ZIA BANDAY - CULTURAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
We may reiterate here that human societies always Mr. Jinnah was a pragmatic remain in the state of flex. Various internal and politician; his shifting stances external factors influence changes in the prevail- were part of a successful strating status quo, which could be incremental as well egy to snatch victory. Case in as revolutionary. Pakistan went through same point is his acceptance of process since its founding. I am really amused Cabinet Plan in 1946. Let with assertions of my liberal friends that Pakistan us ask the sharia proponents is established as a secular state, for which they in Pakistan that how would quote August 11, 1947 speech of Quaid-e Azam5. Mr. Jinnah impose sharia in We are really in serious trouble if we are dependareas with over 40% nonent on single speech or person to derive legitima- Muslim population? Likewise, cy of secularism in Pakistan. Mr. Jinnah was a we may ask our enlightened pragmatic politician; his shifting stances were part circle that how is it possible to of a successful strategy to snatch victory. Case in sustain secularism in a counpoint is his acceptance of Cabinet Plan in 1946. try made in the name of reliLet us ask the sharia6 proponents in Pakistan that gion, with over 90% Muslim how would Mr. Jinnah impose sharia in areas with population? over 40% non-Muslim population? Likewise, we may ask our enlightened circle that how is it possible to sustain secularism in a country made in the name of religion, with over 90% Muslim population? The idea behind Pakistan provides fertile platform for religious right to dictate ideological agenda for the population and gain political legitimacy. Enlightened sections today cannot just close their eyes and live in 1947; they have kept on losing ground to religious right. Religious right is the mainstream and secular thinking is on the fringe, which will never be given open space on the so called free media for initiating any critical debate. However, religious right faces one problem, they cannot win popular vote in a country marked with moderate outlook on religion. For this problem, they have found a solution in the alliance with permanent ruling party of Pakistan, i.e. Military. This Military-Mullah nexus was initiated in 1970 at the time of first general elections in Pakistan, when the term of Pakistan ideology was coined by military regime. Tentacles of this alliance deepened in eighties during Afghan Jihad and subsequently reached its pinnacle in the shape of Jihad International. This alliance appears to have
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Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948), founder father of Pakistan and ofen refered to as Quaid-e Azam
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Shari’a: Arabic ‘the clear path’, or even ‘the way of the camel to the water hole’; stands for the Islamic law.
(Arabic/Persian: the great leader).
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