Quaid’s Vision Circa 2000
A role model hero for all Pakistanis pre- and post-1971, Air Marshal (Retd) Asghar Khan, admired in both civil and military circles for his professionalism and integrity, hosted a Seminar in Islamabad recently on “Rediscovering the Quaid’s vision”. Mrs. Sarojini Naidu immortalized the Quaid as a man who had “a sincerity of purpose and the lasting charm of a character animated by a brave conception of duty and an austere and lovely code of private honour and public integrity”.
The Quaid’s illustrious relation and one of Pakistan’s finest legal minds, Liaquat Merchant, honoured me to be a part of the JINNAH SOCIETY team compiling and editing THE JINNAH ANTHOLOGY. A selection of the Quaid’s quotes, reminiscences by those who came into contact with him, interspersed with old and memorable photographs may be a collector’s item, it does not do justice to this giant among men.
See the depth and breadth of the Quaid’s vision in speaking to the newly assembled Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 11 Aug 47 as its first President, “The first and the foremost thing that I would like to emphasize is this — remember that you are now a sovereign legislative body and you have got all the powers. It, therefore, places on you the gravest responsibility as to how you should take your decisions”. Have any of our Assemblies, except perhaps the National Assembly which framed the 1973 Constitution, acted in a manner that the Quaid would find commensurate or have they been rubber-stamping their leaders’ wishes blindly? And look at the utmost priority he gave to the security of country’s citizens, “You will no doubt agree with me that the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State”. The very essence of civilized society is that the individual and his family must feel secure within the parameters of the State, what to talk about feeling threatened by those holding the reins of power. And in the same 11 Aug 47 speech the Quaid was very perceptive of what he correctly analysed as South Asia’s greatest problem, “The second thing that occurs to me is this: One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering — I do not say that other countries are free from it, but, I think, our condition is much worse — is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put that down with an iron hand and I hope that you will take adequate measures as soon as it is possible for this Assembly to do so”.
Despite the “iron hand”, National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) draconian measures, bribery and corruption is alive and well in Pakistan. And what about the physician (NAB) itself? Let Gen Amjad conduct a quick survey of the Nationalised Commercialised Banks (NCBs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and semi-government corporations to find who acquired the most security services contracts from Oct 12 till date — and then equate it with those bankers who have problems. Using influence is not corruption? Even the “catchers” can be compromised. Even the “iron hand” can be infiltrated, given the correct price.
Instead of the Quaid’s views about “blackmarketing” half a century ago presently read “tax evasion” and the government’s problems documenting the economy in the present context, “Now you have to tackle this monster which today is a colossal crime against society, in our distressed conditions, when we constantly face shortage of food and other essential commodities of life. A citizen who does black-marketing (read tax evasion) commits, I think, a greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes. These black-marketers (read tax evaders) are really knowing, intelligent and ordinarily responsible people, and when they indulge in black-marketing (read tax evasion), I think they ought to be very severely punished, because they undermine the entire system of control and regulation of foodstuffs and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death”. Can 1.8 million people keep on bearing the overwhelming burden of 130-140 million people? Will not debt do us apart?
In a society where connections create opportunities, merit is a disqualifier, a handicap and not an asset. The Quaid had very definite views, “Here again it is a legacy which has been passed on to us. Along with many other things, good and bad, has arrived this great evil — the evil of nepotism and jobbery. This evil must be crushed relentlessly. I want to make it quite clear that I shall never tolerate any kind of jobbery, nepotism or any influence directly or indirectly brought to bear upon me”. To their credit, the military regime has generally excluded cronyism, not completely shunned it, but glaring examples abound. Unless those who are capable are allowed to utilize their potential this country is not going anywhere. We must break the shackles of the “client-patron” nature of appointments and promotions, the upside down logic of a crony system that targets merits instead of eulogising it. Unfair promotions are not only at the cost of someone more deserving but it cuts deeply into efficiency and compromises integrity, frustrating these twin hallmarks.
The Quaid exhorted Pakistanis to firmly believe in equality and practice the concept of amity, “Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in co-operation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State”. Are we really equal in the eyes of our rulers, before those who command our destinies? Or is there one set of laws for us and another for the privileged class?
On 11 Oct 1947 the Quaid talked to civil and military officers at Khaliqdina Hall, Karachi, “Our masses are today disorganized and disheartened by the cataclysm that has befallen them. Their morale is exceedingly low and we shall have to do something to pull them out of the slough of despondency and galvanize them into activity. All this throws additional responsibility on Government servants to whom our people are looking for guidance. You have to infuse a new spirit in your men by percept and by example. You have to make them feel that they are working for a cause and that the cause is worth every sacrifice that they may be called upon to make. God has given us a grand opportunity to show our worth as architects of a new State; let it not be said that we did not prove equal to the task”. Is Pervaiz Musharraf saying anything much different to his colleagues and civil bureaucracy 50 years later?
On issues like provincialism, the Quaid was lucid. Replying to the address of welcome by the students of Islamia College Peshawar, “I naturally welcome your statement that you do not believe in Provincialism. You must learn to distinguish between your love for your province and your love and duty to the State as a whole. Our duty to the State takes us beyond Provincialism. It demands a broader sense of vision, and a greater sense of patriotism. Our duty to the State often demands that we must be ready to submerge our individual and provincial interests into the common cause for good. Our duty to the State comes first, our duty to the Province, to our district, to our town, and to our village and ourselves, comes next”. In the matter affecting provincial harmony most, water scarcity, the approach to Kalabagh Dam is narrowly provincial rather than of national content.
Read the Quaid’s pledge on 11 Aug 47, “I shall always be guided by the principles of justice and fairplay without any, as is put in the political language, prejudice or ill-will, in other words, partiality or favouritism. My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality, and I am sure that with your support and co-operation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the world”. How many of our leaders can look themselves in the mirror and emulate the Quaid in forsaking the evils of prejudice, patronage, parochialism?
What have we done to this beautiful country in the pursuit of self-interest? In striving for the individual, not for the collective good, we have forgotten all that the Quaid cautioned us against and relegated all that he inspired us with to the waste basket. The man’s vision notwithstanding, of what mettle was this man who lived and died by a code of private honour and public integrity? To quote 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 three”.
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