On behalf of the entire GS team happy independence day everyone. 
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/?p=44015
Quaid’s vision about Pakistan
Posted on August 14, 2011
Malik Muhammad Ashraf
The Quaid-i-Azam not only won us freedom but also gave us the vision about the path Pakistan had to traverse as state and earn its rightful place in the comity of nations. He epitomized his vision in a Broadcast talk on Pakistan to the people of United States in February 1948 in these words “The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed. I do not know what the ultimate shape of this constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type embodying the essential principles of Islam. Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality of men, justice and fair play to every body. In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state, to be ruled by priests with divine mission. We have many non-Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Parsis but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizen and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan”.In an interview with a foreign correspondent in 1945 he envisioned federal form of government and said” The theory of Pakistan guarantees that federating units of the national government would have all the autonomy that you will find in the constitutions of USA, Canada and Australia. His slogan of “Unity, Faith and Discipline” and the famous words uttered by him “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” are the pillars on which he wanted to erect the edifice that he envisioned. He was intensely aware of the fact that in a country with distinct cultural entities and regions, the only way Pakistan could move on the path towards its destiny successfully, was an impregnable unity among its people. He was conscious of the fact that building a nation into a vibrant and sustainable entity was much more arduous and thorny than the struggle to win freedom.As is evident from the foregoing, he wanted to construct Pakistan as a progressive democratic country, deriving strength and inspiration from the lofty Islamic principles of brotherhood, equality and fraternity of man that form basic points of our religion, culture and civilization; a country where the federating units enjoyed complete autonomy and acted in unison to strengthen the federation.
Pakistan Resolution passed on 23rd March 1940, also unequivocally emphasized the point of making sure that the constitution of Pakistan guaranteed provincial autonomy and the protection of the religious, cultural, economic and political rights of the minorities. But regrettably the treatise and the testament bequeathed by the Quaid and the leaders of the Pakistan movement failed to find expression in the scheme of things that followed independence. It took almost nine years to frame a constitution that was abrogated by a military dictator only after two years, who promulgated a constitution of his own prescribing Presidential form of government. Another most devastating blow to the national unity was his unimaginable abolition of the provinces and the formation of one unit that sounded the death knell for the national unity and the provincial autonomy. The step precipitated the sense of deprivation and non-participation among the people of the small provinces and led to the emergence of nationalist movements in Balochistan, Sind and former East Pakistan besides fanning sectarianism and provincialism. Although the one unit was undone on 1st July 1970 in view of the intense political upheaval in the country, but it was too late in the day as the damage had already been done and the dismemberment of the country could not be stopped.Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, not only lifted the country from the ashes but also gave the country a unanimous constitution that embodied all the basic elements of Quaid’s vision. The constitution declared Pakistan as an Islamic Republic, gave protection to the rights of the minorities and recognized them as equal citizens besides guaranteeing provincial autonomy.
But unfortunately the country’s march on the road to democracy was disrupted again by a military dictator who for a decade played with the destiny of the people by disfiguring the constitution. Consequently the provincial autonomy as guaranteed in the constitution also remained an elusive dream. The civilian set-ups between 1985 and 1999 also remained oblivious to this important national cause due the intractable political polarization and politics of vendetta. The country yet again drifted into a dark alley as a result of imposition of martial law by General Musharraf, bringing the country back to square one. There are no two opinions about the fact that the challenges that Pakistan faces today, specially terrorism and Islamic extremism, armed insurgency in Balochistan, and other fissiparous tendencies like sectarianism and provincialism, are the consequence of the disruption of the democratic process and the denial of provincial autonomy to the federating units; a criminal digression from the constitution and the vision bequeathed by our founding father.But it is heartening to note that the things have started moving in the right direction. The present PPP-lead coalition government in collaboration with all the political forces represented in the parliament has not only restored the 1973 constitution to its original form by rectifying the constitutional depredations introduced by the dictator but has also given the provincial autonomy to the provinces by abolishing the concurrent list and transferring 17 Ministries and Divisions to the provinces, through Eighteenth Amendment. The phased process of devolution to the provinces was completed on 28th June with the transfer of seven ministries to the provinces in the light of the recommendations of the implementation Commission It is for the first time in the history of Pakistan that we have witnessed the shifting of the emphasis from strong Centre trying to foist its own will on the federating units to strong provinces providing strengthen to the federation. It is indeed a much desired and long awaited paradigm shift in managing the sate affairs that fulfills the vision of the Quaid. All the political forces represented in the parliament deserve gratitude of the nation for this unprecedented accomplishment with consensus, particularly the leadership of PPP which has shown tremendous perseverance, sagacity and foresight in bringing all the political entities together. Now that the democracy has been restored and the constitution re-invented in conformity with the vision of the Quaid, it is incumbent upon all the political forces to zealously guard these gains and desist from any move that could again jeopardize the march of the nation to its cherished goal.
While celebrating the Independence Day this year, it is imperative for every Pakistani, particularly the politicians to introspect their conduct, shun politics of self-agg*****zement and renew their pledge and commitment to the vision of the Quaid. That is the only way Pakistan can surmount the present challenges and become one of the greatest nations of the world that Jinnah cherished and aspired for.
