QUAID-I-AZAM Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a charismatic statesman, laid the foundation for a modern democratic state, Pakistan, to safeguard the fundamental rights of Muslims who were a minority in pre-Partition India. Pakistan was born as a secular democratic state, but its welfare and prosperity will always depend upon the restoration of Jinnah’s democratic legacy. Despite cultural, religious, or ethnic distinctions, Jinnah steadfastly believed that each Pakistani is an equal citizen; justice, honesty, and impartiality are the guiding principles that protect the right to life, property, and religious beliefs. Hence, for Jinnah, democracy ensures justice for all.
Pakistan’s great founder wanted neither a theocratic state nor a feudal one.
For Jinnah, democracy was a matter of conviction. ‘Democracy’ means people-centred decision-making, which enables individuals not only to elect their representatives but also to devise public policies, enact laws and amend constitutions through public reasoning for the common good. Democracy treats all citizens as equal members of the state.
“Let us lay the foundations of our democracy”
Democracy is one of the cardinal attributes of a modern state. The new independent states in the subcontinent, Pakistan and India, adopted the British democratic political structure in their respective countries. The constitutional approach was the only political solution for this region, and it was more than necessary for the two neighbours to develop democratic systems to preserve the principles of equal citizenship, justice and freedom of expression. The rule of law is essential for democracy. In The Legacy of Quaid-i-Azam, Dr Javid Iqbal states that Mohammad Ali Jinnah, being a celebrated lawyer, had a firm belief in the rule of law rather than the rule of individuals. The rule of law strengthens institutions, not individuals. He writes: “Quaid-i-Azam obviously stood for a strong, independent and irreproachable judiciary because human rights could not be protected and enforced without such a judiciary”. Jinnah has repeatedly asserted that only an independent judiciary can protect the democratic rights of all people in a state.
Democracy is the foundation of Pakistan. In a speech at Sibi Durbar on February 14, 1948, the Quaid declared: “Let us lay the foundations of our democracy based on truly Islamic ideals and principles. Our Almighty has taught us that our decisions in the affairs of the State shall be guided by discussions and consultations”.
In The Legacy of Quaid-i-Azam, Dr Javid Iqbal states that Mohammad Ali Jinnah, being a celebrated lawyer, had a firm belief in the rule of law rather than the rule of individuals. The rule of law strengthens institutions, not individuals.
Jinnah also announced, forcefully so, that the affairs of the state should be decided through debate and dialogue to serve the people of his great nation.
Jinnah, time and again, professed that the constitution of Pakistan must be democratic. In a broadcast to the people of the USA in February 1948, he said: “The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by the Pakistan Constituent Assembly. I do not know what the ultimate shape of this constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be a democratic type, embodying the essential principles of Islam…. It has taught equality of man, justice, and fair play to everyone.
We are the inheritors of these glorious traditions and are fully alive to our responsibilities and obligations as framers of the future constitution of Pakistan”.
