Role of Ali Jinnah as the father of the nation.
As we know Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan.[1] Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan’s independence on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan’s first Governor-General until his death. He is revered in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam (“Great Leader”) and Baba-i-Qaum, (“Father of the Nation”).
The role of leadership is very important to put the nation on the way. Good leadership infuses the quality of awareness, consciousness, mobilization, sense of direction and defense against the adversaries. The Muslims were lucky to have such competent leadership. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a history-making leader, who change the course of history. He possessed a visionary leadership commitment to the caste and political mobilization capacity.
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Jinnah was trained as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn in London. Upon his return to British India, he enrolled at the Bombay High Court and took an interest in national politics, which eventually replaced his legal practice. Jinnah rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century. In these early years of his political career, Jinnah advocated Hindu–Muslim unity, helping to shape the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, in which Jinnah had also become prominent. Jinnah became a key leader in the All India Home Rule League and proposed a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims. In 1920, however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign of satyagraha, which he regarded as political anarchy.
By 1940, Jinnah had come to believe that Muslims of the Indian subcontinent should have their own state to avoid the possible marginalized status they may gain in a Hindu-Muslim state. In that year, the Muslim League, led by Jinnah, passed the Lahore Resolution, demanding a separate nation. During the Second World War, the League gained strength while leaders of the Congress were imprisoned, and in the elections held shortly after the war, it won most of the seats reserved for Muslims.
As the first Governor-General of Pakistan, Jinnah worked to establish the new nation’s government and policies and to aid the millions of Muslim migrants who had emigrated from the new nation of India to Pakistan after independence, personally supervising the establishment of refugee camps. Jinnah died at age 71 in September 1948, just over a year after Pakistan gained independence from the United Kingdom. He left a deep and respected legacy in Pakistan. Innumerable streets, roads, and localities in the world are named after Jinnah.
Politicals achievements:
Jinnah as a staunch supporter of Hindu Muslim and Indian unity started his political career with Indian National Congress in 1906. To bring closer all the Indian communities he even “bitterly opposed the introduction of the separate electorate in the district boards and municipalities”1 at the Congress session of 1910. He was a charismatic leader in the real sense of meaning. Jinnah played a decisive role in articulating the Muslims demands and pursuing these phases of strong opposition from the Hindus and British.
Jinnah started his parliamentary career in 1910 and on January 4, elected as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council from Bombay. In October 1917, he joined the Home Rule League founded by Annie Besant to further the cause of attainment of self-rule for India. In 1918, he held a vigorous campaign against the farewell party in honor of the Governor of Bombay, Lord Willingdon.2 The efforts of Jinnah were applauded and Jinnah Memorial Hall was constructed as a tribute to him from the people of Bombay.
Another landmark of Jinnah’s political struggle, to bring closer the Hindus and Muslims, was Lucknow Pact. In December 1916, AIML and Congress met in Lucknow. It was due to the untiring efforts of Jinnah that the Congress “agreed to separate electorate, for the first and the last time. 3 To applaud these efforts of Jinnah, he was given the title of ‘Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity’ by Sarojni Naidu.
To counter the secret and revolutionary activities during World War I, an Act was introduced by the British Government known as Rowlatt Act. Jinnah opposed the Act as it was against all the fundamental notions of law and justice. He “resigned from Imperial Legislative Council as a protest”.4
The dream of Hindu-Muslim unity seemed to collapse but it was Jinnah who stepped forward and presented his Delhi Muslim Proposals in 1927. For the sake of Hindu-Muslim unity, the Muslim League was ready to forego the demand which was the cry of the Muslim India, the ‘separate electorate’. The Delhi-Muslim Proposals “reflected his intentions and revealed his views about Hindu-Muslim Unity”.5 These efforts were undone by the Nehru Report. Jinnah opposed it tooth and nail. “The Nehru Report of 1928 made no concession at all and was rejected by all shades of Muslim opinion”.6
Reaction to Nehru Report was the famous Fourteen Points of Jinnah. These Fourteen Points clearly reflected the demands, sentiments, and aspirations of the Muslims”.7 The Congress did not give any importance to these points and instead determined to oppose them.
In order to discuss the political deadlock and reach some constitutional settlement for British India, Round Table Conferences were held in London from 1930-1932. Jinnah “played a vital role on Federal Structure Sub-Committee”8 The Round Table Conference proved that the two main communities of India held bipolar and contradicting views on Indian constitutional progress.
To end the stalemate British Government announced Communal Award on 16 August 1932 leading to the enactment of the Government of India Act 1935. The Act was neither held by the Muslim League nor by Congress. But this Act became the basis for the future constitutions of India and Pakistan.
Quaid e Azam as an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity;
How did Quaid E Azam get the title of ambassador of peace?
Before 1947 there were two major political parties in the subcontinent i.e Muslim League and Indian National Congress. Muslim League was formed in 1906 whereas Indian National Congress was formed long before. Muslim League was the sole representative of Muslims whereas Indian National Congress claimed to be the representative of both i.e Muslims and Hindus. Quaid e Azam started his political career in the subcontinent by joining Indian National Congress. In 1913, he also joined Muslim League. At that time he was a staunch supporter of Hindu – Muslim unity. Initially, he believed that Muslims and Hindus should live together in the subcontinent as they were living there together, before. This helped him to earn the title of “Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity” or you can say that Ambassador of peace.
In 1916 Lucknow Pact took place between the All India Muslim League, lead by M.A.Jinnah, and Indian National Congress, led by B.G. Tilak. Through this pact Muslim-Hindu political relationships were improved and the religious communities were brought closer later on Congress also accepted the separate electoral rights for Muslims. Jinnah played an important role in this whole arrangement and in fact, was an adamant supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity and thus named “Ambassador of Hindu Muslim Unity”. However, it’s another story that later on Jinnah realized that Hindus weren’t very good team players and weren’t going to be helpful in case to support Muslims which was later quite evident after the 1937 elections.
After some years his personality transformed and he struggled for the independence of Muslims. Although Muslims and Hindus were living together in the subcontinent, they both have a different histories, culture, traditions, and norms and also Muslims were not given their proper rights. So, he struggled for the independence of Muslims.
Who gave the title of Ammbasdur of Hindu Muslim Unity to Quaid-e-Azam?
Sarojini Naidu gave this title to Muhammad Ali Jinnah for his efforts to bring Hindus and Muslims together against British Rule. He was initially a member of the All India National Congress and later joined the All India Muslim League but did not resign from the All India National Congress, therefore as a member of both parties he tried really hard so that Muslims and Hindus can be on the same page. And due to his efforts, he was given this title at Lucknow Pact.
Now, also Muslims are living in India and also Hindus are living in Pakistan. It is the duty of both the governments i.e government of Pakistan and the government of India to treat them like the citizen of their states not on the basis of their religion.
References
- Ahmad Saeed, Trek to Pakistan, (Lahore: Institute of Pakistan Historical Research, 2002), p.251.
- Ahmad Saeed, op. cit, p. 133.
- Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications), p. 10.
- Ahmad Saeed, op. cit, p. 199.
- Muhammad Ali Siddiqui, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah: Speeches: Round Table Conference [1930-1932] (Karachi: Quaid-i-Azam Academy, 1996), introduction.
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