LAHORE: Pakistan is observing the 78th death anniversary of the founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, today, with the nation remembering with reverence the leader who won an independent homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent and died just 13 months after its creation.
Jinnah passed away on September 11, 1948, at the age of 71. The day is marked as one of grief, but also as a day to renew the commitment to the principles of Faith, Unity and Discipline that he left the nation.
Born in Karachi on December 25, 1876, Muhammad Ali Jinnah used his political insight to turn the dream of a separate homeland for the subcontinent’s Muslims into reality. Despite serious illness, he worked day and night and, after independence, chose Karachi as the new country’s first capital.
Trained as a barrister, Jinnah rose to lead the All-India Muslim League and steered the movement that culminated in the Lahore Resolution of March 23, 1940, adopted at Minto Park — the site now known as Greater Iqbal Park, where Minar-e-Pakistan stands. After independence on August 14, 1947, he became Pakistan’s first Governor-General. He had been suffering from tuberculosis, which he kept largely private during the final stages of the freedom movement. He is buried in Karachi, where the Mazar-e-Quaid remains the country’s most visited national monument.
His leadership, statesmanship and adherence to principle, the nation’s leaders said today, are what placed Pakistan on the map of the world.
In his message on the anniversary, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said the Quaid’s visionary leadership and far-sighted political strategy had paved the way for an independent state for the subcontinent’s Muslims in extremely difficult circumstances.
The prime minister said the entire nation was paying homage to the Father of the Nation’s selfless leadership and great services. The Quaid, he said, gave the Muslims of the subcontinent the resolve and courage to struggle together to protect their religious, cultural and ideological identity.
He said the freedom movement succeeded because of Jinnah’s political insight, foresight and leadership, and the dream of a free state guaranteeing Muslims’ political and religious freedom, fundamental rights and economic and social progress was fulfilled in the form of Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif noted that the Quaid faced the new state’s daunting administrative and financial problems, the displacement of millions of people, and the challenge of running a government with wisdom and confidence. He recalled that Jinnah had made clear that Pakistan was founded on Islamic principles, under which civil and religious freedom and equal fundamental rights and duties are guaranteed to all citizens regardless of colour or race.
Making Pakistan a developed, prosperous welfare state was the core purpose of the Quaid’s political legacy, the prime minister said, adding that the country’s progress and the welfare of its people were possible only through collective national effort.
He said the anniversary demanded that the nation renew its resolve to abide by the Quaid’s guiding principles, describing “Faith, Unity and Discipline” as a beacon for the education and upbringing of future generations. The best way to honour the Quaid’s legacy, he said, was to work together to promote national solidarity, social harmony and economic stability, and he pledged to hand future generations a Pakistan that truly reflects the Quaid’s ideals. He prayed for the elevation of the Quaid’s ranks in the hereafter.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid rich tribute to Jinnah’s freedom struggle, saying the Quaid gave a people an ideology, awareness and a sovereign state.
The freedom struggle, Naqvi said, was a bright chapter in national history in which Jinnah led the subcontinent’s Muslims out of subjugation to a sovereign homeland. The Quaid’s personality combined a rare blend of high character, truthful speech and single-minded action, he said.
Naqvi said that despite illness and physical weakness, the Quaid’s courage and perseverance carried the nation to its destination. He described Jinnah as a great champion of minority rights who regarded the state as a trust held on behalf of the people — a view most often associated with his address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947.
“Faith, Unity and Discipline are the Quaid’s real trust, and they are the soul of Pakistan,” Naqvi said, adding that the country’s progress lies in following those principles.
Across the country, the anniversary is traditionally observed with Quran recitation, prayers and seminars on the Quaid’s life. The principles he articulated are more than a slogan: they are a framework for the challenges the country faces today. Also revisit our earlier piece on the vision and ideals behind Pakistan’s creation.
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