On 11 September, 2011, it was the 10th anniversary of that tragic incident in the City of New York which saw the death of almost 3000 people and many more injured. The incident reminds us of death, destruction, chaos, deceit, lies, conspiracies, betrayal, revenge, downfall, politics and a bad taste in the mouth tilting the sands of time back into the great abyss. But what really happened later on was the killing of tens of thousands of Afghans, Iraqis and Pakistanis in the next decade.
On that very day, Pakistan also observed Jinnah’s death anniversary. Or did we really remember him? I recall Obama’s Ground Zero but I do not recall Jinnah’s Ziarat. I remember NYC but do not remembering watching Mohatta Palace and the days of Jinnah in Karachi as he breathed his last. I recall almost every media channel transmitting live from the USA and yet waited to see one decent day of documenting Jinnah and his life.
The man, who gave us a free country with the freedom of religion and respect for social justice, has been forgotten. The vision of Jinnah in this country has vanished away.
Leadership is action, not position. The Quaid, in order to safeguard the struggle for independence, did not share information on his health. A man of resilience and selfless dedication, he never gave up over his medical condition. Can we say the same for the politicians and leaders of today who seem to have lost their character in search of something more tangible and temporary?
In those days, there were fears of betrayal and deceit within the Muslim League. The Quaid feared that the news of his tuberculosis would reduce the chances of a successful struggle for independence, and that the Indians will try all their might to divide the struggle. On his doctors’ advice for fresh sea air being good for lungs, he decided to spend some days in Karachi.
Even at that delicate stage of his life, he spoke with conviction and commitment. On national defence the Quaid quotes: “The British have been strong with an empire scattered all over the globe. We can be strong with a Pakistan which has one of its zones in the west and one in the east of India. We would be more closely knit than the British Commonwealth of Nations. And don’t forget that 55 percent of the Indian Army comes from the Punjab.”
On 11 September, we saw TV channels broadcast everything except the true vision and legacy of Quaid. The time given by the stakeholders and agenda makers to cover the Ground Zero event was a lot more than the time given to speak about the Father of the Nation who gave up his life without telling anyone about his medical condition to preserve his country till his last breath. That day, America honoured the dead but failed to disclose as to why the buildings fell straight down like they were demolished intentionally for better construction site and why some of the dead mentioned on the casualty list still are still alive. We forget very quickly and we remember too little.
If Jinnah were alive, we would not have had the fall of Dhaka. We would have survived as one united Muslim country. Our Father of the Nation must not be forgotten. He must be remembered for all that he did for us. We must remember what he taught us, what he told us, what he wanted for us. The history teaches us many lessons but the most important and the biggest lesson that the Quaid taught us was to coexist, with no fear of caste, creed, religion sect or colour. A free society of moderate thinkers and patriot Muslims following the teachings of the Holy Quran.
My heart bleeds to see that his memory is long forgotten by the ever hungry, ever greedy politicians of today. We must stop right here and remember that as tragic as it is, our 11 September can never be their 9/11. This day in Pakistan stands for justice, equality and independence and whereas theirs stands for death, destruction and unjustified wars.
The writer is a banker, freelance writer and broadcaster for an FM radio.