ALLAH be praised! As can be evinced from the letters and columns printed in this newspaper of record, founded by the Founder of the country, culminating in Irfan Husain's column of December 2, some have awoken.

"Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality of man, justice and fair play to everybody. We are the inheritors of these glorious traditions and are fully alive to our responsibilities and obligations as framers of the future constitution of Pakistan. In any case, Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state - to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims - Hindus, Christians and Parsis - but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan."

I did not say this. It was said by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, creator of Pakistan, in February 1948. Unfortunately he died before the Constitution could be framed.

"Intolerance and bigotry and dogmatism are the bitterest enemies of religion upon earth. They make religion a tyrant, a persecutor, a veritable daeva, the demoniac perversion of angelic religion. The frog croaks that his well is the whole world and the bigot boasts that his is the only inspired and perfect religion. The truth and the whole truth is exclusively garnered in his religion, he avers. His religion is the crown and culmination of all religions, his religion is ordained to be the universal religion of mankind and salvation is possible only through his religion, he adds.

"All bigotry is blind and stupid and savage. Sectarian bigotry is as bad as inter-religious bigotry. Bigotry stifles reason and the bigot, in his frenzy, is out to force all to believe what he believes. All religions come from one and the only God, who makes himself known by many a name."

I did not say this. It was said by Shams-ul-Ulema Dastur Dr Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, the high priest of the Parsis, in the first half of the 20th century. He was no ordinary preacher, he was a learned man with a PhD from Columbia University which he was awarded in 1909.

"Distance makes mountains out of mere protuberances. Two centuries make an immortal giant out of very human flesh and blood. Nevertheless, in remembering and honouring the death of a great Englishman, we would do well to revive some of the very English Johnsonian Virtues that are a bit starved in our present national life. Where there is fanaticism, for Johnson's sake, let us have broadminded common sense. Where there are the caring industries, let us have compassion. When we are sure we are right, let us remember that even Whigs and Scots are human. Where we are bad-tempered and blinkered, let us remember Johnson, and not take ourselves seriously. When we are introspective and insular Little Englanders, let us copy Johnson's vision of all mortals from China to Peru, including slaves and West Indians, as equal children of God. Let us clear our minds of cant, and rant. Let us cultivate our sense of humour, and recognize that most of our sublunary schemes and preoccupations and bees in our bonnets are very laughable things."

I did not say this. It was written by the Editor of The Times (London) on December 13, 1984, the 200th anniversary of the death of Dr Samuel Johnson, under the heading 'An English Saint Remembered.'

"....the people are the real recipients of power. This naturally eliminates any danger of the establishment of a theocracy... In technical sense theocracy has come to mean a government by ordained priests who wield authority as being specially appointed by those who claim to derive their rights from their sacerdotal position. I cannot over-emphasize the fact that such an idea is absolutely foreign to Islam. Islam does not recognize either priesthood or any sacerdotal authority; and, therefore, the question of a theocracy simply does not arise in Islam. If there are any who still use the word theocracy in the same breath as the polity of Pakistan, they are either labouring under a grave misapprehension or indulging in mischievous propaganda.......

"Therefore, there should be no misconception in the mind of any sect which may be a minority in Pakistan about the intentions of the state. The state will seek to create an Islamic society free from dissensions, but this does not mean that it would curb the freedom of any section of the Muslims in the matter of their beliefs. No sects, whether the majority or a minority, will be permitted to dictate to the others, in their own internal matters and sectional beliefs, all sects shall be given the fullest possible latitude and freedom. Actually we hope the various sects will act in accordance with the desire of the Prophet who said that the differences of opinion amongst his followers are a blessing. It is for us to make our differences a source of strength to Islam and to Pakistan and not to exploit them for our own interests which will weaken both Pakistan and Islam.......

"We believe that so shackles can be put on thought, and, therefore, we do not intend to hinder any person from the expression of his views."I did not say this. It was said by our first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, who was shot dead in 1951 by heathens. Liaquat said these words on March 7, 1949, the first day of the fifth session of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, soon after the passing by the House of the Objectives Resolution, in his address to the President, the Honourable Mr Tamizuddin Khan.

The seventh paragraph of the Objectives Resolution reads: "Wherein adequate provisions shall be made for the minorities freely to profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures...."

This country was born in 1947 as the Dominion of Pakistan. On March 23, 1956, the first of our constitutions was promulgated and the Dominion became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. On October 27, 1958, the country was taken over by General Ayub Khan, the first of our Ataturks. He promulgated his constitution on March 1, 1962, as the Constitution of the Republic of Pakistan. To appease the religious elements, to try to win popularity, and with the 1964, by the First Amendment Act to his constitution Ayub Khan brought back the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. When he departed from the national scene, his Constitution went with him.

Our next Constitution came on August 14, 1973. When this Constitution was amended by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1985, Article 2-A made the Objectives Resolution a substantive part of the Constitution and it was reproduced in the Annex. Mischievously, in the sentence "Wherein adequate provisions shall be made for the minorities freely to profess and practise their religion......" the word 'freely' was omitted.

Now we move to the Supreme Court, the Islamic Republic's citadel of justice, which in 1997 was so shamelessly stormed by Nawaz Sharif, his aiders and abettors, for which Nawaz remains unpunished. When the present building in which the Supreme Court sits was inaugurated plaques were affixed to the walls of the entrance hall on which were engraved in English and in Urdu the text of the Objectives Resolution. In the English version, the word 'freely' was again mischievously omitted although it was contained in the Urdu version.

In 1993, I made a vain attempt to get through to Chief Justice Afzal Zullah and impress upon him that the English version of the Resolution should be corrected. Then came Chief Justice Dr Nasim Hasan Shah, pronouncer of 'historical' judgments, who said he would do his best to set things right. Nothing happened. He was followed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah who settled the issue by having both plaques, English and Urdu, removed from the halls. No successive Chief Justice of Pakistan has seen to it that the plaques, with the corrected English version, be re-affixed.

Now I am appealing to General Pervez Musharraf, our second Ataturk, to do what he can to amend the Annexture to the Constitution and to have the plaques put back in the hallowed halls.

This I suggest he does whilst my friend, the Jadoogar of Jeddah, Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, is with him to advise him. Sharifuddin is super-competent. He is adept at righting wrongs, or, when necessary, wronging rights.