ALL his ideas, wrote The Times London in its obituary note on the Quaid-i-Azam on Sept 13, 1948, “were diamond hard, clear cut and almost tangible. His arguments were directed dagger like to the single point he was attacking.”

This was one of the finest tributes paid to the Quaid’s logical, rational and dispassionate approach to a problem. Like all other problems, he analysed the problem of provincialism and was always conscious of the need for integration among the Muslims before and after independence. In fact, his oft quoted lodestar, Unity, Faith and Discipline, led to the cherished goal of integration. He was keenly aware of the fact that the Muslims of the subcontinent must unite, for, a scattered multitude was no good politically as well as psychologically.

After the establishment of Pakistan, he toured all areas of Pakistan in February – March 1948 making numerous appearances and speaking to his people as a father does to his children, reminding them of the tremendous cost they had paid for the achievement of independence and the gigantic task of nation-building that lay ahead of them.

On one occasion, while replying to the Quetta Municipality civic address, he said: “It naturally pains me to find the course of provincialism holding away over any section of Pakistan. Pakistan must get rid of this evil.”

Speaking at a mammoth public gathering at Dacca on March 21, 1948 the Quaid-i-Azam warned Pakistanis against the dangers of provincialism and stressed the need for welding themselves into a unified nation. He said, “as long as you don’t throw off this poison in our body-politic you will never be able to weld yourself, mould yourself, galvanise yourself into a true nation. I ask you, have you forgotten the lesson that Islam has taught us 1,300 years ago? I think you will agree with me that whatever else you may be and whatever you are, you are a Muslim. You belong to a nation now, you have now carved out a territory, vast territory, it is all yours, it does not belong to a Punjabi or a Sindhi, or a Pathan or a Bengali, it is yours.”

Sixty eight years have passed since the establishment of Pakistan but the need for realising the value of unity and integration is still there. The weak and the defenceless in this imperfect world invite aggression.

M. Yasir Kayani
Kasur

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2015

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