Jinnah’s Pakistan needed

[truthfollower]

DAWN.COM

Today's Paper | July 06, 2020




Jinnah’s Pakistan needed
Tariq KhosaUpdated July 04, 2020


The writer is former IG Police and author of The Faltering State and Inconvenient Truths.

THE pandemic is an opportunity to identify fault lines and alternatives in order to forge a cohesive contract between state and citizens. Pakistan today needs effective measures to make the nation more egalitarian, less authoritarian, more just, less oppressive, more free and less fragile. Jinnah wanted a separate homeland for Muslims because he feared they would become a political underclass in a unified India dominated by Hindus. His vision was not to create a theocracy but a pluralistic, democratic polity based on social justice. For him, religion had nothing to do with the business of the state. He addressed the Constituent Assembly on Aug 11, 1947, thus: “You may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of State.”

Barely seven months after Independence, Bengali leader Suhrawardy warned that the new state might destroy itself by adopting a version of Islam that is not based “on toleration, equality, brotherhood” and by “establishing in effect a communal state within…” In such a state, he said, “there will be no commerce, no business and no trade. There will be lawlessness”. His words proved correct, leading to the break-up of the country.

The Pakistan that we need must be more egalitarian and less authoritarian.

After Jinnah, the mullah, initially opposed to the creation of Pakistan, tried to hijack the political narrative of our creation through the Objectives Resolution of 1949. According to human rights activist I.A. Rehman, many people thought the religious and political definition of the two-nation theory to be the same. In fact, the political definition was used first and later clerics used its religious definition to impose their version of faith.

Historian Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed rightly said that people, and not the state, had a religion because if the state adopted one it became partisan. He lamented that religiosity often took precedence over democracy in Pakistan. After the country became an Islamic republic in 1973 and the Objectives Resolution was included as a substantive part of the Constitution, clerics started asserting themselves to make the polity conform fully to their interpretations of religion. So, the first issue we must grapple with is the role of the state as an enforcer or enabler of faith.

Jinnah was a firm believer in civilian supremacy over military matters. The first senior army officer against whom he ordered a probe as governor general was none other than Ayub Khan who was in charge of repatriation and settlement of refugees from eastern Punjab. The mismanagement of refugee settlement led to an inquiry against Ayub who was sent to East Pakistan. Before leaving, he wrote to his friend Sher Ali, later major general, to put in a word with army chief Gen Messervy. According to Maj Gen Sher Ali, the army chief, after listening to him, said that Ayub was more of a politician than a soldier. Interestingly, the inquiry officer was Musa Khan, later appointed army chief by Ayub Khan. After the death in an air crash of a general tipped as the next chief, Ayub Khan became the first native army chief.

Ayub, violating the Constitution of 1956, became a party to the imposition of the first martial law in 1958, presiding over the destiny of a nation that the founding father had conceived of as a democratic, pluralist polity. The next chief Gen Yahya presided over the breakup of Jinnah’s Pakistan. During the 1980s, army chief Gen Zia injected fundamentalism into the army. Then it was Gen Musharraf’s turn to dupe the nation on the slogan of ‘enlightened moderation’ while retaining the distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban. It is hoped that his conviction will deter any future martial law. However, more important is a change of mindset; every soldier must adhere to the oath administered on joining a noble profession that entails the supreme sacrifice of life in defence of the motherland.

But civilian supremacy over military matters will remain elusive unless the political leadership provides good governance and upholds the rule of law. Successive civilian governments have failed to uphold merit and transparency in policymaking and appointments to crucial public offices, eg the appointment of bureaucrats after retirement as members of the federal and provincial public service commissions. Negating a merit-based, transparent process of selection, prime ministers and chief ministers promote patronage and nepotism by arbitrarily picking up some of the retired officers, mostly from one service group, when each service group in FPSC should have one member. Selection should be merit-based and open to all segments.

In addition, wilful ignorance prevails in the policymaking corridors. Advisers and special assistants to the prime minister should include a small group of technical experts; instead, we see a platoon of special assistants enjoying perks and facilities of state ministers. This is a waste of taxpayers’ money. These ‘technocrats’ are mostly affluent; their expertise should be available free of cost.

Jinnah in his Aug 11 address warned against the curse of corruption and nepotism. He stressed the role of the state in maintaining law and order. Recently, our aviation minister reported that a third of the national carrier’s pilots had fake qualifications and some had cleared their exams through proxies. This scam is just the tip of iceberg in an ocean of corrupt practices in every sphere. Accountability, with no exceptions, is what we need.

Rule of law and maintenance of order require fearless judges with integrity. Our criminal justice system is broken. There is no political will to reform the police. The latest Police Reforms Committee report prepared in January 2019 is gathering dust. Police in Pakistan must be depoliticised through democratic institutional oversight. For both internal and external accountability of police, independent police complaints authorities should be established in Islamabad and the provincial capitals. Operational and administrative autonomy of police command must be ensured. Functional specialisation in investigation and CT branches will enhance professionalism. The role of police as service provider and an institution that protects citizens must be consciously pursued to change the present militarisation of internal security.

It is hoped the virus will not prove fatal to our parliamentary democracy as during the pandemic, the politics of crisis can lead to far greater authoritarian tendencies by a state facing the test of public dissatisfaction. Pakistan needs to be a progressive, peaceful and prosperous nation.

The writer is former IG Police and author of The Faltering State and Inconvenient Truths.

Note: A couple of corrections have been made in the original article published in the newspaper.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2020

https://www.dawn.com/news/1566836

 

[truthfollower]

"Jinnah wanted a separate homeland for Muslims because he feared they would become a political underclass in a unified India dominated by Hindus."
May you rest in peace Jinnah but non muslims have become underclass citizens in Pakistan dominated by muslims and they are not afraid anymore to show their dominance because they can threatened us all they want and no one is there to challenge them and stand for us. You promised us equal rights as citizen of Pakistan. But now we are given only one choice to become muslim or else face the consequences.
You went away too early

 

[AfrazulMandal]

Pls stop crying.

Nothing major has happened. No lives were lost.

No real damage was done. No temple was destroyed.

 

[cocomo]

May you rest in peace Jinnah but non muslims have become underclass citizens in Pakistan dominated by muslims

A vast majority of traditional Muslims know they must protect life, property, and dignity of their his fellow citizens no matter their religion but they are powerless and fearful. These heathens who use Islam for power to incite emotions that gives them political relevance. No good has come out of these extreme lunatics, May Allah destroy them and their supporters so Pakistan can become a true Islamic nation.

 

[The Accountant]

Another anti-islam propaganda machine.

Ok so problem with Pakistan is Islam. Now answer few questions and comments of mine:

1. What Islam has to do with trade deficit?
2. What Islam has to do with budget deficit?
3. When did last time any religious party ruled Pakistan?
4. Who is a religious party in pakistan ? PTI PPP or PMLN ? So all the issues of Pakistan are associated with those who won less than 10% seats in assembly?
5. Non-muslims which account for 3% of population of Pakistan are suffering. I see, rest of the Muslim population are swimming in honey.
6. Our judicial system is destroyed as they follow islam and not Pakistan Penal Code.
7. Our financial system is destroyed as we are using interest free monetary system and interest is banned in Pakistan.
8. Our education system is doomed as all government funded schools are teaching Quran and sunnat and not Islamic systems
9. BLA, BLF, MQM London, MQM Haqeeqi, SLA, Sindhudesh Tahreeq and PTM are religious terrorist organizations and will vanish in thin air if we declare Pakistan a secular country.
10. Crime rate is high in country as police is busy praying namaz and therefore could not fight crime.

Stop this bull shit u m*****. This mombatti mafia has nothing to do but to split anti islam venom. Start working on real issues of economy, justice system, health and education system. Dont put your own shortcoming on Islam. With TTP being defeated Pakistan is now back on track in terms of harmony betwen religious sects. There are no major sectarian divide in country and InshAllah it will remain so.

 

[313ghazi]

I'm tired of hearing about Jinnah's Pakistan. Qaid-e-azam died in 1948, we've had over 70 years to build Jinnah's Pakistan, but it's pointless. The terminology is being used to impose whatever the wielder of the term wants upon Pakistan, as Jinnah is not here anymore to defend himself.

Instead of Jinnah, think about all those who are still here. Can we please have a Pakistan that works for Javed, Junaid, Janghir, Jibran, Jabeen, Jasmeen, John, Jaspreet and Jindal too? It doesn't have to be exclusively for people with a name starting with J either, lets include the whole alphabet.

What do people need Pakistan to be now? What do we need from Pakistan? How will it work best for us now?

 

[crankthatskunk]

"Jinnah wanted a separate homeland for Muslims because he feared they would become a political underclass in a unified India dominated by Hindus."
May you rest in peace Jinnah but non muslims have become underclass citizens in Pakistan dominated by muslims and they are not afraid anymore to show their dominance because they can threatened us all they want and no one is there to challenge them and stand for us. You promised us equal rights as citizen of Pakistan. But now we are given only one choice to become muslim or else face the consequences.
You went away too early

If you are minority, I am assuming looking at your post, then you have all the rights as a citizen of Pakistan.
Don't let anyone say otherwise or deny your rights.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, may be Islamic, but it is not against the minorities, who should be given all the rights under the Laws. Islam actually offers more protections to the minorities and put onus on its leaders to protect them.
I am sure, things may not be ideal, never are. But the younger generations does not suffer from the malice of the older generations. From corruption to religious tolerance, things are gradually improving.

 

[The Accountant]

I'm tired of hearing about Jinnah's Pakistan. Qaid-e-azam died in 1948, we've had over 70 years to build Jinnah's Pakistan, but it's pointless. The terminology is being used to impose whatever the wielder of the term wants upon Pakistan, as Jinnah is not here anymore to defend himself.

Instead of Jinnah, think about all those who are still here. Can we please have a Pakistan that works for Javed, Junaid, Janghir, Jibran, Jabeen, Jasmeen, John, Jaspreet and Jindal too? It doesn't have to be exclusively for people with a name starting with J either, lets include the whole alphabet.

What do people need Pakistan to be now? What do we need from Pakistan? How will it work best for us now?

No you cant talk about this. As it will then result in questioning a lot of things and will effect kingship of many lords, be it civil servants, parliamentarians, business community (for white color crimes) or armed forces.

 

[313ghazi]

No you cant talk about this. As it will then result in questioning a lot of things and will effect kingship of many lords, be it civil servants, parliamentarians, business community (for white color crimes) or armed forces.

This is exactly what we need to talk about. The countries political model is completely failed and the elite keep talking about Jinnah's Pakistan. Pakistan works for anyone from wealth, the rest of us it doesn't work for. Now is the time to talk about Pakistan for everyone else too.

 

[mikkix]

"Jinnah wanted a separate homeland for Muslims because he feared they would become a political underclass in a unified India dominated by Hindus."
May you rest in peace Jinnah but non muslims have become underclass citizens in Pakistan dominated by muslims and they are not afraid anymore to show their dominance because they can threatened us all they want and no one is there to challenge them and stand for us. You promised us equal rights as citizen of Pakistan. But now we are given only one choice to become muslim or else face the consequences.
You went away too early

I disagree with you, Pakistan as a State never threatened or killed minirities like Hindu Sikhs Christians, Yes We as a state threatened Ahmedis or other Islamic sects. We do descriminate people on ethnic (Sindhi Punjabi Pathan Baloch) grounds as state level. Hindus getting jobs in higher positions in Pakistan, I know many hindu friends in karachi who are working in top and good positions.

 

[The Accountant]

This is exactly what we need to talk about. The countries political model is completely failed and the elite keep talking about Jinnah's Pakistan. Pakistan works for anyone from wealth, the rest of us it doesn't work for. Now is the time to talk about Pakistan for everyone else too.

Agreed but to whom we should talk to ? This elite is so powerful that even our PM is falling a victim of their ruthlessness. He is trying to fight but failing again and again. Examples are:

1. Shabbar Zaidi, the biggest name in tax failed to restructure FBR. Can you bring a beter professional then him? There is none available.
2. Asad Umar failed to revolutionist ministry of finance and ditch IMF. Ultimately you had to bring IMF controlled man both in MoF and SBP.
3. Dr. Ishrat Hussain is working as advisor for institutional reforms and austerity is failing to bring any meaningful reforms as he can bring the policies but implementation is a failure.
4. no one is questioning the pilots who destroyed all 7 ATR bought in 2005-06 in just a period of 15 years, but the questions are being asked on the competency of minister of aviation for talking about the real issue of incompetent and cheater pilots and engineers.

Yes we need to talk about it but how? When in recent poles PMLN has 32% approval ratings who are parts of this elite culture?

We need to do something about it but how is a million dollar question. we are powerless in front of these elites.

 

[313ghazi]

Agreed but to whom we should talk to ? This elite is so powerful that even our PM is falling a victim of their ruthlessness. He is trying to fight but failing again and again. Examples are:

1. Shabbar Zaidi, the biggest name in tax failed to restructure FBR. Can you bring a beter professional then him? There is none available.
2. Asad Umar failed to revolutionist ministry of finance and ditch IMF. Ultimately you had to bring IMF controlled man both in MoF and SBP.
3. Dr. Ishrat Hussain is working as advisor for institutional reforms and austerity is failing to bring any meaningful reforms as he can bring the policies but implementation is a failure.
4. no one is questioning the pilots who destroyed all 7 ATR bought in 2005-06 in just a period of 15 years, but the questions are being asked on the competency of minister of aviation for talking about the real issue of incompetent and cheater pilots and engineers.

Yes we need to talk about it but how? When in recent poles PMLN has 32% approval ratings who are parts of this elite culture?

We need to do something about it but how is a million dollar question. we are powerless in front of these elites.

We are not powerless - we are the true power, we just need to realise this and then organise. There is a reason all the elites have homes in the US, UK, UAE etc. It's in preperation for the day where we realise who is really the powerful and how we are powerful.

 

[Iltutmish]

Pakistan is an Islamic Country in the first place. The wannabe Brits can cry a lot but cannot deny this fact that brought Pakistan into existence.

You are an Anti-Islam Hindu and demand love from Muslims. Not gonna happen.

Pakistan ka matlab kya? Please I want to hear it out loud!

Pakistan is not a cheap Turkey where they worship Atatürk or woke Soviet Union where Stalin is god, Pakistan denied all false gods, all false prophets and idols to show the world that they have no power here.

Communist corruption, stupid tribal mentality and a week enforcement of rule of law are not the faults of the mullahs. The secular Mullahs are responsible for that. And yes, not funding a temple with state money is not Hinduphobia, it’s just common sense that a poor country should deregulate and support business rather than stealing money from poor people to built a temple for 5 people just for virtue signalling!