One is struck by the clarity of the Quaid-e-Azam’s vision about the type of country Pakistan was supposed to be in days to come Only three days before Independence the Quaid delivered his presidential address before the newly formed Constituent Assembly of Pakistan which had been assigned the task of formulating a constitution. Jinnah laid out what he considered the basic components of the new country’s polity.
Jinnah underlined the need on the part of the government to maintain law and order, so that “the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.” He wanted Pakistan to be a kind of a welfare state which concentrated on the economic well-being of the underprivileged who frequently face shortages of food and the essential commodities of life. He advocated putting an end to smuggling, hoarding and black marketing with an iron hand. He said those indulging in these crimes ought to be severely punished “because they undermine the entire system of control and regulation of food-stuffs and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death”. Decades later political parties continue to pay lip service to the Quaid’s welfare ideals but continue to give a free hand to mafias to artificially raise prices of essential commodities.
Jinnah underlined the need to build an inclusive society where citizens were not discriminated against on the basis of colour, faith or sect. After Jinnah, the clerics who were initially opposed to the creation of Pakistan, tried to hijack the political narrative of Pakistan’s creation through the Objectives Resolution of 1949. It also suited some of the politicians to use a religious narrative to gain the support of religious parties or cover up their deficiencies.
The Quaid strongly supported civilian supremacy. Under his guidance Pakistan introduced a federal parliamentary system of government through the interim constitution of 1947. This system was maintained in the 1956 Constitution. The decline and degeneration of the civilian institutions helped men in uniform take over as military rulers. Authoritarian rule violated provincial autonomy and imposed curbs on freedom of expression, leading to the break -up of Pakistan. It is time to return to the ideals of the Founding Father to preserve the unity of the country and restore its credentials as an inclusive and genuinely democratic welfare state.
For Pakistan to survive and prosper it must revert back to the vision of Quaid’s vision instead of the path we now tread upon. Our sovereignty has been compromised too often by authoritarian dictators starting from Ayub Khan, to Zia, Musharraf etc.