Jinnah’s democratic legacy: challenges & prospects

Jinnah, a charismatic statesman, laid the foundation for a modern democratic state.

THE Quaid categorically declared that no power on earth can undo Pakistan.

QUAID-I-AZAM Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a charismatic statesman, laid the foundation for a modern democratic state, Pakistan, to safeguard the fundamental rights of Muslims who were a minority in pre-Partition India. Pakistan was born as a secular democratic state, but its welfare and prosperity will always depend upon the restoration of Jinnah’s democratic legacy. Despite cultural, religious, or ethnic distinctions, Jinnah steadfastly believed that each Pakistani is an equal citizen; justice, honesty, and impartiality are the guiding principles that protect the right to life, property, and religious beliefs. Hence, for Jinnah, democracy ensures justice for all.

Pakistan’s great founder wanted neither a theocratic state nor a feudal one.

For Jinnah, democracy was a matter of conviction. ‘Democracy’ means people-centred decision-making, which enables individuals not only to elect their representatives but also to devise public policies, enact laws and amend constitutions through public reasoning for the common good. Democracy treats all citizens as equal members of the state.

“Let us lay the foundations of our democracy”

Democracy is one of the cardinal attributes of a modern state. The new independent states in the subcontinent, Pakistan and India, adopted the British democratic political structure in their respective countries. The constitutional approach was the only political solution for this region, and it was more than necessary for the two neighbours to develop democratic systems to preserve the principles of equal citizenship, justice and freedom of expression. The rule of law is essential for democracy. In The Legacy of Quaid-i-Azam, Dr Javid Iqbal states that Mohammad Ali Jinnah, being a celebrated lawyer, had a firm belief in the rule of law rather than the rule of individuals.