With the partition of the Indian subcontinent, the Dominion of Pakistan came into existence on Aug. 14, 1947. The valiant and astute Muhammad Ali Jinnah led the minority Muslim community of United India to the fulfillment of its dream for a separate homeland. The basis for the very demand of independence was the upholding of the freedom of religion, profession and speech.
Jinnah was an outstanding lawyer who had studied law in London. He had a modern outlook on the world and was strongly secular. "No subject ... in Pakistan shall, on grounds only of religion, place of birth, descent, color or any of them be ineligible for office," read part of the oath under which he took office. He was absolutely clear that the new state he was founding would accommodate people of all faiths and descents without any prejudice. To assert this point, he appointed a non-Muslim as his first law minister. The Muslims in his cabinet consisted of Sunni, Shia and Ahmadis alike. He believed that Islam endorsed a secular democracy and the two were perfectly compatible.
"The great majority of us are Muslims. Consequently, we have a special and a very deep sense of unity. But make no mistake: Pakistan is not a theocracy or anything like it," he said in an address in 1948.
He believed in a Pakistan wherein the Mosque would be separate from the State. "You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State," he said.
In the struggle for Pakistan, Jinnah was not faced with the Indian Congress and the British alone. He also had to endure intense animosity from hard-line Muslim clerics and counter their vile propaganda. He was accused by the ultra right wing of blasphemy, and they considered him a "great heretic" for his secular ideology. Prominent clerics like Maulana Maududi urged common Muslims not to side with Jinnah. Maududi wrote, "It is forbidden to vote for [Jinnah's] Muslim League." Despite this, the resolute Jinnah was successful in garnering support from the masses in most Muslim-majority areas.
Today, as the nation celebrates its 64th birthday, it finds it hard to uphold the very ideals it was founded on. As it passes through dangerously volatile times, it has forsaken its founding principles of freedom and secularism. But how and why did Pakistan turn against itself?
Even though he tried his best to steer it toward a secular democracy, Jinnah did not live long enough to see it become one. Over the coming years, Pakistan took a very troubling turn. In a matter of nine years, it became an "Islamic Republic," and in a little over two decades, it had essentially became a theocracy.
The same extremist clerics who had opposed Jinnah and his struggle for Pakistan gradually claimed ownership of the State. They formed into political groups that used religion to amass public support. Their demonstrations of street power, frequently violent, meant that sectarian hatred and intolerance was the order of the day. Even governments avoided a clash with the radical right and became increasingly weary of arousing any negative religious sentiment and consequently losing popular vote. This only furthered the extremist cause, and in time, the original path Pakistan started on was completely forsaken. Pakistan, it was now said, was formed for the Muslims and was meant to become an Islamic theocracy where the Shariah, as interpreted by the hard-liners, would be the ultimate law.
One tragedy after another, Jinnah's Pakistan was dealt with massive blows. His Pakistan was no more his. It had been hijacked by forces of extremism and intolerance.
No non-Muslim could hold the highest offices in any of the core institutions anymore. In 1953, there were widespread riots against the Ahmadi Muslims, a sect that extremists considered heretics. The harassment of Shia Muslims and other minority groups also increased and went largely unchecked. In 1974, the government yielded to intense pressure and declared the Ahmadiyya sect non-Muslim. Tout de suite, the State had taken authority to decide its people's religion, and the two were no longer separate.
General Zia ul Haq took over the country and became its third military president in 1977. To legitimize his dictatorship, he sought to please the right wing and set to "Islamize" Pakistan. Amongst other things, he introduced the controversial blasphemy laws that stated death as the punishment for any derogatory remark against the Quran, Prophet Muhammad and other Islamic holy personages. For Ahmadis, he also promulgated an ordinance in 1984 that criminalized the practice of their faith. Zia's rule was the toughest for citizens who did not adhere to what had now become the State-backed perversion of Islam. Jinnah's secular Pakistan had drifted into the hands of his enemies.
Jinnah had warned of this in his Aug. 11, 1947 address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. He said, "As you know, history shows that in England, conditions, some time ago, were much worse than those prevailing in India today. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants persecuted each other. Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God, we are not starting in those days." He continued, "Today, you might say with justice that Roman Catholics and Protestants do not exist; what exists now is that every man is a citizen, an equal citizen of Great Britain and they are all members of the Nation."
In the same address, he said, "My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality, and I am sure that with your support and cooperation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the world."
Jinnah knew that a secular form of government could bridge differences and bring together people of all faiths and backgrounds to build a strong Pakistan. Just as the Catholics had learned to live with the Protestants, he was optimistic that the Pakistan he was founding would be a successful nation, a beacon of tolerance and an example of "unity in diversity." However, the men who opposed Jinnah's ideals before partition stood in his way yet again.
Founded on freedom of religion and practice, Pakistan is one of the biggest violator of religious freedom today. For Pakistan to succeed, it will have to reverse the dangerous turn it took and get back on the path that Jinnah laid before it. The blasphemy laws must be amended, everyone must be equal citizen of the state, the anti-Ahmadi laws must be revisited and State must remain separate from the Mosque at every cost. Pakistan must educate itself and look for the unity that Jinnah so cherished in the diversity across the land. In February 1948, Jinnah said in an address, "You have to stand guard over the development and maintenance of democracy, social justice and the equality of manhood in your own native soil. With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve."
Unfortunately, recent events have shown that Pakistan is still far away from taking that vital turn. The government has shown little resolve to go after the perpetrators of religious hate and violence and definitely no will to even trigger a dialogue on the controversial laws of the land. With Pakistan headed toward a steep decline, the solution lies in bold courage and reform -- and quick. Jinnah's Pakistanis will have to wake up sooner than later and reclaim the land from his opponents. Pakistanis must cause a rebirth of Pakistan -- Jinnah's Pakistan.
Follow Kashif N. Chaudhry on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KashifMD
Michael Kugelman: Pakistan's Biggest Threats May Not Be What You Think They Are
Kashif N. Chaudhry: An Ahmadi Muslim's Plea: Be My Voice
Jayshree Bajoria: Stabilizing Karachi
The author rightly mentions how the so called clerics hijacked Pakistan for their ill-conceived objectives. The same clerics who branded Pakistan as 'Kafirstan' (the land of infidels) because of its highly secular objectives.
The person who did the most harm to Pakistan was funded by the United States because of the ongoing Afghan war. No questions were asked as winning the Afghan war was crucial. What the world did not know was that this man was breeding intolerance in the society. His draconian laws are still in place in Pakistan with Ahmadi Muslims being jailed for uttering the words 'Peace be upon you' (in arabic). Public lashing was a common occurrence and a forced Islamization was going on.
This war brought Guns and Drugs to Pakistan with the thousands of war refugees from Afghanistan. The war ended but the draconian laws against Ahmadis stayed which became the clerics sword. Thousands of people have been tried and convicted using these laws.
Having said that, touché to the author for highlighting a critical issue.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/235158/a-matter-of-interpretation-2/
In 1971, the Pakistani army murdered some 3 million Hindus in what is now Bangladesh, at the explicit orders of the Pakistani high command. Many thousands of women were abducted and gang-raped.
Pakistani Colonel Nadir Ali: "..An order was given to kill the Hindus. I received the same order many times and was reminded of it . The West Pakistani soldiery considered that Kosher. The Hamood Ur Rehman Commission Report mentions this order. Of the ninety-three lakh (9.3 million) refugees in India, ninety lakh were Hindus."
http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/confessions-of-an-army-officer-about-1971
Nadir Ali's son: "My father personally heard the Pakistani army commander in chief General Hamid inspecting troops and asking them "Jawan, kitna Hindu mara?", (Young man, how many Hindus did you kill?)"
http://accidentalblogger.typepad.com/accidental_blogger/2010/12/colonel-nadir-ali-bangladesh-1971-omar.html
R.J.Rummel, the scholar of genocide, classifies Pakistan as a "megamurderer state", just below the deka-mega-murderer states of Nazi Germany, USSR and Communist China.
http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
When even Pakistanis describing and deploring religious fanaticism in Pakistan cannot be bothered to acknowledge the horror of what has been inflicted on Hindus in Pakistan, you know the problem is very, very deep.
Your answer is a perfect illustration of a problem with trolling Indians and why there is no solution to your repulsion.
Since you 'so kindly' referred from online forums (oh and by the way your last link does not work) let me quote from a similar source.....(The author is a Bangladeshi journalist)
''Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formed a commission to make a survey of the killings and come up with the real number. The commission, after an exhaustive work, came up in 1973 with a death toll number, which was a 5-digit number. ''
http://www.pakistantalk.com/forums/bangladesh/9041-bangladesh-gets-no-sympathy-1971-a.html#post42257
2, If you believe his son Omar Ali, who works as a doctor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a figment of my imagination, you can call him and tell him he does not exist - you can get his office phone number using Google. Ask him whether he wrote the article I linked to.
3. The link to Rummel's website works fine. If you have a problem with it, Google
"Rummel democide" and click on the second link that Google lists.
4. The article you linked to was posted by you (!) in another forum... Even there, there is no link to any report of this alleged commission that found the death toll was a "5-digit number". Give me a link to this report by Mujibur Rahman and I will take you more seriously. My guess is you will tell me that the report was so explosive that it was quickly buried by the bad Bangladeshis and Indians so they could continue to tarnish the fair name of Pakistan.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bashir-ahmad-gwakh/-the-deep-roots-of-pakist_b_807788.html
The author writes: "Nor was Ilam Din exactly the ‘matchless warrior’ that Iqbal declared him to be — while simultaneously refusing to lead his funeral prayers."
This seems a statement written to protect the great Iqbal, when Iqbal had said "I am a sinful person not competent to do this job to lead the funeral of such a great warrior." (from link below). Respectfully, this impulse to protect, rather than state what was said raises suspicions in me about the rest of the article. This tells me that I need to dig deeper yet to understand the complex dynamics in play here.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilm-ud-din
"Muslims from the whole city and millions from adjoining areas attended his funeral. Ilmuddin's father requested Allama Muhammad Iqbal to lead the funeral prayer. Dr. Allama Iqbal replied, "I am a sinful person not competent to do this job to lead the funeral of such a great warrior."[citation needed] The Janazah Prayer was then led by the Imam of the Mosque Wazeer Khan, Imam Muhammed Shams-ud-deen. It was among the largest funeral processions seen by Lahore.[citation needed] He was buried at the Grave yard of Miani Sahib Bahawalpur Road Lahore, Pakistan. A mosque is also built in Mianwali Jail, Mianwali Pakistan called Ghazi Ilmuddin Shaheed Mosque to offer him tribute.[citation needed]"
Jinnah wanted a piece of India for exclusive use by Muslims and at the same time he did not want the country to be Islamic.. how is that possible? It was bound to end in this tragedy.
He thought by rallying Muslims around "separate land for muslims" would get them land in which non-muslims would be at respected.
Either it was intellectual arrogance or short sightedness. He probably thought the muslim hardliners would be sidelined by secular people like him. Sadly he did not live long enough to counteract and the idea of Pakistan decayed from then on.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectives_Resolution
The Objectives Resolution was a resolution adopted on 12 March 1949 by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.
The Objectives Resolution proclaimed the following principles:
Sovereignty belongs to Allah alone but He has delegated it to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him as a sacred trust.
The State shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen representatives of the people.
The principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice, as enunciated by Islam, shall be fully observed.
Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings of Islam as set out in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures.
*** The last of the principles above deteriorated sharply since then. The old pattern of theological supremacism has come out in full force since then. It should be realized that any ideology which sees itself as 'the one truth' is bound to cause problems to outsiders, and also to insiders as true believers splinter off into further "the only truth" groups.
Second, you support the state-backed discrimination of Ahmadi Muslims by alleging that they "declare" other Muslims, non-Muslims. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's official website is www.alislam.org. Nowhere do I see non-Ahmadi Muslims referred to as "non-Muslims". In fact, they are, without exception, referred to as fellow Muslims. It is people like you who Jinnah's Pakistanis are up against. You are a generation that has been brought up in an environment of hate for the Ahmadis.
I am sure you are aware of the notorious Ordinnace XX under which an Ahmadi Muslim is jailed for 3 years for saying "peace be on you" (Salam), "God willing" (InshAllah), "In the name of Allah" (Bismillah), "There is no God but Allah" & "Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger" (Kalima) etc. There is equal punishment for Ahmadis calling themselves Muslims, their place of worship a "Mosque" or making the call to prayer (Adhan) etc.
I see you close your eye to all this suffering and instead chose to justify it by stating a calumny. You are not a person, you are a phenomenon - one that Jinnah's Pakistanis need to overcome to reclaim his dream. Check this for more on the deplorable Ordinance XX - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinance_XX
It seemed very odd to me that a country could so thoroughly forget its roots in such a short period of time. Thank you for this article.
Thank you again for taking the time to comment.
The US was founded with the intention of it being led by a secular government, but one can find folks running for the GOP nomination for president who respond to that with "That is an absolute lie! Who has told you this?!"
I just thought I'd point that out. The similarity may shed light on both nations.
Thank you again for taking the time to leave your thoughts. I also hope the last remaining hope outshines the blinding darkness.