Quaid e Azam: A Man for All Seasons

Quaid e Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah spent the last few months of his life at the idyllic Residency in Ziarat, Balochistan. A stunning place where architecture and Mother Nature blend in harmony. So much beauty surrounded him as he lay dying. Such is the irony of life.

His discreet doctor, who kept the Quaid’s illness a secret through the tumultuous birth of Pakistan, had advised him to move to Ziarat for convalescence. A place where the mountain air was revitalising and pure, the delicate roses bloomed, the grass was emerald green and the majestic trees stood guard.

While visiting the tranquil Residency where Mr Jinnah had spent his last few months, I sat on the ledge of the bay window in his living quarters. The window had a spectacular view which snagged my attention. Perhaps Mr Jinnah had paused by this very window as he struggled to breathe and wondered like Percy Bysshe Shelley: “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

Now in the winter of its discontent, Mr Jinnah’s beloved Pakistan is still searching for that elusive spring and an identity in its seventieth decade. What was the Quaid thinking when he founded, in his own words, this moth eaten Pakistan? Was he the secularist in the three piece suit who embraced dogs, had western dishes and beverages with relish and gave that speech in support of minority rights? Or was he the religious man who planned the persecution of non-Muslims and desired a Shariah state?

It is a story of narratives. In Pakistan, people have appropriated Mr Jinnah to fit their particular socio political viewpoint. Perhaps it was a blessing that the Quaid died soon after the country came into being, carved out erratically from India by the starched Louis Mountbatten. The latter was so keen to get out of the country that he pushed forward the date of Partition by a year. Partition was wrenched forward and the massacres that ensued were a source of pain for Mr Jinnah, the upholder of the law, of equality, fraternity, human rights, justice and integrity. He frowned upon indiscipline in all its forms and spoke out against discrimination, parochialism and sectarianism.

As Pakistan reels from sectarianism, it would be apt to quote from Mr Jinnah’s address to the Quetta Municipality: “We are now all Pakistanis – not Baloch, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on, and as Pakistanis you must feel, behave and act and you should be known as Pakistanis and nothing else.”

The Quaid gave great importance to a section of society that held great potential who were instrumental in the Pakistan Movement.  He had great hopes from the youth and instructed them to strive towards a vision and a goal. While addressing students in Lahore, he said, ‘’Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students who have always been in the forefront in the hour of trial and need. You are the nation’s leaders of tomorrow and you must fully equip yourself by discipline, education and training for the arduous task lying ahead of you. You should realise the magnitude of your responsibility and be ready to bear it.’’

Today Pakistan stands at an important crossroads. According to the United Nations Development Programme’s Pakistan National Human Development Report, the country is undergoing a demographic transition. This phenomenon is going to impact Pakistan’s future where 64 percent of the nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29.  Currently, Pakistan has more young people than it has ever had, and it is forecast that this will continue to increase until 2050.

One can view the youth bulge as a ticking time bomb or as a demographic dividend. The youth have the power to transform Pakistan’s future since they are the engines of development. If they are disengaged, there will be social unrest. Unfortunately, today there is hardly any focus on this vital demographic group which can be the biggest asset for Pakistan.

In 1947, the Quaid addressed students thus: “My young friends, I look forward to you as the real makers of Pakistan, do not be exploited and do not be misled. Create amongst yourselves complete unity and solidarity. Set an example of what youth can do. Your main occupation should be in fairness to yourself, to your parents, in fairness to the State, to devote your attention to your studies. If you fritter away your energies now, you will always regret.”

In all the Quaid’s speeches to students, he placed great importance on the importance of hard work. At the All India Muslim Students Conference Jalandhur on 15^th November 1942, he said, “I insist you to strive. Work, work and only work for satisfaction with patience, humbleness and serve thy nation.”

In another address to students, he stressed again on the importance of education; “Without education it is complete darkness and with education it is light. Education is a matter of life and death to our nation. The world is moving so fast that if you do not educate yourselves you will be not only completely left behind, but will be finished up. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had enjoined his followers to go even to China in the pursuit of knowledge. If that was the commandment in those days when communications were difficult, then, truly, Muslims as the true followers of the glorious heritage of Islam, should surely utilize all available opportunities. No sacrifice of time or personal comfort should be regarded too great for the advancement of the cause of education.”

However, the UNDP Report 2020 indicates that 29 percent of the youth in Pakistan is illiterate while only six percent have more than 12 years of education. Four million youngsters enter the working age population and only 39 percent get employed every year.

The majority of youth today feel that their voices are not heard and they have little say in decision-making. This is one reason for Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf’s immense popularity amongst this age group. But making Imran’s Tigers out of them is an injustice to these youngsters when they are a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. Instead of paying endless vacuous tributes and treating the Quaid e Azam as a prop both by the opposition as well as the government, it is time that the people of Pakistan re-evaluate who the founder of Pakistan really was and learn from his vision, industriousness, integrity and clarity of mind. The adulation and accolades that are showered upon Quaid e Azam come to naught when the nation he founded is unable to follow in his illustrious footsteps.

At the Ziarat Residency, there is a note in the Quaid’s precise handwriting in black pen which quotes William Graham: “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”