Secular Pakistan: ‘Pakistanis should know Quaid’s Aug 11 speech by heart’

[Med911]

Re: Secular Pakistan: ‘Pakistanis should know Quaid’s Aug 11 speech by heart’

@diwana

Now it is very obvious from the history of Pakistan that religious people never actually ruled the country.

If one removes army rule, it is easily seen that even in so called elected Govt. years of Pakistan, none of the religious parties ever had their PM or President selected/elected.

People who attended schools outside Pakistan or had green card are included in the rulers of Pakistan by the way. None of them religious.

Whether the rulers were religious or not is irrelevant. Its the fact that they were never sincere is what is at issue. The rulers did whatever they could to remain in power or get into power. religiosity or lack there of was not in issue. Where it served them they were religious, and where it didn’t they were not. They courted the religious right to win support and legitimacy and appealed to religious populous.

The only one who was perhaps sincere in his convictions, but in entirely the wrong direction was Zia. He was dismissive of democratic norms, and left wing ideology because he was dictator in the truest sense and a right wing conservative of the worst kind. And he was sincere to his ideological leaning, because his regressive policies were in step with his religious conservative persona, unlike people like Bhutto who despite being a liberal, still passed laws against Ahmadis, etc.