My List of role models and Famous Pakistanis
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
FATHER OF THE NATION
In the endless corridors of history, a name was added in August 1947. It was that of Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.,the Founder of Pakistan.
Born into a Karachi mercantile family on December 25, 1876,Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had his early schooling at Karachi.Later ,he joined the Lincolin's Inn,to become the youngest Indian barrister to be called to the bar.By sheer native ability and determination ,young Jinnah rose quickly to prominence ,and soon became a successful lawyer.
In 1910 he was elected by Bombay Muslims to the newly constituted Imperial Legislative Council.All through his parliamentry career,which spanned some four decades,he supported or opposed measures solely on their marits.His was also among the most powerful voices on the cause of India's freedom,Indian rights and freedom.
By 1917, Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's reputation as one of the outstanding and highly respected leaders of South-Asian subcontinent was firmly established.He was a prominent member of Congress Party and an outspoken champion India's freedom in the Imperial Legislative Council.Simultaneously, he was the President of all India Muslim-Legue.He brought the Congress and the Legue together, and was chiefly responsible for the Congress-Legue pact (1916),a joint scheme for postwar reforms.For his untiring efforts to effect a communal settelement ,he was hailed as the "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity".
Since he stud for civic freedoms,he resigned from the Imperial Council in 1919,when the Rowlett Bill was passed into law; and since he stood for "Oredered Progress",moderation,gradualism, and constitutionalism,he left the Congress in 1920 when it opted for M.K. Gandhi's direction action and non-cooperation plank.Jinnah's ascendency to national leadership had received a serious setback.
Returning to active politics after three years , Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah re-organizes League of which he was President since 1916,and devoted the next seven years to bringing about unity among Muslim ranks.To him a Hindu-Muslim settelment was still a precondition for Indian freedom.He attended several unity conferences,authored the Delhi Muslim proposals (1927),pledged for the incorporation of basic Muslim demands in the Nehru report (1928),fourmulated the "fourteen points" (1929),as minimum Muslim demands for any constitutional settelment and as a riposte to Nehru report ,and participated in the Round Table conference (1930) in London ,called the British to formulate a new constitution of India.
Despaired alike of the "negative" Congress attitude and a chronic disunity in Muslim ranks,he was into self-exile in London (1931),but returned to India. In 1934 at the fervent appeal of Muslims,became the President of reunited Muslim League,and assumed its leadership.
When Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah took up the leadership of the Muslims in 1936,they were a mass of demorilised men and women,politically disorganized and without a clear-cut political programme.During the next three years , Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah made energetic efforts to broaden his mass support ,bringing the Muslims on the one platform,breating new life into the moribund League, democrating its structure and organizational network, giving it a coherent all-India policy and programme,and made Muslim India a power to be reckoned with.By 1939 he had become the sole spokesman of the Indian Muslims,their Quid-e-Azam ("the Great Leader").
In 1940 he spelled out the concept of Muslim nationhood ,asserting that "We are a nation ,with our own distinctive culture and civilization ,language and litrature ,art and architecture, names and nomen culture,sense of value and propertion,legal laws and moral code,customs and calendar,history and traditions ,aptitudes and ambitions ,in short , we have our own distinctive outlook on and of life.By all canons of international law we are a nation".And on that basis of demand the setting up of an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Muslim northwestern and eastern India.
Despite the vehement opposition of the Congress and the antipathy of the British to his demand, Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah organized his movement gathered momentum within a few years ,became the central issue in all subsequent constitutional proposals, and was overwhelmingly voted for by Muslims in the 1945-46 general elections.Pakistan was finally established on 14th August, 1947, and Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, then became the first Governer General.
Indeed, few nations in the world started on their career with less resources and in more difficult circumstances than Pakistan. That it survived at all was largely the hardwork of one man Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who filled in need for a charismatic leader at the critical juncture in the nation's history. He deftly exploited the immense prestige and utmost loyalty he commanded among the people to energize them, to raise their morals ,and canalise the profound feelings of petriotism the coming of freedom had generated, along constructive channels.Thoug tired and in poor health, Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah carried the haviest part of the burden in that first, critical year. He devoted the last year of his life to the onrous task of consolidating Pakistan and securing its survival. He died on 11th September, 1948.
Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah believed in peace within and without ,and in the principle of "live and let live". Actually, the Pakistan demand itslef, as defined by him ,was based on this principle : "let the two major nations, Hindus and Muslims,manage their affairs in their respective aread according to their own rights and traditions and unthwarted by the instruction of each other, thus paving the way for two nations to live in peace and good neighbourliness with each other in the Subcontinent. "Pakistan presupposed freedom for the Subcontinent as a whole".
His passion for freedom was ,however not restricted either to Muslims or Hindus; It extended to all the enslaved people of the world struggling to liberate themselves from foreign yoke. While engrossed all the while in the consuming task of wresting freedom for Muslims of the South-Asian Subcontinent, he took timeout on on various occasions to lend his and Muslim India's moral support to freedom movements in other Asian and African countries.
One of the great nation builders, Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, invites comparison with some of the greatest names in modern times : Washington, Bismark, Cavour, Gribaldi, Lenin, Ataturk, What, however, makes him so remarkable even in the galaxy of nation- builders is the fact that while others assumed the leadership of traditionally well-defined nations and led them to freedom, he created a nation out of an inchoate and backward minority and established a cultural and national home for it. And all that within a decade.
The Quid was the recipient of some of the greatest tributes paid to any one in modern times ,some of them even from those who held a polarized viewpoint, The Agha Khan considered him "the greatest man he ever met"; Beverly Nichols, the auther of virdict of India, called him "the most important man in Asia"; and Dr. Kailasnath Katju, the West Bengal Governer in 1948, thought of him as "an outstanding figure of this century, not only in India but in whole world"; While Adul Rehman Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of Arab League, called him "one of the greatest leader in the Muslim world", the Grand Mufti of Palestine considered his death as a "great loss" for the entire world of Islam. It was ,however,given to Sarat Chandra Bose, leader of the forward block Wing of the Indian National Congress to sum up his personal and political achievements. "Mr. Jinnah" he said on his death on 1948, "was great as a lawyer, once great as a Congressman, great as a Leader of Muslims, great as a world politician and diplomat, and greatest as of all as a man of action. By Mr. Jinnah's passing away, the world has lost one of the greatest statesmen and Pakistan its life-giver, philosopher and guide."
Such was Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,the man and his mission ; such the range of accomplishment and achievements.
what a personality
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan [1817-1898]
The greatest Muslim reformer and statesman of the 19th Century, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was born in Delhi on October 17, 1817. His family on the maternal and paternal side had close contacts with the Mughal court. His maternal grandfather, Khwajah Farid was a Wazir in the court of Akbar Shah II. His paternal grandfather Syed Hadi held a mansab and the title of Jawwad Ali Khan in the court of Alamgir II. His father, Mir Muttaqi, had been close to Akbar Shah since the days of his prince-hood. Syed Ahmad's mother, Aziz-un-Nisa, took a great deal of interest in the education and upbringing of her son. She imposed a rigid discipline on him and Sir Syed himself admitted that her supervision counted for much in the formation of his character.
The early years of Sir Syed's life were spent in the atmosphere of the family of a Mughal noble. There was nothing in young Syed's habits or behavior to suggest that he was different from other boys, though he was distinguished on account of his extraordinary physique. As a boy he learnt swimming and archery, which were favorite sports of the well-to-do class in those days.
Sir Syed received his education under the old system. He learnt to read the Quran under a female teacher at his home. After this, he was put in the charge of Maulvi Hamid-ud-Din, the first of his private tutors. Having completed a course in Persian and Arabic, he took to the study of mathematics, which was a favorite subject of the maternal side of his family. He later became interested in medicine and studied some well-known books on the subject. However, he soon gave it up without completing the full course. At the age of 18 or 19 his formal education came to an end but he continued his studies privately. He started taking a keen interest in the literary gatherings and cultural activities of the city.
The death of his father in 1838 left the family in difficulties. Thus young Syed was compelled at the early age of 21 to look for a career. He decided to enter the service of the East India Company. He started his career as Sarishtedar in a court of law. He became Naib Munshi in 1839 and Munshi in 1841. In 1858 he was promoted and appointed as Sadar-us-Sadur at Muradabad. In 1867 he was promoted and posted as the judge of the Small Causes Court. He retired in 1876. He spent the rest of his life for Aligarh College and the Muslims of South Asia.
Sir Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was primarily an educational venture. He established Gulshan School at Muradabad in 1859, Victoria School at Ghazipur in 1863, and a scientific society in 1864. When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city. Sir Syed got the opportunity to visit England in 1869-70. During his stay, he studied the British educational system and appreciated it. On his return home he decided to make M. A. O. High School on the pattern of British boarding schools. The School later became a college in 1875. The status of University was given to the college after the death of Sir Syed in 1920. M. A. O. High School, College and University played a big role in the awareness of the Muslims of South Asia.
Unlike other Muslim leaders of his time, Sir Syed was of the view that Muslims should have friendship with the British if they want to take their due rights. To achieve this he did a lot to convince the British that Muslims were not against them. On the other hand, he tried his best to convince the Muslims that if they did not befriend the British, they could not achieve their goals. Sir Syed wrote many books and journals to remove the misunderstandings between Muslims and the British. The most significant of his literary works were his pamphlets "Loyal Muhammadans of India" and "Cause of Indian Revolt". He also wrote a commentary on the Bible, in which he attempted to prove that Islam is the closest religion to Christianity.
Sir Syed asked the Muslims of his time not to participate in politics unless and until they got modern education. He was of the view that Muslims could not succeed in the field of western politics without knowing the system. He was invited to attend the first session of the Indian National Congress and to join the organization but he refused to accept the offer. He also asked the Muslims to keep themselves away from the Congress and predicted that the party would prove to be a pure Hindu party in the times to come. By establishing the Muhammadan Educational Conference, he provided Muslims with a platform on which he could discuss their political problems. Sir Syed is known as the founder of Two-Nation Theory in the modern era.
In the beginning of 1898 he started keeping abnormally quiet. For hours he would not utter a word to friends who visited him. Medical aid proved ineffective. His condition became critical on 24th of March. On the morning of March 27, a severe headache further worsened it. He expired the same evening in the house of Haji Ismail Khan, where he had been shifted 10 or 12 days earlier. He was buried the following afternoon in the compound of the Mosque of Aligarh College. He was mourned by a large number of friends and admirers both within and outside South Asia.
Sir Muhammad Iqbal
9th of November, what is the importance of this day, why it's been declared as a national holiday? Well, it's the day when our great national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born!
A brief intro of Allama Iqbal:
Sir Muhammad Iqbal born (November 9, 1877 April 21, 1938) was a Muslim poet, philosopher and politician born in Sialkot, British India (now in Pakistan), whose poetry in Urdu and Persian is considered to be among the greatest of the modern era, and whose vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India was to inspire the creation of Pakistan.
Most of Allama Iqbal's writings were devoted to a revival of Islam. In his presidential address to the Muslim League in 1930, he first suggested that the Muslims of northwestern India should demand a separate nation for themselves.
Some of his writings include:
Bang-e-Dara (The Call of the Marching Bell)
Asrar-e-Khudi (Secrets of the Self) in Persian.
Payam-e-Mashriq (The Message Of The East)
Tulu'i Islam (Dawn of Islam).
Most of his work was in Persian however, he wrote renowned poems in Urdu too!
Today, Muslims are in crises, they are fighting against each other, they have forgotten the preaching of our Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). It's time to remember what they have left behind! Allama Iqbal would never have dreamt of such a Pakistan!
Choudhary Rahmat Ali
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali was born on November 16, 1897 in village Balachaur, district Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He got his early education in Jalandhar and graduated from Islamia College, Lahore in 1919. In 1930, he left for Cambridge (England) for his postgraduate studies in Law. He spent the rest of his life in England and died there.
From his early years Chaudhry Rahmat Ali was convinced that the destiny of the Indian Muslims lay in carving out a separate independent homeland of their own in North-Western India and he relentlessly pursued this goal throughout his life.
The credit for coining the word "PAKISTAN' (meaning Land of the Pure) goes to him when he first used it in his pamphlet titled "Now or Never" published on January 28, 1933. Each alphabet in the word "Pakistan" stood symbolically for the territories that were later to constitute Pakistan i.e. 'P' for Punjab, ' A' for Afghania (i.e. the NWFP), 'K' for Kashmir, 's.' for Sindh, and 'TAN' for Baluchistan. This name soon caught the imagination of the multitudes and even the foreign newspapers began to call the proposed country by this name.
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali launched the Pakistan National Movement by issuing and distributing pamphlets, tracts, handbills and other literature. A weekly newspaper under the title 'Pakistan' was also started.
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali came to Pakistan on a short visit and then went back to Cambridge (England) where he died on February 3, 1951.
