Re: The concept of Pakistan - Secular or Not - Allama Iqbal’s views
A little search revealed this statement by Iqbal:
“The republican form of government is not only thoroughly consistent with the spirit of Islam, but has also become a necessity in view of the new forces that were set free in the world of Islam.”
One aspect that should be discussed here before going into further details is ‘What is the concept of Muslim State’ and ‘How it is different from a secular state’?
I think there is a misconception that in a Muslim state, non-Muslims can’t exercise their religion freely. History tells us that all major Muslim states accommodated their Non-Muslim subjects be it Spain or India (leaving some rulers, whose mistakes created misconceptions in general masses).