In the political annals of South Asian Sub-Continent, the Founder of the country towers his contemporaries because of his rare qualities as even after the achievement of a separate homeland for the Muslims he did not sit back but continued to last breath his untiring and unceasing work to strengthen and consolidating the country and making it one of the great nations of the world. The Quaid, the undisputed leader of the Muslims of South Asia, was a pillar of moral strength, having far-reaching vision, indomitable will, a steely determination, an unflinching resolve and steadfastness of purpose,
One of the greatest world Muslim leaders in his speeches, statements and messages to the nation on different occasions he had been laying special stress on strictly maintaining discipline and unity for furthering the national cause. M.A Jinnah wanted to build Pakistan through national self discipline and regarded indiscipline, as "more deadly than our external enemies "which would spell "ruin for us".
The architect of Pakistan wanted constructive efforts, selfless work, steadfast devotion to duty and desired every Pakistani to vow to himself and be prepared to sacrifice his all, if necessary, in building up Pakistan as a bulwark of Islam and one of the greatest nations. The founder of the Nation wanted the constitution of Pakistan to be " of a democratic type embodying the essential principles of Islam - equality, justice and fairplay".
Quaid-i-Azam, a Khoja Muslim of a mercantile family of Rajkot that had settled down in Karachi for a number of years, was born on the 25th December 1876 at Wazir Mansion, Karachi. He was the eldest among seven siblings of Jinnah Poonja, a skin and hide merchant; his two other brothers Ahmed Ali and Bande Ali remained obscure throughout Jinnah's career, and of three sisters - Fatima, Maryam and Shireen, Fatima was his life-long companion.
Educated at Gokuldas Tej Primary School, Bombay (1885-1886) and then at Sind Madrassa High School and the Christian Mission High School in Karachi, M.A. Jinnah was sent to London in 1892 for training in business administration on the advice of an English friend of the family. However, he elected to study law instead and joined the Lincoln's Inn, being called to the Bar in 1896.
Before proceeding abroad, he had been married first in1890 or 1891 to a relative, Emibai, a Khoja girl, who died while Mohammad Ali Jinnah was still in London for studies; then in 1918, he married Miss Ruttie Petit, a Parsi girl, the only daughter of the fabulous Sir Dinshaw Petit , who embraced Islam. She died in 1929, leaving behind a daughter Dina, (born on the 15th August 1919).
The earliest influence on the Quaid-i-Azam was that of Dadabhai Naoroji, who was contesting parliamentary elections in England when Jinnah was studying there. He worked for his success.
On return from London in 1896, the Father of the Nation set up law practice first at Karachi and then in 1897 at Bombay where he gradually built up a thriving practice. In 1900, Mohammad Ali Jinnah had also worked as a Presidency Magistrate in Bombay for a while.
He took keen interest in politics, joining Indian National Congress in 1906, attending its annual sessions regularly. In December 1908 at Madras, supported the resolution welcoming Minto-Morley reforms; moved a resolution deprecating the extension of communal representation to Local Bodies (25th Congress, Allahabad, December 1910).
M.A. Jinnah was invited to attend the All India Muslim League Council meeting at Bankipur in December 1912 which accepted the inclusion of the 'attainment of a system of self-government suitable to India' as one of the aims of the League.
Presided over the AIML session at Lucknow in December 1916; and was chiefly instrumental in devising of the Congress-League Lucknow Pact; and at the 10th session, held in Calcutta ( December 1917-January 1918), moved a resolution urging the government to immediately introduce a bill embodying the reforms contained in the Congress-League Scheme of December 1916 as a first step towards responsible government.
He was elected President AIML (12th Session, Amritsar, 1919); presided over the Extraordinary Session, AIML, (Calcutta September 1920); in a spirited, indignant speech, spoke about the Rowlatt Bills and the Punjab atrocities, and the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire and the Khilafat.
Visiting England in April 1913, he formed the Indian Association as a forum for the Indian students abroad.
Quaid-i-Azam joined the All India Muslim League in 1913, which was founded in 1906, on the condition that his membership of the League should in no way imply even the shadow of disloyalty to the larger national interest.
He was a member of the Congress delegation to England in connection with the proposed reforms of Indian Councils (May-December 1914). He took interest in Mrs. Annie Besants Home Rule League as well.
The Quaid had a long and brilliant career in the Central legislature. He was an active member of Imperial Legislative Council during 1910-19, and his speeches in the legislature were marked by a razor-sharp intellect, fearlessness and irrefutable logic.
He was one of the 19 signatories to a memorandum, submitted to the Viceroy in October, 1916 on post-war constitutional reforms (1916). He remained elected Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1924 to 1947. When Rowlatt Bill was passed into law in 1919 riding roughshod over all opposition, he resigned from Imperial Legislative Council in protest against that 'Black Act' (1919). He orchestrated public protest against a farewell meeting for Lord Willington, Governor of Bombay.
Walked out of the meeting of Home Rule League in Bombay in protest against "unconstitutional" ruling by Gandhi, who was presiding (October 4,1920), and resigned from his membership over the change by Gandhi in the name of the party and its constitution (October 25,1920).
The people of Bombay built People's Jinnah Memorial Hall in grateful recognition of his sterling services Mr. Jinnah vehemently opposed the resolution concerning the change in party creed and non-co-operation with the Government at the Nagpur session of the Congress (26-31 December 1920); but the resolution was adopted and he walked out in protest as soon as he had finished his speech. That was the culmination of his association with the Congress. His break with the Congress came in 1920; first he resigned from the Home Rule League, renamed Swarajya Sabaha and then from the Congress
Boycotted the Royal Statuary (Simon) Commission because it had no Indian member.
After the Muslim League suffered the setback in the 1937 general elections, Quaid-i-Azam devoted more time and attention to organising and consolidating the Party. In the 1945-46 general elections, All India Muslim League won all the Muslim seats in the Central Assembly and 85 percent of the Muslim seats in the Provincial Assemblies. He demanded of the British to divide India and quit.
Congress insistence on singing 'Bande Matrem' in schools and use of Hindi as compulsory subject even for the Muslim students in Hindu majority provinces, ruled by the Congress (1937-39) led to deepening Muslim distrust of the Congress. The separatist line started gaining prominence till it was formally adopted by the League in March 1940. He had been for co-operation with both Congress and Hindu Mahasabaha but their growing anti-Muslim stance blocked such an approach.
Finding the Nehru Report (1928) militating against Muslim interests and revoking some important concessions made by the Lucknow pact (1916), Mr. Jinnah formulated his famous fourteen points programme (1929) as demand of the Muslims.
Quaid-i-Azam attended the first and Second Round Table Conferences (1930-31) on Indian affairs, and disillusioned with what transpired at these conferences, he chose to stay back in London and started law practice at the Privi Council (1931-34). Poet-Philosopher Allama Mohammad Iqbal and Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan strongly urged him to return to India and lead the Muslims. He returned to India on the 24th of October, 1935, to organise and consolidate the Muslim League and launch a struggle for Muslim statehood.
The struggle, led by him by unswerving devotion and indomitable will culminated in the emergence of Pakistan on 14th August, 1947. Mr. M.A. Jinnah was elected President of All India Muslim League in 1934 and remained President until December 1947 when the party was bifurcated in the aftermath of the partition.
During his political career, Mr. M. A. Jinnah had from time to time meetings with Gandhi, Congress leaders and British statesmen but no settlement could be arrived at, given their strong reservations about the legitimate Muslim aspirations...
Protested against forcing upon the people of India the Government of India Act 1935, especially its federal scheme as unfair to the Muslims and arbitrary.
He was deeply distressed at the Muslim suffering under the Congress rule in Hindu majority provinces in 1937-39. Enquiries made into the repression of the Muslims in Congress provinces were incorporated in the reports compiled by Raja of Pirpur, A.K. Fazlul Huq and S.M. Shareef, besides newspaper stories by individual victims. On the resignation of the Congress Ministries at the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, the Quaid called for the observance of a Day of Deliverance by the Muslims all over India.
The popular enthusiasm marking the observance of the day reflected the rapidly growing Muslim alienation from the Congress. The bitter taste of the Congress rule had convinced the Muslims that an independent Muslim homeland was the only remedy against the tyranny of a permanent Hindu majority at the Centre.
The demand for independent homeland was adopted by the All India Muslim League at its 27th session in Lahore on the 23rd March, 1940. In his Presidential address, the Quaid said the Muslim League was now a power to reckon with and we stand unequivocally for the freedom of India, but it must be freedom for all India. If the British Government are really earnest and sincere to secure the peace and happiness of the people of this Sub-Continent, the only course open was to us all is to allow the major nations separate homelands by dividing India into 'autonomous national states'.
Quaid-i-Azam turned down Cripps proposals of 1942 which did not concede AIML demand for Pakistan; proposed a Committee of Action to establish an organisational machinery for uplift of the Muslims, December 1943; talks with Gandhi failed,1944; participated in Simla Conference,1945; presided League Legislators convention at Delhi in April 1946, after the League landslide victory in the general elections. Addressing the Convention, Quaid-i-Azam reiterated that the acceptance of the fundamental principle of Pakistan was a sine qua non of the consideration of the question of Muslim League co-operation in an Interim Central Government; and that a single constitution-making body would be entirely unacceptable.
Accepted Cabinet Mission Plan in 1946 but subsequently withdrew acceptance due to failure of the Viceroy to invite the League to form the Interim Government only to appease the Congress; called for observance on 16 August 1946 of Direct Action Day, Communal riots ensued in Calcutta, Noakhali, Bihar and Gorhmuktisar; joined Interim Government on Viceroy's persuasion and advice of the colleagues in October 1946, but refused to participate in the Constituent Assembly under Cabinet Mission Plan; On being to London in early December, 1946, talked abortively in London with Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Congress leaders to break the impasse; accepted Partition Plan of 3 June, 1947 as a compromise; elected President of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, August 11, 1947; took office as first Governor-General of Pakistan on August 15,1947.
The Father of the Nation died in Karachi on 11 September, 1948 and was buried there. The mortal remains of the great leader are enshrined in a grand mausoleum around which the grateful nation has laid out a magnificent garden.