August 14: The Apex of Muslims’ Fight for Pakistan

APP

Peshawar: Following the failure of the 1857 War, the Muslims, who had ruled the subcontinent for nearly 800 years, were stripped of all civil, political, constitutional, and economic rights.

Subjected to an unrelenting ordeal of disparity, inequality, and discrimination, the Muslims of the subcontinent were marginalized by the colonial rulers, who perceived them as rivals after wresting power from the Mughal emperors under the guise of the East India Company.

The Muslims faced intellectual, political, and educational decline as the colonial rulers tightened their grip on the subcontinent and favoured the socio-economic and educational advancement of Hindus.

During this grim period, Muslims found new hope and direction through the renowned educationist, political thinker, and social reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who infused new vigour and dynamism among Muslims, drawing inspiration from the teachings of the great religious leaders, Mujaddid Alf Sani and Shah Waliullah.

“Sir Syed initiated an intellectual revolution among Muslims through educational, political, and social reforms. The foundation of Pakistan, laid by the great Sir Syed, was furthered by eminent leaders such as Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, Abdur Rab Nishtar, Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, and others under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, culminating in the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947,” said Dr Ejaz Khan, former Chairman of the International Relations Department at the University of Peshawar, while speaking to APP.

He said Sir Syed, on one hand, nullified the malicious propaganda of the colonial rulers, Hindus, and pessimistic forces during an era of discrimination, oppression, and darkness, while on the other hand, he led the Muslims of British India out of oppression and ignominy.

Recognising the socioeconomic, political, and educational decay among the oppressed Muslims, Sir Syed founded the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference (AIMEC) at Aligarh in 1886, which carried forward his vision for modern education, socio-economic empowerment, and political unity among Muslims to restore their former glory.

The network of educational institutions and political unity organised under AIMEC enabled millions of Muslims to compete with other communities, including Hindus, and provided a launching pad for Muslims to embark on a peaceful political and democratic struggle for a separate homeland in the subcontinent where they could live with dignity.

“Sir Syed’s multifaceted reforms advanced Muslims in education, social, economic, and political sciences, resulting in their voices being strongly heard by the British rulers,” Dr Ejaz maintained.

Under the banner of the All India Muslim League (AIML), founded on December 30, 1906, in Dhaka, Muslims united under the AIML flag, giving new impetus to the independence movement.

The independence movement gained further momentum after Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah took the helm, formally joining AIML in 1913. The idea of an independent state for Muslim-majority provinces in north-western India was eloquently outlined by the great poet-philosopher Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal during his historic Allahabad address in 1930.

Dr Allama Iqbal was the first politician to articulate the two-nation theory, asserting that Muslims were a distinct nation deserving of political independence from the other regions and communities of united India.

The Pakistan Movement passed through various phases and finally took concrete shape in 1933 during a high-level gathering in London where Chaudhary Rehmat Ali proposed the name of Pakistan.

Recalling Rehmat Ali’s famous saying, “Now or never or perish forever,” Dr Ejaz said the two former students, Aslam Khattak and Inayatullah Khan of Charsadda, along with other Muslim leaders, endorsed the name of Pakistan. “The name Pakistan and the historic Allahabad address provided a clear direction to the Muslims of the subcontinent to achieve Pakistan.”

The Muslims of united India, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, later gathered at Iqbal Park in Lahore on March 23, 1940, where they passed the historic Pakistan Resolution.

Following the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution, Quaid-e-Azam reorganised AIML on modern lines and made repeated visits to all Muslim-majority provinces, including KP (formerly known as NWFP), to mobilise the masses for the creation of Pakistan.

“The legendary Quaid received a historic welcome when he visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) in 1945, where a sea of people from KP and the Merged Areas (erstwhile FATA) arrived to catch a glimpse of their beloved leader,” he said.

People arrived by buses, rickshaws, trains, bicycles, trucks, and on foot in Peshawar, pledging their full support to the great Quaid for Pakistan.

The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, adorned their houses, vehicles, and bungalows with Muslim League flags and raised full-throated slogans of “Pakistan” and “Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad.”

He said it was the love of the people of KP for the great Quaid that enabled AIML to secure the maximum number of seats in the province during the 1946 elections. After that historic victory, nothing could halt the independence movement from there.

Following the strong commitment and dedicated peaceful political struggle of the Muslims under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, Pakistan came into being on August 14, 1947, within seven years of the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940.

“The history of the Pakistan Movement is incomplete without mentioning the role of Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) students,” Dr Ejaz Khan said, adding that the legendary Quaid visited ICP in 1936, 1945, and 1948 to acknowledge the outstanding role of its students during the Pakistan Movement.

On April 12, 1948, Quaid-e-Azam visited ICP as the first Governor-General of Pakistan, where he paid glowing tributes to the services of its students towards the creation of Pakistan in these words:

“I am indeed very happy to be present here today and to have the privilege of addressing students of this great Darul Uloom, who are the future builders of Pakistan. Remember, your government is like your own garden. Your garden flourishes by the way you look after it and the efforts that you put towards its improvement. Similarly, your government can only flourish by your patriotic, honest, and constructive efforts to improve it.”

The great Quaid had expressed a desire to construct a university near ICP, a wish fulfilled by the government within a year with the establishment of the University of Peshawar in 1949.

Quaid-e-Azam had an immense affection for the tribesmen of the merged tribal districts (erstwhile FATA) for their strong commitment, loyalty, sacrifices, and unwavering support during the Pakistan Movement, acknowledged by him during his address at the Grand Tribal Jirga at Governor House, Peshawar on April 17, 1948.

He emphasised the importance of education and socio-economic development for the tribesmen and considered technical education, science, and technology as prerequisites for achieving the goals of development and economic prosperity.

Dr A R Hilali, former Chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Peshawar, said that August 14 is a historic day that commemorates the heroic struggle of the Muslims of the subcontinent for a separate homeland where they could live with freedom, dignity, and harmony according to their religious faith, social, and cultural values.

He said it is a day to pay rich tributes to our forefathers, who endured great trials and tribulations during the Pakistan Movement for the sake of our prosperous and secure future.

Dr Hilali added that August 14 is a day to pledge to work tirelessly in our chosen professions for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan, utilising all our energy to make Pakistan economically strong.