In the same issue of 'Concept' Rizwan Ahmed, Chairman of the Quaid-e-Azam Foundation, in his article 'Importance of faith' has tried to show, though not very convincingly, Quaid's reasons for choosing 'Faith' for the motto and that he (Quaid) implied Eeman by it.
The learned writer, however, could not help mentioning Allama Iqbal's "yaqeen muhkam amal paihem fateh-e-alam" but has inserted (means strong Faith) within the parenthesis after Yaqeen Muhkam in the couplet. I am, however, surprised that Rizwan has chosen to omit Quaid's meeting some students in 1946 to whom he had explained the meaning of 'Faith' in his motto.
Quaid had told them, "Have Faith in yourself, Have Faith in your destiny Pakistan and Have Faith in Allah". To Quaid faith was 'faith' (Yaqeen) and not the Muslim faith (Eeman).
The 'Faith' of Quaid's motto was gradually baptised (Islamised) after the passing of the 'Objectives Resolution' at the behest of the Maulvis in 1954. Later Ziaul Haque completed the tally. And now we are sort of stuck with it - in the name of Islamic Republic of Pakistan - which was incidentally not the name given to the new-born dominion on the night of 14/15 August 1947.
I am 75 and was a young man of 17 and a college student at the time of partition. I heard the Quaid first on June 3rd, 1947, on All India Radio and thereafter read him in the papers and heard him many a time on the radio. I was fortunate to see and hear him in person in April 1948 when he addressed us in our Edwardes College, Peshawar, and the next day in the Islamia College in the same city.
All along these years and even much later the Urdu rendition of the Quaid's motto had been "Ittehad, Yaqeen, Nazm" and in this very order. In 1951 when Liaquat Ali Khan brandished his fist to the Indians, Yaqeen turned into Yaqeen-e-Muhkam. Nazm (discipline) was at times mixed up incorrectly with Tanzeem which means Organisation By changing Yaqeen into Eeman.
Aren't we keeping the minorities of Pakistan out of the ambit of the Quaid's motto? Was this motto not meant for them? Or was this motto only for the Muslims of Pakistan? Please do not alter the history so soon. There are still around some eye-witnesses to the original motto.