The Nation is celebrating the birthday of the Founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, today to pay rich tributes to him for his unflinching, dedicated and determined efforts to promote the cause of the Muslims of South Asia. All nations pay rich homage to their heroes to mark their outstanding services.
For us, the services of Jinnah have special significance as it was entirely due to his commitment and dynamic leadership, supplemented by valuable sacrifices of the Muslims, that within seven years of the adoption of the Lahore Resolution Pakistan emerged as an independent sovereign State in the comity of nations. The Indian Muslims' beloved and undisputed leader, son of Jinnah Poonja, was born in Karachi on the 25th December, 1876.
The Quaid-i-Azam, who had been a leading politician, legislator and lawyer of India, not only led the Muslims of South Asia to achieve a separate homeland but throughout his life, remained deeply concerned about the deplorable plight of the world Muslims, especially Palestinians, strongly and eloquently advocating their genuine causes as well as the independence and freedom of their areas.
Throughout the struggle for Pakistan, the Indian Muslims under his able, gigantic and dynamic leadership not only helped and supported the cause of the Arabs through speeches and resolutions at all forums, but actively participated in conferences, collected funds and sent delegations to Muslim countries and Europe to present their viewpoint on the Palestine issue, which is one of the legacies of the First World War.
Some Arab leaders had also called upon the great Muslim leader to use his good offices in putting an end to those forces, which aim at the destruction of very existence of the Arab nation in Palestine and deny justice to the rights of the Arab and Muslim nations, that will inequitably lead to disturbance of peace in the Middle East.
Some of the related contents highly speak of the Quaid's objective approach towards the resolution of the Palestine problem. The great Muslim leader speaking in the Indian Legislative Assembly on the 14th September, 1936, in response to Sir Henry Craik's explanation regarding the British policy towards Palestine, asked are the Indian Government aware that Britain as the mandatory power has been carrying out its mandate in a way, which must result in the destruction of the Arabs?
The All-India Muslim League at its Lucknow session, 15-18 October, 1937 advocated the annulment of the mandate on the grounds that it was not acceptable to the Arabs and the Muslim world as the religious and political rights of the Arabs were being adversely affected. It appealed to the Rulers of the Muslim countries to use their influences and resources to save Palestine from non-Muslim domination.
The League also impressed upon the British Government to refrain from its pro-Jewish policy, the Muslim League Council adopted a Resolution moved by M.A. Jinnah that Palestine Day be observed throughout India on the 26th August, 1938, and all the League organisations were requested to hold meetings condemning the unjust, repressive and inhuman policy pursued by the British Government.
The Quaid-i-Azam during his presidential speech also touched upon the Palestine Problem and told the meeting that the whole policy of the British Government has been a betrayal of the Arabs, from its very inception, Britain has dishonoured the proclamation to the Arabs, which had guaranteed to them complete independence of the Arab homelands, and the formation of an Arab confederation under the stress of the great war. He stressed that Britain will be digging its grave if it fails to honours its original proclamation, promises and intentions, which were so unequivocally expressed to the Arabs and the world at large.
In his presidential address to the Sindh Muslim League conference on the ninth of October, 1938, in Karachi the Quaid, highlighting the ruthless repression against the Arabs because of their freedom struggle, said the heart of every Muslim is with them in their brave and wonderful struggle that they are carrying out against all odds, adding as per the resolution of the League Palestine Day was observed and thousands of meetings were held all over India, fully and fervently sympathising with those fighting for their country's freedom.
At the 26th session of All-India Muslim League, held under his presidentship at Patna from 26th to 29th of December, 1938, the Quaid, whose opinion Muslims respected and towards whom they looked for help, support and guidance, while speaking on the Palestine problem assured the Arabs that the Indian Muslims are solidly behind their struggle for freedom of Palestine. He was quite appreciative of the sacrifices, rendered by the Palestinian people, and believed that no nation, no people, who are worth living as a nation, can achieve anything great without making great sacrifices'.
Well before the commencement of the Palestine conference in London on the 8th of February, 1939, the Quaid-i-Azam in a telegram to the British Prime Minister, Secretary of State for India and the Minister in-charge on the 29th of January, the same year, urged upon the British Government to concede Palestine its national Arab demands.
He said the Indian Muslims are most anxiously awaiting results of the Conference, and warned that its failure would be most disastrous throughout the Muslim world, resulting in grave consequences. He also requested various provincial, district and primary Leagues to hold public meetings all over India on that day and send similar telegrams to the British Premier.
Jinnah in his presidential address at the historic 27th session of All-India Muslim League on the 23rd March at Lahore, at which a Resolution, demanding separate homeland for the Muslims in the majority areas in India, was adopted stressing that the Muslims wanted that the British Government should in fact and actually meet the demands of the Arabs in Palestine.
A Resolution was also adopted at the session, which said the Muslim League views with grave concern the inordinate delay on the part of the British Government in coming to a settlement with the Arabs in Palestine and places on record its considered opinion that no arrangements of a piecemeal character will be made in Palestine, which are contrary in spirit and opposed to the pledges given to the Muslim world, particularly to the Muslims in India, to secure their active assistance in the War of 1914-18.
In March 1944, in this address to the students of Aligarh Muslim University, he warned that injustice to the Arabs in Palestine would set the whole world ablaze from one end to another.
The Arabs had gratefully acknowledged and highly commended the Quaid's pledges of Indian Muslims unstinted support to the Palestinian people for their just cause. Mufti of Palestine Amin-el-Husseni in his letter to Jinnah on the 12th October, 1945, affirmed that the whole of Islamic World values his services for the cause of the Muslims. He was quite appreciative of the comments of Jinnah on the recommendations of the Inquiry Committee on Palestine.
In another letter to the Quaid on the 5th of May, 1946, he requested to redouble efforts for the matter of supporting the Muslims of Palestine in their struggle to drive away the most unjust people in history, the Jews. He urged that all the Muslims should join together to help the Palestinians as they alone cannot drive out these unjust people. Jinnah in Press interview on the 30th of July, 1946, demanded that all Anglo-American influence be withdrawn from Palestine as the first step towards a solution of the Palestine problem and urged that not only Jewish immigration should cease but those Jews already in Palestine should emigrate to Australia, Canada or anywhere else, where there is room for them or one day their fate will be worse than it was under Hitler.
The League President telegraphed to British Prime Minister Attllee, mentioning that President Truman's reported Palestine immigration proposal is unwarranted, encroaching upon another country and highly unjust. Any surrender to appease the Jewry at the sacrifice of the Arabs would be deeply resented and vehemently resisted by the Muslim world.
The Quaid told Vice-President of the Iraqi Chamber of Deputies, Baghdad, Uzzaluddin-al-Naqib, on the 15th of October, 1946, in reply to his telegraphic message that he joins his condemnation of the declaration of the latest proposals of American President Truman as most unjust and against every canon of morality and reaffirmed that Muslim India fully supports the Arab national struggle in Palestine.
President Truman in a statement on the 5th October, 1946 had demanded 'substantial immigration into Palestine to begin at once without waiting for a solution of the Palestine problem as a whole'.
The Council of All-India Muslim League through another resolution, adopted at its meeting in Delhi on the 10th of April, 1946, reiterated its earlier decision that any attempt to betray the promises, solemnly given to the Arabs of Palestine and Muslims of India any arbitrary awards by the British Government or by any other authority, without the consent of the Arabs themselves, will be regarded by the Muslims of India as a breach of faith with the Muslim World and will result in grave consequences to the peace and tranquillity of all countries, inhabited by the Muslims, particularly the Middle East. The League reaffirmed Indian Muslims all possible help for the cause of the Arabs in their hour of trial.
Jinnah in a Press statement on the first of May, 1946, had described the Anglo-American Committee report as the 'grossest betrayal of the promises made to the Arabs'.
The Committee, appointed by the British and the Americans, had recommended that (i) 100,000 Jews persecuted in Nazi Germany should be admitted to Palestine immediately (ii) Palestine should continue to be governed by Britain under the mandate given to it by the League of Nations after the First World War until Jewish-Arab hostility had yielded to détente, and (iii) Palestine should be neither a Jewish nor an Arab State.
In October, 1947, the Quaid-i-Azam had warned that the partition of Palestine would entail the gravest danger and that the entire Muslim World would revolt against such a decision, which cannot be supported historically, politically and morally. Pakistan will have no other course left but to give its fullest support to the Arabs.
Talking to Robert Simon of the BBC, the stated that the Muslims of the sub-continent had been compelled to condemn in the strongest possible manner the unjust and cruel decision of the United Nations concerning the partition of Palestine.
The Council of the Muslim League in a resolution adopted as its meeting in Karachi on the 15th December, 1947 expressed its deep indignation over the manner in which the General Assembly of the United Nations endorsed the unfair recommendation of the U.N. Special Committee on Palestine to partition in the teeth of the united resistance and opposition of the entire Muslim world and other nations, which not only voted against it but are opposed to it.
The Council asserted that a decision adopted in such vitiated atmosphere cannot be regarded as binding on the Arabs of Palestine and Muslim World and it, therefore, fully supports the decision of Arabs not to accept it. The League assured the Arabs that the Muslims in the Indian sub-continent will render every possible help for the achievement of the aspirations of the Palestinian people and preservation of its freedom and integrity, which is a matter of concern not only to the Arabs but to the Muslim World as such.
As per its historical background, Palestine on the eastern Mediterranean, was part of the Ottoman Empire until the end of First World War. It was placed under the British administration after 1918 by a League of Nations mandate, which incorporated the Bilfour Declaration.
The terms of the mandate imposed on the United Kingdom the obligation to place the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of a Jewish national home while at the same time safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine. In 1947, the problems was referred to the United Nations.
The U.N. Special Committee on Palestine recommended partition. The U.N. General Assembly accepted the recommendation, and on the 14th of May, 1948, the British High Commissioner left Palestine and the State of Israel was proclaimed. Since then the Palestinians have been struggling for the achievement of their inalienable right in the face of Israeli barbarities and atrocities. The failure to secure a just resolution of disputes such as Palestine has spawned desperation, confusion and extremism.
It is welcoming that the recent two-day Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Makkah called on the Israeli forces to withdraw from Palestinian lands occupied since 1967 in addition to the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanese lands.
The Israeli withdrawal would unify the Muslim nations stand for a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the United Nations Resolution, the Arab peace initiative and the Middle East roadmap.
It is an undeniable fact that the creation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital, which is the legitimate right of the Palestinians, would bring peace, stability and security, end the sad chapter in the history of the Middle East, ensure Israel's security it seeks, revive historic ties between Islam and Judaism and extinguish the anger and frustration that motivate resort to violence and extremism.
The whole nation was struck with grief when the father of the Nation, the first Governor-General of Pakistan, passed away in Karachi at 10.25 pm on the 11th September, 1948, leaving us at the mercy of those, whose interest and services for the country are not unknown to anybody.
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