Thank you Mr Jinnah

.
By Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain

Unfortunately for the Palestinians, they had nobody like Jinnah leading them — someone who had the foresight and the courage to accept the partition of Palestine. Instead of accepting partition, the Palestinians and the Arabs attacked the newly formed Jewish state

Whenever a few Pakistanis or Pakistani expat ‘liberal’ types get together, after a couple of libations to lubricate ideas and speech, often the conversation comes to the question whether we in Pakistan would have been better off if there were no partition of India.

Now I am not a serious student of the history of partition and am aware only of the basic facts. These being that the Muslim League won most of the Muslim seats during the elections held in 1946 and as such also won the right to represent the Muslims of India. Jinnah, as the leader of the Muslims, decided to opt for Pakistan when the All India Congress led by Nehru and Patel rejected the Cabinet Mission Plan. And this Pakistan that came into being was not quite what Jinnah had expected.

Some historians have said that Jinnah referred to the country he got as a “moth-eaten” Pakistan. Whether that is true is not material since Jinnah accepted whatever he got and it laid the foundation of one and then two Muslim majority countries in the Indian subcontinent, something envisaged by the Lahore Resolution of 1940. It is also an undeniable fact that we in Pakistan could indeed have done a lot better for ourselves.

Mr. Jinnah before the Joint Select Committee

.

In 1911 the Joint Select Committee of the Parliament in London asked Mr. Jinnah the question:

“How do you justify an advance in self-government with a literacy percentage of only 12?”

Mr. Jinnah replied:

“Did the lack of literacy prevent you from going ahead with your successive Reforms Acts which continuously enlarged the franchise? And if it is good for England why should it be bad for India?”
.
.

The Jinnah Cap

One piece of attire has long symbolised Pakistan’s national ideology: the Jinnah cap. Technically known as the Qaraqul cap, for it is made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheep, the hat is typically worn by Central Asian men (presently, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is rarely seen without his). But in Pakistan, the hat has been firmly identified with the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for decades. This affiliation has ensured that others who sport the cap are understood to be making a political, rather than fashion, statement. Indeed, as Pakistan’s democratic fortunes have waxed and waned over the years, the choice by certain politicians to don the Jinnah cap has revealed much about political aspirations and the public mood.

The Jinnah cap was first initiated into national politics in 1937, when Jinnah sported it at the Lucknow session of the All India Muslim League on October 15. The cap was part of a complete change in Jinnah’s wardrobe; he surrendered his Saville Row suits in favour of a sherwani and Qaraqul cap meant to signify his commitment to the idea of a separate nation for the Muslims of South Asia.

Interestingly, at that point, many regarded the Jinnah cap as an answer to the hand-spun cotton cap which Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru used to wear, and which had come to symbolise the Congress Party’s ideals at the time.

Since then, the cap has graced many a brow vying for a successful political, even religious, career in the Land of the Pure. The cap has come to acquire ample political significance and is bought usually by oath-takers as a ritual to achieve the ‘crowning touch.’ In most cases, however, the cap’s symbolism has not proved powerful enough to achieve the degree of leadership success that Jinnah managed.

The Tense State Drive, Karachi 14 August 1947

.

Click on the image to enlarge

Despite a warning from a British CID of a plot to assassinate Jinnah during this ride, the program proceeded on schedule. Mountbatten joined Jinnah on this ride from Victoria Road till Government House. The ride was most tense when passing through a Hindu neighbourhood which had little to rejoice and where the plotters were supposed to act. On reaching Government House, Jinnah kept his hand on Mountbatten's thigh and remarked, 'Thank God I brought you back alive'. 'I brought you back alive' retorted Mountbatten. Later on it was learnt that one of the conspirators lost his nerve at the crucial time. Did someone say Advani?
.

Quaid-e-Azam in a Refugee Camp

.

Click on the image to enlarge

.
.

Quaid-e-Azam with PAF Officers in Risalpur, April 1948

.

Click on the image to enlarge

.
.

Quaid-e-Azam with Muslim ladies in Hyderabad Deccan, 1938

.
.

Click on the image to enlarge

.

The Khaksars present a salute to the Quaid

.

Click on the image to enlarge

.

Quaid-e-Azam with Maulana Zafar Ali Khan in Badshahi Mosque

.

Click on the image to enlarge

.

Quaid-e-Azam addressing Naval Officers in 1948

.

Click on the image to enlarge

.