Pakistanis all over the world celebrated on March 23 their country's 76th National Day. On the same day in 1940, leaders of the All India Muslim League gathered in Lahore and adopted the historic Pakistan Resolution or the Lahore Resolution. The resolution called for the establishment of a separate nation for Muslims in the subcontinent on the basis of the two-nation theory. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, president of the Muslim League, raised the same demand in his letter addressed to Mahatma Gandhi. Jinnah explained in the letter that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations in their culture, language, literature, names, technical terms, sentiments, values, history and aspirations. Therefore, it was necessary to divide the subcontinent and create two separate nations, one for Hindus and one for Muslims. Hindu leaders and British authorities were subsequently convinced by the logic of the two-nation theory. The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a symposium in Jeddah to mark the Pakistan Day celebrations. Several prominent figures of the Pakistani community spoke on the occasion and poems were recited. Those who addressed the gathering included Shamsuddin Altaf, who spoke in Arabic, as well as Tayyab Mosani, Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi, Mohammad Akram Agha, Zubair Ahmed, Mohammed Akram, Syed Naseeruddin, Mohammed Khaled Jawaid, Syed Wasi Imam, Owais Akram, Mohammed Ashfaq Badayuni, and Naushad Usman. Zamurrad Khan Saifi was the moderator of the event. The dignitaries commended in their speeches the historic role played by Jinnah and other leaders of the Muslim League from all parts of the subcontinent and the sacrifices made by all segments of the Muslim community in this regard. The speakers also drew attention to the pressing issue of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh who are victims of poverty, ignorance and disease and have lived for 45 years in squalid camps that lack the basic amenities of life. The speakers urged the Pakistani government to take steps to resolve this problem, which is inflicting damage to the image and dignity of the Pakistani people. In his speech, PRC convener Syed Ehsanul Haque said Pakistan was created on the basis of a two-nation theory, under which the Muslim-majority regions must become part of Pakistan and on that basis Kashmir should be part of Pakistan. He also emphasized that Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan and not to Bangladesh and hence it is the responsibility of the Pakistan government to find a solution to the problem of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. The organizers of the symposium invited me to preside over the event. In the presidential speech, I gave a brief sketch of the various phases of the creation of a separate nation for Muslims in the subcontinent. For this, we need to go back to the 11th century when the great Muslim philosopher Al-Biruni wrote about the traditions and customs of Hindus. He stressed the fact that it was very difficult for peaceful coexistence to exist between Muslims and Hindus in the country. British colonial rules blamed Muslims for the rebellion of 1857. Muslim anger against British rule eventually led to an aversion to modern education in English. However, Hindus found this to be an opportunity to acquire modern education and to take over key administrative posts. This situation changed with the launch of the Aligarh Movement by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and this movement prompted Muslims to demand their rights and establish their own entity for themselves. Another remarkable achievement was the formation of the Muslim League as a separate political party for Muslims. The role of Allama Iqbal and other leaders in the success of the movement for a separate state was commendable. Allama Iqbal was a great proponent of a separate state for Muslims in the subcontinent. It was definitely Iqbal's call to action in the name of Islam that brought Pakistan into being. Jinnah was a great proponent of the unity or Hindus and Muslims in the subcontinent. He started his political career as a leader of the Indian National Congress. Later, he came forward to safeguard the political rights of Muslims under British colonial rule. He proposed a 14-point program that aimed to ensure the political and civil rights of Muslims as part of a Constitutional Reform plan in a self-governing India. However, the Congress leadership was not in favor of giving such rights to Muslims. This eventually led to the adoption of the historic Lahore Resolution. The Muslim League, under the leadership of Jinnah, waged a seven-year struggle to translate this resolution into action and that was successful with the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Pakistan came into being after a long struggle and great sacrifices made by Muslims from all parts of the subcontinent. They include Muslims who migrated from the Indian state of Bihar to the eastern part of Pakistan. Later, when the civil war broke out in East Pakistan, these people stood by the Pakistan army so as to safeguard the unity of the nation. Following the creation of the new state of Bangladesh, these Biharis were subjected to killing and other atrocities and were driven out of their homes by Bengalis. Eventually, these stranded Pakistanis ended up in squalid camps where they have been languishing since 1971. Successive governments in Pakistan have failed to fulfill their promises to repatriate and rehabilitate these stranded Pakistanis. It is difficult to understand what prompts the Pakistani government to keep silent over the repeated calls from within and outside for the resolution of the pressing demand of these hapless people. It is also noteworthy that the incumbent prime minister of Pakistan made some efforts toward resolving this issue during his first two tenures in office. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
