I
OWE IT TO PAKISTAN
I owe it to Pakistanis that I apprise them of the little known or
remembered facts about creation, birth pangs and early history of Pakistan.
WHY PAKISTAN?
Before proceeding any further it will be
pertinent to explain why India had to be divided in Pakistan and India?
Verse 97 of Surah
‘An-Nisa’ Enjoin migration from Non-Muslim territory, if it remains not
possible for Muslim to practice Islam, in peace. (04/97)
After the abortive War of Liberation of 1857,
a reign of terror was unleashed on Muslims, consequently Muslims were
marginalized, and Hindus filled the vacuum.
Sensing that it was opportune time to prepare
for forming a Hindu dominated government in post British India. The first step
towards this goal was formation of Indian National Congress in 1885 to struggle
politically for freedom.
The Congress was theoretically a National party
for all Indian including Muslims. By and By it became clear that Congress for
furthering interest of Hindus alone.
Consequently All India Muslim League was
established in 1916 in Decca, to protect interest of Muslims, in pre and post
Liberation India.
With the passage of time it became clear that
in United India Muslims, who were 25% of the population, will be an ineffective
minority group. However in the western
provinces of Punjab, Sind, Baluchistan, Sarhad, Kashmir and Bengal in Eastern
India Muslims were in Majority.
This being the situation, in 1935 Allama Iqbal gave the concept of a separate homeland
for Muslims.
In the last stages of Freedom Movement the
British Government in England sent a Parliamentary Commission to try to avoid
partition of India. The Commission thrashed an agreement between Congress and
Muslim League.
The
agreement spelled out legal, administrative and financial setup of post freedom
India.
On
the very next day of signing the agreement Nehru, the chief leader of Congress
and political heir of BAPU (Gandhi), in a speech in Bombay arrogantly declared “We
will be in Majority we will legislate what we please.”
This was the occasion
when Quaid-e-Azam spread his handkerchief on the Table and said, “Now it is
Pakistan be it the size of my handkerchief”
In the midnight of 14th
and 15th August 1947 India was granted Freedom and Pakistan
and India emerged on the map of the world as Free and Independent countries.
Diehard Hindu
politicians like Vallabhbhai Patel often premised that Mian Bhais (Muslims)
will not be able to build a successful and financially viable state and Mian
Bhais will come running to us (Hindus) within six month begging for undoing the
partition.
Contrary to all
calculations and prediction within a span 2-3 years Pakistan became a
politically and economically viable State.
When Liaqat Ali Khan,
the political heir of Quaid-e-Azam and first Prime Minister of Pakistan,
visited America, he was asked
“Have you come seeking
Financial Aid“He could proudly say
“I have not come with
cap in the hand”
(Cap in the hand means begging respectfully)
INDIA
HAD A RUNNING START
Delhi was the capital of
British India and Bombay was the financial hub of British India. All
political, financial and administrative set-up of British India was inherited
by India. As such India had a running
start.
BIRTH PANGS
Pakistan’s share of
Financial Assets of Government of India, was not transferred to Pakistan, Consequently
in September 1947 Government of Pakistan had no money to pay salaries of the Government
Employees.
(State Bank of Pakistan
Annual Reports still includes Amount Receivable from India)
Seth Habib of Habib Bank
and Mirza Mehdi Ispahani of M.M. Ispahani lent money to the Government of
Pakistan to pay salaries to the Government Employees.
Nawab Mir Usman Ali Khan
of Hyderabad Deccan sent heavy quantities of Gold to Pakistan, to serve as
“reserve” for Pakistani currency.
Over 6 million, robbed, penniless and destitute Muslims
from East Punjab and Muslim minority areas of Ganges Plain arrived in Western
Pakistan, who had to be fed and settled. This was done with Private-Public
co-operation.
EARLY HISTORY
As already said New
Delhi was seat of British Government. As such India inherited the bureaucratic
setup of British Government, But Pakistan had no such setup.
Immediately Karachi was selected as Capital of
Pakistan,, and the Bureaucratic setup was
housed in the Artillery Maidan
sheds on Frere Road, Karachi.
India inherited Indian Parliament House built by British Indian Government in New Delhi.
ERA
OF POLITICAL INSTABILTY
Liaqat Ali Khan was
assassinated in 1951, this was the end of political stability. Political
instability, not withstanding, Constituent Assembly of Pakistan passed
Constitution of Pakistan in 1956.
In 1958 Ayub Khan
abrogated the Constitution and ruled as
a dictator, until 1969.when he was forced to resign under immense public
pressure. 1969.
Under Ayub Khan Pakistan
became American ally in America’s bid to contain Russia in Middle East, and
China in South East Asia, by becoming a member of SENTO & SEATO. (Central
Asia Treaty Organization and South Asia Treaty Organization) This was the
end of Pakistan’s political independence.
However under immense Public Pressure Ayub Khan resigned,. Elections were held and Pakistan People Party, led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in West Pakistan and Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman emerged as sole representative of the two wings of Pakistan.
In 1970 with connivance
of India and U.S.A. East Pakistan was separated from Pakistan.
In West Pakistan
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan.
He turned the defeated
and demoralized armed forces into a fighting force.
He
rebuilt the shattered economy.
He ended political
isolation of 1970, so much so that the TIME Magazine paid him tribute saying
“He is equally welcome in New York, London, Paris, Moscow and Peking.”
He made Pakistan a
nuclear power.
He gave Arabs the ‘Oil
Weapon’ The price of oil was around
US $ 1.oo increased to
more realistic US $ 12.oo to 13.oo
He pioneered
pan-Islamism with co-operation of Shah Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Muammar Qazafi
of Libya, Soekarno of Indonesia and Idi Amin.
Bhutto’s such actions were not pardonable. Therefore he had to die ignominiously.”
He was hanged on charges of murder, in the most ignominious and despised trial of Pakistan’s legal history.
In 1977 General Zia-ul-Haq assumed power, and Pakistan became America’s lackey, in Afghan War.
Kalashnikov and heroin culture, are legacy of Zia-ul-Haq’s era, which millions of Afghan migrants brought with them. Zia-ul-Haq died in an air crash in 1988.
Elections were held and Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan, but her government was dismissed in 1990, and Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister of Pakistan.
This exercise was repeated in 1993 and 1996.
In 1999 General Pervez Musharraf ousted Nawaz Sharif, and ruled till 2008, He tried to portray Pakistan as a “modern” state.
In 2008 he was forced to hold general elections.
POLITICAL STABILITY
Since 2008 there has
been no attempt by Armed Forces to seize power. Thus Pakistan has now achieved
relatively political stability.
It is now time that we fix
National Goals, and Targets. To my
reckoning our goal should be Self-Reliance and Equitable Distribution of Income
and Wealth budgetary discipline.
I am eye witness to all
the events narrated above. I apologize to my readers if I have over extended my
brief.
As a school boy, I marched Streets, waving Muslim Flag and raising slogans
“Bankayraga Pakistan, Batt kay rahaya Hindustan,
as such I am sentimental about Pakistan.
ہم لائے ہیں طوفان سے کشتی نکال کے
اس ملک کو رکھنا میرے بچوں سنبھال کے
(احمد رُشدی)
Aziz-uz-Zaman
,4th
Rajab, 1439, Hijri
(22nd
March, 2018 A.D
