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 IDEOLOGICAL BASIS OF PAKISTAN
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Meaning of an Ideology: The word “ideology” is composed of two Greek words “idea” and
“logos”. It literally means “the science or study of ideas”. The ideology of any nation reflects
the ideals and aspirations of its people, and religion and cultural shape, their thinking which
binds them together. An ideology in the positive sense is a system of beliefs, values, ideals,
convictions, institutions, goals and a body of knowledge which a people considers true, binding
and practicable.

How Ideology Emerges?

Ideologies tend to arise in the times of crises and social stress. A society having no ideology,
when faced with a crisis, may find it difficult to decide by reacting to its ethical and practical
aspects as to whether to confront it with courage or retreat from it. At such a moment, while
ideology has its binding functions, it also provides a simple and sure answer, leaving no chances
for subsequent regrets. This is inherent it the fight for principle. According to Reo M.
Christenson (Ideologies and Modern Politics) that;

“An ideology emerges when people feel strongly that they are being mistreated under an existing
order when their status is threatened by fundamental changes occurring in society and when the
prevailing ideology no longer satisfies them…….”

Political Ideology: A political ideology is a system of beliefs that explain and justifies a
preferred political order, either existing or proposed and offers a strategy (institutions, processes
programmers) for its attainment.

Ideology of Life: When a significant purpose becomes a joint ideal of people’s life then it is a
common ideology of life.

Characteristics of an Ideology:

The ideology must contain following traits;

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  Maximum people should be united on this ideology.
 The ideology must be harmonized with the feelings, emotions, traditions, beliefs and
values of the nation.
 Enough individual /man-power is requisite in it. Page | 3
 This can be obtained by collective efforts.
 An organized party of leaders to implement this ideology is imperatively required.

Importance of an Ideology:

Ideology is important in following aspects;

 Ideology is a motivating force for a nation, which is striving hard to bring stability and
homogeneity to its nationhood.
 It provides the cement-binding base to the scattered groups in a society and brings them
closer to each other on a common platform.
 Ideologies impel their adherents to follow a joint line of action for the accomplishment of
their goal. 4. Ideologies give shape to the revolutions and give birth to new cultures and
civilizations.
 Ideologies stress on their adherents to insist on the realization of their ideals through total
transformation of society.
 An ideology offers an interpretation of the past, and an explanation of the present and a
vision of the future.

Thus the ideologies contain a set of proposals about human nature and society. These proposals
explicitly manifest human conditions, approaches and understanding of a social and political
order and provide and basis for the accomplishment of a desired social system.

Ideology of Pakistan:

The ideology of Pakistan took shape through an evolutionary process. Historical experience
provided the base; Allama Iqbal gave it a philosophical explanation; Quaid-i-Azam translated it
into a political reality; and the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, by passing Objectives
Resolution in March 1949, gave it legal sanction. It was due to the realization of the Muslims of
South Asia that they are different from the Hindus that they demanded separate electorates.

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However when they realized that their future in a „Democratic India‟ dominated by Hindu
majority was not safe, they changed their demand to a separate state.

The ideology of Pakistan stemmed from the instinct of the Muslim community of South Asia to
maintain their individuality in the Hindu society. The Muslims believed that Islam and Hinduism
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are not only two religions, but are two social orders that produced two distinct cultures. There is
no compatibility between the two. A deep study of the history of this land proves that the
differences between Hindus and Muslims are not confined to the struggle for political supremacy
but are also manifested in the clash of two social orders. Despite living together for more than
one thousand years, they continue to develop different cultures and traditions. Their eating
habits, music, architecture and script, all are poles apart.

The basis of the Muslim nationhood was neither territorial nor racial or linguistic or ethnic rather
they were a nation because they belonged to the same faith, Islam. They demanded that the areas
where they were in majority should be constituted into a sovereign state, wherein they could
order their lives in accordance with the teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah of Holy Prophet
(PBUH).

The creation of Pakistan was unique in the sense that it was based on an ideology which sought
its roots from the religion of Islam. The famous slogan was as under:-

“PAKISTAN KA MATLAB KIYA, LA ILLA HA ILL ALLAH”

It became the corner of the freedom movement and the basis of Pakistan. Meaning and
definitions of Pakistan Ideology are explained as under:-

 Ideology of Pakistan is actually implementation of Islamic teachings.

 To maintain and arouse the national dignity and struggles for unity among Muslim
Ummah and Islamic rule is in fact Ideology of Pakistan.
 Two-Nation Theory on the basis of Islamic Philosophy in political and cultural
background of Sub-continent is called ideology of Pakistan.
 Ideology of Pakistan is actually Islamic ideology.
 The idea of Muslims, attaining Pakistan was in fact Ideology of Pakistan.

Quaid-i-Azam and Ideology of Pakistan:

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Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a history-making leader who changed the course of history. He
possessed a visionary leadership, commitment to the cause and political mobilization capacity.
He was a Charismatic Leader in the real sense of the meaning.

ROLE OF JINNAH: Page | 5

On March 8, 1944 Quaid-i-Azam while addressing in Muslim University Aligarh, said;

“Actually Pakistan came into being when the very first Hindu converted into Muslim, it
happened, when there was no rule of Muslims. The foundation of Muslims is Kalama-e- Tauheed
rather than state or race. When a Hindu converted his religion he became a member of separate
nation and new nation came into being.”

Jinnah played a decisive role in articulating the Muslim demands and pursuing these faced strong
opposition from the Hindus and the British. He started his political career in 1906 by joining the
Indian National Congress. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1909 and in 1913 he also
joined the All India Muslim League (AIML). Now he was member of both the political parties.
Having disagreement with Gandhi on the issue of Swaraj (self-rule), complete freedom from the
British and on using extra-constitutional means, Jinnah resigned from the Congress in 1920. His
early efforts to promote Hindu-Muslim unity were materialized when THE LUCKNOW PACT
(1916) was signed. The Hindus accepted the Muslim demands:

 Separate Electorate
 One-third Seats in Central Legislature
 Protection of minority rights

In the Nehru Report, the accepted Muslim rights were ignored. Jinnah retaliated forcefully by
presenting 14 Points in 1929. He defined Muslim identity and mobilized them with reference to
Islam and convinced others that Muslims are different from the Hindus and the Congress.
Islamic principles, concepts and symbols surfaced in his speeches and statements.

Jinnah used the term NATION for the Muslims of India in Feb 1935 (Legislative Assembly). He
argued that the combination of religion, culture, race, arts, music and so forth make a minority a
SEPARATE ENTITY. In March 1936 Bombay, he stated that the Muslims could arrive at a
settlement with Hindus as TWO Nations. In 1937, he asserted that there is also a third party in

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India, the Muslims. In 1939, he roared that the Muslims and Hindus are two nations and they are
going to live as a nation and playing part as a nation:

“We are a nation with our own distinctive culture and civilization, language and literature,
names and nomenclature, sense of values and proportion, legal laws and moral code, custom and
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calendar, history and tradition, aptitudes and ambitions; in short, we have our own distinctive
outlook on life and of life. By all cannons of international law, we are a nation.”

Speeches and statements: 1940-47 Jinnah believed in the force of Islam as he said that Islam is
a dynamic force that can unite the Muslims. It can help to overcome the present crisis. It’s a
source of inspiration and guidance providing ethical foundation, a framework, social order and
civilization.

Guidance & inspiration for constitution-making and Governance: He also talked of the
modern notions of state, constitution, civil and political rights and democracy. He assured that
constitution of Pakistan would be framed by the elected assembly.

Modern democratic and Islamic State: He gave assurance of equality of all citizens and rights
and freedom to religious minorities in the new state.

Allama Iqbal and Ideology of Pakistan:

VISION OF A SEPARATEMUSLIMSTATE

Men like Allama Iqbal are born but in centuries. He was conscious of significance of Islam in
lives of the Muslims. His first public appearance was in 1899 at the annual session of Anjuman
Himayat-i-Islam in Lahore when he presented the poem, Nala-i-Yatim. At initial stages Dr Iqbal
was a nationalist by ideas and his poetry contained verses like Tarana-i- Hind. His poetry was a
critique of the existing societal conditions. Being educated from Europe, he knew all weak
aspects of the Western culture. He criticized capitalism, materialism and lack of spiritualism.
IQBAL- Focus on the conditions of the Indian Muslims

 Islam can salvage the Muslims

 Islam has always saved Muslim
 Islam is a living and dynamic ideology that can meet modern challenges

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  Islam to help them to overcome their internal Discord and enable them to meet external
challenges With spiritualism based derived from Islam Ijtehad and Reinterpretation

Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam:

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Address to the Muslim League Session, Allahabad, December 1930 The climax of Iqbal’s
political career came in 1930 when at the annual session of All India Muslim League, he boldly
stated the Muslim demand for creation of a separate Muslim state within India. He added:

“I would like to see the Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state as
a self-government within the British Empire or without the British Empire, The formation of a
consolidated North-West Indian Muslim state appears to me to be the final destiny of the
Muslims, at least, of North-West India.”

In short Iqbal gave the idea of Pakistan. He inspired the Muslims of India to make the demand
for a separate homeland. He infect, prepared the ground for Mr. Jinnah, who finally led the
Muslims to the goal of Pakistan. Mr. Jinnah acknowledged his debt to Dr. Iqbal in the following
words:

“His views were substantially in consonance with my own and had finally led me to the same
conclusions as a result of careful examination and study of the constitutional problems facing
India”.

Mr. Jinnah paid him a tribute two days after the Lahore Resolution that:

“If I live to see the idea of a Muslim state being achieved and I were than offered to make a
choice between the works of Iqbal and the ruler ship of the Muslim state, I would prefer the
former”.

Significance of Pakistan:

Ideology of Pakistan is very important in national life and its some salient aspects are explained
as under:-

1. Protagonist of Success:

Ideology of Pakistan is a supporter of its success and triumph. The Muslims of Sub-continent
were unified into oneness only because of ideology of Pakistan. They rank their differences

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entirely and prompted for the attainment of Pakistan. Resultantly, they succeeded to foil cunning
tactics of Hindus and English. So, this ideology kept on strengthening them and inordinate power
of thinking and religious potency kept increasing in them and it resulted in an independent state.

2. Bearer of Morality and Good Character: Page | 8

Due to adoption of Ideology of Pakistan such a Muslim nation can be developed which would
have lofty ethical traits, honesty, good character and valor as well.

3. Development of New Islamic World:

One of the fundamental aims of Ideology of Pakistan is to unify all the Muslims world over and
thus ideology apprises the Muslims of unity and fraternity. By adopting it we can get rid of
interior and exterior worries, extortion and imperialistic, conspiracies very easily.

4. Inevitable for Country and National Safety:

It is inevitable for the sublime and safety of the nation. It places the people residing in different
provinces at one platform and creates unity among them. As long as it is strictly adopted the
unanimity of the nation would be elevated. It will help in foiling the aims of terrorists, saboteurs,
time servers and vested interests elements. Thus, the safety of Pakistan ideology is necessary for
the integrity of the country.

5. Source of Religious Power:

It is also a great source of religious power. This ideology forced the English and Hindus to bow
down in the past too and others can also be forced to bow down by adopting the ideology in
future. So it is the need of the hour to cordially adopt this idea so that we may be prominent in
living nations.

6. Ideology of Islamic State:

This ideology has been founded on Islamic teachings. Therefore, by adopting this ideology the
Muslim nation would develop into staunch Muslim and righteous and good Muslims would be
produced by owning this theory.

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Bibliography:
 Kazmi, M. R. (2008). Ideology of Pakistan.pdf. Retrieved from The css point:
https://hostnezt.com/cssfiles/pakistanaffairs/
 PAKISTAN.pdf. (2008, january friday). Retrieved from https://hostnezt.com/cssfiles:
https://hostnezt.com/