Jinnah and Independence of Pakistan 1947

 Jinnah and Independence of Pakistan 1947

¹ Fiza Irfan ² Dr. Muhammad Naeem

Laureate Folks International

ERC, PAKISTAN

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Background and History

 In the first half of the 20th century, the struggle for the Independence of Pakistan was an important hallmark in world history. It was for the first time in history that a country came into existence in the name of religion. It was also the first time that from an inchoate and down-trodden minority, a nation came into being. The establishment of Pakistan gave rise to the largest demographic movement in world history. Almost 17 million people moved between India and Pakistan.

Under the leadership of Jinnah, many personalities played their roles to create a new state of Pakistan in 1947. It is believed that Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his companions had played a prominent role in the creation of Pakistan. The work of Quaid e Azam as the creator of Pakistan outshines everything else which he did. Although his life is full of awards and achievements. He was the youngest Indian to be called at the Bar, a well-known lawyer in Bombay, an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, a great parliamentarian and constitutionalist, a freedom fighter, and most importantly the father of a nation. For almost three decades he guided, gave expression, direction, and a political platform to the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. During this period, he had fought inexorably and relentlessly for the independence of Muslims.

Who were Jinnah and His Family?

“Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Few still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah did all three.” These are the words that Stanley Wolpert has used to describe the personality of Jinnah, in his book Jinnah of Pakistan.

On the 25th of December, 1876 a son was born to the Poonja family. The child was the eldest of his seven siblings and was named Muhammad Ali Jinnah. His father, Jinnahbhai Poonja belongs to the Khoja caste of Gondal, in the State of Kathiawar. He got married to Mithibai and migrated to Karachi. In Karachi, he was a well-known merchant and a booming business. Mr. Poonja had no political background, but little did he know that his son was destined to be a great political leader.

Education:

Muhammad Ali Jinnah after being taught at home was sent to Sindh Madrasa Tul Islam, Karachi in 1887, where he got his early education. Later in March 1892, he joined Christian Mission School from where he completed his Matriculation. At that point in time, his father was working with Grahams Shipping and Trading Company, which offered Jinnah to acquire training in business in London. Thus, it was decided to send him to England to gain business exposure.

In London, he got enrolled in Lincoln's Inn College. The reason to study there, according to Jinnah, was that the name of Holy Prophet SAWS was mentioned there as the greatest lawgiver of the world. In 1895, he became the youngest Indian to be called to the Bar. While living in England, Jinnah started to take interest in politics. He frequently goes to the House of Commons, to learn about the working of the British political system. On his return to Karachi, he came to know about the business loss of his father. After that, he started his practice as a lawyer.

Political Career:

While living in London, he got inspired by Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Indian to be elected to the House of Commons. It is said that the personality of Dadabhai inspired Jinnah to get involved in politics and he joined the Indian National Congress in 1906. Initially, Jinnah advocated for Hindu-Muslim unity, due to which he was given the title of “Ambassador of Peace”, by Ghokhlay. The table turned and at the beginning of the 20th century, he realized the hypocrisy of Hindus. He came to know that the Indian National Congress is solely working for Hindus and the rights of the Muslims were not secure under its banner. Ultimately, in 1913 he joined the All India Muslim League, and since then he had been working to safeguard the rights of the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent.

Married Life:

At the age of sixteen, Jinnah was married to Emibai at the request of his mother. The marriage was short-lived, as Emibai died when Jinnah was in London.

Later on, Jinnah married Rattanbai Petit in 1918. Rattanbai was a Parsi and converted to Islam. In 1919, she gave birth to the one and only child of Jinnah, Dina. However, their marriage also ended after a short span of two years due to the busy political life of Jinnah and the couple separated. After a few years of their separation, Ratti Jinnah also died in 1929.

Why Jinnah Struggled for Pakistan?

Jinnah's struggle for Pakistan was not in any way an attempt to glory or fame. One can define the personality of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in many ways, but the words in which John Biggs Davison had described Jinnah are apt. He stated, "Although, without Gandhi, Hindustan would still have gained independence and without Lenin and Mao, Russia and China would still have endured Communist revolution, without Jinnah, there would have been no Pakistan in 1947.”

What truly differentiates Jinnah from others is that he always worked for the people and their welfare. He never worked for selfish aspirations and gains. In working for the creation of Pakistan, he even hid his deteriorating health condition from everyone and continued to work day and night. The selflessness of Quaid is evident from the event when the British Parliament had offered a knighthood for his services, he simply refused by simply stating that he would prefer to be known as “Mr. Jinnah''.

The charismatic personality of Jinnah had a massive appeal in the Indian subcontinent. He had lived and learned the colonist’s tactics of Britishers and while being a part of the Indian National Congress understood the psyche of the Hindu majority. His commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent was undeniable. He had a firm grip on the overall scenario of the Indian subcontinent and he knew that after the war, the Britishers had to leave the subcontinent sooner or later. And after their departure, the Hindu majority would ultimately dominate the Muslim minority. Thus, he struggled to safeguard the rights of the Muslims of the Indian Subcontinent.

Companions of Jinnah:

Quaid was not alone in his struggle for the independence of Pakistan. Several other individuals played a crucial role in it and without them the dream of an independent homeland could not be possible achieve. Some of the main companions of Jinnah are as follows;

Allama Iqbal:

The “Thinker of Pakistan”, Allama Muhammad Iqbal was a philosopher, poet, and creator of Pakistan. He gave the idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian Subcontinent in his famous address at Allahabad in 1930. He was an active part of the All India Muslim League and provided his continuous support to Jinnah. He was aware of Jinnah’s potential, that's why he showed full support to him. He was also a reason for Jinnah’s return from the self-imposed exile and to hold the barracks of All India Muslim League.

Liaquat Ali Khan:

The first Prime Minister of Pakistan and a close ally of Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan is one of the founding fathers of Pakistan. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, he got his early education at Aligarh and later studied at Oxford University. During the formation of the interim government, he held the finance portfolio. He was one of the closest companions of Jinnah and assisted him in his struggle.

Chaudhry Rehmat Ali:

He was one of the main proponents for the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was the person who suggested the name of “Pakistan” in his pamphlet “Now or Never” in 1933. The pamphlet was addressed to the Indian delegates and Britishers at the 3rd Round Table Conference in London. He was actively engaged in Jinnah’s struggle for an independent homeland for Muslims.

Fatima Jinnah:

Madar-e-Millat (mother of the nation), Fatima Jinnah was the youngest and closest sibling of Jinnah. She provided her continuous support and advocacy for the creation of Pakistan. She, along with her brother, strived for Pakistan’s cause. Fatima Jinnah worked day and night along with her brother and gathered the women of the Indian subcontinent on a single platform. She was a close advisor and a trusted companion of Jinnah.

Fazlul Haq:

Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Haq was a key figure in the struggle for Pakistan's independence. He was an excellent orator and boycotted all the titles and knighthood awarded by the Britishers. One of his most notable political achievements was his presentation of the Lahore Resolution in 1940.

How is it Challenging to get Independence?

Getting independence was never an easy task, especially in the case of Pakistan. As in the case of Pakistan, it was the first time in history that partition occurred on the basis of religion. But, how religion will determine the scheme of partition is quite controversial. There are certain challenges in the path of independence; some of these challenges are as follow;

●       The idea of independence of Pakistan was against the whims and wishes of Britishers as well as Hindus. For Britishers, the unity of India was their main achievement and the idea of Pakistan shattered that achievement. Thus, they are one of the biggest challenges in the creation of Pakistan. Secondly, for Hindus, the partition of the Indian subcontinent was also unacceptable. Therefore, they did their best to put hurdles in the path of independence.

●       In the Indian subcontinent, the Muslim population is dispersed and is in minority. There was no single belt of Muslim majority areas. The Muslim population was the concentration in two parts of united India, one is in the East and the other is in the West. The dispersion of the Muslim population is the biggest challenge in the path of independence.

●       The idea was proposed that people will determine that either they want to be a part of India or Pakistan. Thus, not all the Muslim majority areas wanted to join Pakistan. There are many Muslims who staunchly opposed the idea of Pakistan and were against the partition of the Indian subcontinent.

●       Another gruesome challenge was the partition of two Muslim majority provinces Punjab and Bengal. Both provinces had very large areas where non-Muslims were in minority. Thus, it was quite difficult to divide them.

Concluding Remarks:

“By any definition of the nation, Muslims are a separate nation”, these are the words of Jinnah. “We are a nation with our own distinctive culture and civilization, language and literature, art and architecture, names and nomenclature, sense of values and proportion, legal laws and moral code, customs and calendar, history and tradition, aptitudes and ambitions; in short, we have our own distinctive outlook on life and of life. By all canons of international law, we are a nation.”

In the struggle for the Independence of Pakistan, no one played a more crucial role than Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The independence of Pakistan, no doubt, was the result of the tireless and unending efforts of Jinnah and his companions. It is on their credit, that a country was created against the tidal wave of history and Pakistan emerged as an independent state on the World’s map.