Quaid's Role in Long Unremitting Struggle for Pakistan

 Quaid's Role in Long Unremitting

Struggle for Pakistan

Ghulam Hussain Qamar Baloch

If there is some truth in Carlyle‘s remark that "the history of the World is but the biography of great men”, then there is no gainsaying the fact that the history of Pakistan Movement is but the history of the Quaid-i-Azam's achievements.

Born in Karachi in 1876 (25th December,) Muhammad Ali Jinnah had his early education at Sind Madrasa. He left for England in 1891. When he returned home in 1896, five years later, the Quaid started practice as a Barrister in Bombay. After passing through some difficult years of his career he established a leading position for himself at the Bar. His active participation in Indian politics began in 1906, when he attend the Calcutta session of Congress, His first speech, significantly enough, which was about a matter that concerned the Muslims was "Waqf-al-Aulad“. From 1913 onwards he also was a member of the Muslim League. Before this, he was elected to the Central Legislative Council from Bombay in 1909. He actively worked for Hindu-Muslim Unity, and Lucknow Pact (1916) was reached because of his efforts. Later when he realized the machinations of Congress. Hindu proselytism and their militant attitude towards the Muslims, after the Nagpur session in 1928, he was convinced to leave the Congress for good. From that time till the creation of Pakistan, the Quaid worked exclusively and ceaselessly for the Muslims of India to lead the Muslim League His subsequent stand on the Hindu-Muslim issue can be illustrated by the following extract from an article of Beverley Nichols published in Dawn on 21st September, 1948.

Looking me straight in the eye, he (Jinnah) continued, “There is nothing in life that links us together. We are different beings."

"It is your duty to quote it. Our names, our clothes. our food — they are all different; our economic life, our educational ideas, our treatment of women ----- we challenge each other at every point of the compass.”

The Gandhi-Dominated Congress:

It was during the Khilafat Movement that Gandhi came to play a dominant role in Indian politics in order to avail himself of the chance of winning over the Muslims he invoked Satyagrah to enforce the Muslim demands. By admitting that the Khilafat question was a vital one for Indian Muslims, he apparently conceded the Muslim claim that they formed a separate nation. All the same. when Jinnah in 1937 suggested a coalition ministry of the Congress and the Muslim League. Gandhi rejected Jinnah‘s proposal in the name of Indian nationalism. Congress demanded as a precondition to coalition a dissolution of the Muslim League as well as its claim to form a separate political entity.

During the Congress rule in the Ministries (1937-39) the authoritarian nature of the Congress made a rapprochement with the Muslim League impossible.

Later. in 1942, the Hindu leaders invited the Muslim League to join hands with the Congress after Gandhi's arrest, following the Congress decision to launch the ‘quit India" movement. This time it was Jinnah's turn to reject the proposal. At the Muslim League Working Committees meeting" of 16 August, 1942 he convinced the Muslim League members of the danger involved. He had the prudence and foresight to see through the share that the Congress had laid for the Muslim League with the purpose to involve the latter in a trouble similar to its own. The severe setback that the Congress suffered as a result of Gandhi's arrest proved the validity of Jinnah's decision. Had the Muslim League joined the ‘Quit India’ movement. it would have suffered a much severer setback.

The British Attitude:

The official British view on the separate electorate may be summed up by the following statement :-

The Hindu's acquiescence (to the separate electorate) is embodied in the Lucknow Pact of1916. Much as we regret the necessity. the present system must be maintained until conditions alter … But we can see no reason to set up communal representation for Muhammadans in any province where they form a majority of the voters, it is said in Report on Indian Constitutional Reforms, (London: His Majesty's Stationery office, 1918) pp. 185-.188.

Jinnah was certain that he would never have British support with regard to the Muslim demand for Pakistan. Lord Wavell supported the Congress concept of 'Akhand Bharat' but could not influence Jinnah, who through his perspicacity and political acumen convinced the Viceroy as to the no feasibility of an agreement between the Hindus and the Muslims. The Labour Government of Mr. Attlee, after considering Lord Wavell's recommendations sent Lord Mountbatten as Viceroy to India. The Muslim League under Jinnah's leader-ship had captured all the Muslim seats in the central Assembly and most of the seats in the Provincial Assemblies in The elections of 1945-46. the elections constituted in principle, a referendum on the question of Pakistan as a result of which Lord Mountbatten was forced to yield to the demand for Pakistan.

Communal Antagonism:

Although Jinnah had diligently tried to work a compromise between the Hindus and the Muslim and was also responsible for the Lucknow Pact (1916), the alliance between the two communities had completely broken down by the middle of 1922. The non-cooperation movement had failed and the Khilafat issue vanished. When Turkey deposed the last Turkish Khalifa Sultan Abdul Majid. Hindu proselytism and their militant attitude towards the Muslims convinced Jinnah of the necessity to leave the Congress (1928).

A Charismatic Leader:

It is a matter of stark fact that so many aspects of the Quaid's personality including his firmness of purpose, foresight, realism, negotiating skill and democratic outlook as well as, his regards for constitutionalism made him apply his superb reasoning and argument to various problems.

As far as his incorruptibility is concerned, Mr. G. Allana records that in 1946, Jinnah personally warned him against bribing any of the voters during the elections to Sind Legislative Assembly. The winning of the 35 seats in the Assembly was crucial to the Muslim cause, The words of the Quaid bear witness to the strength of his character : “l prefer defeat to winning election by adopting dishonest methods”. All the 35 seats were won by the Muslim League candidates.

Jinnah had the vision to apprehend and judge and this is why Muslims were willing to endure tribulations and material losses, to cling together in their struggle for freedom. He was one of those rare personalities who have the staple qualities and incomparable skill to create their own situations and to lead the course of history in the direction they wished.

Quaid's firmness of the purpose:

How decisive was the role played by Jinnah in the creation of Pakistan? Scholars and persons belonging to different schools of thought, have debated and are articulating about Jinnah's motivations and role to gain a clearer perspective on the events which led to the partition of the subcontinent into the two nations of India and Pakistan Almost all those, who write on the subject, characterize Jinnah as an acme and incalculable and, the man of clear vision, realism, foresightedness and the firmness of purpose.

Man of decision:

He exerted himself and due to his personal control during the years in which he led the Muslim League, Jinnah dominated his followers so much that all the main decisions by the Muslim League were the result of his direction.

Realistic leadership:

Jinnah was the efficient advocate of the causes which his followers had freely agreed upon. It was because of his exerted, forceful, but realistic leadership. His leadership was always conditioned and shaped by the attitudes and interests of many diverse Muslim individuals and groups who were united in following him. It can also be kept in mind that the majority of the Muslim League Leaders were feudal. Their feudal behaviour was slightly submerged during Jinnah's leadership, because he was not a feudalist.

It will be no denying the fact that he was born in a family which belonged to a commercial class that has to keep accounts of every penny. A discipline, in ledger and book keeping. was part of his upbringing. Even by profession, he was a practicing lawyer, who has to keep accounts for taxation purposes. Further, he belonged to that generation of this sub-continent’s leadership, which by conviction believed in parliamentary democracy. He thoroughly believed in democracy and constitutionalism.

Freedom Pioneer:

The Quaid was on of the greatest freedom pioneers of the world. He thus said in his Presidential speech at the 1940 Session of the All-India Muslim League: "The intelligentsia, in all countries in the world. have been the pioneers for freedom”.

in a statement published in "Manchester Guardian” in 1939, the Quaid said: We want freedom and liberty, but the question is whose freedom and liberty? Muslim India wants to be free and enjoy to the fullest extent and develop its own political, economic, social and cultural institutions according to its own glins and not to dominated and crushed while wishing Hindu India well and giving it fullest scope to do likewise.

In his Presidential Address on the Annual Session of the All indie Muslim League, 1940, the Quaid said: We stand unequivocally for the freedom of India. But it must be freedom for all India and not freedom of one section, or worse still, of the Congress caucus and slavery of Musalamans and other minorities.

Self Reliant Leader:

The Quaid, in his Eid message to Muslim India, 1941, said: "Let us pray to God that he may give us strength to prove ourselves worthy of this resolve and fulfill it.

In his address to the session of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League on 15th February, 1941, Jinnah said: We cannot look to the British Government or to anyone else for justice and fairplay. We must stand on our own legs and rely on our own strength if we are to achieve anything in the world. You may depend upon none except your own inherent strength This is your only safeguard and the best safeguard. Depend on yourselves.

In his speech at Muslim University Union on 2nd November, 1941, he said: As far as Muslim India is concerned, we have forged our Charter and, that is Pakistan. And for this Charter of ours; we want to make it clear, we will sacrifice anything and everything.

Also in his speech at the University Stadium Lahore on 30th October, 1947, the Quaid said: We are in the midst of unparalleled difficulties and untold sufferings: we have been through dark days of apprehension and anguish, but I can say with confidence that with courage and self-reliance and by the Grace of God we shall emerge triumphant.

Further in his speech at opening ceremony of Bengal Oil Mills, the Quaid said: we do not want merely to keep these unfortunate people alive as s drag on society - we want them to live as self-respecting, self-relying and useful members of society.

Conclusion:

British imperialism and Congress chauvinism prevented the Muslim leaders to launch an all-out campaign to rally all the Muslims on one platform. Jinnah alone was successful in arousing real political consciousness among his people. He also had to thwart the manoeuvres of the quisling Muslims who had their patrons in the enemies of Muslim freedom. Achieving his goal in the face of so many obstacles proved beyond doubt that Jinnah was a strategist par excellence.

The importance of keeping alive the memory of great heroes cannot be denied. This is especially true of the newly independent states who derive inspiration by looking up to their great leaders. Quaid-e-Azam's role and personality in the making of Pakistan is an object of admiration for such a scholars as Hudson, who in the Great Divide calls him an important and enigmatic figure. Pakistanis too have to realize and sufficiently comprehend the decisive role that the Quaid played in the long, unremitting struggle for Pakistan.