**Youth’s role in the creation of Pakistan **
By Rashid Ali Siddiqui
Young generation always plays the leading role to manipulate the situation whenever a movement is launched or a revolution is in
offing in any part of the world. Such fantastic job has also been done by our youth during the freedom movement. The creation of Pakistan was not an outcome of a sudden move or reaction of Muslims of South Asia but the country was a fruit of long, hard and unprecedented struggle, spanning over centuries involving many great leaders.
Today our youths are victim of sheer frustration in the backdrop of growing unemployment, expensive education, reluctance of their elders to give them proper guidance and massive corruption in giving jobs and promotions. The old generation can be held responsible this fiasco. The youth, confronting with such problems have no other option but to tread the thorny path, compelling them to take law in their hands and use illegal means to get a morsel. It is irony of the fate that you cannot get your due right without greasing the palms of high-ups, who have been made the masters of our youth’s destiny. Our young generation seems to be disgruntled, dejected and disappointed with the situation. After 9/11 catastrophic incidents, the Western countries and US have shut the door of employment on them. A large number of highly qualified and educated boys have been forced to wander on streets and roads to seek proper job or commit suicide that is why the ratio of lawlessness and suicide is on rise. Many foreign countries labeling them as part of terrorist network pushed them back to Pakistan. Our youths, who had been termed as ‘the architects of Pakistan’ by the Quaid-i-Azam many times, stand at the crossroad of history. A path goes towards destruction and other way demands them to reminisce the teachings of Quaid regarding the young generation.
The Aligarh Movement, spearheaded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan for the Muslim youth, had undoubtedly laid the foundation of a separate Muslim state for the Muslims of India. The Aligarh Movement had not only reminded the Muslims that their religion, culture and customs were different from that of Hindus. It gave them a separate identity and motivated them to learn the modern sciences to bring their educational standard at the par with Hindus as Sir Syed had strongly believed that the Muslims in India could not prosper and develop unless they acquired the knowledge of modern sciences and learn English. His dream to make the Muslims economically and socially strong was materialised with the flourishing of Aligarh Movement and his founded institution was transformed into a well-known Muslim University to champion the cause of Pakistan Movement.
The historic Aligarh Movement handed over the mantle of noble cause to Ali Brothers - the highly respected Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali. The life of two brothers is a beacon light for the present day generation. When the British arrested and put them behind the bar, the two brothers refused to offer forgiveness, a condition for their release. This shows that how our youth were steadfast and devoted to their cause. Their courage, dedication and the spirit of sacrifice made them role-model for the nation and specially for our youngsters.
Another young man Chaudhri Rahmat Ali contributed a major role in the Pakistan Movement when he coined the word ‘Pakistan’ after taking the initial letters from the Muslim dominated areas, which formed state of Pakistan.
Allama Iqbal, the thinker of Pakistan, also could not help praising the role of youth in turning the tides:
mohabat mujhe unn
jawanon sey hai; sitaron pey jo daltey hain kamand
The Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah has also acknowledged the role, played by students and young generation in the Pakistan Movement, many times after Pakistan came into being on August 14, 1947. He had always admired the students and felt gratitude for them for working side-by-side with men. Realising their effectiveness for the success of Pakistan’s struggle Muslim Student Federation (MSF), the students’ wing of the All-India Muslim League, was founded. The Muslim students would go far and wide on mass contact campaign and acquainted the uneducated people with the latest development regarding their noble struggle. Their hectic efforts bore fruit and the Muslims of India awoke from deep slumber. Now their all efforts had been directed towards the achievement of Pakistan.
After the creation of Pakistan, Quaid once again recalled the role of students in the Pakistan Movement while addressing to the students of the Islamia College at Peshawar on April 12, 1948. His historical address sets the guidelines for our students and youth.
He says, “I am indeed very happy to be present here today and to have the privilege of meeting and addressing the students of this great Dar-ul-Ulum, who are the future builders of Pakistan”. “On this occasion the thought that is naturally uppermost in my mind is the support and help that the movement for the achievement of Pakistan received from the student community, particularly of this Province.
I cannot help feeling that the unequivocal and unmistakable decision of the people of this Province to join Pakistan, which was given through the referendum held last year, was helped considerably by the contribution made by the students. I take particular pride in the fact that the people of this Province have never and in no way lagged behind in the struggle for freedom and achievement of Pakistan”.
A year after the creation of Pakistan, the Quaid, overwhelmed with joy told the youths that they had achieved their national goal. Reposing full faith on them, he remarks: You will expect me to give you a bit of advice regarding the manner in which we can put our shoulders behind the most difficult and important task of building up our new State into what we all wish it to be; namely one of the greatest States in the world. The father of nation sets the principles for them:
- The first thing they should do is to learn to appreciate the difference in the approach to the problems with which Pakistan is faced now, in contrast with those which were facing them when they were struggling for the independence.
- During Pakistan’s struggle the youth were critical of the Government which was a foreign Government and which the Muslims wanted to replace by a Government of their own. In doing so the Muslim youth had to sacrifice many things including their academic careers.
- Reminding his three words of success, ‘unity, faith and discipline’, he advised them to develop a sound sense of discipline, character, initiative and a solid academic background. “You must devote yourself whole-heartedly to your studies, for that is your first obligation to yourselves, your parents and to the State. You must learn to obey for only then you can learn to command. In your criticism of the Government you must learn to be constructive. Government welcomes constructive criticism. You can make a big contribution towards bringing about harmony and unity where for personal and other selfish considerations some people may adopt courses, which are likely to lead to disruption and disunity.”
- They had been warned not to allow their actions to be guided by ill-digested information or slogans and catch-words. “There is a common fault with the students against which I must warn you. The students believe that no one can tell them anything, which they do not already know. That mentality is harmful and often leads to quite a lot of mischief. But if you want to learn by your own experience, and not by the experience of your elders, let me tell you that as you become older, you will be more ready to learn from your costly experiences and the knock that you shall have received during your lifetime, which will harm you more than anybody else,” he advises.
On several occasions, he advised the young generation that their duty to the State often demanded that they must be ready to submerge their individual or provincial interests into the common cause for common good. “Our duty to the State comes first; our duty to our province, to our district, to our town and to our village and ourselves comes next. Remember we are building up a State, which is going to play its full part in the destinies of the whole Islamic World. We therefore, need a wider outlook, an outlook, which transcends the boundaries of provinces, limited nationalism, and racialism. We must develop a sense of patriotism, which should galvanise and weld us all into one united and strong nation. That is the only way in which we can achieve our goal, the goal of our struggle, the goal for which millions of Mussalmans have lost their all and laid down their lives.”
Despite the passage of 56 years, his speech is still effective, thought-provoking and provides the solutions of some of the problems, facing your young generation today.