Jamandru faults

Jamandru is a Punjabi word which means ‘At birth’. Pakistan was born on August 14, 1947, with serious birth defects. Predicted survival time was six months to a year. With no industrial base and huge distance (over thousand miles) between the two wings (Western & Eastern) long-term sustainability was almost impossible.

Movement for freedom of Muslims of the Indian Sub-continent was formally started in 1906 at Dhaka by the formation of the All-India Muslim League (AIML).

To expand the scope of the new political entity, the head quarter of the party was shifted to Lucknow. Thus, the thrust of the struggle was in two large provinces (Bengal and Utter Pradesh).

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah travelled all the way from Bombay so did all the stalwarts of the movement to Lahore to present the resolution for freedom on March 23, 1940. Minar-e-Pakistan stands tall at this site. Tension prevailed in the city on that day.

The main political parties in the provincial capital of Punjab were opposed to the creation of Pakistan. Unionists were in power and in control of the state apparatus, Jamaat-e-Islami and Khaksar Tehreek were against the partition of the Sub-continent.

Father of the nation spent the night at the Mamdot House located on Habibullah Road (Off Davis Road). Volunteers of Muslim Students Federation (MSF) provided security with 24-hour vigil. The resolution was prepared and presented by A.K. Fazal-ul-Haq, a Bengali political leader. It called for the creation of independent Muslim-majority states.

The word used was ’ STATES ’. At the time of partition Bengal and Punjab were under rule of Muslim majority. Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy was Prime Minister (PM) of United Bengal who was a part of the freedom movement while Sir Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana was at the helm in United Punjab was opposed to the struggle. For the Unionists in power in Punjab, the term ’ Toadies ’ was coined for them.

There is an interesting term that defines their character; ‘Barsati Mandaik’ (Toads that croak in the rain). Another similar term is ‘Fasslee Batairay’ (migratory birds that come when crops are ripe). There is also an appropriate proverb; “To pray before the rising sun”.

After the 1940 ’ Lahore Resolution ‘the ‘Toadies’ were instructed to follow the age-old principle; “If you can’t beat then join them“. Thus ‘Toady’ infestation of AIML started. After independence the transition from AIML to PML (Pakistan Muslim League) started. As Governor General and President of the founding party, Jinnah Sahib was given tough time by the Executive Committee.

Angry and frustrated he walked out of the meeting. He talked about the ‘Khota Sikkas’ (Defunct Coins) in his pocket. Thus; started a battle for control for the ruling party called PML which was the successor party of AIML. The ’ Toadies’ of Punjab came in direct conflict with the ‘Democrats’ of Bengal. Led by Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy, the Awami League defeated PML in the local elections in the Eastern Wing of the country.

The assassination of the first Prime Minister Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan and elevation of Ayub Khan as the first Desi Sipah-e-Salar started the decline of freedom earned through years of struggle and sacrifice.

Survival of Pakistan did not sit well with the foreign masters who had predicted its collapse within months. A sovereign constitutional Republic was not in their interests.

An area known for supplying soldiers and clerks could not be allowed to stand on its own feet. On Jinnah’s appeal, industrialists and professionals from all over the Sub-continent accepted the challenge to consolidate freedom by building strong state institutions.

The Governor General himself laid the foundations of the State Bank of Pakistan, which was the last public appearance of a man whose lungs had been consumed by advance Tuberculosis. With an elected PM at the helm Pakistan was moving in the right direction. In Iran our next-door neighbour, Dr Muhammad Mossadegh came into power with massive public support after deposing the Shah of Iran.

Two democracies under popularity elected leaders in the region started panic alarms in the West. Decisions were being taken in national interests. Dr Mossadegh took control of the Oil business in his country through nationalization. Multi-nationals were asked to leave. The PM of Pakistan was approached for reproachment with PM of Iran which he refused.

The industrialized West needed fuel on their own terms. It was decided to get rid of both leaders working in larger common good of their own nations. Liaquat Ali was assassinated in 1951 followed by the capture of Dr Mossadegh and return to the Peacock throne by the Shah who continued to serve his foreign masters till the Iranian Revolution of 1979 led by Ayatullah Ruhullah Khomeni.

The ‘Toadies’ of Punjab in connivance with the state apparatus have played a detrimental role in derailing democracy in the country. Firstly, they managed to take control of the Muslim League to enter the corridors of power in the new land.

Bhutto managed to defeat them in the 1970 free and fair general elections. By 1977 when the next elections were announced they managed to surround Bhutto and his party. Those who had been knocked out by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in 1970 were now contesting elections on its ticket.

After years of hard work by self-less Comrades, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) managed to demonstrate its massive public support at Minar-e-Pakistan in October 2014. By the time the party held a big Jalsa at Mazar-e-Quaid on December 25, 2014, the ‘Toadies’ managed to sit on the stage with the Kaptan leaving the old players behind. They were marketed under a new brand this time; ‘Electables’ without their inclusion no one could enter the corridors of power as they carried the ‘Jamandru Faults’ with them. Now that another popular leader is languishing in the jail, while the ‘Toadies’ continue to enjoy the perks of power.

Blaming the entire population of Punjab for the ‘Jamandru faults’ of the Republic is not fair. Starting with the 1940 ‘Lahore Resolution’, launching of PPP in 1967 in Lahore and PTI in 1996, the people of the province have supported the un-ending struggle for democracy. Unless a fresh start is made the future will remain bleak. The enemy resides within and manages to stage a comeback gate crashing into every popular movement. All parties in power (PML, PPP and PTI) despite their noble intent fell into the same ‘Toady Trap’ of Punjab. A wake-up call is required before it is too late. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan will emerge on the ashes of ‘Toadistan’ and its backers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024