Quaid e Azam strongly condemned discrimination on the basis of both religious and racial differences.
In many of his formal addresses to the Muslims of India, Quaid e Azam was questioned about his religious sect. To this he always only replied ‘I belong to the sect the Prophet (saw) belonged to, who was he? A Shia or a Sunni?’
On racialism and provincialism he said “We are now all Pakistanis–not Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on–and as Pakistanis we must feel, behave and act, and we should be proud to be known as Pakistanis and nothing else.” He also said “we have many non-Muslims –Hindus, Christians, and Parsis — but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.”
Today, our children notice when we are divided by provincialism, when we joke about a certain cast, when the media reports murders based on religion or sect. They should remember how the Quaid wanted us to be; united despite our differences. He believed that we could be one, and we surely do not want to be those who let him down.
Happy Pakistan Day!
Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
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