September 13, 2003

“Quaid-i-Azam lived so that Pakistan may come into being. He died so that Pakistan may live.” — Mohtarama Fatima Jinnah

It is known to all of us that besides being a dauntless leader, our dear Quaid was a brilliant barrister who as one of his contemporaries described “used to cast a spell in the court room.”

One of the hallmarks of his great personality as a statesman and a lawyer was that he staunchly followed a set of principles, truly his guiding angels and never deviated from them at any occasion in his lifetime. And of course they were so thoroughly based on logic and reason that they never failed to impress.

Naturally gifted with extraordinary qualities to prove his point logically and effectively, Mohammad Ali Jinnah had established himself as a successful lawyer in Bombay by the year 1936. It is said that his professional expertise as a barrister were unparalleled and he was the highest paid legal practitioner of the country. There have been instances when he would simply refuse to accept a case, no matter how it affected him financially if he saw things going against his principles.

There is an anecdote related to this aspect of his personality which clearly illustrates his unshakable belief in principles which helped him reach this position.

Once a case was offered to him which could fetch him a handsome fee, said to be ten lac Rupees. But the Quaid was already occupied and felt he could not devote his time and attention to the case. In a straightforward manner, which was his particular way of dealing, he turned down the offer. When his associates came to know of it, they could not help but ask him for the reason of this refusal. In reply the Quaid, genuinely a man of principle, smiled and said: “The amount is irrelevant it is the principle here, if I cannot pay full attention to the case it is cheating.”

No wonder our great leader was an embodiment of such matchless qualities which distinguished him from others. Having moulded his life in the cast of principles, he taught others the same lesson and highly valued three traits in a person — personal dignity, self-respect and honour.

In his view these were the fundamental qualities which built the character of an individual and enabled him to score a number of successes in his field. One thing that he disliked and thought affected the dignity of a person negatively was the habit of asking for favours. It is said he would not give favours to others nor did he ever ask for one. He always said: “Self respect and asking for favours are two contradictory things. Never expect any favours from anyone. You will not get anywhere. You will only lower yourself in your eyes. And remember, self-respect has no tag.”

His life is illuminated by a spectrum of principles and virtues. There is an anecdote narrated by a medical attendant who tended to him during his last days at the Ziarat residency. It tells us how dearly he valued the people who regulated their life and profession according to certain rules and refused to be played down under any circumstances at any cost.

During his stay there, Sister A. S. Nathaniel checked his temperature one day and was still reading the thermometer when the Quaid asked her what the temperature was. As a rule she could not reveal this information to him. It was only to be told to the doctor, and she said so.

The Quaid again asked her but she refused on the same grounds. After she left the room, the Quaid smilingly said to Fatima Jinnah sitting nearby, “I like such people who are not impressed by anybody and say whatever they want to say free from any pressure.” The Sister overheard his words and felt glad to have received such a compliment from the great leader.

His interest in seeing Muslims attain better positions in life as individuals was evident from the stress he laid on character building on numerous occasions through his statements and speeches. Relevant it would be to produce here a few lines from his speech delivered at the Muslims Legislatures’ Convention in Delhi on April 11, 1946. He had said;

“We Muslims have got everything: brains, intelligence, capacity and courage, virtues that nations must posses... but we have lost the fullness of our noble character. And what is character — highest sense of honour and the highest sense of integrity, conviction, incorruptibility, readiness at any time to efface oneself for the collective good of the nation.

“Jinnah was incorruptible and courageous.”
— Mahatama M.K. Gandhi
 

“Jinnah was very straight forward... if I were going into a battle, he was the kind of a man I would like to have as my commander.”
— Sir Woodrow Wyat
 

“I would rate Jinnah as a bigger political giant of the twentieth century than even General De-Gonle.”
— Lord Listowell

“Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity and one of subcontinent’s tried and impeachable leader.”
— Mrs Sarojini Naido
 

“Jinnah was the recipient of a devotion of loyalty seldom accorded to any man.”
— Harry S Truman
 

“Jinnah outweighs Truman, Stalin and Atlee put together.”
— Amirt Bazaar Patrika, Calcutta
 

“Few statesmen have shaped events to their policy more surely than Jinnah. He was a legend in his life time.”
— The Times

“Seemingly as hard as a diamond he had all the diamond’s brilliance.”
— The daily Statesman
 

“Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”
— Stanley Wolpert

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