Daily Times

Till 1858, Governor Generals (GG) of India were appointed by the board of East India Company, which was called Company Raj. It was then converted to British Raj when the monarch took control of India. All colonised nations reported to London–the capital of United Kingdom. It was said that “Sun never sets on the British Empire,” as it covered a huge area of the globe. After the Second World War, most colonies gathered the courage to demand freedom.

On August 14, 1947, the Indian subcontinent was divided based on religion. Pakistan emerged on the world map as the first Islamic democracy. After freedom, it continued to be a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations with its headquarters in London. Despite freedom, the umbilical cord with the capital city of the colonisers was not fully severed. The elected government of Bhutto tried to break loose but the detachment was short-lived.

Today, most black money laundered by the corrupt is parked in London. Expensive real estate is owned by unscrupulous elements of the Islamic Republic. Conspiracies are regularly hatched there to derail the democratic order. London has become a haven of ill-gotten wealth, where the money launderers freely live and enjoy their bounty while Pakistan sinks in debt and poverty. A major course correction is needed to recover the loot and arrest the culprits who have robbed this nation.

London is nowhere close to Madina in its hospitality and benevolence

Even though today, Pakistan is the Islamic Republic, it continues to be influenced by the capital of the commonwealth of nations. Why can we not move towards our Islamic roots in the direction of Madina, the first capital of Islam? The Prophet (PBUH) himself changed the name of the city upon his arrival in 622 AD from Yathrib to Al Madinat Al Munawara.

Riyasat-e-Madina came into being as the first welfare state, whose light spread all over the world. After Mecca, Madina is the second holy city for the Muslims where Prophet (PBUH) lays buried with his two companions Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) and Hazrat Umar (RA). There is no city in the world like Madina. The Holy Quran was compiled here. As many as 15 million visitors come every year to pay homage to the greatest human being that walked on the earth. Mount Sudah stands tall here, where the famous battle for the survival of the revolution was fought.

Having spent considerable time in both the cities, I can comfortably say that London is nowhere close to Madina in its hospitality and benevolence. This is not an endorsement of the rulers of Saudi Arabia or the House of Saud. It is about the uniqueness and the holiness of the city itself. The love and the open-heartedness of the people are unmatched. Then, there is Jannat-ul-Baqi; where the founders of Islam lay buried in ordinary graves with no fanfare or marble mausoleums and well-carved tombstones. The individuals who changed the world sought no personal favours; they lived, struggled and perished after spreading light for humanity.

If the Islamic Republic of Pakistan desires to replicate the Riyasat-e-Madina, it has to have a major presence there. A research centre should be established in the City of the Prophet (PBUH) to study his revolutionary framework, which dominated the world for centuries. The degeneration started in the 18th century until the fall of the caliphate. The Ottoman Empire, Safavid Iran and Mughal India emerged as great world powers that dominated the universe. In the 19th and the 20th centuries, Europeans took control.

Under the leadership of Imran Khan, Pakistan desires to build a modern welfare state on the lines of Riyasat-e-Madina. While the five Nordic Welfare states of the 20th and 21st century are based on the same model yet some differences remain, which have to be understood.

An organised effort is needed to move the Islamic Republic in the direction of Madina with 21st-century upgradation and without the influence of the House of Saud. The affinity with the European colonisers will keep us away from our mission. London is the capital of the exploiters from where no good can be expected. Only the colour of the skin has changed while exploitation of the people continues unabated through their leftovers.

By moving out of the British Commonwealth of Nations in the seventies, the elected government of Bhutto sent a clear message to the former masters. He then re-energised the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) by holding the Grand Summit at Lahore in 1974. The headquarters of this important organisation is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which has dampened its performance.

Mecca is the holiest city for the Muslims followed by Madina and Jerusalem. The Prophet (PBUH) left the city of his forefathers to settle in Madina, which then became the centre of his revolution. It is time to revive the old spirit by returning to the origin. The city of Madina will play a key role in the rejuvenation of Islam, which the spiritless commercial hub of Saudi Arabia, the port city of Jeddah, has been unable to. Let us shun London and focus on Madina en route to creating the first Islamic Welfare State on the lines of Riyasat-e-Madina. CHALO CHALO Madina CHALO.

The writer is the former chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation