| Urdu Section | |
| 05 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Objectives Resolution and Secularism-7 | ||
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
"To say that Pakistan was established with the purpose of promoting fundamentalism would tantamount to putting false allegation against Jinnah because the majority of the religious leaders did not favour the establishment of Pakistan. If they regarded the movement for Pakistan an Islamic movement, as they say today, why did they not support Pakistan then? The truth is that they were all (be it a religious leader or spiritual guide) opposing the movement tooth and nail. Today they would like to have us believe that the poem sung by children, 'Pakistan ka matlab kya, la ilaha illallah, is the slogan of Pakistan. The fact is that neither Qaid-e-Azam nor anyone of us ever owned up to the slogan."-- Wajahat Masood
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| Objectives Resolution and Secularism-7 | |
By Wajahat Masood
Sardar Shaukat Hayat has narrated and incident relating tothe inclusion of Shabbir Ahmad Usmani in the Muslim League. The readers may draw their own inferences based on their own understanding. The narrative runs thus:
"One night the renowned Deobandi scholar Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani had a vision of his teacher who told him that he (the teacher) saw the Holy prophet (PBUH) emerge from his house in Medina. All the ulema of India, of Deoband in particular, were waiting there with folded hands. The Prophet (PBUH) saw a lean and tall aged man in western attire waiting on the other side of the queue. The people said that he was Jinnah. The Holy Prophet turned his face away from the ulema and walking up straight to Jinnah, embraced him. In the dream, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani's teacher instructed him to go to Qaid-e-Azam at once and become his political disciple. Therefore, the maulana expressed his desire to meet Qaid-e-Azam. Qaid-e-Azam gave instructions to the office secretary of the Muslim League to take care of Maulana's comfort and needs during his stay in Delhi.
Sardar Shaukat Hayat writes about Shabbir Ahmad Usmani's connections with the Objectives Resolution after the formation of Pakistan.
"Under pressures from Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Liaqat Ali Khan gave him an opportunity to get a foothold by accepting his demands. Liaqat Ali Khan got the Objectives Resolution introduced which later proved to be a tool for the so called Islamisation of Pakistan which Qaid-e-Azam had very tactfully avoided because Pakistan was inhabited by many non-Muslims too."
In my opinion, Sardar Shaukat Hayat went wrong here. Qaid-e-Azam avoided Islamisation not because Pakistan was inhabited also by non-Muslims but because he was aware of the characteristic features of a modern state. He knew that the interference of Shariah in political affairs could not only harm the Hindus but inevitably affect the civic and democratic rights of the Pakistani Muslims as well.
Sardar Shaukat Hayat's opinion on making Pakistan an Islamic state is clear:
"To say that Pakistan was established with the purpose of promoting fundamentalism would tantamount to putting false allegation against Jinnah because the majority of the religious leaders did not favour the establishment of Pakistan. If they regarded the movement for Pakistan an Islamic movement, as they say today, why did they not support Pakistan then? The truth is that they were all ( be it a religious leader or spiritual guide) opposing the movement tooth and nail. Today they would like to have us believe that the poem sung by children, 'Pakistan ka matlab kya, la ilaha illallah, is the slogan of Pakistan. The fact is that neither Qaid-e-Azam nor anyone of us ever owned up to the slogan."
Let's go through the veiw of Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman, the central leader of the Muslim League and close associate of Qaid-e-Azam about the Islamic system and the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan. In a television interview in the last stage of his life, he said, “The basic purpose of the movement for Pakistan was to get rid of the economic dominance of and exploitations by the Hindus, it did not have anything to do with Islam, except the emotional preoccupations."
During the last days of his stay in India, Md Ali Jinnah attended a personal meeting at the residence of Lieutenant Col. (later Maj. Gen.) Shahid Hamid, the ADC to the Chief of Indian Army Awkin Lake on August 3, 1947. In his book titled 'Dunya Badal Gayi' (The world has changed) he writes that while replying to a question on that occasion, Qaid-e-Azam said, "The elected government of Pakistan will be a civil government and whoever thinks contrary to the democratic principles should not opt for Pakistan".
The former chief justice of Pakistan, Md Munir has also expressed his views about the relation or the lack of it between Qaid-e-Azam's political thinking and the Objectives Resolution. On page 26 of his book,"Jinnah se Zia tak (From Jinnah to Zia) he writes:
"If the Objectives Resolution had been presented during the life of Qaid-e-Azam, there would have been no ambiguity about it. But Liaqat Ali Khan knew only too well that Qaid-e-Azam would not agree on any resolution of this nature because it was in direct confrontation with his oft-repeated public statements. The resolution does not conform to Qaid-e-Azam's perception of a modern democratic and secular state."
Prominent journalist Ahmad Bashir in his book 'Khoon-e-jigar hone tak has referred to a statement made by Mian Mumtaz Daulatana: "Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan hatched the plan in Marri that to divert the attention of the people from the basic problems the Objectives Resolution should be made the preface to the Constitution."
In his memoirs, the first President of Pakistan, Sikander Mirza has written about the making of the Objectives Resolution: "I asked the Prime Minister(Liaqat Ali Khan) why he had brougt this resolution, he replied that he did it only to strengthen his position because some people considered him an outsider".
From among the Indian Muslims, the opposition of the Objectives Resolution by Maulana Hasrat Mohani is a part of history. Ahmad Bashir writes that when he asked Hasrat Mohani in 1951 why he was opposing the Objectives Resolution as it testified to the authority of Allah, Maulana Mohani replied," The Objectives Resolution or La hakam ill-Allah ( no authority but Allah) was the slogan of the Khawarijs. Do you know what Hadhrat Ali had said to them? He had said," Well, it is a great ideal but it is being used to strengthen the evil. Liaqat Khan wants to rule with the help of the feudal lords and maulvis but I am afraid he will not be able to."
The religious scholars of Pakistan were demanding the imposition of such a shariah which could neither be imposed in Baghdad nor in the Fatimid or Spanish caliphate. Ottoman empire lasted for seven hundred years. The religious peshwas did not ask for the imposition of the Shariah nor were they allowed to. In India, Muslim dynasties ruled for eight and half centuries but no religious leader could ever muster courage to demand the imposition of sahriah laws. (Translated by Sohail Arshad)
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8:53 PM
Sultan Shahin
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