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ہفتہ، 14 اگست، 2010

Pakistan looking towards its nation to own her

Pakistan was not born in a day. Neither its birth was accidental. In fact Pakistan was born out of a necessity that embodied strenuous struggle of its founding leaders.Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was bestowed upon the title of Quaid-e-Azam,was in fact at the spirit behind the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the then united India.


Faiz Al-Najdi

 Why was then the necessity of creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of India?
 This is the question that has remained at the centre of the debate till date. Many writers have dwelt upon this subject issue. Many politicians, of the past and the contemporary ones, have also opined on the same. There could be varying opinion, but the reason at the centre stage was to ensure that the Muslims of the then India would not be exploited by the Hindu majority once the British rulers had left. It is no secret that Jinnah was the ardent supporter of and proponent of the idea of a united India. For this very reason he was often called as the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. But Jinnah knew very well that once India was independent, the Muslim population would be overwhelmed by the Hindu majority. It would thus open gates of exploitation, discrimination and hence injustices to the rights of the Muslim minority in this new country. It is also a fact that many open and back door diplomacy to ensure Muslim rights had failed and that is why Jinnah finally was convinced that there was no way out but to plead and fight the case for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the then India. This idea was definitely opposed both by the British and the then Hindu leadership. However Jinnah was determined to reach the goal. This goal was thus not a cake-walk. Millions had to pay through their lives on both sides of the divide to finally get this new homeland for the Muslims.
 A new country – Pakistan - thus appeared on the World map on 14th of August 1947.
 Ever since this new country is looking for the day when its inhabitants would become one Pakistani nation and thus come forward and own her. Pakistan was created in the Muslim-majority areas of the then united India – namely, Punjab, East Bengal, Sindh, Balochistan and the North Western Frontier Province. The Pakistan thus formed had the ethnic population of the Punjabis, Bengalis, Sindhis, Balochis and Pathans. A new ethnic dimension was added as a result of the mass migration of the Muslims from the Muslim-minority regions of the then India. They were essentially the refugees or popularly called as the Mohajirs.  They spoke Urdu which later became the national language. As a result of this distinct ethnic divisions and the complex situation resulting thereon, the Pakistanis now are everything other than being a Pakistani. The borders between the provinces became holy and Pakistan thus became a federation with a distinct, loud and separate identity of the four nations added to it the fifth one of the Urdu speaking migrants from India, who mostly settled in Karachi. Unfortunately this, the idea of five distinct and separate nations based on languages that they spoke, also remained an official line from Islamabad often propagated as such in both print and electronic media.
 Then came the religious leaders. Interestingly almost all of them had remained diehard opponents of the idea of creation of a new country for the Muslims of India called Pakistan and had given tough time to Jinnah during the Pakistan movement. However, after the creation of Pakistan they all jumped onto the bandwagon and began to harp on yet another new dimension. That was of the Muslim identity. They rallied on the idea that we were Muslims first and anything else later.
 As a result over all these years, we became Muslims first followed with the Punjabis, Bengalis, Sindhis, Balochis, Pathans and Mohajirs. We were never allowed to become Pakistanis and hence we did not become one. Till date we remain everything else except Pakistanis.
 The poor country Pakistan is desperately waiting since 14th August 1947 to see if its inhabitants would come forward and call themselves Pakistanis and thus own their country Pakistan.
 In short the apathy is that as of today, Pakistan remains without Pakistanis. That is, Pakistan is still looking towards its inhabitants to become one Pakistani nation and to come forward and own her.
 History is witness to the fact that primarily as a result of this indifference from the very inhabitants of this country one wing – East Pakistan – was lost. Other factors not withstanding but it is also a fact that East Pakistan became Bangladesh on 16 December 1971 solely due to the rise of the Bengali nationalism.
 We now are seeing a similar situation in Balochistan and Sindh. Also, after renaming of NWFP (North West Frontier Province) as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a sharp rise in demand for further provinces, on the lines of ethnicity and language, has also been noticed. To name a few are Hazara Province, Seraiki Province, etc. If these two become new provinces then it would be very difficult to suppress the demand for Karachi as a separate province from Sindh.
 It is clear that all of these above would open a Pandora’s box on secession of areas and regions from the existing provinces and carving out of new provinces. It is hard to predict at this moment whether this would be boon or bane for Pakistan.
 However looking at the overall situation in the country today, especially the mood of the people of Pakistan, it is very clear that the very stability & integrity of the rest of the remaining parts of this wonderful country is being threatened. Unfortunately some politicians are also trying to capitalise on this rising trend of demand of new provinces based on ethnic and language. Hardly do they think that they are playing with fire    
 Pakistan today thus stands threatened not by the external forces but unfortunately by its enemy within – that is, by the Pakistanis themselves who are seen to be hell bent on breaking up this country into further pieces.
 God protect this beautiful country of ours!

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