| Urdu Section | |
| 02 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
OBJECTIVES RESOLUTION AND SECULARISM-PART VI | ||
The founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, wanted a separate country for Muslims but his political upbringing in a pluralist society prevented him from declaring Pakistan an Islamic state. Contrary to the general perception in India, Mr Jinnah was arguably a secular and liberal Muslim who wanted a Pakistan where all citizens would be equal in the eyes of the constitution irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. But leaders like Liaqat Ali Khan and power hungry opportunistic religious leaders wanted it to be otherwise. In this beautifully written series titled, "Objectives Resolution and Secularism", Mr Wajahat Masood delves deep into history to find out how Jinnah's dream of a secular and democratic Pakistan was shattered. – Editor
On February 22, 1946, the governor of Punjab Sir Burtrand Glency wrote in his fortnightly confidential report to the Viceroy Wavell:"The leaders of the Muslim League are gradually turning towards extremism in their speeches. The maulvis, peers (spiritual guides) and students are touring across the state telling people that if they did not vote the Muslim League candidates, they would be out of the purview of Islam and their nikahs would
automatically become null and void. Irrespective of what the results of the elections are going to be, the aggressive campaign run by the Muslim League is sure to increase the number of their seats in the forthcoming elections." -- Wajahat Masood
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| OBJECTIVES RESOLUTION AND SECULARISM-PART VI | |
By Wajahat Masood
On February 22, 1946, the governor of Punjab Sir Burtrand Glency wrote in his fortnightly confidential report to the Vice-roy Wavell:"The leaders of the Muslim League are gradually turning towards extremism in their speeches. The maulvis, peers (spiritual guides) and students are touring across the state telling people that if they did not vote the Muslim League candidates, they would be out of the purview of Islam and their nikahs would automatically become null and void. Irrespective of what the results of the elections are going to be, the aggressive campaign run by the Muslim League is sure to increase the number of their seats in the forthcoming elections."
The question what games were played by the Muslim League After 1940 and particularly before the elections of 1946,to gain the votes of the religious community and what the Muslim League's image was in that section has been answered by Sardar Shaukat Hayat in his book titled " A nation that lost its soul" in detail. Sardar Shaukat Hayat who was a close associate of Qaid-e-Azam and a representative of the feudal section of the Punjab writes:
"Only the ulema who belonged to Firangi Mahal and were friends of Nawab Sahab of Mahmoodabad were on our side. Maulana Ghulam Murshid (Preacher, Shahi Masjid,Lahore) and Mualana Abdul Hamid Badauni started supporting the Muslim League around 1945. Some lesser known ulema also supported us. Barring these ulema no prominent religious scholar participated in Tehrik-e-Paksitan.
About the sajjada nashin group of the Punjab (whom Gen,Ziaul Haque preferred to call them 'mashaikh-e-Uzzaam'),Shaukat Hayat writes:
" A handful of the Peers(spiritual guides) of Pakistan supported the movement for Pakistan. Peer sahab of Tonsa Sharif who was a relative of Nawab Mamdoot, his disciple, Peer Qamruddin of Sial Sharif and Peer Sahab of Golra Sharif joined the movement. Peer Jalalpur who was a relative of Raja Ghazanfar Ali also joined the movement. The names which I can recall apart from these three peers are Peer Jamat Ali Shah, Peer Manki Sharif and Peer Sahab of Zakori Sharif. The latter two belonged to the Frontier Province.
The stoy of Peer Manki Sharif joining the Muslim League has many twists and turns. Erland Jansson, in his doctorate thesis titled " Pakistan:India or Pakhtoonistan?" has written:
"Peer Manki Sharif had formed his own organisation called Anjuman Asafia which promised the Muslim League its support on the condition that Shariah will be imposed in Pakistan. Jinnah agreed. Peer Manki Sharif immediately declared jihad for the establishment of Pakistan and instructed the members of his organisation to support the Muslim League in the elections of 1946."
Qaid-e-Azam's letter to Peer Manki Sharif in which he had accepted the Peer's demand is not a myth. Qaid-e-Azam had indeed written the letter which is mentioned in the debates of the Legislative Assembly of Pakistan (Vol. V). Complications, if any , were caused by the legal language used by Mr Jinnah. He wrote:
"Shariah will be applied to the affairs of the Muslim community". Application of Shariah to the affairs of the Muslims and imposing Sharia in Pakistan are two different things. In the affairs of the Muslims, the application of Islamic rules and principles cannot be denied. But imposing Shariah in Pakistan would mean declaring it a theocratic state. After Jinnah, Bhutto would also save his skin by the use of legal jargon. In the amendment to the 1973 Constitution relating to the Ahmadis, he wrote:
"The Ahmadis will be considered non-Muslims in the eyes of law and the constitution." It meant that (the Ahamdis) would be considered non-Muslims on purely legal basis not on the basis of religious edicts( fatwas). Unfortunately, the general impression among the common people, not the legal complexities, holds significance. Mr Jinnah could not point out the difference between a Muslim majority state and an Islamic state, and Mr Bhutto has been accused of violating his Parliamentary protocol by making a constitutional interference in a purely religious issue.
Now talking about the Ahmadis, here's a very meaningful excerpt from Sardar Shaukat Hayat:
"Qaid-e-Azam sent me a message saying 'Shaukat, I have come to know that you're going to Qadian which is only five miles from Qadian. Please go there and convey my request to the leader of the Ahmadi community , Mirza Bashirudding to extend his support and blessings for the establishment of Pakistan'." I reached Qadian at 12 noon and was told that Mirza sahab was taking rest. I informed him I had come with a message from Qaid-e-Azam. He came down at once and asked me what Qaid-e-Azam's instructions were. I replied that Qaid-e-Azam had sought his blessings and co-operation. He said that he himself was praying for the success of his mission and so far as the support of his followers was concerned, no Ahmadi would contest elections against the Muslim League and if any one defied this decision, he would not get the support of his community. As a result of the meeting, Mumtaz Daulatana of the Muslim League defeated an Ahmadi Nawab Mohammad Deen from Sialkot constituency by huge margin."
Now let's have a look at what Syed Abul Ala Maudoodi had to say in support of Paksitan as told by Sardar Shaukat Hayat:
"Reaching Pathankot, I met Maulana Maudoodi at Qaid-e-Azam's behest. He was staying at the garden adjacent to the village of Chaudhry Niaz. When I conveyed Qaid-e-Azam's message to him asking for his blessings and support, he replied he could never pray for Napak-istan ( unholy state) adding that Pakistan could not come into existence until the entire population in India did not become Muslim. That was the vision and point of view of the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami.(Translated by Sohail Arshad)
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12:48 AM
Sultan Shahin
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