Daily Times

Faced with endless disparity, inequality and discrimination in that era of darkness and oppression, the Muslims who ruled Indo-Pakistan subcontinent for nearly 800 years, were pushed to the wall by the colonial masters as they considered them arch rival after the failure of the War of Independence 1857.

Deprived Muslims of all kinds of political, economic, human rights and liberties, the colonial masters who grabbed power under the guise of East India Company after overthrowing last Mughal Ruler Bahadar Shah Zafar started tilted towards socioeconomic, political and educational empowerment of the Hindus. This great injustice has furthered increased the intellectual, political and educational decay of the Muslims after they were almost out of government jobs, education, civil and military services.

During that era of darkness and oppression, the Muslims were given a new hope and direction by the renowned educationist and political thinker, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who instilled a new hope, direction and dynamism among oppressed Muslims following an inspirational teaching of the great religious leaders, Mojadad Alf Sani and Shah Waliullah.

Brought about an intellectual revolution among the Muslims through educational, political and social reforms, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan on one side nullified the malicious propaganda of the colonial rulers, Hindus viz a viz pessimist forces and brought Muslims of British India out of the ominous and oppression on the other side besides enabling them to regain their past glory.

The All India Muhammadan Educational Conference (AIMEC) Aligarh founded by Sir Syed in 1886 had empowered the Muslims with modern education, socio-economic development and political unity, helping them to gain ground in that era of hatred and pessimism.

The network of educational institutions, political and social unity under AIMEC had significantly enabled millions of Muslims soon to compete with other communities including Hindus and provided a launching pad for Muslims to initiate a peaceful political and democratic struggle for a separate homeland in the subcontinent.

Muhammad Youas Khan, Chairman, Political Science Department, Islamia College Peshawar told APP that Sir Syed had broken the British-Hindu nexus after its goal-oriented multi-sectoral reforms that excelled followers of Islam in education, social, economic and political sciences, resultantly their voices were strongly heard.

He said the foundation of All India Muslim League (AIML) on December 30, 1906 in Dhaka had united Muslims by giving new impetus to the independence movement for Pakistan.  “The freedom movement had witnessed further momentum after Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah spearheaded it after formally joining AIML in 1913 and outlining of an independent state for Muslims majority provinces in North Western India by the great poet-philosopher Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal during historic Allahabad’s address in 1930.

Thus, Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal became the first politician to articulate the two-nation theory that Muslims were a distinct nation and deserved political independence from other regions and communities of the united India. “Pakistan movement had passed through different phases and finally achieved its practical shape in 1933 during a high-level gathering in London where Chaudhary Rehmat Ali presented the name of Pakistan,” he said.

Recalling Rehmat Ali’s famous saying ‘now or never or perish forever,’ he said the two former students, Aslam Khattak and Inayatullah Khan of Charsadda along with other Muslims leaders endorsed the name of Pakistan. “Pakistan’s name and Allahabad’s historic address had set a clear direction to the Muslims to achieve Pakistan.”

Under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, millions of Muslims assembled at Iqbal Park in Lahore on March 23, 1940 where they passed the historic Pakistan’s Resolution. Following the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution, Quaid-i-Azam reorganized AIML on modern lines and made repeated visits to all Muslims majority provinces including KP (earlier called NWFP) to mobilize masses for Pakistan.

Committed to the noble cause, the legendary Quaid received a historic welcome when he visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) in 1945 where a sea of people arrived to see a few glimpses of their beloved leader.

Yousaf said that it was the love of the people of KP with the great Quaid that AIML secured over 50 seats in the province during 1946 elections, rejected Congress and after that historic victory, nobody could stop the independence movement from this province.