Smokers’ Corner: Refiguring Jinnah
Illustration by Abro
Today many Pakistanis are aware of Jinnah’s August 11, 1947, speech in which he clearly explains Pakistan to be a democratic Muslim majority country where religion has nothing to do with the business of the state.
Well-known historians have all maintained that to Jinnah the Muslims of undivided India were a separate cultural entity requiring their own homeland.
Jinnah’s desire to see this through was born from his awkwardness with the idea of a post-colonial India subjugated by the ‘Hindu-dominated’ Indian National Congress: even though the Congress was almost entirely secular.
However, there is absolutely no evidence that Jinnah’s push to carve out a separate Muslim country was made in order to construct an Islamic state.
For years Pakistanis have debated about how Jinnah went about claiming Pakistan. Was he able to think it through, or did he fail to perceive the vulnerability of his claim?
Many also believe that his claim in this respect was too open-ended. That’s why it was easily exploited by some who eventually turned it into a monolithic entity and a militaristic bastion of Islam.
It is ironic that the first Pakistani head of state to sincerely try to realise Jinnah’s concept of Pakistan was a military dictator. Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s regime (1959-69) still remains perhaps the most secular in the country’s history.
Apart from, of course, sidelining the democratic aspects of Jinnah’s concept, Ayub otherwise went about defining (through legislation) his understanding of Jinnah’s Pakistan.
To him it was about a secular Muslim majority state sustained by the genius of entrepreneurial action, a strong military, and the spirit of modernistic and progressive Islam of the likes of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Iqbal and Jinnah.
However, in a naturally pluralistic society like Pakistan with multiple ethnicities, religions and Islamic sects, if one takes out democracy from the above equation, one would get (as Ayub did) ethnic strife, religious reactionary-ism and class conflict.
The class-based and multi-ethnic commotion in this respect opened windows of opportunity for well-organised leftist groups who were not only successful in forcing Ayub out (1969), but they also eschewed the religious opposition to the Field Marshal’s government.
Left parties like the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), National Awami Party (NAP), and student groups like the National Students Federation (NSF), in the former West Pakistan, achieved this by attacking Ayub’s ‘pro-rich policies’ (state-facilitated capitalism), and, on the other hand, neutralised the Islamic fundamentalists by adding a new twist to Jinnah’s image.
For example, the PPP advocated Jinnah to be a progressive democrat whose thinking was close to the ideas of ‘Islamic socialism’ first purported (in the region) by such leaders of the Pakistan Movement, as Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, and Iqbal.
After the breakaway of East Pakistan in 1971, and the coming to power of the PPP (led by Z A. Bhutto), the authoritarian centre-right secularism of the Ayub era (and concept of Jinnah), moved towards the populist left.
But the Bhutto regime was highly mutable. Though it remained populist, it regularly shifted from left to right on an issue to issue basis.
A study of Jinnah’s quotes used on state-owned media of the period suggests a regime trying to push Jinnah as a democrat who was not secular in the western sense, but a progressive Muslim whose faith was pluralistic in essence and ‘awami’ (populist).
Such quotes, that became a mainstay just before the main 9pm news bulletin on the state-owned PTV, suddenly changed track when Bhutto was toppled in a reactionary military coup by General Ziaul Haq (July 1977).
From 1977 onwards, no more was Jinnah being bounced between Ayubian secularists and Bhutto’s Islamic Socialists. He now became the property of the ‘Islam-pasand’ (pro-Islamic state) lot.
PTV and Radio Pakistan were ordered to only use those quotes from Jinnah’s speeches that contained the word ‘Islam’.
A concentrated effort was made to remould him into a leader who conceived Pakistan as an Islamic state with a strong military.
In 1978, the order of Jinnah’s celebrated motto, ‘Unity, Faith, Discipline,’ was reshuffled to put the word ‘faith’ first instead of the middle.
Then Zia’s information ministry suddenly unearthed a diary kept by Jinnah in which he had supposedly expressed his desire to see Pakistan as a country run on Islamic laws (instead of democracy), and emphasised the political and ideological role of the military. The diary turned out to be a desperate forgery.
Also, Jinnah’s August 11 speech was expunged from the school textbooks, as if it never existed.
By the end of Zia’s dictatorship (1988), Jinnah had been turned into a pious, 20th century caliph of sorts who presided over the creation of a ‘citadel of Islam’.
However, a decade later during the self-contradictory military dictatorship of General Parvez Musharraf: who was advertising himself as an updated version of Ayub Khan: Jinnah was made to slightly shed the facial hair that Zia had hung on him. Jinnah now became an enlightened moderate.
But Jinnah’s emergence of (now) becoming a moderate Muslim, at once clashed with his more pious, quasi-Islamist image that was cultivated for more than a decade by the Zia regime. This reignited the debate about exactly who or what Jinnah really was.
Today, with Pakistan facing the deadly spectre of Islamist terrorism, growing societal conservatism, a free (and somewhat anarchic) media, an activistic judiciary and the steady resurgence of the secular Muslim intellectual: all trying to figure (or refigure) Jinnah, something unprecedented happened.
Not since the Ayub dictatorship and during the early years of Bhutto’s government has a mainstream political party openly described Jinnah as a progressive, secular Muslim. But recently the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) did just that.
Well, this means at least in Karachi, the Jinnah who wanted a progressive, secular and democratic Muslim majority country is back. And this time he’s not confronting grumpy Islamic parties, but a monster that not only considers him a heretic, but a majority of Pakistani Muslims too.
I find it very hard that noone in Pakistan has the guts to question the policies of Jinnah…Even the fearless NFP
In India,there are many Indians who question the policies of Gandhi,who is considered a saint everywhere in the world because in a free country you have the rights to express dissent…
All Pakistani moderates are trying to find solace in the August 11 speech to prove that Jinnah was a secularist,when his DIRECT DAY ACTION proves totally contrary..
C’mon Pakistanis,stop defending Jinnah and two nation theory…
Umm, all “intellectuals” who keep on portraying Quaid-e-Azam as a secularist should see the speech of October 1947 in which he called Pakistan a Bulwark of Islam. Of course, our “intellectuals” conveniently forget to mention that, though always mention the forged diary.
Then why Quaid-e-Azam was labelled as Kafir-e-Azam by the than clergy and still a considerable section of our clergy say that Quaid-e-Azam was an infidel
Unless Pakistanis/Muslims reshape their thinking about their religion and role of religion in public life the state of affairs in Pakistan is hardly likely to improve.
Muslim societies in their seek of a better life are going to go through a series of schools of hard knocks before they modernize! TOO MUCH of religion and TOO LITTLE of rationality.
I feel Muslims are happy enough to live with fellow Hindus in India than Hindus living with fellow Muslims in Pakistan.The reason is Muslim population in India is rising and many Muslims occupy top positions in Secular and not Hindu Indian democracy,unfortunately that is not true with Hindus living in Pakistan.Hence I would say the fellow Hindus in Pakistan who are treated unequally as second or nth grade citizens to come to India and lead a successful,peaceful and prosperous life.
It was not Islamic(Taliban) Pakistan,but a Pakistan where Muslims can have equal opportunity as Hindus,this was the vision of Jinnah’s Pakistan.
Well,it does not seem to be the vision of majority of Pakistanis,the Taliban or the mullahs?
It does not sound logical to create a secular country Pakistan out of secular India. It defeats the very objective for which this country was created. Pakistan was created to provide a homeland to the Muslims. Of course it never meant that non-Muslims could not live in the country. It is correct that Quaid-i-Azam said that people would be free to practice their religion which is in accordance with the teachings of Islam too. He, however, never said that Pakistan would be a secular country. He never objected to the slogan ‘Pakistan ka matlab kia’ which was very popular at that time and chanted in his presence also. If you just read the preamble of the constitution, it becomes clear that the constitution of Pakistan is Quran and Sunnah. Somehow, it now reflects the will of the people and the attempts by a handful of secular-minded self-styled intellectuals will only stir up more troubles. Let us deal with more constructive issues.
I am really amazed by the illiterate literates who are still living in utopia which Islam you are talking about and please also let us know that which interpretation of Quran and Sunnah is acceptable to all in Pakistan
Jinnah was personally secular, indeed. But that doesn’t mean that he did not lead the cause of a fundamentalist Islamic state. He was a lawyer by training, and took up the case of an Islamic state. Being a professional lawyer, his personal ideology/ philosophy did not influence the cause he took up. He was ‘hired’, or to put it in politically correct terms (at least in Pakistan), ‘persuaded’ by the likes of Iqbal (who himself was a genius, but suffered from identity crisis – read Aik falsafa-zada syed zadey ke naam in Zarb-e-kaleem: Main asal ka khas Somanti; Shikwah etc. etc.) to lead the cause for a fundamentalist Islamic state. He took it up, and being a genius and an obsessive-compulsive professional, delivered. So stop apologizing on his behalf, and accept that creation of Pakistan was a setback to secularism for Indian Muslims. Accepting the fact also doesn’t mean that Pakistanis have to backtrack, and somehow re-unite with Hindustan. It was a choice that Indian Muslims made. They took a different path, and whether they like it or not, they’re now set on this path.
There are fundamental differences between Islamic and Hindu cultures. Even though it can be argued that the present day Hindustan comprises of a much larger variety of distinct cultures, and one more sub-culture wouldn’t have done it any harm, being a philosophically inferior culture, Indian Islam would have, in time, merged back into larger, secular culture of India. That didn’t happen, and now the path that Pakistani society has taken is different from that of the Hindustanis. Their society has to go through the turmoil that it is going through right now, and come to equilibrium in its own time. Wishing that since Jinnah was secular, Pakistan should also become secular is not going to help.
Just personal opinion.
-Ahmad
A refreshingly bold perspective. Sounds sensible too.
My two cents- Muslims are safer in secular societies than in Islamic ones.
That would mean secularism should be constant quest of Muslim societies.
Kemal Ataturk left behind an armed force-the Turkish Army= to achieve that?
And,Pakistan should likewise do something to move towards Turkish way of doing things?
11 September 2012
2130 hrs.
Declaration of War
We, the citizens of the Free and Independent Republic of America do hereby announce on this 11th day of September, 2012, on the 21st and one-half hour, a pronouncement and acknowledgement of a Declaration of War against Islam.
We, the citizens of the Free and Independent Republic of America shall defend our nation, our constitutional government, our Judeo-Christian foundation, our citizens, our borders and all assets herein. This Proclamation includes the defense of our allied nations and their citizens, as well.
Any and all entities, cumulative or acting individually against the aforementioned, will be deemed enemy combatants of the Free and Independent Republic of America, considered aiding and abedding the enemy and will be addressed and engaged accordingly.
Signed,
The Citizen’s of the Free and Independent Republic of America
“We should be critical, but criticism should not mean mutual destruction.”
Bronislaw Komorowski, Polish president
“”"”"Jinnah wanted Pakistan to be like UK(United Kingdom) which he envisioned as idol and wanted Pakistan to be in the future”"”"”. Jinnah did not envision that there would be people in Pakistan who would smoke in corners and then blow smoke all over Pakistan. Jinnah also did not envision that a wadera family of Sind will turn through magical and tactical methods break Jinnah’s Pakistan into HALF. Jinnah also did not envision that DAWN, that was founded so proudly by him, would preach idolism of NFP and mixed oranges and apples with pineapples so as to make it all pure and with full secular fervor. Jinnah also did not envision that the religious scholars would make safe heavens with arab of rupees and these turn this country into ruthless denominations. Jinnah also did not envision that there would be army generals in Pakistan Army, like Yahya Khan, Ayub Khan, Asghar Khan, Ziaul Haque, Pervaz Musharaf, who will take the oath but remain under dictation until full rendition of foreign agendas. Jinnah also did not envision that the nation he build and fought for so hard would have leaders who would live in LONDON and dictate their mandates, for the poor masses to execute.
Jinnah also did not envision that the ample resources of the country would be so confiscated in the hands of Memons, and the like, who will take over the Pakistan STOCK EXCHANGES.
Jinnah did not envision that the people would loot, rob, kill, ask for ransom for kidnappings, in the name of leaders where ever they dictate from for all the TEHRIKS, SIPAHS, Brailvis, wahabis, deobandis, quadianis, PPP will create and produce peoples of the caliber of Jehangir Badar, Kaira and company.
Finally, Jinnah did no envision that the MEDIA in PAKISTAN will produce anchors, who will be caught on video tape and record, setting up stages, taking money from any sources, to further the special interest, in the name of MINORITIES, creating controversies, misleading as much as they can, in the name of pursuit of their kind of TRUTH.
It can go on but Jinnah did envision that the PAKISTAN HE CREATED would be a HEAVEN FOR THE MUSLIMS to LIVE IN PEACE with any type of aqliats in Pakistan. Islam also guarantees, peace to all but why then the secularists like NFP have so much to right about anybody’s vision when his own vision is so obscured in the SMOKERS’ COLUMN ____ DARK SMOKE.
“Jinnah did envision that the PAKISTAN HE CREATED would be a HEAVEN FOR THE MUSLIMS to LIVE IN PEACE with any type of aqliats in Pakistan”: Agreed bro, you got it right, a heaven for Muslims, not a Muslim State. If it were to be, most of Ulema-i-Hind including JI of Modudi would have backed Jinnah for Pakistan, which they did not.