LAHORE: Broadcasting from Radio Pakistan … this evening [Dec 25] on the birthday of the Quaid-i-Azam, the West Punjab Governor, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar paid glowing tributes to the Father of the Nation and exhorted his audience to emulate the noble example of their illustrious leader … “who has no parallel in contemporary history”. “The creation of Pakistan,” Sardar Nishtar added, “was a miracle of the 20th century. Only 12 years back Muslims in this sub-Continent were a disorganised, dissipated and demoralised minority.”

“Nobody at that time could with any stretch of imagination say that within so short a time these very Muslims would be able to recapture their lost glory and become master of their own land. Neither the British Government nor the Hindu majority paid any regard to them. … A good majority of them had become so listless ... that they had lost all conception of a decent life. They had developed a selfish mentality and begun to make their offerings at the altar of the Government of the Day. Many of them were ... thinking of merging their national entity with Hindu nationalism.[”] — News agencies

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2024