SDPI Research and News Bulletin
Vol. 14, No. 3 (July—September 2007)

Jinnah's Vision and the Reality: Revisiting 60 Years of Freedom

Abid Qaiyum Suleri
suleri@sdpi.org

AThe year 2007 is quite significant in the Subcontinent's history. It is 150th anniversary of the 'War of Independence 1857', the centenary of prominent freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, and the sixtieth anniversary of the colonisers' departing the Subcontinent. One might have assumed that the partition of India and the departure of the British Raj in 1947 would have been a happy ending for the War of Independence. However 60 years down the road it seems that things have not changed much.

Very often freedom implies geographical freedom with no attention to its other manifestations such as freedom from hunger, want, disease, poverty, undemocratic rule, neo-colonialism and conflict.

Revisiting 60 years of freedom raises the question whether the colonisers really left us free? The connotation of 'freedom' needs to be discussed. Very often freedom implies geographical freedom with no attention to its other manifestations such as freedom from hunger, want, disease, poverty, undemocratic rule, neo-colonialism and conflict etc. Freedom of expression, of belief, a free media, judiciary, and fundamental human rights are also considered a “wish list” that has nothing to do with creation of a sovereign state.

All of us would have our own version of freedom. However, it would be appropriate to revisit the type of freedom that the Founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, had envisaged. Addressing the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 11th August 1947, Jinnah forwarded the idea of a state where the government would maintain law and order and where the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects would be fully protected, i.e., freedom from fear, threats, and the right to life, to own property and to practice religion.

The second assurance that Jinnah provided was freedom from exploitation through bribery; he envisaged a country free from nepotism and jobbery; and floated the idea of freedom from poverty.
He was also of the view that the majority and minority communities would have equal rights and that people would be free to go to their temples, their mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. His vision was that the religion, caste or creed of an individual would have nothing to do with the business of the State and that there would be no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, and no discrimination between one caste or creed and another.

Assuring the religious and political freedom, Jinnah presented the idea of a Pakistan where 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 State.

Now let us assess the last sixty years of our freedom in the light of what M.A. Jinnah has envisioned.

• He had assured the writ of law, and the right to life, property and religious belief. One finds states within state in Pakistan, where the ruling class hides from its citizens due to security reasons; where violence and lawlessness prevail; where people go missing in the name of national security interest; where the Chief Justice had to seek justice; where human life is much cheaper than a glass of water; where the establishment facilitates the militant elements to occupy places of worship and hold their parallel courts; where the fear of suicide bombers forces the rulers to celebrate independence by hoisting the flag indoors in a closed hall.
• Jinnah had dreamed of a state free of bribery and corruption: we witnessed that people with a history of corruption were appointed as Ministers when they supported the rulers of the time.
• He declared the black-marketers to be monsters: we found all such monsters in our Cabinets (existing and previous cabinets), hoarding sugar and other commodities essential for life.
• To him freedom meant freedom from nepotism. We have observed inherited lifetime leaders. We see the rule of a handful of families and a Parliament held hostage by Chaudhries, Khars, Legharis, Ja malis, Maliks, Khans, Rinds, and Qazis. We also observed that merit policies have succumbed to a caste system; so much so that in research institutes and universities the appointments and promotions are based on caste.
• Jinnah's idea of freedom was freedom from poverty. We found 80 per cent of our rural population food-insecure and poor; almost 3/4th of our population living below the US$ 2 a day poverty line and poverty related suicides to be at an all time high.
• He had assured us that no power would be able to enslave this nation. We witnessed complaints of various provinces against the unjust distribution of resources and politico-economic slavery. We also saw the state handing over its citizens to foreign countries without any trial or opportunity of defense.
• He thought of a state that may guarantee political freedom. We saw colonialism turning into “colonelism” in this country, where the military has been ruling for 32 years of the past 60 years.
• He thought the state would have nothing to do with an individual’s religious belief. We have observed religious minorities being portrayed as enemies in our text books, so much so that a Minister for State for Religious Affairs was inviting scholars of different sects and promoting sectarianism through his TV talk show. Jinnah founded Pakistan. We turned it to Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where 'Islamic militants' are now perceived to be the biggest threat for global peace.

Living in 2007, one needs to reassess how free and sovereign we are. Our economic policies are being dictated by international financial institutes, our foreign policy is being dictated by the 'White House'. A simple phone call can force our President to attend the Pak-Afghan Peace Jirga, and half a phone call from Condoleezza Rice can determine whether constitution may be suspended and a state of emergency should be imposed.

This may sound very pessimistic. However, I have seen a ray of hope in 2007. Pakistanis were inspired by the people's movement against the monarch in Nepal and became united to save the supremacy of the judiciary in this country. This was the first mass movement in Pakistan that was not based on religious grounds. To me this movement filled in the gap from 1947 to 2006. Having said that, it must be emphasised that this movement is just a humble beginning and much needs to be done to realise the real freedom from the legacy of colonisers, exploiters, black-marketers, and social injustice. Many sacrificed for a century and a half to realise this freedom in the Subcontinent and now is our turn to prove that we are freedom lovers.

 

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