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Pakistan: A role model for a progressive Muslim state
The Sha Faisal Mosque in Islamabad
Karachi harbor fishing boats
Nanga Parbat mountain
Neelum Valley road of Muzaffarabad
By TARIQ OSMAN HYDER
Published: Aug 14, 2010 00:30 Updated: Aug 14, 2010 23:06
Around 175 million Pakistanis celebrate their country’s independence day with thankfulness to Almighty Allah for giving them this homeland after immense sacrifices.
The emergence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, now the sixth most populous nation in the world, was a tremendous achievement of the Muslims of British-ruled India. It was made possible by the dedicated leadership of the head of the Muslim League, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The Muslims wanted a country in which they could live their lives in accordance with their religious and cultural traditions and prosper economically which otherwise would not have been possible under the majority Hindu community when the British left.
To be able to wrest this independence from the implacable hostility of the majority community’s political leadership and the ambivalent British colonialists, who leaned toward the majority community and unfairly demarcated the boundaries of the two countries depriving full access to Jammu and Kashmir, was a task only accomplished by the iron will of Jinnah, backed by the entire Muslim community.
In the struggle for independence, Jinnah sent Muslim League emissaries all over the world, particularly to Muslim countries and where Muslim communities in other countries resided.
They carried with them the message that Muslims everywhere should support the emergence of this new country with its rich Islamic heritage and traditional ties.
On becoming independent, and even before that, Pakistan and its people would fully support all Muslim countries, support their struggles for independence and their causes and strive with them so that Muslim countries would develop their due weight and influence in the new world order taking shape after the World War II.
This is the compact that Pakistan and its people have kept faith with since their independence in 1947. Immediately after the UN was founded, Pakistan spearheaded the debate against the division of Palestine. Till now Pakistan has not recognized Israel and fully supports the right of the oppressed and occupied Palestinians for their own homeland.
Similarly, the struggle of the Indonesians for independence from Dutch rule was fully supported and the correspondence between Jinnah and the Indonesian independence leader Sukarno illustrates the affection they had for each other. The Dutch were denied overflying and landing rights for their troop reinforcement, forcing them into long detours. Muslim army officers from the British Army in Indonesia joined the Indonesian freedom struggle.
In the five man UN panel deciding what to do with Italian Eritrea after WWII, the Pakistani delegate voted against giving it to Ethiopia, warning that “it would be a stone dropped on the feet of Ethiopia and would not be sustainable” as it turned out to be the case after a long struggle.
The freedom struggle against French colonial rule of the Muslim Arabs of North Africa was diplomatically and otherwise sustained by Pakistan. Many of the Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan leaders found refuge in Pakistan. The French were surprised when the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) leaders with Pakistani diplomatic passports arrived to plead their case before the United Nations.
Shipments of arms were also made. From the beginning, Pakistan provided training to the armed forces of nearly all-Muslim countries and continues to do so, extending this now to close cooperation in the global campaign against terrorism and extremism that afflicts the modern world.
At the same time, Pakistan with its Muslim partners works in the UN and elsewhere to persuade the international community that the root causes of terrorism and extremism, not just the symptoms, must be addressed by creating a just and equitable economic system to eradicate poverty, providing fund development, particularly education and technology, and for redressing the long-standing disputes and occupations that Muslims continue to be subjected to. Pakistan was a leading partner for Saudi Arabia in the formation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and has worked tirelessly in trying to make the OIC an effective voice for the Muslim world. Throughout, Pakistan was faced with the hostility of its larger neighbor India, which felt that the emergence of Pakistan was a mistake and would revert to India. Pakistan has always resisted the hegemonic objectives of its neighbor.
The Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir is partially occupied by India, which has kept its oppressive occupation despite UN Security Council Resolutions sanctioning the right of the Kashmiri people to their self-determination. The constant and consistent support of the Muslim countries expressed bilaterally and by the OIC in support of the Kashmiri people has been a source of strength and hope for them and fully appreciated by Pakistan and its people. The human rights violations and armed occupation in Indian-administered Kashmir has not abated the struggle of the Kashmiri people for self-determination. The sectarian violence against Muslims, such as in the 2002 Gujarat riots and endemic discrimination, has further demonstrated that the choice of the Muslims to found their own country and homeland was absolutely necessary and the need of the hour.
Right now, extreme floods in Pakistan have badly affected millions of people. In 2005, one of the worst earthquakes in the world led to grave loss of people, property and infrastructure. However, the story of Pakistan and its people is one of great courage and resilience. Pakistan by the Grace of Allah is a blessing and bastion of support for the Muslim world.
Despite lack of hydrocarbon resources available to other brotherly countries, Pakistan has one of the most diverse and strong economic bases in the Muslim world. Its armed forces are among the largest and most capable and it is the only Muslim country that has for self-defense developed a nuclear strategic capability.
A strong and vibrant democratic system that gives voice to different political parties across the spectrum, a strong and independent judiciary and a very active and large media, provides a good model for a progressive Muslim state in the modern world. Pakistan and its people will overcome the present challenges, both internal and external, many of which are shared with other Muslim countries. On its part, Pakistan is fully conscious of the support always extended to it by brotherly Muslim countries, above all from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in times of crisis and need and also for its economic development.
Pakistan is proud of its close historic and current links with all the Muslim countries, which are a pillar of state policy and part of its identity and through the OIC, the UN and bilaterally will continue to provide support to them and to Muslim causes, particularly for those under occupation. InshAllah the future of Pakistan is bright given the will and resilience of its people. Muslim countries and peoples should count on this.
Pakistan: A role model for a progressive Muslim state - Arab News
