Translating Quaid-e-Azam’s vision of modern progressive Pakistan need of hour: Wajid

 

BIRMINGHAM: Stressing on the need to translate the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah  into a reality, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan said had it done so at the onset of country’s establishment, the South Asian nation would have been a prosperous, progressive and modern democracy by now. Speaking at anniversary dinner of British Pakistan Youth Council at a local hotel here last night, the envoy said the country deviated from the path envisioned by its founding father and is paying a high price. “As such Pakistan today is more so a victim of the enemy within,” he remarked while delivering a talk on ‘War against Terror or War against Pakistan.’

 

He pointed out that power troika comprising praetorian, judicial and civil bureaucracy hijacked Quaid’s Pakistan which was established by the power of vote and made the country run by coteries of vested interests.

 

“Not only this power troika subverted nation’s march to our destined goal of a modern democratic model for the entire Muslim world as envisioned by the Quaid, but the worst crime was committed soon after his death. This troika gradually made inroads into corridors of power”.

 

It converted Quaid’s liberal, progressive and egalitarian ideology into quasi theocratic-praetorian concept that became convenient tools in the hands of dictators to subvert democracy whenever it pleased them.”

 

The High Commissioner told the audience that Quaid’s vision of Pakistan was very clear as all its citizens were to be equal to be Pakistanis first and last—irrespective of their caste, creed or colour.

 

“Pakistan was not to be a theocratic state. In his Pakistan religion was not to have anything to do with the business of the state. Religion was essentially to be a personal affair. He had pronounced it categorically that in his Pakistan poor would not become poorer and rich richer. Rather, everyone was to have equal opportunities. He had made himself very clear by declaring that “he would not have a Pakistan in which rich would exploit the poor.”

 

Furthermore, according to the High Commissioner, Jinnah had assured that his Pakistan will have a federal constitution that would guarantee more autonomy to the federating units than the autonomy enjoyed by the states in the United States of America.

 

Great visionary that he was, he had forewarned both the military and civil bureaucracy not to harbour any ambitions. They were to be servants of the people and subservient to the command of the elected government of the day.

 

Hasan noted that being a barrister and one who believed in the independence of judiciary, Jinnah’s views on the supremacy of the Parliament as a sovereign institution were uncompromising.

 

“He would not be a party to any institution be it judiciary, military or civil bureaucracy to over ride the sovereignty of the Parliament that represents the general will of the people.  He stood for the freedom of the press. He was, however, opposed tooth and nail, over the abuse of freedom of expression and warned that no one should be allowed to use it as a licence.”

 

Tracing the country’s history, the High Commissioner said Quaid’s death and assassination of his trusted lieutenant Liaquat Ali Khan following an attempted military coup against him set in motion the reverse devolution of power from elected representatives into the hands of those who held the gun. As such the normal process for democratisation was derailed, a progressive ideology was replaced by obscurantism, sectarian, ethnic and parochialism—all fostered by the unelected rulers who used these forces to divide and undermine the political power of the people.

 

“Sadly, Pakistan of today is not the one that Quaid-e-Azam would have wanted it to be”, he stated and added that his simple answer to country’s present predicament was because of the betrayal of Quaid’s ideology.

 

“However, over the years the situation has been worsened by other contributory factors including Pakistan’s geo-strategic position,” he asserted.

 

Wajid Shamsul Hasan said starting from scratch on August 14, 1947, with virtually no infrastructure and no financial resources, Pakistan today has risen to be a nuclear power and a lead country, not just among the Muslim nations but on the world stage.

 

He credited former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Shaheed with laying the foundation of making Pakistan a nuclear power and said Bhutto preferred to be judicially murdered rather than surrender Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

 

“Not only that, the most advance missile technology for making Pakistan’s defence impregnable and to carry the war heads to their specified targets was entirely due to the efforts of the twice elected Prime Minister martyred Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,” the High Commissioner stated.

 

He agreed with those who think that Pakistan has suffered from injustices and discrimination, starting from dishonest division of the Sub-Continent to the labelling of it as a country at the verge of collapse and hotbed of terrorism and violent extremism.

 

Hasan traced terrorism and extremism in Pakistan and said these seeds were sown in 1979 by the US and other allies when Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan.

 

“While United States has accepted its role in our miseries we should apportion some blame for ourselves also for allowing the situation to reach this stage. If the same nation that built the country from zero in 1947, why it could not control a bunch of radicals, who infested our society at its roots. Neither the successive regimes nor the people themselves, who are the biggest victim of the militants, made the required efforts to prevent the situation.”

 

He squarely held the post-1977 dictators responsible for the ongoing crisis and said both ex-presidents Zia-ul-Haq and  Pervez Musharraf in their quest for acquiring political legitimacy danced to the tunes played by their foreign masters and sold the country’s national interests and compromised its sovereignty.

 

Referring to the acts of Faisal Shehzad, a US citizen and the perpetrators of 7 July 2005 London bombings, who were born and bred in the UK, and were labelled as Pakistanis just because of their origin, the High Commissioner said both the US and UK failed to recognize that the problem of radicalisation existed on their own soils and not in Pakistan.

 

He expressed distress at the reported plans of far right English Defence League, to attack the Muslim immigrants in London, New Castle and Bradford and counselled Pakistani community against retaliations.

 

“Pakistani Diaspora should not fall in this dangerous trap.  They should act with a great responsibility and caution. Our community leaders should engage with the British Police constructively and make sure that they also should not be misled by mistaken identities.”

 

Hasan advised youth of Pakistani Diaspora to avail opportunities and concentrate on education, strive to get into diverse professions including political arena, media, Government departments, IT, Medicine, Engineering and Social Work.

 

“This will help not only strengthen our community’s bonds with the local people in this great country but also help boost our image,” he said.

 

Speaking of the steps taken by the present government, he said it was a democratic government under President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani backed to the hilt by Pakistan army under Army chief General Kiyani that has taken upon itself the challenge to defend Quaid’s Pakistan.

 

“Pakistan army’s valiant defence of the country to eliminate terrorism and support democracy will be recorded in letters of gold for all times. Pakistanis are resilient and determined and they shall not give up until the country is cleared of the scourge of extremism,” he asserted.

 

While thanking Kamran Ishtiaq and his colleagues, representing the British Pakistani youth, the High Commissioner expressed hope the members of British Pakistani Youth Council would be helpful in spreading the message of peace and tolerance in this country and present themselves as a role model to their brothers and sisters to play their rightful role in the British society.

 

Senators Syed Faisal Raza Abidi and Muhammad Idrees Khan and Kamran Ishtiaq also spoke on the occasion and discussed various aspects of the topic while stressing the need for unity to tackle the present challenges facing the country in a unified manner.

 

Click here to view the complete text of H.E. High Commissioner’s speech

 

 

APP - June 2, 2010

 

Last updated: June 3, 2010