The All India Muslim League (AIML) had to justify itself as the sole representative of Muslims in the sub-continent. It was an uphill battle that compelled the AIML to campaign nationwide. The 1945-46 elections were the final litmus test for the party. It provided AIML leadership, particularly Muhammad Ali Jinnah, an opportunity to interact with the youth of the prospective nation that he was tirelessly working for. However, his expectations were shattered during the elections. During the elections in Karachi, a group of students met Jinnah and told him that they voted multiple times to ensure AIML’s victory. The students were expecting appreciation from Jinnah, but Jinnah was disappointed. Jinnah was furious and angrily responded that he does not want a country built on lies and corruption.
This should have been a moment of reflection for all those students who were present at that particular gathering. Anything standing on corruption and lies has a short life and building a country on those principles was certainly not a good idea. Many of those students might have taken on different leadership roles in the new country. Thus the notoriety of the country in corruption and incapacity should not be a point of surprise for any reasonable individual. The roots of the new country were tainted with prejudices, privileges, and corruption.
On another occasion, in 1945, Jinnah talked about the corruption curse in pre-partition India. He said, “Corruption is a curse in India and amongst Muslims, especially the so-called educated and intelligentsia. Unfortunately, it is this class that is selfish and morally and intellectually corrupt. No doubt this disease is common, but amongst this particular class of Muslims it is rampant.”
The structure and working of AIML was such that without servility and sycophancy to the British, their politics would have died long ago. This led AIML to be a platform for Muslims to act as a collective group rather than a coherent party with lofty ideals. One reason Pakistan made its constitution after 25 years of independence is that nobody knew the direction of the state. Will it be Islamic or secular, a democratic or military? The Congress got away with fundamentals in the initial years of the country. The structure of the army was dismantled as it was a colonial institute and ensured the amendments would consolidate democracy in the country while Pakistan’s indecisiveness continued.
After partition, Pakistan got 17 percent of the resources, 40 percent of the Navy, 40 percent of the army, and 20 percent of the Air Force of the British forces. It was a poor country with inflated armed forces, and it was already stressed from the onset added on by the lack of capacity and leadership. The region that makes present Pakistan was the least developed except for Bengal. The western regions were buffer regions for the British therefore little effort was put into developing these regions.
As years passed, slowly the state machinery was channeled to work for the ruling elite and policy loopholes were intentionally left to cushion their oppression. After 2 wars, the majority secession, three martial laws, technocrat governments, a political seesaw, and an indifferent elite, the state machinery finally crystalised as a puppet of the elite and is well-oiled for corruption. Policymakers sitting in high offices and debating the possible future of the country know in their hearts that without drastic measures nothing will change in the country.
Any marginal policy change is equivalent to naught. Sadly, 80 percent of the population rarely gets an opportunity to benefit from this skewed mechanism. However, they become part of the whole debate only remotely, whenever they are mentioned. They do not exist when policies are drafted or while implemented, they only become visible when a natural calamity hits or humanist leaders bring them to the capital.