Letter to the new COAS

What the Quaid expects from him

Dear new COAS,

Here is what the founder of our nation, Quaid-e-Azam would have said to you, if he were alive today. In fact, these being his very own sayings, makes it what he actually said to you.

The Quaid-e-Azam while addressing a mammoth rally in Lahore on 30 October, 1947, said:-

“We thank providence for giving us courage and faith to fight the forces of evil. If we take our inspiration and guidance from the Holy Quran, the final victory, I once again say, will be ours. All I require of you now is that every one of us to whom this message reaches must vow to himself and be prepared to sacrifice his all, if necessary, in building up Pakistan as a bulwark of Islam and as a great nation whose ideal is peace within and peace without.”

And on 25 January, 1948, while addressing the Sindh Bar Association in Karachi, he said:-

“Islamic principles have no parallel. Today they are as applicable in actual life as they were 1300 years ago.”

Further in the same speech he said:-

“Islam is not only a set of rituals, traditions and spiritual doctrines, Islam is a code for every Muslim which regulates his life and his conduct in all aspects, social, political, economic, etc. It is based on the highest principles of honour, integrity, fair play and justice for all.”

These are the two most important speeches of the Quaid after the creation of Pakistan in which he also assures that the future constitution of Pakistan shall not be in conflict with the Sharia Law and he envisages Pakistan to become the fortress of Islam.

It needs to be clearly understood that in the Quran Islam is always called Deen and not Mazhub (religion). Deen means a complete code of life whereas Mazhub is the rituals and the mode of worship. Deen includes Mazhub. This was very clearly explained by the Quaid in his above quoted speech. In English language there is no word equivalent to Deen, consequently Islam is erroneously called a religion. The Quaid told us that the Islamic principles had no parallel and were fully applicable to present day life.

The Quaid on 25March, 1948, in his address to the officers at Chittagong said:-

“Those days have gone when the country was ruled by the bureaucracy. It is people’s government that is responsible to the people more or less on democratic lines and parliamentary practice. You have to do your duty as servants; you are not concerned with this political or that political party; that is not your business. The second point is that your conduct and dealings with the people in the various departments in which you may be: wipe off that past reputation; you are not rulers. You do not belong to the ruling class; you belong to the servants. Make people feel that you are their servants and friends, maintain the highest standard of honour, integrity, justice and fair-play.”

The Quaid in his informal talk to the civil officers at Government House, Peshawar, on 14 April, 1948, said:-

“The first thing I want to tell you is this, that you should not be influenced by any political pressure, by any political party or individual politician. Governments are formed, governments are defeated, prime ministers come and go, ministers come and go, but you stay on, and, therefore there is great responsibility placed on your shoulders. You should have no hand in supporting this political or that political party, this political leader or that political leader; this is not your business.”

The above quoted advice to the civil servants is equally applicable to the members of the Armed Forces. However, specifically for the Armed Forces on February 21, 1947, the Quaid in his address to the officers and men of the ACK Regiments in Malir said:-

“You have fought many a battle on the far-flung battlefields of the globe to rid the world of the fascist menace and make it safe for democracy. Now you have to stand guard over the development and maintenance of Islamic democracy, Islamic social justice and the equality of manhood in your own native soil.”

Furthermore, the Quaid in his address to the officers of the Staff College, Quetta, on 14 June, 1949, (89 days before his death) said:-

“One thing more. I am persuaded to say this because during my talks with one or two very high ranking officers I discovered that they did not know the implications of the oath taken by the troops of Pakistan. Of course, an oath is only a matter of form, what is more important is the true spirit and the heart. But it is an important form and I would like to take this opportunity of refreshing your memory by reading the prescribed oath.”

The Quaid then read out the oath prescribed at that time. It must be pointed out that the Quaid had gone to the Staff College with a copy of the oath in his pocket. He further advised the officers:-

“As I have said just now, the spirit is what really matters. I should like you to study the Constitution which is in force in Pakistan at present and understand its true constitutional and legal implications when you say that you will be faithful to the Constitution of the Dominion.”

The Oath presently prescribed for the Members of the Armed Forces as given in the Second Schedule (Article 244) of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan is as follows:-

“I, ——————, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan and uphold the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which embodies the will of the people, that I will not engage myself in any political activities whatsoever and I will honestly and faithfully serve Pakistan in the Pakistan Army (or Navy or Air Force) as required by and under the law.”

Sincerely yours,

A citizen of this state

PS: This article is just meant to remind the new COAS what the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam, expects from him.