Canada Stary Weekly, Toronto newspaper, in its issue of the 28th May 1949 stated that "the man who, more than any other, has put Pakistan on the front of the international scene and has made the country one of which we can count with force is none other than Muhammad Zaffrullah Khan"
Source/Credit: Le Cercle des Echos
By Asif Aref | August 23, 2013
On the August, 14th 2013, every corner of Pakistan was busy celebrating its 66 years of independence. Some weeks ago, “Courrier International”, a French newspaper, published an article on Pakistan highlighting its social and cultural progress. Beyond these recent evolutions, this day of independence is also a day to ponder over the memorable figures who literraly made Pakistan.
The Independence - 14th august 1947
Above all, Pakistan comes from a history ; the history of a population having his own convictions, his own culture and who fought to obtain its independence. More precisely, this independence has been established on the belief as so accurately said by Alix Phillippon, of separating Islam "from other systems of beliefs". However, it is often forgotten that some Ahmadis – a muslim minority that have been the subject of many of my columns for Le Cercle Les Échos – are behind the creation of Pakistan and its first ever political declinations.
It was indeed, Mr. Abdul Rahim Dard, the Imam of the London Mosque and author of a brilliant biography on the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – Hadhrât Mirza Ghulam Ahmad – who went to meet Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah in order to convince him to go back to India – as Muhammad Ali Jinnah was then in London – to help a Muslim population in need. The appeal of Mr. Dart was actually a request of the spiritual leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, being at that time Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad.
It is only after this meeting that this charismatic advocate decided to fly to India and put his feet on the territorial space that was soon to be called “Pakistan”. Jinnah wanted indeed his country to be a country of Muslims but he also aspired it to be one of tolerance and multicultural. Thus, he didn't hesitate openly claiming during his speech delivered to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan that everyone was free to pray or not to pray, to freely visit his own place of worship – whether it is a mosque, a temple or a church.
The conflict of Kashmir
One of the biggest geopolitical issues - still not solved until now - was that of Kashmir. It was also an Ahmadi who had proposed a solution which, even today, if implemented, could help solve this never-ending conflict.
Muhammad Zaffrullah Khan, Minister of Foreign Affairs at that time, suggested not to force the people of Kashmir to follow a particular country. As Muslims in Pakistan, the Kashmiris should be able to choose where they want to belong. He therefore proposed to hold a referendum so that the people of Kashmir decide themselves what they wanted to be part of Pakistan, of India or gain independence.
It is indeed in the response of Pakistan January 15, 1948 a complaint to the Security Council that Zaffrullah Muhammad Khan had convinced - after a brilliant presentation - Council members need to implement a peaceful way to partition between India and Pakistan, which necessarily implied, on the issue of Kashmir, to use the means of referendum.
In addition, Canada Stary Weekly, Toronto newspaper, in its issue of the 28th May 1949 stated that "the man who, more than any other, has put Pakistan on the front of the international scene and has made the country one of which we can count with force is none other than Muhammad Zaffrullah Khan".
Pakistan today
Soon after the creation of Pakistan, mullahs – orthodox religious clerics – started questioning the dream of a secular Pakistan much desired by Jinnah. These questionings lead to the passing of several ordinances defining as heretic anyone standing up against their will and the awful application of blasphemy laws which legitimate every murder committed when a minority is defended or when anyone stand up for giving minorities a complete status of citizen. Many eminent personalities of Pakistan have from the yoke of these mullahs – whether it is Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, Doctor Abdus Salam, Benazir Bhutto or even Salman Tasseer.
Even today one thing is clear, Pakistan is a country that failed giving its religious minorities a secure place ; the Malala Case, the desecration of the tomb of the Nobel Prize in Physics Abdus Salam are enough to prove it.
Nowadays, the situation of minorities is getting worse; homes of Christians are burned, Hindu women are raped and Shia or Ahmadi Muslims are openly murdered in the streets. However, minorities, even if they don't represent the whole country, largely contribute to the social vibrancy and cultural diversity of Pakistan.
Perhaps Pakistan has forgotten his history; perhaps Pakistan has forgotten the purpose of the his creation; perhaps Pakistan has forgotten the dreamland its founder had dreamt of.
Let's hope that this 14thAugust 2013 becomes the year of change and consideration of minorities.
Read original post here: Ahmadis who built Pakistan
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