Jinnah Revisited

Written by Dr. Omar Farooq Khan • February 2011

The Jinnah Anthology is one amazing collection of essays highlighting the life and times of Quaid-i-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. In times like these the need to look back upon his legacy, his principles and political philosophy is greater than ever. Over the years, Pakistan has weathered more than its fair share of storms and time and again we are reminded of the void found in Pakistan’s political scene. A void no leader was able to fill because they lacked the strong political will and charisma required to fill the Quaid’s shoes.

Sadly the current atmosphere is charged with narrow-minded religious bigots and not many would be willing to endorse Mr. Jinnah’s secular polity and accept that he created Pakistan not to establish a theocracy, but a secular and democratic state. Equally disagreeable for many is the fact that he struggled for a separate homeland where Muslims would be able to live in accordance with their social customs and religious traditions but the political process would be non-religious in which there would be no discrimination between people of different faiths. As often quoted in his famous speech; “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.’

Surprisingly at times, Jinnah seems to be an outsider in Pakistan. He seldom figures in public debate and political discourse on issues of vital importance to the future of the country, although his father-figure image remains intact and he is given the respect he deserves but only as a ritual practice. His advocacy of democracy and rule of law is acceptable, but not his firm belief in secularism.

The conservative political community, which has grown in size, tends to ignore his ideas about polity. However, there are still many in the community of liberals and the educated segments who are vocal in asserting the significance of Jinnah’s vision in tackling political and constitutional matters and seek to re-establish ‘Jinnah’s Pakistan.’

The Jinnah Anthology is an admirable effort by the Jinnah Society whose presidents Liaquat Merchant and Sharif Al Mujahid conceived the project and implemented it well. The book serves the need to make some segments of the population familiar with Jinnah’s legacy, qualities of his leadership, virtues of his character and what others thought of him.

The anthology which was initially published in 1999 and now has had a second edition printed, which is meant to provide readers a quality selection of works on the Quaid’s life, his politics and achievements.
The first part of the 14-section anthology contains original essays on the father of the nation. The authors include Stanley Wolpert, S.M. Burke, Kuldip Nayar, Ayesha Jalal, A.G. Noorani and Pervez Hoodbhoy. Their write-ups provide coverage to key aspects of his politics and leadership such as the constitutional structure of the country visualized by him, his relationship with the princely states and his role in institutionalizing civil liberties and women’s empowerment.

This section also includes an essay written by Mr. Sharif Al Mujahid, which sheds light on the personal preferences of Mr. Jinnah. His sense of dressing and mannerism, stating that he was always impeccably dressed and at time was considered as the best dressed politician in India. His preference ranging from fine Saville Row suits to well tailored sherwanis and well matched Karakul (Jinnah) caps which became a symbol of his allegiance to Muslim league and later to Pakistan. The article also elaborated his preference for fine dining and taste for finer things of life. But the crux here was that Jinnah had acquired such tastes after his initial 3-4 years of professional struggle as a lawyer. All the perks and privileges he enjoyed were a result of his hard work and determination. According to his stockbroker, Shantilal L Thar, Jinnah’s fortune was 6-7 million in 1947 (equivalent to Rs 400 million today), which he had earned mostly through his law practice, with his investments yielding a fraction of it.

Another interesting article in this section hails Jinnah and Ataturk as the two saviours of the Muslim world. Although both leaders had different modus operandi but there were some amazing similarities between them. For starters both were working against heavy odds and didn’t belong to the mainstream (with Jinnah having a Gujarati and Ataturk a Macedonian origin). Both were excellent strategists, having an eye for details and never missed a chance to exploit their opponents’ weakness. The aspects that set them apart were that Ataturk had the advantage of utilizing the Ottoman institutions of governance for setting up his government’s infrastructure; while Jinnah had to build Pakistan from scratch. Also Ataturk lived for nearly one and a half decade in his new state, which gave him an ample opportunity to set forth his social reforms and give a direction to his nation. Jinnah, on the other hand lived for less than 13 months in his newly founded republic.

An interesting quote from Jinnah is highlighted in Kuldip Nayar’s essay, where the author recalls the Quaid’s address at his Law College. When asked that wouldn’t British withdrawal further fuel the hostility between Hindus and Muslims, the Quaid replied “We would be best of friends. Some nations have killed millions of each other’s and yet an enemy of today was a friend of tomorrow.” Also replying to a hypothetical question about a third country attacking India, he said “Our soldiers would fight along with yours to repel the invasion.” The author concluded his essay by stating that he has always wondered how the relations between the two countries would have evolved if Jinnah had lived longer. He wanted India and Pakistan to be like America and Canada. In short, he was interested in an easy access between the two nations, if not soft borders.

Section 2 presents a collection of quotes from the Quaid which reflect his vision of Pakistan. Section 3 consists of excerpts from his speeches and highlights his emphasis on civic freedoms, law and order, his concern for the welfare of Muslims and his guidelines for running the affairs of state.

The book also includes quotes from some of the notable figures from the past. These include Beverley Nicholas, Edgar Snow, Lady Wavell and Aga Khan III. Lady Wavell considered Mr. Jinnah to be “one of the handsomest of men I have ever seen; he combined the clear-cut, almost Grecian features of the West with Oriental grace of movement.” To the Aga Khan, of all the leaders he met and worked with, including Clemenceau, Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Lord Curzon and Mahatma Gandhi, “Jinnah is the most remarkable.”
Interestingly such aspects regarding Mr. Jinnah’s personality make up a very interesting facet of the anthology. An effort such as the Jinnah Anthology has renewed an interest in books about the Quaid. In fact a lot of reading material has found its way to publishing which highlights Jinnah’s role as a pivotal figure in the Indo-Pak freedom movement.

As quoted by Stanley Wolpert “Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all the three.”