Adil Najam
Today is August 11.
Sixty-two years ago, on this day, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan, made one of the most important speeches of his – and of Pakistan’s – life. A speech in which he laid out – in the most unambiguous terms – his vision for Pakistan and the rationale for that vision.
In this speech Mr. Jinnah laid out a detailed case for his argument and famously proclaimed:
…in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the [Pakistan].
Read full text and a detailed analysis of the speech here.
Today is August 11.
Barely ten days ago in Gojra, in Mr. Jinnah’s Pakistan, over 50 houses belonging to Pakistani Christians were burnt down by a mob and at least half a dozen Pakistani Christians were murdered for still unproven charges under a draconian law neither whose intent nor whose vigilante implementation Mr. Jinnah could ever have tolerated.
Today is August 11.
Our government has declared today to be ‘Minorities Day,’ but neither our government nor we as a people are willing to repeal the draconian laws that enable the bigots amongst us to persecute the vulnerable and the marginalized amongst us.
Today is August 11.
Today, once again, we will shower platitudes on Mr. Jinnah’s vision of a tolerant Pakistan and then conveniently ignore that vision. A Pakistan for all Pakistanis, irrespective of, as he would say, “caste and creed.” A Pakistan where neither Mr. Jinnah’s vision nor our Pakistaniat would be high-jacked by the sanctimonious custodians of righteousness, the self-styled gate-keepers of morality, and the arrogant arbiters of patriotism.
We are sorry, Mr. Jinnah.
We are sorry that we have not been able to actualize the Pakistan of your vision. At least, not yet. Cursed by the very intolerance that you had warned us of, we have not only failed to bridge the divisions that existed already, we have worked hard to create new divisions. We have not only failed the minorities that were, we have created new ones by legislating exclusion.
We are sorry, Mr. Jinnah.
We are sorry for being so drunk in intolerance that we made ourselves the arbiters of who was Muslim enough to be Muslim, or Pakistani enough to be Pakistani.
We are sorry, Mr. Jinnah.
We are sorry not only for the Gojra that happened ten days ago. We are sorry for the Gojra that happens every day in the Pakistan you created.
As a little boy I used to frequently engage my nana`ji with questions of different kind, one of the questions I did ask him quite a few time was exemplum gratia ;
” Nana` ji how come Pakistan is still existing”
(please do remember that I heard much about the disintegrating upriots and the former East-Pakistan/Banglades problematic etc etc , although much is before my time, due to my father engaged in Punjab University and later in politics)
my Nana`ji often responded :
“Beta there are still good people in Pakistan, they talk right , do good deeds, they testify ad behave dot by dot in accordance with how they speak, they are only doing this because they themselves are obliged to do that because this is what Rabb-ul-Alameen wants from them and this is for what Pakistan was created”
-now many years after I still believe in those good people, because of whom I am still proud of my maternal origin as a Pakistani.
-and retrospective I owe much to all those who did give up lives, wealth and ressources of every kind in order to me me able to say ,
“yes we will continue the task for making a better Pakistan, a Pakistan for all of us regardlesly of region-belonging, caste, heritage, religion, etc..etc…!”
So many and especially Quad-e-Azam Ali Jinnah planted the seed for us, lets nourish it everyday take care of this and remeber it takes time to grow a full blossom tree, let it have no limits to the skies, let it grow….
-a humble adam
Dear Mr. jinnah.
We are also sorry that your birth place Wazir mension is under construction since 3 years, and remains pending as soon as someone starts re-construction. This also prove that how much we love you.
Sirf batain hayn amal nahi. Sorry
Well said, sir.
We owe it to the Quaid to undo the injustices we have done to our minorities.
I think the apology belongs to the people whom we have wronged. It wouldn’t matter to the dead. But regardless, it is appropriate as a gesture for change.
Bravo
This write-up is ATP at its best. Strong, unafriad, bold, and heartfelt.
You speak for all of us, Sir.
We are also sorry, Mr.Jinnah. But we promise never to give up on your vision.