ISLAMABAD, March 27: Eminent public leaders on Sunday paid glowing tributes to the Father of Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah at a function held here to commemorate the Pakistan Day. The function was held at the Anglo-Arabic School, Satellite Town. Former foreign ministers Sahibzada Yaqub Ali Khan and Abdul Sattar, Pakistan Muslim League (N) Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, PML Senior Vice President Akram Zaki and former Balochistan education minister Fazila Aliani were guests of honour at the function.

In his speech, Sahibzada Yaqub said Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an enlightened person. “The greatness of a statesman should be judged by the greatness of the idea he presented, and in case of the father of the nation there was the confluence and convergence manifested in his personality. By his integrity, he gave sparkle and energy to the word Pakistan,” he said.

He ended his speech by quoting a line from Ghalib’s couplet Aisa Kahan Se Layoon Tujh Sa Kahen Jisay, meaning that it would be difficult to find another personality such as the Quaid.

Akram Zaki said it would be a mistake to bring the remains of Chaudhry Rahmat Ali to Pakistan. “It’s best that he lies buried in England,” Mr Zaki said, adding, “The credit for coining the word “Pakistan” did not go to the late Chaudhry Rahmat Ali alone rather it coined by a group of three people including Aslam Khattak, the then president of Khyber Union at the Cambridge University, and Barrister Abdur Rahim.”

Raja Zafarul Haq said it was is a tragedy that no one talked about empowering the masses. “The country is facing a challenge to its integrity due to the internal crises. This is the result of an imperfect education system as well as the neglect of personalities who were in the vanguard of Pakistan Movement, as we have not done enough to project the personality of Mr Jinnah or Liaquat Ali Khan,” he said.

He recalled that as the ambassador of Pakistan at Cairo, once he received a visit from Mr Hamza, the chief editor of Al- Muslemoon. “Mr Hamza did not have high regard for the Quaid. But after I gave him a speech of the Quaid to read, Mr Hamza kissed the page and said until now he was unaware that Muslims in Pakistan had such great leaders,” Mr Haq said.

He emphasised quality science education for Muslim youth and to that end he donated Rs100,000 for the school. Abdul Sattar could not speak due to paucity of time. Talking to Dawn, he said if he had spoken, he might have given a run over to the changed perception of the Quaid after he became the governor general.

He said in India Quaid-i-Azam spoke as the leader of the Muslims but as governor general he spoke as the leader of the entire nation of Pakistan, including the minorities, who were equal citizens of the country.

Earlier, ambassador Samiullah Qureshi, president of the executive committee of the Anglo-Arabic School, gave a history of the institution that was originally founded in Delhi in 1710.

The school became the premium institution of the Muslims and had such distinguished students as Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Altaf Hussain Hali, Maulvi Zakaullah and Deputy Nazeer Ahmad.

Once Ghalib sought the position of Urdu teacher at the school but declined to serve there since the English principal had not come out to receive him. “I have come here to teach and not sell out my dignity,” Ghalib remarked, as he waited at the door for the principal to meet him.

Anglo-Arabic School, Rawalpindi, had been established by the former students of the Delhi-based institution 37 years ago. The school spreads over 2 acres.

Mr Qureshi clarified that the school was not a religious seminary or a madressah, as the name Arabic might suggest.