Abul Kalaam Azad is my favourite Muslim politician of Sub-continent. He was not a narrow-minded and self-centred person. He was an optimist. He believed in peaceful co-existence. He was a great ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, in the true sense of the word. He did not believe in hatred, nor did he boost it, through out his life. He never believed in negative, frustrated and destructive ways to deal with hurdles. He never compromised against his conscience. In his later days, founder of Pakistan, Hazrat Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Rahmatullah Aleih), was totally convinced with the political philosophy of Azad, i.e. Muttahida Qaumiyyat (united nationalism), and thus declared that soon there will be a political system in Pakistan, which will not be religiously biased, and also expected from all religious minorities to be a loyal citizen of Pakistan. Azad’s contribution for the freedom of India was greatest among Muslim leaders. Unfortunately, some ignorant Pakistanis, who have little knowledge of history, would proclaim that Azad was a person who was extremist and behind the timeLet us examine this claim, by recalling his accomplishments: • He is one of the founding fathers of modern India. • Through journalism, he worked to create political awareness among Muslims who were at that time keeping aloof from national politics. • He played an important role in Indian National Congress of which he became president on two crucial junctures: o In 1923 when he saved its unity threatened by the controversy on council entry. He was the youngest man elected as the President of the Congress. o In 1940 when there was direct and final confrontation with the imperialist power. • He supported a confederation of autonomous provinces with their own constitutions but common defense and economy, an arrangement suggested in the British Cabinet Mission Plan of May 1946. This aarangement was also supported by , Hazrat Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Rahmatullah Aleih). • He was the first Education Minister of India, after independence. • He was honored with the Bharat Ratna posthumously. The above historical facts show that the historical knowledge of such Pakistanis, who consider Azad as an extremist and behind the time, is very poor. In fact, , Azad is a person of not only 20th century, but also of coming eras.
Monday August 15, 2005 - 12:53pm
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