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KARACHI, Jan 20: A grandnephew of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah called on Thursday for rebuilding Pakistan as a “democratic state”, where there was supremacy of the constitution, independence of the judiciary, protection of the minorities and non-involvement of religion in state affairs, as was envisioned by the Quaid.
Liaquat A. Merchant, a senior lawyer and president of the Jinnah Society, was delivering a lecture titled “Is Jinnah relevant in Pakistan today?” at the Aga Khan University auditorium.
He said we have drifted away from the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam and the people were asking for “Jinnah`s Pakistan” as the country has moved closer to a shortlist of failed states.
He said this country was created with the power of pen, power of speech and power of vote. It had been ruled for almost half of its existence by the power of the sword by dictatorial regimes which abrogated the constitution, put it in abeyance and mutilated it by constitutional deviations and supra-constitutional measures while politicians aided and abetted them.
Mr Merchant said it was not uncommon for the courts of law to uphold these regimes under the doctrine of necessity and welfare of the people.
He said we fought three wars with India and lost half of the country when we should have put our legal, political and diplomatic skills to work to solve our disputes and political bickering, intrigues and machinations.
“We disregarded the principles of equality and tolerance and failed to achieve unity in diversity and discipline in our ranks,” he said. “We may have achieved a measure of political independence but economic independence still remains a much desired necessity in Pakistan.”
He said Pakistan was not achieved by strikes and satyagrah , not by mischievous machinations; not by revolt and rebellion. “It was achieved by an awakening of the Muslims by Jinnah that this nation came into being,” he said. The struggle for Pakistan, he added, was at all times legal and constitutional. The power of pen proved to be stronger than the sword`s. The freedom of expression, he said, resulted in dissemination of news and Muslims received the benefit of educated Muslim opinion on matters of great importance. They used their pen and power to vote and supported Jinnah and the Muslim League.
A nation born so, he emphasised, had democracy ingrained in its creation and therefore ingrained in the minds and hearts of the citizens.
“If our leaders and governments had placed emphasis on education and literacy, democratic traditions would have taken hold in a much stronger way,” he said. “When people have a feeling of despondency and despair, it is not because democracy has failed but because their leaders have failed them and not allowed true democracy to flourish in Pakistan.”
Mr Merchant said: “We need to have our political leaders recognise the fact that they are elected representatives and not rulers. The government has to be controlled by public opinion based upon the freedom of speech and expression and reflected in the media.
“Opposition parties must play a constructive role and not merely oppose to frustrate policies of the government.”
`Gandhi wanted to visit Pakistan`
He cited extensively from historical documents on Jinnah`s views and said that Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Gandhi, said that Mahatma Gandhi had agreed to visit Pakistan in early 1948 but was assassinated before he could do so. Perhaps if Gandhi had undertaken this visit, the disputes and differences between India and Pakistan would have been resolved, he said.
Through his speech and visual presentation, Mr Merchant reminded the audience of the Quaid-i-Azam`s strong belief in democracy and a representative government, his confidence in the supremacy of the rule of law, his faith in the freedom of speech and the protection of human rights. Though it was a misfortune to lose Jinnah merely one year after the creation of Pakistan, he is the figure around whom “Pakistanis can rally to achieve national unity and progress in the modern world”.
Mr Merchant reminded the audience that if this country was to be “Jinnah`s Pakistan”, there was a need to revisit and recover the Quaid`s vision for this nation.
The talk was followed by a lively a question-answer session.
`People are asking for Jinnah`s Pakistan` | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia | DAWN.COM
Liaquat A. Merchant, a senior lawyer and president of the Jinnah Society, was delivering a lecture titled “Is Jinnah relevant in Pakistan today?” at the Aga Khan University auditorium.
He said we have drifted away from the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam and the people were asking for “Jinnah`s Pakistan” as the country has moved closer to a shortlist of failed states.
He said this country was created with the power of pen, power of speech and power of vote. It had been ruled for almost half of its existence by the power of the sword by dictatorial regimes which abrogated the constitution, put it in abeyance and mutilated it by constitutional deviations and supra-constitutional measures while politicians aided and abetted them.
Mr Merchant said it was not uncommon for the courts of law to uphold these regimes under the doctrine of necessity and welfare of the people.
He said we fought three wars with India and lost half of the country when we should have put our legal, political and diplomatic skills to work to solve our disputes and political bickering, intrigues and machinations.
“We disregarded the principles of equality and tolerance and failed to achieve unity in diversity and discipline in our ranks,” he said. “We may have achieved a measure of political independence but economic independence still remains a much desired necessity in Pakistan.”
He said Pakistan was not achieved by strikes and satyagrah , not by mischievous machinations; not by revolt and rebellion. “It was achieved by an awakening of the Muslims by Jinnah that this nation came into being,” he said. The struggle for Pakistan, he added, was at all times legal and constitutional. The power of pen proved to be stronger than the sword`s. The freedom of expression, he said, resulted in dissemination of news and Muslims received the benefit of educated Muslim opinion on matters of great importance. They used their pen and power to vote and supported Jinnah and the Muslim League.
A nation born so, he emphasised, had democracy ingrained in its creation and therefore ingrained in the minds and hearts of the citizens.
“If our leaders and governments had placed emphasis on education and literacy, democratic traditions would have taken hold in a much stronger way,” he said. “When people have a feeling of despondency and despair, it is not because democracy has failed but because their leaders have failed them and not allowed true democracy to flourish in Pakistan.”
Mr Merchant said: “We need to have our political leaders recognise the fact that they are elected representatives and not rulers. The government has to be controlled by public opinion based upon the freedom of speech and expression and reflected in the media.
“Opposition parties must play a constructive role and not merely oppose to frustrate policies of the government.”
`Gandhi wanted to visit Pakistan`
He cited extensively from historical documents on Jinnah`s views and said that Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Gandhi, said that Mahatma Gandhi had agreed to visit Pakistan in early 1948 but was assassinated before he could do so. Perhaps if Gandhi had undertaken this visit, the disputes and differences between India and Pakistan would have been resolved, he said.
Through his speech and visual presentation, Mr Merchant reminded the audience of the Quaid-i-Azam`s strong belief in democracy and a representative government, his confidence in the supremacy of the rule of law, his faith in the freedom of speech and the protection of human rights. Though it was a misfortune to lose Jinnah merely one year after the creation of Pakistan, he is the figure around whom “Pakistanis can rally to achieve national unity and progress in the modern world”.
Mr Merchant reminded the audience that if this country was to be “Jinnah`s Pakistan”, there was a need to revisit and recover the Quaid`s vision for this nation.
The talk was followed by a lively a question-answer session.
`People are asking for Jinnah`s Pakistan` | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia | DAWN.COM
