A Glimpse into Jinnah's Pakistan: Quaid e Azam's Presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I cordially thank you, with the utmost sincerity, for the honour you have conferred upon me - the greatest honour that is possible to confer - by electing me as your first President. I also thank those leaders who have spoken in appreciation of my services and their personal references to me. I sincerely hope that with your support and your co-operation we shall make this Constituent Assembly an example to the world. The Constituent Assembly has got two main functions to perform. The first is the very onerous and responsible task of framing the future constitution of Pakistan and the second of functioning as a full and complete sovereign body as the Federal Legislature of Pakistan. We have to do the best we can in adopting a provisional constitution for the Federal Legislature of Pakistan. You know really that not only we ourselves are wondering but, I think, the whole world is wondering at this unprecedented cyclonic revolution which has brought about the clan of creating and establishing two independent sovereign Dominions in this sub-continent. As it is, it has been unprecedented; there is no parallel in the history of the world. This mighty sub-continent with all kinds of inhabitants has been brought under a plan which is titanic, unknown, unparalleled. And what is very important with regards to it is that we have achieved it peacefully and by means of an evolution of the greatest possible character.

The first and the foremost thing that I would like to emphasize is this: remember that you are now a sovereign legislative body and you have got all the powers. It, therefore, places on you the gravest responsibility as to how you should take your decisions. The first observation that I would like to make is this: You will no doubt agree with me that the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.

Dealing with our first function in this Assembly, I cannot make any well-considered pronouncement at this moment, but I shall say a few things as they occur to me. The first and the foremost thing that I would like to emphasize is this: remember that you are now a sovereign legislative body and you have got all the powers. It, therefore, places on you the gravest responsibility as to how you should take your decisions. The first observation that I would like to make is this: You will no doubt agree with me that the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.

Bribery and corruption. That really is a poison.

The second thing that occurs to me is this: One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering - I do not say that other countries are free from it, but, I think our condition is much worse - is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put that down with an iron hand and I hope that you will take adequate measures as soon as it is possible for this Assembly to do so.

A citizen who does black-marketing commits, I think, a greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes.

Black-marketing is another curse. Well, I know that blackmarketeers are frequently caught and punished. Judicial sentences are passed or sometimes fines only are imposed. Now you have to tackle this monster, which today is a colossal crime against society, in our distressed conditions, when we constantly face shortage of food and other essential commodities of life. A citizen who does black-marketing commits, I think, a greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes. These blackmarketeers are really knowing, intelligent and ordinarily responsible people, and when they indulge in black-marketing, I think they ought to be very severely punished, because the entire system of control and regulation of foodstuffs and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death.

I want to make it quite clear that I shall never tolerate any kind of jobbery, nepotism or any any influence directly of indirectly brought to bear upon me. Whenever I will find that such a practice is in vogue or is continuing anywhere, low or high, I shall certainly not countenance it.

The next thing that strikes me is this: Here again it is a legacy which has been passed on to us. Along with many other things, good and bad, has arrived this great evil, the evil of nepotism and jobbery. I want to make it quite clear that I shall never tolerate any kind of jobbery, nepotism or any any influence directly of indirectly brought to bear upon me. Whenever I will find that such a practice is in vogue or is continuing anywhere, low or high, I shall certainly not countenance it.

I know there are people who do not quite agree with the division of India and the partition of the Punjab and Bengal. Much has been said against it, but now that it has been accepted, it is the duty of everyone of us to loyally abide by it and honourably act according to the agreement which is now final and binding on all. But you must remember, as I have said, that this mighty revolution that has taken place is unprecedented. One can quite understand the feeling that exists between the two communities wherever one community is in majority and the other is in minority. But the question is, whether it was possible or practicable to act otherwise than what has been done, A division had to take place. On both sides, in Hindustan and Pakistan, there are sections of people who may not agree with it, who may not like it, but in my judgement there was no other solution and I am sure future history will record is verdict in favour of it. And what is more, it will be proved by actual experience as we go on that was the only solution of India's constitutional problem. Any idea of a united India could never have worked and in my judgement it would have led us to terrific disaster. Maybe that view is correct; maybe it is not; that remains to be seen. All the same, in this division it was impossible to avoid the question of minorities being in one Dominion or the other. Now that was unavoidable. There is no other solution. Now what shall we do? Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in co-operation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be on end to the progress you will make.

You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.

I cannot emphasize it too much. We should begin to work in that spirit and in course of time all these angularities of the majority and minority communities, the Hindu community and the Muslim community, because even as regards Muslims you have Pathans, Punjabis, Shias, Sunnis and so on, and among the Hindus you have Brahmins, Vashnavas, Khatris, also Bengalis, Madrasis and so on, will vanish. Indeed if you ask me, this has been the biggest hindrance in the way of India to attain the freedom and independence and but for this we would have been free people long long ago. No power can hold another nation, and specially a nation of 400 million souls in subjection; nobody could have conquered you, and even if it had happened, nobody could have continued its hold on you for any length of time, but for this. Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State. As you know, history shows that in England, conditions, some time ago, were much worse than those prevailing in India today. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants persecuted each other. Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God, we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State. The people of England in course of time had to face the realities of the situation and had to discharge the responsibilities and burdens placed upon them by the government of their country and they went through that fire step by step. Today, you might say with justice that Roman Catholics and Protestants do not exist; what exists now is that every man is a citizen, an equal citizen of Great Britain and they are all members of the Nation.

Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.

Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.

Well, gentlemen, I do not wish to take up any more of your time and thank you again for the honour you have done to me. I shall always be guided by the principles of justice and fairplay without any, as is put in the political language, prejudice or ill-will, in other words, partiality or favouritism. My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality, and I am sure that with your support and co-operation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the world.

I have received a message from the United States of America addressed to me. It reads:
I have the honour to communicate to you, in Your Excellency's capacity as President of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, the following message which I have just received from the Secretary of State of the United States:

On the occasion of of the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly for Pakistan, I extend to you and to the members of the Assembly, the best wishes of the Government and the people of the United States for the successful conclusion of the great work you are about to undertake.

Pages from Quaid e Azam's Diary

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Source: Dawn, Independence Day Supplement, August 14, 1999.

Ed Note: We all talk about Jinnah's Pakistan, Here is a brief glimpse into his vision for this country. By far one of the most inspiring yet simple speeches I have ever read. I urge you to take out time and read this. SZ

Timeline: 25th December; A Date to Remember - Aabi Asif

Note: This article is dedicated to my grandfather, Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui, who was a journalist. He not only worked alongside the Quaid, but he shared his experiences of the partition. I consider myself to be lucky to have recieved first hand information from someone who actually had seen Pakistan made. He gave me the best gift anyone could have given me, a treasurey of knowledge; the beautiful collection of his books that I refer to from time to time. The speeches I have included in this article are from one of the books he gave me. May his soul rest in peace. Ameen.

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As soon as the first of December arrives there is an air of celebration in the air all over the world. People adorn their houses with lights, streamers, wreaths. They invite each other over, exchange gifts and cards, sing carols and praise their lord as it is the month when Jesus Christ was born.

We in Pakistan also celebrate however in a unique style. All over Pakistan official buildings, roads and in some cases houses also are decorated with lights and the whole nation is also celebrating; our festivities are two fold as we show solidarity with the Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ. Secondly, it is also the day our beloved founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born.

Jinnah was born on 25th December 1876, in Karachi at the Wazir Mansion to a merchant family of Khoja sect. He was educated in Karachi and Bombay. He left for England in 1892 to study Law at Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the bar in 1897. After returning to Bombay he joined the Bombay High court.

Jinnah at first stayed away from the sub-continent politics; however, he then started to propagate a united India free from the rule of the British and for the benefit of Hindus and Muslims.

“My message to the Mussalmans is to join hands with your Hindu brethren”. {Jinnah and Gandhi; their role in India’s Quest in freedom: Pg 37}

However, after seeing the connivance of the Hindus Quaid-e-Azam decided to part ways and fight for a separate homeland for the Muslims. He wanted that the Muslims should be able to breathe in an environment where they are able to practice the teachings of Islam freely. Where they were not afraid to pray, to offer sacrifice and in short to lead their lives in free land.

He worked hard day and night along with his devoted team of freedom fighters to establish a country without the British or the Hindus. After that there was no looking back and it was with sheer hard work and dedication that Quaid-e-Azam managed to create a homeland for the Muslims which the Hindus and the British thought not possible.

He won Pakistan for his people with his own unflinching spirit and people’s trust in his sincere and dauntless leadership. Quaid-e-Azam in his message to the nation on 15th of August 1947 said:

“My thoughts are with those valiant fighters in our cause who readily sacrificed all they had including their lives to make Pakistan possible”.

It indeed was because of the tireless efforts of these great leaders that we are what we are today and are living a life of freedom where our children can live without any fear.
We still posses the same spirit and enthusiasm that the Muslims had when Pakistan was being created. The youth of today can very easily give up their life for the sake of protecting what is ours, Our Nation, Pakistan.

December 25th rejuvenates the spirit each year as we show our appreciation to the Quaid by seeing documentaries, plays based on his life.

“Pakistan had come to exist forever and it will by the grace of God exist forever”

Quaid-e-Azam’s words, “Pakistan had come to exist forever and it will by the grace of God exist forever” makes me more energized as I am filled with hope and aspiration that there is still light at the end of the tunnel and we are on the right track.

Pakistan Zindabad!!!