11th August 1947 speech: A glimpse of Quaid's Pakistan
In his all-important Presidential Address, Quaid laid the main ideological foundation of Pakistan.
(WebDesk) - 11th August may seem like an ordinary date to many but in reality, the date not only holds national significance but it Is also widely considered as one of the most important days in the history of the Sub-continent. The date marks the time when the great leader, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah took oath as the first president of the constituent assembly of Pakistan and delivered his first Presidential Address.
For everyone residing in the assembly at the time, the time was of crucial importance and proved to be an emotional moment for everyone as they were finally realizing their lifelong dream. After a constant struggle of nearly 17 years, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was finally becoming a reality.
In his all-important debut address, Quaid laid specific importance to different problems that had plagued the Indian Subcontinent at the time. Jinnah’s address was divided into 10 different parts, all of which laid the grounds to the actual and main ideology of Pakistan.
Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah delivering his first Presidential Address. Photo: National Assembly of Pakistan
In the first part, the Quaid thanked the participants of the session to have bestowed the great honor of becoming the President. Next, he declared that the National Assembly had two main functions to perform. First of which was framing the constitution of the country and the other was to function as a completely sovereign body as the Federal Legislature of Pakistan.
Further Quaid emphasized on the importance of the mantainence of law, order and timely justice in the newly formed country. Most importantly, he declared that the life, property and the religious beliefs of every citizen should be protected by the state. Jinnah termed bribery, corruption, black marketing, nepotism, and jobbery as evils that had to be eradicated so that the nation could prosper.
Jinnah believed in oneness and equality for all and that is how he wanted Pakistan to progress; as one. Photo: Archives
Jinnah also talked about how some people believed that certain terms of division of land were unfair. But he stated that since an agreement had been reached, it was the duty of every citizen to abide by it and live accordingly. He stated that obviously there were many people who were against the idea of a divided India but a united India could never have prospered. Quaid emphasized on the fact that unity and brotherhood was the only way forward for Pakistan. The people of the newly formed Pakistan had to put their religious, social and political differences aside to help the country progress as one nation.
— Dunya News (@DunyaNews) August 11, 2018
Quaid also termed provincialism as a poison that would hinder the country’s progress if not taken care of soon. He emphasized that every community had the right to prosper in Pakistan.
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed -- that has nothing to do with the business of the State”
Quaid e Azam with the representatives of minorities. Photo: Archives
“As you know, history shows that in England conditions, some time ago, were much worse than those prevailing in India today. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants persecuted each other. Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God, we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another”
“We are starting with this fundamental principle: that we are all citizens, and equal citizens, of one State”
Jinnah pointed out that Hindus of Pakistan and Muslims of Pakistan should coexist and help each other since he believed that religious was a personal affair and one that had little to do with the wellbeing of a country.
Quaid e Azam with Nehru and Lord Mountbatten. Photo: Quora
The Presidential Address of 11th August 1947, surfaced in the form of a controversy later throughout the years. This is because certain people were not ready to accept the fact that Quaid e Azam talked about religious freedom and the rights of minorities in this historical address. As a consecuence, these mafias tried altering his speech and even tried removing and completely eradicating it from the archives of the country. It is very unfortunate that the original wordings from Quaid’s Address is very rarely found.
Given below is the complete text of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s speech delivered on 11th August 1947:
Speech Source: Archives of Columbia University, USA
By: Raacikh Asghar
