Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Muhammad Ali Jinnah - so spelled Mohammad or Mahomed Ali Jinnah) (December 25, 1876 – September 11, 1948), was a distinguished lawyer, politician, legislator and statesman who led the All India Muslim League and founded Pakistan, serving as its first Governor-General. He is commonly known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam — ("Great Leader") and Baba-i-Qaum ("Father of the Nation"), while his birth and death anniversaries are national holidays in Pakistan.

As a student and young lawyer, Jinnah worked on Dadabhai Naoroji's election campaign and defended Bal Gangadhar Tilak during his sedition trial. Rising to prominence in the Indian National Congress, he expounded Hindu-Muslim unity, shaped the 1916 Lucknow Pact pact between the Congress and the Muslim League, and was a key leader in the All India Home Rule League. Differences with Mohandas Gandhi led Jinnah to quit the Congress and the Khilafat Movement; he then took charge of the Muslim League, proposing a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan safeguarding the political rights of Muslim in a self-governing India. Yet conflicts within the League resulted in Jinnah's self-imposed exile in London.

Jinnah returned to India on the urging of Muslim politicians to lead the Muslim League. Under his leadership, the League regained its unity and won many Muslim seats in the elections of 1934 and 1937. Jinnah's disillusionment following the failure of efforts to build a coalition with the Congress eventually resulted in the adoption of the Lahore Resolution in 1940 - demanding a homeland for Indian Muslims. Jinnah supported the British in World War II, and further increased the League's victory of Muslim seats in the 1946 elections. Through his Direct Action Day campaign and aggressive politics and diplomacy, Jinnah obtained the agreement of British authorities and the Congress to the creation of an independent Muslim state - Pakistan. Upon its independence, Jinnah as its governor-general would lead the creation and development of many public institutions, economic and foreign policies of the new state.

Early life

Jinnahbhai Poonja, a Gujarati merchant.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as a budding lawyer.Jinnah was born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai. Jinnah's birthplace and date of birth are disputed; however, it is generally believed that he was born in Wazir Mansion, Karachi, and raised in Bombay. He was born to the Gujarati family of Jinnahbhai Poonja (1857 - 1901), a prosperous merchant from Kathiawar.[1] His family belonged to the Ismaili Khoja branch of Shi'a Islam, and had Hindu ancestry. Jinnah had two sisters and two brothers, and was educated at the Cathedral and John Connon School, in Bombay. In 1893, he went to London to work for Graham's Shipping and Trading Company, with which his father did business. He had been married to a 16-year old, distant relative named Emibai, but she died shortly after he moved to London. Around this time, his mother died as well. In 1894, Jinnah quit his job in order to study law at Lincoln's Inn and subsequently became the youngest Indian to graduate from the school in 1896. It was while in London that Jinnah began to participate in political activities. An admirer of Dadabhai Naoroji and Sir Pherozeshah Mehta[2], Jinnah worked with other Indian students on Naoroji's campaign to win a seat in the British Parliament - Naoroji would become the first Asian to sit in the British House of Commons. While developing largely liberal and constitutionalist views on Indian questions of self-government, Jinnah despised the arrogance and bigotry of British officials and the discrimination of Indians.

Jinnah's life came under considerable pressure when his father's business was ruined, and after his death he was the only support of his sisters. Jinnah became a respected and skilled lawyer in London and Bombay. Settling in Bombay, Jinnah devoted himself to the construction of his house in Malabar Hill, to be known later as Jinnah House. He would remain emotionally attached to the house throughout his life. It was his reputation as a skilled lawyer that prompted Bal Gangadhar Tilak to hire him as his defence attorney in his sedition trial in 1905. Jinnah ably argued that it was not sedition for an Indian to demand freedom and self-government in his own country, but Tilak was given a rigorous term of imprisonment.[3]

In 1918, Jinnah would marry Rattanbai Petit, a Parsi from a wealthy, elite family in Bombay. There was great opposition to their marriage from Rattanbai's family, as well as Muslim orthodox leaders. The difference between them was not only of religion - Jinnah was twenty-four years elder to Rattanbai. However Rattanbai would defy her family and convert to Islam. She would bear Jinnah his only child - his daughter Dina. They would be divorced in the late 1920s, but Jinnah was deeply saddened when Rattanbai died in 1929. Jinnah became estranged from his daughter after her decision to marry a Parsi-born Christian businessman, Neville Wadia. Jinnah would receive personal care and support through his later life from his sister Fatima, who lived and travelled with him and also became a close advisor.

A young Jinnah.Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined the Indian National Congress in 1896 - it was the largest Indian political organization, at the time holding moderate and liberal views on issues of self-government, favoring dialogue with British authorities as a way to obtain Indian political rights. Jinnah like most of the Congress at the time, did not favor outright independence from the British Empire, and considered British influences on modern education, law and industry as beneficial to India. When Bal Gangadhar Tilak advocated a more radical and direct approach to obtain Indian liberty, Jinnah sided with the moderates led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Gokhale would become Jinnah's mentor and role model - Jinnah himself proclaimed his ambition to become the "Muslim Gokhale."[4] On January 25, 1910, Jinnah became a member on the 60-member Imperial Legislative Council - while it was considered progress for Indians to be involved in the body, the council had no powers and no authority in comparison to the viceroy, and included a large number of un-elected pro-Raj loyalists and Europeans. As a legislator, Jinnah was instrumental in the passing of several bills that today constitute the legal edifice of both India and Pakistan. Amongst these was the "Child Marriages Restraint Act" where he had to take on religious conservatives within his own community, who were opposed to a lower limit for a girl's age before she is married. He was also active in the constitutional agitation to get Indians the right to be officers in the British Army. For this he was appointed to Sandhurst committee, the recommendations of which were instrumental in the setting up of a native Indian academy at Dehra Dun.[5] Another important piece of legislation was involved in was the recognition of Muslim Wakf as a legitimate gift under secular law.[6] When World War I broke out in 1914, Jinnah would support the war effort amongst other Indian moderates in the hope that the support would be rewarded with greater self-government and political freedom for Indians.

Jinnah had avoided joining the Muslim League, which had been formed in 1906. He regarded it as too communal and divisive, and condemned the suspicion of the Congress that existed in the body. Jinnah ultimately joined the body in 1913, and began working to develop unity with the Congress. Jinnah became the president of the League in its 1916 session in Lucknow - held concurrently with the annual session of the Congress, where the extremists and moderates reunited. Jinnah was the architect of the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the League, bringing them together on most issues regarding Indian self-government and presenting a united stand against the British. Jinnah also played an important role in the founding of the All India Home Rule League in 1916. Along with Annie Besant and Tilak, Jinnah demanded that the British grant India "Home Rule" - the status of a self-governing dominion in the Empire, as had been granted to Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Jinnah headed the League in the Bombay Presidency. Jinnah would consistently emphasize Hindu-Muslim unity on all political issues as the only way that Indians could obtain freedom. A forceful and eloquent orator, Jinnah was admired by young Indian activists, and became an influential Muslim leader of both the Congress and the League. It was at this time that Sarojini Naidu penned the first biography of him - "Advocate of Hindu-Muslim Unity."[7]

Governor-General of Pakistan

Governor General Jinnah delivering the opening address.
An ailing Jinnah.Along with Liaquat Ali Khan and Abdur Rab Nishtar, Muhammad Ali Jinnah represented the League in the Partition Council to appropriately divide the public assets between India and Pakistan.[17] The members of the assembly from the provinces that would compose Pakistan formed its constituent assembly, and the Military of British India was divided between Muslim and non-Muslim units and officers. Jinnah became Pakistan's first Governor-General and president of its constituent assembly. On August 11, 1947, Jinnah put forward a vision for a secular state, saying in his speech inaugurating the assembly:

You may belong to any religion caste or creed- that has nothing to do with the business of the state. In due course of time, Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims will cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the state.[18]
The post of governor-general was to be the constitutional head of state and representative of the King of England, but Jinnah assumed the lead of government. The first month of Pakistan's existence was absorped in ending the intense communal violence that had swept the provinces of West Punjab, East Bengal and the city of Calcutta. In wake of the intense religious acrimony between Hindus and Muslims, Jinnah agreed with Indian leaders in organizing a swift and secure exchange of populations in the Punjab and Bengal. Jinnah visited the border regions with Nehru to calm people and encourage peace, and organized large-scale refugee camps in Lahore, Karachi and other parts of the country. But despite the efforts, over a million people would lose their lives in the violence, and an estimated 10 million Hindus and Sikhs would leave Pakistan fearing communal oppression. And more than 10 million Muslims flooded into Pakistan from different parts of India. The capital city of Karachi saw an explosive increase in its population and size owing to the large encampments of refugees.[19] Jinnah appointed Hindus to cabinet and civil service positions, and asked a Hindu poet to write the first national anthem of Pakistan. He would continue to emphasize the importance of the participation and safety of Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan's future.

It is unclear if Jinnah planned or knew of the tribal invasion from Pakistan into the kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947, but Jinnah did support the invasion and sent his private secretary Khurshid Ahmed to observe developments. When informed of Indian forces landing in Kashmir and of Kashmir's accession to India, Jinnah deemed the accession illegitimate and ordered the Pakistani army to enter Kashmir.[20] However, Gen. Auchinleck, the Supreme Commander of all British officers informed Jinnah that while India had the right to send troops to Kashmir, which had acceeded to it, Pakistan did not. If Jinnah persisted with his order, Auchinleck would remove all British officers from both sides. As Pakistan's army chief was a Briton and it had a greater proportion of Britons holding senior command positions, the move would hurt Pakistan more. Jinnah cancelled his order, but protested to the United Nations to intercede.[21]

Owing to his role in the state's creation, Jinnah was the most popular and influential politician in the country. He had unprecedented following and could easily establish policies of state. He would play a pivotal role in protecting the political rights of minorities, establishing colleges, the State Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan's financial policy.[22] In his first visit to East Pakistan, Jinnah stressed that Urdu alone should become the national language.


Death

Through the 1940s, Jinnah suffered from tuberculosis — a condition only his sister and few others were aware of. In 1948, Jinnah's health consequently began to falter, hindered further by the heavy workload that had fallen upon him following Pakistan's creation. Attempting to recuperate, he spent many months at his official retreat in Ziarat. Nevertheless, Jinnah died on September 11th 1948 from both his tuberculosis and lung cancer. His funeral — attended by his daughter Dina Wadia — was followed by the construction of a massive mausoleum — Mazar-e-Quaid — built in Karachi to honour Jinnah; here, official and military ceremonies are hosted on special occasions.

Dina Wadia (Jinnah's only child) remained in India after Pakistan's creation before ultimately settling in New York City. Jinnah's grandchild, Nusli Wadia, is an Indian-born British citizen who converted from Christianity to Zoroastrianism; he is now a prominent industrialist residing in Mumbai. In the 1963–1964 elections, Jinnah's sister Fatima Jinnah, known as Madar-e-Millat ("Mother of the Nation") became the presidential candidate of a coalition of political parties that opposed the rule of President Ayub Khan, but lost the election. The Jinnah House in Malabar Hill, Bombay is under the possession of the Government of India — its future is officially disputed.[23]. It had been preserved by India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru after Jinnah personally requested him to do so. There are proposals that the house be offered to the Government of Pakistan to establish a consulate in the city, as a goodwill gesture.

Modern views on Jinnah

Jinnah's mausoleum in Karachi.Muhammad Ali Jinnah provokes intense controversy in modern India and Pakistan - from great adulation and admiration, to intense criticism and hatred. There are many theories postulated by historians to explain his motivations and political beliefs. In Pakistan, Jinnah is criticized by some for accepting a Pakistan smaller than envisioned. Pakistani critics of partition assert that partition had a destructive consequence for India's Muslims - a population of almost 400 million people divided between three nations. Modern Pakistani religious leaders also condemn Jinnah's secular vision and non-religious personal behavior. In the 1970s and 1980s, Pakistan adopted more Islamic laws and the Shariat law code, against Jinnah's vision of a state separate from religion.

In India, Jinnah is often understood as a communalist who divided India and tore away millions of people from their homes and created an atmosphere of rivalry between Hindus and Muslims, India and Pakistan. However Jinnah has gained the admiration of Indian nationalist politicians like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani - the latter's comments praising Jinnah caused an uproar in his own Bharatiya Janata Party.[24] Modern historians like H M Seervai and Ayesha Jalal assert that Jinnah never wanted partition - that partition was the outcome of the Congress leaders being unwilling to share power with the League. It is asserted that Jinnah only used the Pakistan demand as a tool to obtain significant political rights for Muslims.

[UnderEstimated]

bohut khoob

[~*Heer*~]

keep sharing dear