Adil Najam
Today is 9/11. Much will be written and much discussed on the 5th anniversary of the cruel attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, on what has happened since, on all the ways in which the world changed, and on all the other ways in which it did not. Today is a sad day, and at ATP our hearts and prayers go out to the dear ones of the victims of this tragedy, and to the loved ones of all who have lost their lives in the events that were unleashed by it.
While 9.11.2001 will be much debated elsewhere, we here at ATP want to recall the events of 9.11.1948.
For Pakistanis, 9/11 has always been a sad date. A date on which – barely a year after the nation’s birth – its founding leader, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, died. Here is a short (50 sec) newsreel video clip on Mr. Jinnah’s death :
Like every year, APP has announced in advance how the “nation” will mark this occasion, and every newspaper (e.g., Dawn) has printed this “news” on its front page:
ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: The nation will observe Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s 58th death anniversary on Monday with a pledge to transform Pakistan into a vibrant, progressive and enlightened country as envisioned by the great leader.
I am glad that the APP has he psychic power to know exactly how this “nation” will observe the anniversary, even before the occasion. They have been making the same stale prediction every year for as long as I can remember. Maybe, we as a “nation” do actually make that “pledge” every year. Its just that we have not been very good at keeping the pledge.
Some might argue that the “nation” had already begun to let Mr. Jinnah down even in those brief 13 months that he lived in the country he had founded. Others like to believe that Pakistan’s history might have taken a very different path had he lived longer. It may well have. I am just not sure what that path might have been given that tensions between him and those who were running day-to-day Pakistan had begun to appear even while he was alive.
His death, and the circumstances of his death, was itself not without controversy (see, for dramatic effect, the opening scenes of the movie, Jinnah, here). But today, September 11, should not only be a sad reminder of his untimely death. It should also be a moment to reflect on his life. And, maybe, it should be a moment to reflect on what lessons that life might have to offer for the future.
From its very inception, ATP has had an ongoing discussion on the legacy of Mr. Jinnah and the various meanings it has for different people. Today seems to be an appropriate day to continue that discussion; to think, yet again, about the meaning of the life and death of Mr. Jinnah.
Related ATP Posts:
– Read about the Other Side of Mr. Jinnah
– Watch Jinnah: The Movie
– Read about Jinnah’s first message to the nation
– Watch historic footage from August 1947
– Read about the Jinnah-Gandhi relationship
– Listen to and watch Mehdi Hassan’s classic, “yeh watan tumhara hai”, which is in many ways Jinnah speaking to the rest of us.
My Sahib
Godot
August 14, 2001
An English translation of Saadat Hasan Manto’s ‘Mera Sahib’
“It happened in 1937. The Muslim League was in its juvenility. I, too, was a young man. I wanted to do something. Anything. Besides, I was healthy and strong, and wanted to engage in a rumble. I wanted to look for trouble and pick fights. I was at an age when one longs to do something. By something, I mean to say, if not a great adventure than something!
“After this brief intro I return to the time when Ghalib was young. Don’t know if he ever participated in any political movements or not, but Yours Truly was a very active member of the Muslim League. Ghazi Corps was comprised of youths like me, and I was a sincere member of it. I stress ‘sincere’ because in those days I had nothing else.
“It was in those times that Mohammad Ali Jinnah came to Delhi. The Muslims took out a huge and a wonderful procession in his honor. Obviously, Ghazi Corps participated in this procession with full vigor. Our leader was Anwar Qureshi sahib. He was a strong young man who has been given an honor of, and is now known as, ‘Poet of Pakistan’. Our Corps’ youths were singing an anthem written by him. I don’t know if we sang in tune with each other or not, the only thing I remember is nobody cared about singing in synch.
“This historical procession started from Delhi’s historical Jamia Masjid and, roaring, passed through Chandni Chowk, Lal Kewan, Hoz Qazi, and Chawri Bazar and ended at its destination, meaning at the Muslim League office. In this historical procession people yelled “Qaid-e-Azam,â€
Saima Nisar,
Unlike Gandhi, Jinnah was not given to dramas… because unlike Gandhi, Jinnah was supremely a man of principles and character… those who met him were profoundly affected by his honesty and integrity… However I produce below a comment from a person who claims Jinnah saved his life…
Jinnah http://www.dawn.com/2005/06/12/letted.htm#2
THERE has been quite an uproar over Mr L. K. Advani’s statements while in Pakistan about Mr M. A. Jinnah’s secular outlook. I wonder if what I had witnessed in Karachi during the riots in the first week of January 1948 would throw some light on the subject.
I forget the exact date â€
Dear sridhar,
Good to see you here.
I suppose your suggestion that great leaders don’t change because of circumstances is a needless attack on Jinnah… It seems to me that if Indians like you see something good about Jinnah you must interject with trying to prove how great Gandhi was…. Jinnah did not change his principles and character for one minute. Infact.. he became even more steadfast… as for his actions, the solution that he had suggested was remarkable… two federations in one confederation of India… this vision was shattered by Congress Party’s insistence on “Our way or the high way”…
As far as Gandhi’s concerned… for all that is said about that complex human being, I produce for your benefit Gandhi’s writings in South Africa… especially about native black people- writings which have been glossed over by those who’ve deliberately promoted this myth of “Saint Gandhi”:
From Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi
On What Gandhi wanted
The last week has been very busy. We have not had a moment’s leisure. We saw Mr. Theodore Morison of Aligarh and the well-known Mr. Stead of the Review of Reviews. Mr. Stead has boldly come out to give us all the help he can. He was therefore requested to write to the same Boer leaders that they should not consider Indians as being on the same level as Kaffirs
Indian Opinion, 15-12-1906, CWOMG Vol. 6, pg 183
private delete
October 4, 2005
On What Gandhi wanted (3)
CLASSIFICATION OF ASIATICS WITH NATIVES
The cell was situated in the Native quarters and we were housed in one that was labeled ‘For Coloured Debtors’. It was this experience for which we were perhaps all unprepared. We had fondly imagined that we would have suitable quarters apart from the Natives. As it was, perhaps, just as well that we were classed with Natives. We would now be able to study the life of Native prisoners, their customs and manners. …Degradation underlay the classing of Indians with natives. The Asiatic Act seemed to me to be the summit of our degradation. It did appear to me, as I think it would appear to any unprejudiced reader, that it would have been simple humanity if we were given special quarters. …the Governor of the gaol tried to make us as comfortable as he could…But he was powerless to accommodate us beyond the horrible din and the yells of the Native prisoners throughout the day and partly at night also. Many of the native prisoners are only one degree removed from the animal and often created rows and fought amongst themselves in their cells.
Indian Opinion 7-3-1908, CWOMG Vol. 8, pg 120
Apart from whether or not this implies degradation, I must say it is rather dangerous. Kaffirs are as a rule uncivilizedâ€
Here are some simple principles that may help in this discussion.
1. Judge the character of humans by their actions and the consistency of these actions, not by their words.
2. Great leaders do not change their values and core principles because of circumstances. Rather, they mould the circumstances in pursuit of principles they claim to hold dear.
3. Visionaries look at future consequences, including unintended (but yet predictable) consequences of their actions, before proceeding on a course of action.
On a different note, it is significant that September 11th signifies three different events. The launch of “Satyagraha” as a tool of non-violent struggle by Indians across religious communities in South Africa in 1906, led by Gandhi. The passing away of Jinnah in 1948. And the killing of thousands of innocents in New York in 2001. I wonder which of these events the day will be most remembered for several centuries down the line (if humankind has not destroyed the world by then).
Jinnah was a focussed, disciplined and honest and achieved what he wanted to….but was he a great leader and a visionary is something I would want to read more about. I have read beautiful quotes about him and numerous praises for being a determined man, but never an account where he touched someone’s heart and left an unforgetable impression….like Gandhi or Nelson Mendela…… I really would want to read an account where someone has a written a piece about him from the bottom of one’s heart…….I wonder if he really believed in a two nation theory or was it pure politics to change the balance of power in the sub-continent…..will someone help me in achieving some clarity on the topic