MAJ died on 11 September 1948, and his vision has since remained in hibernation because of the greed of a few. In his address to the First Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947, the Quaid emphasised the importance of adopting a Constitution as soon as possible. He wanted Pakistan to cease being a dominion of HM Government, governed under the Government of India Act 1935, and instead become a sovereign state.
Unfortunately, his health had deteriorated, a fact that was closely guarded because he knew that if the Congress and the Raj became aware of it, they might have delayed independence. Had MAJ not been there, Pakistan and its Muslim majority would have continued to face the threat of extremist Hindu nationalists, like those suffering daily in Modi’s India.
MAJ’s vision of a “Democratic Welfare State” was reduced to that of a “Client State”, performing errands for its former colonial masters and their allies. In 1956, a Constitution was finally approved, but it lasted for less than two and a half years. General Iskander Mirza, in connivance with Ayub, abrogated it on 7 October 1958, and martial law was imposed.
We lost half the country in 1971 because of these transgressions and the betrayal of Jinnah’s vision. Finally, in 1973, Pakistan unanimously adopted a Constitution that provided an elaborate system of governance, with checks and balances and clearly defined roles for elected and appointed representatives.
The fact is that a system exists, but it has not been followed in letter and spirit. The problems, if any, lie with those at the helm—both elected and appointed—who are driven by greed, obsessions and biases, rather than with the system itself.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore.
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