Objective resolution
I avail the precious space of your esteemed newspaper to highlight the ‘Ideology of Pakistan’ which is the ‘Objective Resolution’ introduced by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in the first ‘Constituent Assembly’ of Pakistan. It has become imperative to defuse the prevailing confusion about the definition of “Ideology of Pakistan” in the society. The Ideology is the science of ideas and value commitment of a society.
The ideology of Pakistan is based on the Objective Resolution because the ideology should be enshrined in “absolute” and not in ‘relative terms’. Besides Muslims, the followers of other religions are the inhabitants of Pakistan. Thus, the ideology of Pakistan should be in the form that is owned by all the communities in the State.
The Objective Resolution speaks in unequivocal terms for the fundamental human rights, rights of minorities and the establishment of an environment of ‘tolerance’ to be the obligation of State. Further, the resolution declares that the sovereignty is to be exercised by the ‘people’ irrespective of religion, color, caste or creed. The resolution states that the country will be governed through the chosen representatives of the people. Here, the right of franchise of chosen representatives was not respected to ‘Muslims’ but to the ‘people’ as a whole.
The resolution simply requires the Muslims to be ‘enabled’ and not ‘compelled’ to order their lives in accordance with the teachings of Islam. The resolution contains the term ‘freely’ for the minorities to profess their religions and develop their culture. The resolution in fact rejects the concept of a theocratic State in Pakistan.
Virtually, the Objective Resolution is the legislative expression of the ideology of Pakistan and based on the vision of Quaid and the aspirations of the Muslims of South Asia who exercised their right of self determination for Pakistan through 1945-46 elections and the referendum in the provinces of KPK and A’asam of British India. The Muslim minority provinces of British India had equally voted for Pakistan. The Resolution further prescribes ‘Federation’ and ‘Provincial Autonomy’ as the salient features of State. Thus, according to every criterion relating to the term ‘ideology’, the Objective Resolution is the “Ideology of Pakistan”.
The Objective Resolution was moved in the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan on March 9. It was adopted after extensive debate on the subject in the National Assembly seventy-four years ago on March 12, 1949. The passage of resolution by the ‘Assembly’ expresses the ‘Will’ of the people.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Karachi.
Email: mahfooznkhan@gmail.com
