Impeachment of President
Musharraf
By Amicus
Taliban commanders are
taking over more of the country’s ungoverned north-west by the day.Tensions
between South Asia’s nuclear-armed rivals are rising. After a suicide-bomb
attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul last month—which India blamed on the
ISI—its national security adviser, M.K. Narayanan, warned that India might have
to “retaliate in kind”.
The economy is hell-bound.
Inflation is running at 25% a year. The stockmarket in Karachi has lost 35% of
its value since April. During blackouts, Pakistani businessmen trade tales of
capital flight. Foreign-exchange reserves—once emblematic of economic
recovery—now barely cover three months of imports.
The government, a coalition
led by the Pakistan People Party (PPP), has been paralysed since its formation
in February. It has no plan for the north-west and appears to have given little
thought to arresting the economy’s decline.
The government does not even
have a permanent finance minister. Ishaq Dar and half his colleagues were
withdrawn from the cabinet in May by the PPP’s biggest coalition partner, Nawaz
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N).
It was protesting against
the government’s failure to reinstate 60 judges, who were sacked by Pervez
Musharraf last November lest they object to his (apparently illegal)
re-election as president. Nawaz Sharifbelieves, if reinstated, these judges
would force Mr Musharraf to quit.
For good reasons he has also
demanded that parliament impeach the president. And he may have his way.
After showdown talks on
August 6th and 7th Mr Sharif and the PPP’s leader, Asif Zardari, reached a
provisional agreement to impeach the president and restore the judges.
Both moves would be popular.
Having ruled Pakistan more or less outright for almost a decade, Mr Musharraf
is blamed for many of its troubles.
According to a poll for the
International Republican Institute, an American NGO, 83% of Pakistanis want him
out and the judges reinstated.
Support for the PPP-led
government, which came to power amid euphoria, has nose dived.
Its few efforts at
policymaking—including a doomed effort to put the army-run ISI into civilian
hands— have mostly been hapless.
Under Mr Zardari, the PPP
seems rudderless and divided; a third of its elected members are said to be
ready to rebel.
It appears Mr. Nawaz Sharif,
like Mr Zardari, is reluctant to bring an end to an alliance for which he has
no love.
The moves of the ruling
coalition impeach President Pervez Musharraf on charges of plunging the country
into a political and economic crisis.
They also warned Musharraf,
a former general who first came to power in a 1999 military coup, against any
attempt to dismiss the government.
The move is likely to deepen
political uncertainty in the which already faces a faltering economy and a
threat from Islamist militants.
This situation has taken a
toll on Pakistani markets, with the main share index at its weakest in almost
two years and the rupee headed back towards all-time lows posted in early July.
Asif Ali Zardari said, “The
coalition leaders believe that it has become imperative to move for
impeachment,” Zardari told a news conference with his coalition partner, former
prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The response of the powerful
army to the prospect of a humiliating exit for its former chief will be
crucial. Army commanders met in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, close to
Islamabad, on Thursday but a military official said it was a routine meeting.
While Mushrraf has become
increasingly unpopular at home and lost parliamentary support after his allies
suffered a defeat in February elections but he has resisted calls to stand
down.
“The economic policies
pursued by General Musharraf during the last 8 years have brought Pakistan to
the brink of critical economic impasse,” a joint statement read by Zardari
said.
“He has worked to undermine
the transition to democracy.”
Some analysts say the
jockeying for political power has distracted leaders from dealing with
Pakistan’s economic problems and the effort to control Islamic militants,
especially along the border with Afghanistan.
The United States and the
Afghanistan government say the border areas are shelters for Taliban and al
Qaeda fighters.
Musharraf has previously
said he would resign rather than face impeachment.
Under the Pakistani
constitution, a president can be ousted if an impeachment motion wins a
two-thirds majority of the combined strength of the National Assembly and
Senate.
Zardari was confident the
motion would be passed with an overwhelming majority.
“We have votes and we also have the courage,” he said
“We have votes and we also have the courage,” he said
“The coalition reaffirmed
the resolve of democracy and democratic forces will work jointly to make a
transition to genuine democracy,” the head of Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali
Zardari said, reading a joint communique with his coalition partners.
Before pursuing impeachment
proceedings, Pakistani lawmakers will demand Musharraf take a vote of
confidence in the newly elected parliament, which he had vowed to do last year,
Zardari said.
“The people of Pakistan gave
a clear mandate in favor of democracy and democratic forces and voted for the
change to oust Gen. Musharraf by defeating his … party,” Zardari added.
“In spite of his clear
commitment that if his party was defeated in the election he would resign, he
continues to cling to the office of the president.
On Thursday, Pakistani
stocks had nudged up 0.3 percent, closing at 9,707.29 on turnover of 88.5
million shares, kept in check by anticipation of the formal announcement of the
impeachment by the ruling parties.
The President is expected to
fight off moves to oust him, saying he would take up the challenge and would
not quit. “I will defeat those who try to push me to the wall,“ a defiant
president told his supporters. “If they use their right to oust me, I have the
right to defend myself.”
The twin issues of President
Musharraf’s removal and the restoration of Supreme Court judges who were
dismissed by the president last November during a brief period of emergency
rule have over-shadowed the four-month-old coalition government.
The ruling coalition claims
they have the two thirds majority required to remove the president.
Observers said the
impeachment move could further destabilise the country, which is facing severe
economic problem and rising Islamic insurgency.
He became hugely unpopular
after he imposed a temporary emergency rule in the country in November 2007 and
sacked the independent minded chief justice.
His allies were defeated in
an election in February that resulted in a civilian coalition government led by
the party of the late Benazir Bhutto, a two-time prime minister who was
assassinated while campaigning last December.
Despite the loss of
parliamentary support, Mr. Musharraf has resisted pressure to quit, and has
insisted that he was willing to work with the new civilian government.
He has repeatedly said he
would not use presidential powers to dismiss the parliament, but Pakistani
political circles are rife with speculation that he is manouevring towards this
scenario on grounds that the civilian government has proved inept.
Analysts said the
impeachment move could increase political disarray the country and force the
army to act, although the army leadership has so far kept itself out of the fray.
Political uncertainty has
badly affected the economy with inflation reaching a record high. Investors
have harboured doubts over whether the civilian coalition government has the
ability to arrest the decline. Rising Islamic militancy which has gripped
northern areas also threaten to tear apart the country.
The Causes for PPP going for
Impeachment:
The PPP has been complaining
of “interference” from the Presidency for some time, though not with the same
intensity as the PMLN in Punjab.
The position may have
changed a bit now because the PPP is also toying with the idea of having its
own man in the presidency.
The level of unhappiness or
dissatisfaction was revealed by Mr Zardari during an interview with Business
Plus TV channel aired the same day.
He stated bluntly that the
government of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was finding the president an
obstacle in governance. When pushed to be more specific, he said the government
would like to replace the Chief Commissioner and Governor of the State Bank but
was hampered in this by the president. Apparently, the president is also
dragging his feet on Mr Zardari’s nominee for the ambassadorship of the UAE, a
position currently held by a friend of the president who also served in the
caretaker administration.
It develops that the
Governor of the State Bank, Ms Shamshad Akhtar, may have offended the
government by making public the sum which his government had borrowed from the
State Bank against good sense as it notched up the deficit and stoked
inflation. Mr Zardari said the most recent Rs 50 billion had to be borrowed
because his government had to pay off the oil companies whose dues had not been
cleared by the Musharraf government. Because of non-payment, the companies were
unable to supply oil for the production of electricity and power producers were
unable to pay the suppliers. He seemed unhappy that this economic measure of
last resort was shown to the public as an “excess”by the State Bank governor.
On Wednesday, Dr Pervez
Tahir, chief economist of the Planning Commission from 2000 to 2006, brought
out the supposed bias of the Governor in blinking the much bigger borrowings by
governments before the PPP coalition took over in 2008. He wrote: “In
November-December 2007 alone, the State Bank allowed the government to borrow
Rs178bn. And now it is becoming restless because the new government in its
first month borrowed Rs33bn. The consequences of the failure to act in July
2007 are being projected as problems that the democratic alliance does not have
the competence to deal with. The plot continues to thicken.”
In any case, the precedents
tell, presidential impeachment may be easier said than done. There is
uncertainty in certain quarters about the impeachment in terms of numbers and
procedure.
While many lawyers are
agreed that impeachment can go ahead, some point to the difficulties of
preparing a charge sheet according to the Constitution which pins the
parliament down to one or all of the following three presidential
culpabilities:
1) Unfitness to hold the office
due to incapacity, 2) guilt of violating the Constitution, 3) gross misconduct.
2) The partisans
of this view hold that the President’s actions violating the Constitution in
1999 and 2007 through military rule were validated by the Supreme Court; therefore,
the charge sheet will be seriously challenged.
The question of numbers has
never been very clear. The PPP itself had earlier declared on a number of
occasions that the coalition did not have the two-thirds vote required for
impeachment in a joint parliamentary session.
The PMLQ and the MQM cannot
be expected to support the move and their position will not change visibly in
the interim.
Rumours have been afoot
about the development of overt and covert “forward blocs” within the PMLQ, and
that the PMLN has been quietly encouraging them. Therefore, if the PMLQ can be
broken, and if the ANP and JUIF persuaded to go along, then the numbers may not
be out of range. But these are two big ifs.
But there are other issues
that are less clear. Does the PPP really want the quick exit of Mr Musharraf
even if it leads to a stampede of the PMLQ into the arms of the PMLN and
weakens the balance of power between the PMLN and PPP? How will the SC packed
with Musharraf loyalists react to the impeachment when it knows that it will be
on the hit list of the PMLN next?
Will the president sit back
and let the PPP-PMLN grab the MNAs and Senators or will he throw the ISI and MI
into the game and thwart them by wooing the ANP and JUIF?
Let us be clear about how
the forces are stacked at the moment before we jump to any conclusions.
The PMLN and President
Musharraf are true foes in the sense that they can’t share power under any
circumstances.
The PPP is in the middle, it
wants the president to go but it doesn’t want the PMLN to gain advantage out of
it, and thus far it has been trying to survive by balancing one off against the
other.
The ANP has its hands full
in combating terrorism in its province and needs the army and ISI on its right
side. The JUIF is looking over its shoulder to see which way the wind blows.
So we have the President,
Army, ISI, MQM and PMLQ on one side, fully united, and the PMLN, the PPP, the
lawyers’ movement and most Pakistanis on the other, with one critical
qualification — the lawyers’ movement is fatigued and lacks the potency of last
year, while “the people” are not ready to risk their necks for their
anti-Musharraf beliefs. , ANP and JUIF, seemingly in the middle, but their
short term interests have tilted in favour of the than the latter. The
Supreme Court too, may take the que from the anti-Musharraf, highly charged
public opinion.
Since the President
Musharraf canceled his China visit, it means he takes this threat seriously and
is going to quickly rally his forces.A beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf
held consultations with his political loyalists and constitutional and legal
aides on Wednesday in what appeared to be an effort to prepare himself to fight
off the ruling coalition in its move to impeach him.
“I will defeat those who try
to push me to the wall,” sources quoted the president as saying. “If they use
their right to try to oust me I have the right to defend myself.
“I will go down fighting but
will not give in to those who are doing so to create more political divisions,”
he said.
He said he was an elected
president and would continue to serve the nation as long as the Constitution
allowed him.
Pakistan Muslim League-Q
president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Leader of Opposition in the National
Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and party leader Hamid Nasir Chattha were the
first to meet him. They assured him of their party’s unwavering support
“through thick and thin”.
Later, the governors of
Punjab and Sindh met the president to discuss the political situation.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul
Ibad is said to have renewed support for President Musharraf on behalf of the
Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Reports of a meeting of
constitutional and legal advisers with the president were not confirmed by the
presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi.
The sources said that the
PML-Q leaders had asked the president to defend himself in person in
parliament. They also convinced him not to call off his visit to China which
was a tested strategic friend of Pakistan.
Private TV channels also
reported a meeting between Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and
the president but it was denied by Inter-Services Public Relations director
general Maj-Gen Athar Abbas.
Chaudhry Shujaat told
reporters after his two and half an hour meeting at the president’s camp office
that the impeachment bogie was aimed at diverting the attention of the people
from real issues.
Ways of countering the
impeachment move were discussed at the meeting and the PML-Q assured the
president that its legislators would defend him in parliament and outside it.
Chaudhry Pervaiz said: “Gen
(retd) Musharraf is an elected president who has the credit of holding free and
fair elections. He does not deserve this treatment and we will stand by him in
case of any effort to oust him.”
He warned against any move
which could sabotage political harmony and create instability at this critical
juncture in national history.
Options:
So what are Musharraf’s
options to avoid a possible impeachment if he does not quit?
It will require a wide split
in the ranks of PPP and PML-N — by no means an impossible task ordinarily but
quite unlikely given their extraordinary need to do business together, for now.
Najam Sethi, editor of the
pro-West Daily Times, who has previously supported Musharraf’s liberal
policies,
suggests a way out.
“Ideally, President
Musharraf might be advised to voluntarily quit, redeem some honour and allow
the fledgling democracy to settle down and grow. But if he is reluctant to call
it a day voluntarily, the choice will be between banding together and getting
rid of him or letting him stay as a lame duck president.”
To arrive at any meaningful
conclusion on, if and how, Musharraf can be impeached, if he decides to ignore
calls for resignation, it is important for PPP and PML-N to converge.
As declared by the coalition
partners, PPP-PMLN-ANP-JUIF, the Game Plan has began to unfold, with the
passage of a Resolution requiring the President Musharraf to seek a vote of
confidence from the National Assembly, as per his commitment before the Supreme
Court (which otherwise the PMLN does not consider legitimate).
The strategy seems to be to
create Moral Pressure via Provincial Assemblies calling upon him to seek that
vote of confidence, mobilize public opinion, create Media Hype and brow be
President to make him virtually reel before the socalled “Great Public Demand”
and give in or else…….
It may not be out of place
to point out Assembly Resolution may have moral value but no Constitutional
binding on President Musharraf. This appears to be the case, since undertaking
given before the Supreme Court on his behalf, may make why not approach the
Supreme Court to seek a direction to Musharraf to honor his commitment made on
his before the Apex Court. Albeit PMLN, atleast would not share such a course.
Hence Impeachment, at the
cost and peril of the Primary and Pivotal Goal of getting the Honorable CJ
Iftikhar Chaudhry and other 59 (or shall we substract the 8 Honorable ousted
Justices, having been reappointed by the PPP-PMLN Coalition Government, because
as of today those appointments holds the ground on Legal Plane), the Lawyers
and Civil Socitieties’ Long Struggle. Now Restoration of Judges shall be
preceded by Impeachment and Removal of President Musharraf. No
disagreement with that, the caveat is why this took so long to divine the
Coalition Government of PPP and PMLN, moreso the later.
If it had, the Nation would
have been spared the torture and agony since almost five months, lack or
absence of governance, down heel slide of the National Economy, spiraling cost of
living, high inflation, decline of Law and Order and the stark reality of
Threats to National Security owing to the Regional Geo Political environment
and serious attempts by enemies of Pakistan, within and without.
That being said, one would
desire, impeachment, so be it. A word of caution is “Let’s do it right by our
Constitution and Laws”.
To facilitate precisely that
let our Lagislators, comprehend the “Doctrine of Impeachment of Head of the
State, Government or even Public Servants” elsewhere in the Civilised World.
Here are some insights for a starter.
The relevant Constututionl
provisions for Impeachment of President.
PART III
The Federation of Pakistan
Chapter 1. THE PRESIDENT
47. Removal [22][or
impeachment] of President.
[22A](1) Notwithstanding
anything contained in the Constitution, the President may, in accordance with
the provisions of this Article, be removed from office on the ground of
physical or mental incapacity or impeached on a charge of violating the
Constitution or gross misconduct.
(2) Not less than one-half
of the total membership of either House may give to the Speaker of the National
Assembly or, as the case may be, the Chairman written notice of its intention
to move a resolution for the removal of, or, as the case may be, to impeach,
the President; and such notice shall set out the particulars of his incapacity
or of the charge against him.]
(3) If a notice under clause
(2) is received by the Chairman, he shall transmit it forthwith to the Speaker.
(4) The Speaker shall,
within three days of the receipt of a notice under clause (2) or clause (3),
cause a copy of the notice to be transmitted to the President.
(5) The Speaker shall summon
the two Houses to meet in a joint sitting not earlier than seven days and not
later than fourteen days after the receipt of the notice by him.
(6) The joint sitting may
investigate or cause to be investigated the ground or the charge upon which the
notice is founded.
(7) The President shall have
the right to appear and be represented during the investigation, if any, and
before the joint sitting.
(8) If, after consideration
of the result of the investigation, if any, a resolution is passed at the joint
sitting by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of
[23][Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] declaring that the President is unfit to
hold the office due to incapacity or is guilty of violating the Constitution or
of gross misconduct, the President shall cease to hold office immediately on
the passing of the resolution. (1)
In the absence of Bhutto,
who remained its great binding force for nearly three decades, the PPP under
Zardari — who has remained a source of discontent within the party rank and
file thanks to his controversial role in her two governments — will be
vulnerable to the devious games of the establishment and intelligence agencies.
In other words, staying in
power will be the glue, which keeps the PPP together and provide Zardari the
necessary space to earn his spurs as a genuine leader. But this could mean
making uncomfortable compromises. PPP and Musharraf’s aides are already in
talks over the future dispensation.
The PPP appears not too keen
on the restoration of the deposed judges but PML-N can ill-afford to part with
their hardened stand. Even if the PPP reluctantly agrees to find a middle
ground on the issue, Sharif is not ready to let bygones be bygones with
Musharraf.
To impeach or not to impeach
To impeach or not to impeach
Both the parties want
Musharraf out, but while they would rather the beleaguered leader resign of his
own volition, PPP has given indications that it could still live with him if
they get their pound of flesh. On the contrary, Sharif is gunning for an
impeachment if Musharraf tries to push his luck.
So far, Musharraf is
refusing to buckle down. This may change however, if Zardari and Sharif reach
the same conclusion to keep their political stock intact. Debate on possible
impeachment may gain currency in the days to come.
Zardari has called for
Musharraf to quit.
Senator John Kerry, the last
Bush rival for the White House, and one of few US lawmakers, who traveled to
Pakistan as poll observers, was constrained to point to a clause for
impeachment in the Pakistani constitution to offset a query at a news
conference in Islamabad the other day.
Kerry was asked if he was
working to advance longstanding US policy of supporting Musharraf in power when
he suggested Musharraf and moderate victors of the February 18 elections had a
great opportunity to work together to strengthen democracy.
Joseph Biden, chairman of
the senate foreign relations committee and one of the poll observers, at least,
signaled a change in outlook.
“This is an opportunity for
us to move from a policy that has been focused on a personality to one based on
an entire people,” Biden said.
Regardless of what eventually
happens to Musharraf, the gnawing reality is that politically, he may have
reached a dead-end.
The relevant Constututionl
provisions for Impeachment of President.
PART III
PART III
The Federation of Pakistan
Chapter 1. THE PRESIDENT
47. Removal [22][or impeachment]
of President.
[22A](1) Notwithstanding
anything contained in the Constitution, the President may, in accordance with
the provisions of this Article, be removed from office on the ground of
physical or mental incapacity or impeached on a charge of violating the
Constitution or gross misconduct.
(2) Not less than one-half
of the total membership of either House may give to the Speaker of the National
Assembly or, as the case may be, the Chairman written notice of its intention
to move a resolution for the removal of, or, as the case may be, to impeach,
the President; and such notice shall set out the particulars of his incapacity
or of the charge against him.]
(3) If a notice under clause
(2) is received by the Chairman, he shall transmit it forthwith to the Speaker.
(4) The Speaker shall,
within three days of the receipt of a notice under clause (2) or clause (3),
cause a copy of the notice to be transmitted to the President.
(5) The Speaker shall summon
the two Houses to meet in a joint sitting not earlier than seven days and not
later than fourteen days after the receipt of the notice by him.
(6) The joint sitting may
investigate or cause to be investigated the ground or the charge upon which the
notice is founded.
(7) The President shall have
the right to appear and be represented during the investigation, if any, and
before the joint sitting.
(8) If, after consideration
of the result of the investigation, if any, a resolution is passed at the joint
sitting by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of
[23][Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] declaring that the President is unfit to
hold the office due to incapacity or is guilty of violating the Constitution or
of gross misconduct, the President shall cease to hold office immediately on the
passing of the resolution.
In order to comprehend what
PPP-PMLN coalition is getting into by taking the Impeachment Route it may be
useful to take a look at what Impeachment is in the contemporary world. Here are
some relevant materials.
Independence Day of Pakistan
On the 61 Independence
Day, as the people of Pakistan celebrate and rejoice, the bounty that
became home to the genertion that was witness to the Dawn of 14th August
1947 and since. May be, the former knew what was the vision of Father of
the Nation Mr. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, do we?
While Celebrating let’s
revisit Jinnah’s Vision and collectively reflect, let ‘Bye gone be, that-Bye
Gone “ and resolve to take Big steps, one at a time in humble and small way, in
Unison to put our Mother Land Pakistan on the path envisioned and charted
by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinah.
Let’s see what he said on
following occasions:
Interview to a
representative of the Associated Press of America, clarifying various aspects
of Pakistan, Bombay, November 8, 1945(full text)
Politically, Pakistan would
be a democracy. Mr. Jinnah said that he personally hoped its major industrial
and public utility services would be socialized. The component states or
provinces of Pakistan would have autonomy.
Economically, Mr Jinnah
contended, Pakistan, divided into two separate zones, is just as sound an
undertaking as if it were a country with all of its States in one bloc; that is
natural resources and population would be sufficient to make it a great world
power.
Most Powerful State
Most Powerful State
Declaring that Pakistan
would embrace a population of some one hundred million persons, Mr. Jinnah
added: “England became power with only a population of 35 million. Pakistan
could become one of the most powerful states economically.”
Even now a Muslim League
committee is studying the field for developing Pakistan States as a nation.
There is a great future for it, with its still untouched iron, petroleum,
sulphur, coal and other mineral deposits many of which already have been
mapped. The Punjab is putting up one of the greatest hydroelectric stations in
the world and this will mean a rural electrification and industrial development
programme.
There is no merit to
contentions that to draw masses of persons into industry would rob farms of
needed labour and invite food shortages or famine.
There would be ample
revenues from “equitable taxation, levied in a manner consistent with social
justice” to finance good Government and “allow us to have a State as good as
any in the world and better than many sovereign countries on the map of the
world today..”
This would be a Muslim
state. As far as the Musalmans are concerned there would be no social barriers
of any kind against the Hindus or anyone else. The Musalmans are a people who
believe in and act on the basic principle of equality of manhood and
fraternity.
No One-Party Government
No One-Party Government
Mr. Jinnah said that he did
not expect that Pakistan would have one-party Government and that he would
oppose one party rule. “An opposition party or parties are good correctives for
any party which is in power” he said.
Hindu minorities in Pakistan
can rest assured that their rights will be protected. No civilised Government
can be run successfully without giving minorities a complete sense of security
and confidence. They must be made to feel that they have a hand in Government
and to do this they must have adequate representation in it. Pakistan will give
this.
The theory of Pakistan
guarantees that federated units of the National Government would have all the
autonomy that you will find in the constitutions of the United States of
America, Canada and Australia. But certain vital powers will remain vested in
the Central Government such as the monetary system, national defence and other
federal responsibilities.
Each federated State or
province would have its own legislative executive and judicial systems, each of
the three branches of Government being constitutionally separate.
National Defence
National Defence
Britain has been strong with
an empire scattered over the globe. We can be strong with a Pakistan which has
one of its zones in the west and one in the east of India. We would be more
closely knit than the British Commonwealth of Nations.
And do not forget that more
than 55 per cent of the Indian Army comes from the Punjab and are mostly Muslims.
(1)
On the occasion of the
inauguration of the Pakistan Broadcasting Service: August 15, 1947
“It is with feelings of
greatest happiness and emotion that I send you my greetings. August 15 is the
birthday of the independent and sovereign State of Pakistan. It marks the
fulfillment of the destiny of the Muslim nation which made great sacrifices in
the past few years to have its homeland.
“At this supreme moment my
thoughts are with those valiant fighters in our cause. Pakistan will remain
grateful to them and cherish the memory of those who are no more.
“The creation of the new
State has placed a tremendous responsibility on the citizens of Pakistan. It
gives them an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how can a nation,
containing many elements, live in peace and amity and work for the betterment
of all its citizens, irrespective of caste or creed.
“Our object should be peace
within and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial and
friendly relations with our immediate neighbors and with the world at large. We
have no aggressive designs against any one. We stand by the United Nations
Charter and will gladly make our full contribution to the peace and prosperity
of the world.
“Muslims of India have shown
to the world that they are a united nation, their cause is just and righteous
which cannot be denied. Let us, on this day, humbly thank God for His bounty
and pray that we might be able to prove that we are worthy of it.
“This day marks the end of a
poignant phase in our national history and it should also be the beginning of a
new and a noble era. Let us impress the minorities by word, deed and thought
that as long as they fulfill their duties and obligations as loyal citizens of
Pakistan, they have nothing to fear.
“To the freedom loving
tribes on our borders and the States beyond our borders, we send our greetings
and assure that Pakistan will respect their status and will extend to them its
most friendly co-operation in preserving peace. We have no ambition beyond the
desire to live honorably and let others live honorably.
“Today is Jummat-ul-Wida,
last Friday of the holy month of Ramazan, a day of rejoicing for all of us
wherever we may be in this vast sub-continent and for the matter of that
throughout the world. Let the Muslim congregations in their thousands, in all
the mosques, bow in all humility before the Almighty and thank Him for His
eternal kindness and generosity, seeking His guidance and assistance in the
task of making Pakistan into a great State and themselves into its worthy
citizens.
“Finally, let me tell you,
fellow citizens, Pakistan is a land of great potential resources. But to build
it up into a country worthy of the Muslim nation, we shall require every ounce
of energy that we possess and I am confident that it will come from all
whole-heartedly.”
Pakistan Zindabad!
Pakistan Zindabad!
“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 every one 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 the 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 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 judgment there was no other solution and I am sure
future history will record its verdict in favour of it. And what is more it
will be proved by actual experience as we go on that that was the only solution
of India’s constitutional problem. Any idea of a United India could never have
worked and in my judgment it would have led us to terrific disaster. May be
that view is correct ; may be 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
every one 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 no end to the progress you will make.
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,
Punjabies, Shias, Sunnis and so on and among the Hindus you have Brahmins,
Vashnvas, 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 peoples
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 places of 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 State 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 when
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 Catholic and Protestants do
not exists ; what exists now is that every man is a citizen, an equal citizen,
of Great Britain and they are all members of the Nation.
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.(3)
Reflect upon this;
In 1998 MR. Roe Dad Khan,
reflected on editorial page of Dawn;
“Pakistan has lapsed into
languor, a spiritless lassitude. A sense of guilt, shame, danger and anxiety
hangs over the country like a pall. It appears as if we are on a phantom train
that is gathering momentum and we cannot get off. Today Pakistan is a silent,
mournful land where few people talk of the distant future and most live from
day to day. They see themselves as ordinary and unimportant, their suffering
too common to be noted and prefer to bury their pain.
Pakistan is in a deep, deep,
hole. When will it follow the first rule of holes? When you are in a hole, stop
digging. Unfortunately the hole Pakistan has dug itself into is really, really,
deep. The problem for us is that you feel you are in a hole and you want to get
out, and you hear all those noises, and all that activity, but you feel very
much alone, with no one out there really wanting to stretch back to you and
help you out. The country suffers from a malignant disease, but people think it
is just a cold, so they continue taking small does of medicine and wonder why
it still hurts.”
And also this;
Independence Day, 14th
August 2007 General Pervez Musharraf said,
“To all who care about
Pakistan Our country has come a long way since its independence. Recently
included in the global “next 11” emerging economies. Pakistan is on a sure and
sustainable macro-economic footing with investment and entrepreneurial activities
spreading across sectors. The last six years have witnessed a radical
transformation of the socio-economic landscape of the country. The economic
upsurge can be seen permeating down to the welfare and quality of life of the
people.
The Government hopes to
sustain this trend.” (4)
May Allah Give us the
Sagacity, Wisdom and Vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinah
About the author: Amicus is
the pseudonym of Advocate Mohammed Yousuf. Has written extensively on Islam and
Islamist Militancy.
(1) http://www.geocities.com/sadna_gupta/Extra1C_Jinnahspeeches4345.html
Interview to a
representative of the Associated Press of America, clarifying various aspects
of Pakistan, Bombay, November 8, 1945(full text)
(2) http://forum.chatdd.com/freedom-speech/858-jinnah-s-independence-day-speech.html
(3) Dawn (11 August, 2006
(4) http://missions.itu.int/~pakistan/2005_Statements/P_PM_FM/stpresind_14aug07.htm
