And by doing that you prove Hoodbhoy right.
'He authored no books and wrote no policy paper. He did make many speeches, of which several were driven by political expediency and are frankly contradictory. These are freely cherry-picked today, with some finding in them a liberal and secular voice; others, an embodiment of Islamic values. The confusion is irresolvable.'
Jinnah post-1937 was diametrically opposite to Jinnah pre-1937.
I do agree with the last para of your post though
On the contrary, a read through Hector Bolitho writing on Jinnah would show you the real face of Jinnah seldom covered in other texts that aim to please as you mentioned a particular segment of society.
Bolitho's work was amongst the first on the man himself and covered the man and his life through his Muslim, Hindu and English associates/allies and rivals.
But alas the legacy this great man left behind has long since been tarnished and copy and pasted to suit certain agenda's from the liberal's to the hard-line.
As far as i am concerned Pakistanis have to do a lot of soul searching, we have to embrace this gift of freedom and examine the mistakes of the past. It is not fair to say Pakistan is not a nation; no it would be wiser to question the interaction of the peoples of Pakistan and the parts they play.
Yes antagonists exist everywhere from the republican’s in Ireland, the farc in Columbia to the tamil’s in Sri Lanka. Yet all these places are recognised as nation states.
In my humble opinion a nation is only as strong as its people, whilst it is a blunt fact the passions and energies of the populace have been misguided by self serving religious and political leaders (not just Muslim), there is another factor.
The human factor, if you apply Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to a nation’s people:
The basic needs of all humans are the same, shelter, food, clothing… The masses look to their leaders, be they religious, tribal or political for security and within their family, community or tribe they look for friendship, belonging and intimacy.
Those people or communities who achieve these basic tenants of life, then go onto aspire for self esteem, respect and eventually self actualisation. Great nations are measured not just by the action of its leaders but by the cohesive effort of its peoples.
Whilst both politicians and religious leaders tend to think of their flock as hapless sheep, great leaders understand the importance of channelling the latent energies of its population. Great leaders empower their citizens, they ensure that the necessities are taken care of, so that the people can be free to do greater things.
One morning, when Nanji Jafar was playing in the street, Jinnah, then aged about fourteen, came up to him and said, “Don’t play marbles in the dust; it spoils your clothes and dirties your hands. We must stand up and play cricket.”
The boys in Newnham Road were obedient: they gave up playing marbles and allowed Jinnah to lead them from the dusty street to a bright field where he brought his bat and stumps for them to use.
– Hector Bolitho – Jinnah Creator of Pakistan
Jinnah's message even at such a young age was clear, rise up and keep you hands clean for the greater tasks ahead.
Sadly in the case of Pakistan, the leaders have entrapped the people of this nation into a cycle of distrust, misinformation, poverty and illiteracy.
Having a poor, illiterate and helpless mass of people is a tyrant’s dream, we tend to label people like Musharraf as the great dictator, the mass murderer. Yet seldom do we question why the leaders of a certain area of community wish to deprive their sons and daughters of education, of health and prosperity?
Not having the necessities, makes one desperate, compounded with the burdens of poverty, and insecurity makes this mass angry, and this mass of pent up energy is utilised by these leaders for their selfish agenda’s which usually take the form of demands for "autonomy", religious expression or ethnic strife.
Marcel Proust is quotes as saying: At the heart of our friendly or purely social relations, there lurks a hostility momentarily cured but recurring in fits and starts.
This here is the real cause behind what plagues our nation today, the lack of real, honest leadership, the lack of vision, direction and opportunities. You can say “Pakistan” is not a nation, but have you ever thought are we worthy of Pakistan?
In our history, we are yet to produce credible leaders, those who champion the cause of the weak and smite down injustice. Yet…What we have are semi credible intellectuals with dual nationality who whisper sweet poetry, yet lack the spine to lay down the foundations of prosperity.
And whilst the claws of these greedy swine spread throughout the nation like cancer and the scourge of extremisms lays waste to countless innocent lives, these very same intellectuals and academics, sit idle in the comfort of their lavish surroundings, un-phased by the reality that torments’ this very land we call our mother.
I challenge these hypocrites, to put their money where their mouth is, if indeed they have the foresight and critical mind to truly understand the ills of our people, then stand up and provide a cure.
No…All they can offer are words, words offer no comfort. Whilst their Teflon coated speeches and writings are tailored to please the pallet of their target audience, 45% of the people are food insecure, more so are illiterate and countless jobless and aimless.
Amongst all this, the young and gifted are attracted abroad, whisked away by research institutes or supported by their parents.
The leadership un phased by this brain drain make no attempt to safe guard the positive human capital of the nation, those patriotic enough to return are met with bureaucracy and frustration at the state of the nation.
Can one man make a difference, I hope so… If a person can rally the masses, channel their energies towards a positive direction and provide the necessities they crave and rightfully desire… History will measure both the meek and the bold, sadly no such leader has arrived as of yet in our beloved motherland.
So in conclusion of this rant, I ask my Pakistani brethren… Is it the nation that is soiled, the nation we so freely attack? Or is it our continued servitude to the feudal, tribal and religious leaders, to willingly consume the political hogwash pumped down our throat by political parties or to blindly follow the path of your imam?
We as a people need to stop blaming history and start accepting reality, all that Pakistan is today, is because of our collective actions and inactions, only by righting the wrongs in the present, can we avoid follies in the future.
