The betrayal of Quaid’s vision started in 1948 when the process of providing a constitution which is the foundation for a democratic welfare state was delayed by those who had succeeded him after his death. His motto of “Unity, Faith and Discipline” was not followed when fake allotment of evacuee property was facilitated and politics was made devoid of discipline, morals and ethics, which he had stressed upon during his political career. The process of eliminating remnants of Raj such as creation of a class of novae rich feudal who were awarded lands by the British, as a price for their conscience to betray motherland, created a new breed of robber barons and land grabbers who acquired political power and laid down a political culture.
An over ambitious Ayub Khan, trained by the British to prolong their occupation, never reconciled to Quaid’s vision for Pakistan to be a democratic welfare state where will of the people would reign supreme. He was instrumental in intrigues that led to Sikandar Mirza taking over followed by his own intervention. He sealed the fate for dismemberment of Pakistan when he imposed one unit and tore into pieces the dream of a democratic welfare state, which motivated the politically conscious Bengalis led by A K Fazalul Haq to ask for a separate homeland for Muslims as far back as in 1905, much before others in Muslim minority areas, or those residing in areas that constitute what is left of Pakistan today, even dared to think of. It were the people of East Pakistan who voted for Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah instead of Ayub Khan.
There is no role in Quaid’s Pakistan for corrupt politicians nor for martial law. We betrayed his vision and are paying the price. The choice is undiluted democracy with a commitment to uphold rule of law and provide welfare for masses, instead of being ruled by despots who have no stakes in this country, nor any ethics and morals.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
You have hit it right. Betrayal started immediately after Jinnah's death. Ayub Khan was part of army which refused to obey legitimate orders of Gov Gen to march into Srinagar, which they chose to disregard. It was under Ayub's dictat that polls were rigged and than fatima Jinnah died mysteriously. This nation has never tried to unearth these injustices by Ayub Khan. Than followed Yayha, Zia and Musharraf. Yahya divided Pakistan, Zia gave us the curse of religious fanaticism, ethnicity and massive corruption. Mush did the rest of damage, including the insecurity, lawlessness, NRO and AZ.
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