Quaid-e-Azam: An Enlightened Leader
Ishak Soomro
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born almost 150 years ago, on December 25, 1876. He received his early education in Karachi at Sindh Madrasah-ul-Islam (now Sindh Madrasah-ul-Islam University) and later at the Christian Missionary Society High School. Jinnah passed his matriculation examination from Bombay University in 1887 at the age of sixteen. On the advice of an English friend, his father decided to send him to England to gain business experience. However, Jinnah’s own ambition was to become a barrister, and he pursued that goal with determination.
After returning from England, Jinnah began practicing law and gradually entered politics. He was a sophisticated, rational, and independent-minded individual. Although Pakistan came into being in the name of religion, Quaid-e-Azam himself was liberal and secular in outlook, as is evident from his speeches, writings, and practical decisions.
His historic speech in the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, holds special importance, as it clearly declared that Muslims and non-Muslims would enjoy equal status in Pakistan. Referring to this speech, the then President of the All-Pakistan Muslim League, Chaudhry Khaliq-Uz-Zaman, remarked that the past had been buried. Since Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, and Christians all lived in Pakistan, the fundamental question arose: what kind of nation were they now?
Should nationality be defined purely on the basis of religion, or was the concept of nationhood broader than that? The idea that “a nation is formed by religion alone” created confusion. Quaid-e-Azam’s August 11 speech and his subsequent actions clearly reflected a secular and inclusive vision of the state.
After assuming office as the Governor-General of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam did not visit any mosque or shrine. Instead, on August 17, 1947, he visited the Holy Trinity Church in Karachi to assure non-Muslims that they would be treated as equal citizens. He formed the first federal cabinet strictly on merit and political understanding. Jogendra Nath Mandal, a Hindu, was appointed Law Minister to safeguard the rights of minorities, while Sir Zafarullah Khan, a member of the Ahmadi community, was appointed Foreign Minister.
Not a single minister in the first government of Pakistan was a religious leader, nor was any religious ministry established. Quaid-e-Azam’s two military secretaries were British and served him until his death. The heads of the army, navy, and air force were also British, as were the governors of two provinces. Nearly five hundred officers in the army and civil services were British during the early years of Pakistan.
The Muslim League even nominated a Christian, Diwan Bahadur S. P. Singha, for the post of Speaker of the Punjab Assembly. According to renowned historian Professor Tahir Kamran, S. P. Singha was deeply disturbed by the passage of the Objectives Resolution, which he believed contradicted Quaid-e-Azam’s vision. This shock reportedly affected his health, and he passed away during the same period.
The portrait of Quaid-e-Azam selected for government offices and Pakistani embassies did not depict him in a sherwani and Jinnah cap. Instead, it showed him wearing a three-piece suit, holding a cigarette. This symbolic choice reflected his modern, liberal outlook rather than a religious one. While the word secular is often misrepresented as meaning atheist or infidel, secularism in fact signifies enlightened thinking. It promotes tolerance, non-interference in religious matters, and a clear separation between religion and the state. Religion, under secularism, remains a personal matter.
Renowned journalist Qayyum Nizami, in his article “Quaid-e-Azam as Governor-General,” wrote that the August 11, 1947 speech was the speech of a secular statesman, and that Quaid-e-Azam’s actions as Governor-General were also secular in nature. He understood that a nation is formed not by religion alone but by a shared homeland. People of all faiths living in Pakistan constituted one nation, and the experiment of nation-building purely on religious grounds was neither practical nor sustainable.
Unfortunately, in our society the term secular is often equated with atheism or apostasy. Even Maulvi Abdul Haq, regarded as the father of Urdu, defined the word in a similar manner in his dictionary. Majeed Nizami, the late editor of Nawa-e-Waqt, established the Nazariya Pakistan Trust and published a monthly magazine of the same name. In its September 2012 issue, columnist Ahmed Saeed wrote an article titled “Was Quaid-e-Azam Secular?” attempting to prove that Quaid-e-Azam was not secular by citing his participation in religious ceremonies and prayers, mostly on Eid or Fridays.
However, even Quaid-e-Azam’s close associates described him as a liberal thinker. Yousaf Haroon, former Governor of Punjab, stated this in a panel interview published in the Pakistan newspaper, later republished in its Sunday Magazine on October 12, 2008.
Similarly, Sadiq M. Iqbal, another close associate, writes in his autobiography Ganj Chand Yaadein that during a Muslim League Working Committee meeting at Liaquat Ali Khan’s residence, many leaders offered Maghrib prayers under Maulana Usmani’s leadership. Quaid-e-Azam, however, did not join the prayers and remained seated alone in deep thought. All these references clearly demonstrate that Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an enlightened, rational, and liberal leader. Secularism treats religion as a personal matter, and history has shown that nations are not defined solely by religion but by shared culture, civilization, homeland, and collective identity.
Today marks the 74th death anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. At a time when Pakistan faces challenges such as extremism and instability, it is imperative to strengthen the country by sincerely implementing the principles laid down in his historic speech of August 11, 1947.
Professional Profile: Ishak Soomro
Ishak Soomro is a highly experienced professional specializing as a Journalist, Research Associate, and Columnist with a distinguished career spanning 15 years.
He possesses extensive expertise in multilingual communication and analysis, having written and contributed across three major languages: Sindhi, Urdu, and English
ishaksoomro@yahoo.com
