THE Dawn of Pakistan 1906-1948 series was indeed a commendable effort and a unique service to the present generation, and, in turn, to the nation at large.

In his letter (August 15), Mr Aamir Aqil has rightly pointed out that “Liaquat Ali Khan was Jinnah’s right hand man”, but only few know that Khwaja Nazimuddin was second to none in this respect. He was among the leaders of Pakistan movement who enjoyed the highest degree of trust and confidence of Jinnah.

The moment Jinnah breathed his last, no time was lost in sending the Governor-General’s Viking to Dacca to bring Khwaja Nazimuddin, who was at the time the chief minister of East Pakistan, to succeed the Father of the Nation. Though the decision surprised even Khwaja Saheb himself, it was not an act done in haste. There was a tacit understanding among leaders like Liaquat Ali Khan and Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar in view of Jinnah’s rapidly-falling health that only Khwaja Saheb could be his successor. And even Jinnah was not unaware of it.

It is unfortunate that he is a forgotten leader now when his examples of honesty and integrity could serve as a beacon light for one and all.

It would be a service to the nation if Dawn could do a little research on the life and work of Khwaja Saheb -- an epitome of honesty, integrity and simplicity -- for the good of today’s Pakistan.

Khalifa Mohammad Zubair

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2017