March 23, 2008

The Pakistan Movement was enthused and administered by the leaders, workers and volunteers who had an uneclipsed faith in the personality and guidance of the Quaid-i-Azam. Sharif Toosy was, and still is, a prominent name among the participants of the movement. During those times he was well-known as a columnist for Eastern Times (Lahore) who wrote on issues related to the freedom struggle, such as explanation of the political positions taken by the Muslim League on emerging scenarios, defence of arguments laid down by Mr Jinnah and his colleagues pertinent to the demand of freedom, as well as justification of the two-nation theory.

Although he was not directly connected to the organisational hierarchy of the League, Toosy’s writings caught the attention of Mr Jinnah during the 1940s. Being a prolific writer, he was apt in responding to any new issue raised by the opposing political camps. While his modest profession as a headmaster in a Wazirabad School did not scale up to his impressive journalistic contribution, Mr Jinnah was quick in gauging his potential.

On his advice, Toosy took leave from his job in 1942-43 and began working for Mr Jinnah on an important assignment. He was asked to develop a monograph on the history of the Muslim League by undertaking desk research under the direct supervision of Mr Jinnah himself. During this period he also assisted Mr Jinnah in preparing important speeches, and made the most of his coveted company.

He was able to discuss with Jinnah some of the most controversial issues related to the future of Muslims in the subcontinent. In one such discussion, he raised the argument that the League is perceived by many as a group of nobles, feudals and the elite, and that its sole aim is to acquire power by (mis)using the Muslim cause. Mr Jinnah dispelled this assumption and outlined the position of the League and its demand in a succinct manner. According to him, the Muslim League was demanding the creation of such a state in Pakistan which would be able to develop and elevate the religious and cultural status of every Muslim.

Mr Jinnah cautioned that if the Muslims do not attempt to safeguard their identity, then they would lose the option of decent survival as a dignified people. In other words, the Muslims shall be reduced to an inferior status as one of the many minority communities in the subcontinent. The challenge that always remained was to motivate the Muslim nobility to understand the chronic problems faced by their less advantaged brethren and mobilise them to resolve the issues.

The six months stint in Jinnah’s company was extremely productive for Toosy. He compiled some of his articles in two booklets namely Pakistan and Muslim India and Nationalism in Conflict in India. Mr Jinnah wrote a common preface for these volumes and recommended party members to read them. Toosy also wrote a voluminous book titled Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement. It was published in 1975 by the National Book Foundation, although Jinnah had wanted it to be produced much earlier.

Based on his conversations with Jinnah, Toosy wrote a booklet titled My Reminiscencs of Quaid-i-Azam. After seeking permission, he was able to compile the correspondence between Allama Iqbal and Jinnah which was later published as Iqbal’s Letters to Jinnah. The other volumes produced by Sharif Toosy include India’s Problem of her Future Constitution and Eye Witness of History. These books have been re-published by different local publishers, though many of them can only be found in public libraries. The content of these was based on bolstering the arguments around the policies of the Muslim League. The author was able to draw analytical findings relevant to the subcontinent as well as the various global scenes of relevance. Many critics complimented Toosy for the well-researched narrative that make these texts a useful read.

Mr Jinnah was very happy with the competence, dedication and selflessness of Toosy. He wanted him to join the Daily Dawn as a member of the editorial staff but he declined and went back to Wazirabad. Thereafter Toosy continued to contribute his writings to the leading newspapers in the same prolific manner. Sharif Toosy was also the father of Abida Toosy Shaheed, the student at Fatima Jinnah Medical College in Lahore who was the first woman martyr in the 1965 war.

It is important that readers be made aware of the unwavering commitment and life long contributions of selfless workers like Sharif Toosy. It was the collective work of many such individuals that made a once impossible dream a living reality.