The Muslims, who ruled the subcontinent of Indo-Pakistan for nearly 800 years, faced unending inequality, discrimination, and disparities during that dark and oppressive period. The colonial masters saw them as their arch rivals following the defeat of the War of Independence in 1857, and they drove them to the edge.
After overthrowing the last Mughal ruler, Bahadar Shah Zafar, the colonial masters used the East India Company to seize power and deprived Muslims of all political, economic, and human rights and liberties. They then shifted their focus to the socioeconomic, political, and educational empowerment of the Hindu population. After Muslims had virtually no access to government employment, education, or the civil and military services, this enormous injustice has exacerbated their intellectual, political, and educational decline.
During that era of darkness and oppression, the Muslims were given a new hope and direction by the renowned educationist and political thinker, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who instilled a new hope, direction and dynamism among oppressed Muslims following an inspirational teaching of the great religious leaders, Mojadad Alf Sani and Shah Waliullah.
Brought about an intellectual revolution among the Muslims through educational, political and social reforms, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan on one side nullified the malicious propaganda of the colonial rulers, Hindus viz a viz pessimist forces and brought Muslims of British India out of the ominous and oppression on the other side besides enabling them to regain their past glory.
The All India Muhammadan Educational Conference (AIMEC) Aligarh founded by Sir Syed in 1886 had empowered the Muslims with modern education, socio-economic development and political unity, helping them to gain ground in that era of hatred and pessimism.
The network of educational institutions, political and social unity under AIMEC had significantly enabled millions of Muslims soon to compete with other communities including Hindus and provided a launching pad for Muslims to initiate a peaceful political and democratic struggle for a separate homeland in the subcontinent.
Muhammad Youas Khan, Chairman, Political Science Department, Islamia College Peshawar told APP that Sir Syed had broken the British-Hindu nexus after its goal-oriented multi-sectoral reforms that excelled followers of Islam in education, social, economic and political sciences, resultantly their voices were strongly heard.
He said the foundation of All India Muslim League (AIML) on December 30, 1906 in Dhaka had united Muslims by giving new impetus to the independence movement for Pakistan. “The freedom movement had witnessed further momentum after Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah spearheaded it after formally joining AIML in 1913 and outlining of an independent state for Muslims majority provinces in North Western India by the great poet-philosopher Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal during historic Allahabad’s address in 1930.
Thus, Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal became the first politician to articulate the two-nation theory that Muslims were a distinct nation and deserved political independence from other regions and communities of the united India. “Pakistan movement had passed through different phases and finally achieved its practical shape in 1933 during a high-level gathering in London where Chaudhary Rehmat Ali presented the name of Pakistan,” he said.
Recalling Rehmat Ali’s famous saying ‘now or never or perish forever,’ he said the two former students, Aslam Khattak and Inayatullah Khan of Charsadda along with other Muslims leaders endorsed the name of Pakistan. “Pakistan’s name and Allahabad’s historic address had set a clear direction to the Muslims to achieve Pakistan.”
Under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, millions of Muslims assembled at Iqbal Park in Lahore on March 23, 1940 where they passed the historic Pakistan’s Resolution. Following the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution, Quaid-i-Azam reorganized AIML on modern lines and made repeated visits to all Muslims majority provinces including KP (earlier called NWFP) to mobilize masses for Pakistan.
Committed to the noble cause, the legendary Quaid received a historic welcome when he visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) in 1945 where a sea of people arrived to see a few glimpses of their beloved leader.
Yousaf said that it was the love of the people of KP with the great Quaid that AIML secured over 50 seats in the province during 1946 elections, rejected Congress and after that historic victory, nobody could stop the independence movement from this province. Finally, Pakistan came into being on August 14, 1947 on the world map within seven years after the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940.
“The Pakistan Movement’s history could not be completed without mentioning the historic role of Islamia College Peshawar’s (ICP) students,” he said, adding the legendary Quaid visited ICP in 1936, 1945 and 1948 to acknowledge the outstanding role of its students during the Pakistan Movement.
On April 12, 1948, Quaid-i-Azam visited ICP as the first Governor General of Pakistan where he presented glowing tributes to the services of its students towards making Pakistan in these words. “I am indeed very happy to be present here today and to have the privilege of addressing students of this great Darul Uloom, who are the future builders of Pakistan.
Remember your government is like your own garden. Your garden flourishes by the way you look after it and the efforts that you put towards its improvement. Similarly, your government can only flourish by your patriotic, honest and constructive efforts to improve it.”
He wished to construct a university near ICP that was fulfilled by the government within a gap of one year by establishing University of Peshawar in 1949. The Quaid had an immense love for tribesmen of merged tribal districts (Erstwhile FATA) for their strong commitment, loyalty, sacrifices and consistent support during the Pakistan movement acknowledged by him during his address at Grand Tribal Jira at Governor House, Peshawar on April 17, 1948.
He laid great emphasis on education and socio-economic development of tribesmen and considered technical education, science and technology as prerequisites for attaining goals of sustained development and economic prosperity.
