THIS ABOVE ALL
Jinnah feared Muslims’ persecution
KHUSHWANT SINGH

Seeing the state of turmoil in Pakistan today, I wonder what its chief architect and founding-father, Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, would make of it. Neither he nor any Indian leader of the time with the sole exception of Mahatma Gandhi visualised that the creation of Pakistan would take a toll of a million lives and uproot 10 million from their homes. Did Jinnah realise that having two regions of the country—West and East Pakistan— separated by thousands of miles by a resentful India could not last very long? Only C. Rajagopalachari, with an uncanny insight, predicted its breaking up in 1971.

Did Jinnah realise that what was left of the Pakistan he created would be ruled by a succession of dictators and venal politicians for most of the 61 years of its existence? Could he have foreseen that instead of modernising itself, Pakistan would succumb to the influence of medieval-minded mullahs who would put women in burkas, close down girl schools, cinemas and music shops? If he could have foreseen these developments, he might have changed his mind. He wanted to continue living in his mansion in Bombay and perhaps even buried there.

Jinnah said religion must be the basis of all politics. Strange words coming from the lips of one who enjoyed a glass of sherry and ham sandwiches

He must be turning in his grave in Karachi. Unfortunately, he was obsessed with fear of Indian Muslims being persecuted by Hindus in a free India, and could think of no other solution than to demand a separate Muslim state. This comes out clearly in an interview he gave in June, 1944, to Teja Singh (IAS, retd), who was then a cub reporter for Mainstream and an active member of the Kashmir Youth Congress in Srinagar. When Teja Singh asked him: “Do you think it possible in any majority government, particularly in the modern conditions, to persecute a nation of crores inhabiting large tracts of land? I ask this question because the fear of persecution is at the root of the demand for Pakistan”. At first Jinnah denied he had used the word persecution. When shown the text of his speech in which he had used it, he brushed it aside and said: “Muslims demand Pakistan because they want to have a fundamentally different ideology and culture. Persecute is not the right word”.

He further went on to assert: “Religion must be the basis of all politics”. Strange words coming from the lips of one who enjoyed a glass of sherry and ham sandwiches at lunch. He was born a Shia Muslim. Today it is the Shias who are being targeted by Sunni fanatics. Jinnah also believed that rulers of Indian states were sovereign, entitled to shape the future of the states they ruled. The interview makes strange reading as it shows how far the man was from ground realities.

Mrs PM

A charming story doing the rounds of the Capital’s elite society is about Gursharan Kaur’s efforts to keep a low profile. Soon after her husband became Prime Minister, she found herself in a large reception given in honour of a visiting dignitary. As is her habit, she took a seat in the outer periphery and sat enjoying her tea and cakes all by herself. A lady, wife of a minister, who herself presided over a few societies, saw this plainly dressed woman in white salwar-kameez and introduced herself with all the honorifics of her husband and herself, and asked Gursharan what she did. “I am a housewife”, replied Gursharan. “And what does your husband do?” asked the lady. “He is in the PMO (Prime Minister’s office)”, she replied. “Is he in government service?” “Yes”. “IFS (Indian Foreign Service)?” “No”. “IAS (Indian Administrative Service?)” “No”. “Is he a Secretary, Joint Secretary, or Deputy Secretary?” “No”. At her wit’s ends, the lady finally asked Gursharan: “So what exactly does your husband do in the PMO?” “He is the Prime Minister”.

Interesting trivia

Amir Tuteja of Washington DC occasionally sends me interesting trivia garnered from American papers. Here are some I picked up from his last letter to me:

‘A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.’ ‘Babies are born without kneecaps. They don’t appear until the child reaches two to six years of age.’ ‘February, 1865, is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.’ ‘A snail can sleep for three years.’ ‘If the population of China walked past you, eight abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of production.’ ‘Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.’ ‘Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.’ ‘There are more chickens than people in the world.’ ‘The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.’

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