Where are the shaheen?
“This shift from chanting “Hum lekar rahien gaey azaadi” to “Mian tere janisar, beshumar beshumar” is predominantly the actual predicament. Worshipping individuals was never the Muslim leaguers agenda.”
There was a time, more than 70 years ago, when the Muslim League stood for something symbolic. The ideology of the leaguers was to build a homeland for the oppressed Muslims of India. It was so historic that even today the Pakistan movement is remembered as one of the greatest revolutions.
Thousands of people were displaced from their homes and even loved ones. These great people of what was now to become Pakistan created this country, not with cement and bricks but rather their own flesh and blood. The sacrifices made by countless individuals for what we proudly proclaim as our homeland, have remained unaccounted and undocumented till date. Leaving our house and going abroad even for a few years is a painful and daunting experience for many. We cannot even begin to perceive what our forefathers and the founders of our country went through.
Theirs wasn’t a temporary goodbye, they bid farewell to their homes never to cast an eye upon them again. These self-less individuals sacrificed everything they owned and went through this misery, not to achieve something personal but for a greater cause-Pakistan.
Quite astonishingly, a significant majority of these people were not even literate enough to stand up for an ideology. Yet they wrote history in their blood and carved out a homeland for themselves and most importantly, for us. Even lack of education did not cloud their judgment; on the contrary these not so literate people displayed high moral ground and proved beyond reasonable doubt that they had the capability to stand up for something constructive. For them the fresh air of freedom was above everything else. Materialism was unheard of at the time and the sole thing that mattered was liberty and emancipation from India.
Those long centuries of slavery had created enough intolerance that the Pakistan movement finally gained momentum and eventually success. Leaders of the actual Muslim league shared an ideology which was clear and contained a far- fetched vision. That ideology was disassociated with individual personalities. Though, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah being the leader is recognised as the face of the founding movement, but his struggle traced its foundations in the efforts of all those unnamed individuals who shed their blood and sweat for Pakistan. It wasn’t for the Quaid’s personal benefit that these people abandoned their ancestral homelands and left for an unknown destination. Rather it was for the greater cause, for us, for Pakistan.
Coming forward 70 years and the Muslim league is still present, but this short journey as an independent country whisked away the morality and integrity of its founding fathers.
Firstly, the league shattered into broken pieces of mirror and splinter groups spread and continue to operate in different domains of the country. The countless factions of the present day Muslim league(s) seem to have divided the high morality present at the time of creation between them. Only a mere shadow of dignity contained within the leaguers of that time is reflected today.
Secondly, from standing up for an ideology such as Pakistan, the Muslim leagues of today cry out for individual personalities now. To begin with, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) considers it more important to shield the Sharif family and shelter their alleged corruption. In lieu of a visionary approach towards both politics and their leadership, they continue to worship personnel rather than ideologies.
Thirdly, the approach of most of the present day factions of the Muslim league is considered an insult to the actual Muslim league. The original league broke free from the slavery of both the British as well as the Indians. Regretfully enough the present day leaguers have reverted back to the original mindset of slavery. Destroying the very essence of the founders’ ideology, these ‘educated illiterates’ not only have departed from the vision of Pakistan but have proven to be a disgrace to what was the Quaid’s Muslim league.
They too gather on the streets, block roads, protest and raise their voice but they do so to protect the likes of Nawaz Sharif. This shift from chanting “Hum lekar rahien gaey azaadi” to “Mian tere janisar, beshumar beshumar” is predominantly the actual predicament. Worshipping individuals was never the Muslim leaguers agenda. Yet, the disgraceful politics of today is shameful enough to be given the Quaid’s name. In only 70 years we forgot what we stood for. Running over an innocent boy on a mission designated to protect the dignity of one man and later labelling the poor boy as a martyr of a great cause does not change the fact that the boy was the “Maqtool” and the N leaguers are the “Qaatil”.
It is degrading and vilifying to say that the leaguers of today stand for the Quaid e Millat’s vision. Not only have we forgotten his vision but have also attributed wrong interpretations of the same. The unfortunate reality of today is, had the Quaid been alive today he would most likely have been shot dead in a targeted killing or worse.
The intolerant people of today do not value the sacrifices made by their forefathers to create a better tomorrow for them. The fathers did succeed in creating a ‘tomorrow’ but we made sure that they fail in creating a ‘better’ one.
Let us all stand together and appreciate the countless sacrifices made by the migrants of 1947, whose blood runs today in the veins of Pakistan. For once, let us rethink our priorities and try to understand the purpose behind the Pakistan movement. Let us progress further in light of the vision shared by Quaid e Azam and the others. Let us at least make an effort to understand what Allama Iqbal actually desired. Rather than quoting his couplets over tea, we should try and comprehend what Iqbal actually tried to point out. Let us breakaway the barriers and taboos of societal phenomena and perceive reality.
For once let us actually interpret what Iqbal so profusely stressed;
“Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chitanon par”
