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Speech at the opening ceremony of the First Pakistan Olympic Games at Karachi: April 22, 1948
Pir Illahi Baksh, Mr. Ahmed Jaffer, Members of the Organizing and other Committees, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It has given me great pleasure to come here today to perform the opening ceremony of the first Pakistan Olympic Games. I agreed to become the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Olympic Association in the realization that the success of our people in all walks of life depends upon the cultivation of "Sound Minds", the natural concomitant to "Sound Bodies". To the athletes and youth of the nation I bid welcome. My message to you is: build up physical strength not for aggression, not for militarism, but for becoming fighting fit, all your life and all the time in every walk of life of your nation wherever you be and always to be a force for peace, international amity and goodwill. After these games you shall go to the World Olympiad at Wembley Stadium, London, representing us as messengers of our goodwill and my best wishes will go with you. Remember to win is nothing, it is the effort and the spirit behind the effort that count.
To the organizers of Olympic games I say well done for successfully completing the preparations for this meet in so short a time. You say you want a Stadium and are planning to hold Pan-Islamic Olympics in 1950; and I hope your wishes may materialize. It all depends on you. Your demand for a State Department of Physical Culture and Education is one which requires consideration of Pakistan Government. I hope that they will examine this aspect of the matter in dealing with many educational problems that are facing us.
In the end, I thank you for your warm welcome and wish you every success.
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SURAH AL-ANFAL, VIII. 26
India
and, in particular, Muslim India cannot afford to lose you. Men of clear
vision, independent judgement and strength of character are very few,
and when one sees efforts made in non-Muslim Indian quarters not to
help genuinely Muslim India with a view to Secure their co-operation
but simply to persuade the Muslim community to entrust its future to
them, the need for a strong man of independent judgement, integrity
and strength of character becomes apparent and overwhelmingly great...
At such crisis it is only men of very outstanding ability like yours
who can guide the community, and that is why. I was very pleased indeed
when I found you had given your consent to reorganize the All India
Muslim League under your
