Iqbal’s Vision of Pakistan
By Col (R) Ghulam Sarwar

IT is a fact universally acknowledged that Allama lqbal was a true devotee of Islam and his concern for the Muslim people was so deep that even scholars like Dickinson, a non-Muslim, could accuse his philosophy of being “particularist” in its application, although, he acknowledged the universality of his poetic message.

Iqbal agreed but added a qualification to it by asserting that, “the humanitarian ideal is always universal in poetry and philosophy, but if you make an effective ideal and work it out in actual life. You must start, not with poets and philosophers but with a society exclusive in the sense of having a creed and well-defined outline, but even enlarging its limits by example and persuasion. Such a society, according to my belief is, Islam”.

There is a general feeling that as with all great poets, in lqbal’s poetry, one can come up with diverse interpretations because of metaphysical language used, but his prose presents no such problems.

Iqbal’s speeches, statements, essays and his letters to Quaid-i-Azam are of great asset and help the inquirer know the kind of state that Iqbal had envisaged. His thoughts on politics crystallised at Allahabad session of the All-India Muslim League, way back in December 1930.
In his presidential address, he presented the concept of a Muslim state in India. Says he: “I would like to see the Punjab, North West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan, knit into a single state, self-governed within the British Empire or without the British Empire; the formation of the consolidated Northwest Indian Muslim state, appears to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of the North West India.

Elaborating his point, he wrote a letter to Quaid-i-Azam on June 21, 1937 - only ten months before his death. A few excerpts from that letter: “A separate freedom of Muslim provinces is the only course by which we can secure a peaceful India and save Muslims from the domination of non-Muslims why should not the Muslims of Northwest India and Bengal be considered as nations entitled to self-determination, just as other nations in India and outside India are. “

The concept of Muslim State remained always alive in his mind and he was sure that the Muslims of the subcontinent would certainly achieve an independent homeland for themselves.
Diluting on this theme, Professor Mohammad Munnawar, a renowned scholar of lqbaliat, tells us that on 21st March 1932, Allama Iqbal had delivered the presidential address at Lahore at the annual session of the All-India Muslim Conference. In that address, he had spelt out his views on nationalism in India and had highlighted the plight of the Muslims in the subcontinent.

Having attended the Second Round Table Conference in September 1931 in London, and after having close interaction with Hindus, Sikhs and the British, Iqbal had come to realise the amount of hatred, these communities nurtured towards Muslims. So, seeing all this, he decided to voice his apprehensions and suggest measures to safeguard Muslims’ interests.

It is a matter of interest to mention here that during the Third Round Table Conference, Iqbal was invited by the London National League, to address a selected audience, drawn from all walks of life. This audience had included among others, foreign diplomats, members of the House of Commons, Members of the House of Lords and Muslim members of the Round Table Conference delegation.

In his address, he dilated upon the plight of Indian Muslims and explained why he was pressing hard for early settlement of the crucial issues, the commercial settlement and the constitutional reforms. In his address, he convincingly brought out the need for provincial autonomy, as to him, only the provincial autonomy would give the Muslims majority provinces some powers to safeguard their rights, cultural traditions and religious values.

He was of the firm view that under the Central government, Muslims were sure to lose their cultural entity and religious values at the hands of the overwhelming Hindu majority. Stressing his point, he repeated what he had said in his Allahabad address in 1930. He was thoroughly convinced that before long, people would come round to his views, which were totally based on cogent reasoning.

Further, it will not be amiss to mention here that Allama Iqbal had issued a statement, explaining the attitude of Muslim delegates in the Round Table conference. This statement had served as a rejoinder to Jawaharlal Nehru’s statement, wherein he had termed the attitude of Muslims as one based on ‘reactionism’ Iqbal had summed up his rejoinder as under: “In conclusion, I must put a straight question to Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, how is India’s problem, going to be solved if the majority community will neither concede to minimum safeguards, necessary for the protection of 80 million people, nor accept the award of a third-party, but continue to talk of a kind of nationalism which works out only to its own benefit? The position can admit of only two alternatives. Either the Indian majority community will have to accept for itself the permanent position of an agent of British imperialism in the East of the country will have to be redistributed on a basis of religious, historical and cultural affidavits, so as to do away with the question of electorate and the commercial problem in the present form.”

Allama Iqbal’s apprehensions were borne out by the Hindu congress ministries, established in Hindu majority provinces under the Act of 1935. The Muslims in those provinces were given a very shabby treatment. This sorry state of affairs added to Iqbal’s misgivings regarding the future of Indian Muslims in case India remained united. Further, in his letters, written to Quaid-i-Azam in 1936 and 1937, Allama Iqbal had referred to an independent Muslim states, comprising north-western and eastern Muslim majority zones.

Here, Professor Munnawar Mirza, observes that certain critics claim that Allama Iqbal had never meant a sovereign Muslim country outside India. Rather, he had envisaged a Muslim state within a state. This is absolutely wrong, as per Professor Munnawar perceptions. In sum, Allama Iqbal always looked upon Quaid-i-Azam as “Guide of the Era” and sought guidance and inspiration from him. He believed that the Quaid had organise the Muslims of India, under the banner of the Muslim League and had offered determined resistance to both the Hindu and the English designs for a united Hindu-dominated India.

Through their untied efforts under the able guidance of the Quaid-i-Azam, the Muslims had succeeded in dividing India into India and Pakistan.

In Iqbal’s views, in days to come, Pakistan would have to defend other Muslim nations in Asia. Iqbal was convinced that the caravan of the resurgence of Islam would start from this land, which is located far beyond the centre of the Ummah.

One wonders when the visionary poet’s cherished dream would be translated into reality! So far, environments are totally bleak!●

© 2007 Col (R) Ghulam Sarwar