By turning the pages of history a fact reveals that Muslims have vast history of fighting for their rights. But this struggle was multiplied when the young lawyer joined the movement for separate homeland — Pakistan. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the prominent lawyer who led a movement for the Independence of Pakistan on behalf of the Muslims of India, has been sworn in as Governor-General of Pakistan. In his first speech to the new constituent assembly in the new capital of the new country he had helped bring into existence, Jinnah outlined his vision of the country as the jewel of the British Empire.
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan… Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal, and you will find that 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 State.”
A long struggle for freedom carried out by Indian nationalists, who were mostly Hindu laymen had become inevitable after the depletion of Britain during the World War II.
Jinnah and her All India Muslim League party had joined the Muslim elite behind a movement that had first sought an Indian federal semi-autonomy, which guaranteed the rights of Muslims. The Congress Party of India rejected the idea of sharing power and finally agreed to divide the subcontinent into two states — a west country composed of the majority Hindu territories and the other provinces of the East and West.
Muslim leaders such as Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a great defender of unity between Hindus and Muslims, to adopt a different position. The Hindus of Banaras asked Hindi to be replaced by Urdu and his Persian script with devnagri script. Despite his reconciliation efforts with Hindu leaders, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had to say: “Even if the language of a nation is not safe in other countries of the region, it would not be prudent to continue living with it.
In recent years, Muslims have felt separated and were victims of constant discrimination, even from the platform of the “Indian National Congress” established to confront the political rights of indigenous Indians. The Hindu leaders totally dominated this platform called liberal and used it for their political and socioeconomic gains. The creation of the All India Muslim League-1906, the fourteen points of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah-1929 and Allahabad Allama Muhammad Iqbal Dr-1930 gave new impetus to the creation of a separate Muslim identity of India’s Muslims.
The resolution of Pakistan (Lahore Resolution, 1940) was a milestone that opened the way for a Muslim homeland and later, Pakistan has become the destination of Indian Muslims living throughout the subcontinent. Seven years after the Lahore Resolution, on August 14, 1947, Pakistan became a reality. In fact, it was the result of the intense efforts of our ancestors and the painful history of Muslim discrimination.
Today, after 71 years of Independence, Pakistan faces a series of challenges. The challenges facing the Pakistani state and society are even more critical, uncertain, hostile and dangerous than our ancestors faced during the Pakistani movement. Today, the anti-Pakistani connection is more important and deadly in terms of cause and effect. They have a secret and visible presence inside and outside of Pakistan. These challenges are internal and external and have intimate ties and ties with Pakistan’s enemies. The elements of extremism, radicalization and terrorism are only its tangible forms. The old rivals of Pakistan are grouping themselves in a series of new forms and formats.
The radicalization of society by a class of people chosen as they used Islam is a greater conspiracy against the ideological base of Pakistan. Activists sponsored by foreigners; TTP and many other militant groups are abusing Islam to promote the purpose of the forces behind them. They get endless funds and weapons and equipment to deceive young Pakistanis through a misinterpreted form of Islam. This strategy created extremism and terrorism in Pakistan, which physically and ideologically damaged the state and society of Pakistan.
Military actions like “Operation Zarb-i-Azb” and “Operation Raddul Fasaad” but destroys the organized base of militancy. However, dissident groups still find their way to provoking bomb blast/suicide attacks. The most recent was Quetta’s attack on a military vehicle, which killed 15 people, including eight men from Pak’s army. In the Haut Dir region, four members of the army, including a commander, were killed in a suicide bombing. The security forces, especially Pakistan’s army, deserve special recognition for these achievements. Since the Pakistan army and other security forces have played their role, it is necessary that political forces, religious-political, religious, scholarly groups from academia and Pakistani society must play their part to safeguard our beloved country from all internal and external dangers and threats.
To advance, it is necessary to develop narratives contrary to what the enemies of Pakistan have been betraying the innocent masses over the last two decades. While a chosen Pakistani political, intellectual and social class should formulate these stories, the media should play a role in developing and exploiting these stories to defeat the enemy’s purpose. In addition, we strengthen national integration and social cohesion among the Pakistani masses and transform society into their basic norms of peace, harmony and political stability for an economically prosperous and strategically secure Pakistan.
Thus, it is clear that all departments should improve and every Pakistani should take it seriously, such as what is being played so far and what we have to do or how to move forward in fact, it is a slow process to take this country to the path of the development standards of the western world, but it needs a continuous and exhaustive struggle. In addition to those who have sticks in their hands, every Pakistani needs to review their priorities and get the right things to do. Accelerating educational development and strengthening the democratic process will surely yield more than we expect to be done in the coming years. There is no denying the impression that, if we work hard and change our perspective towards the main problems, the day is not far away, when Pakistan would be standing among the line of developed nations holding the honor of healthy economy, strong institutions, educated youth and visionary leadership. This is the only way to honor the bloodshed that is faced from the moment after the partition. All we have to do is unite, at least for our future generations.
