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August 14

Clarity of thoughts and holistic approach coupled with a clear vision about social and political dimensions helped Quaid leave his unblemished imprints in the political history of the sub-continent.

These views were expressed by the speakers at a seminar organised here by the Sir Syed Memorial Society (SSMS) in connection with the 134th birth anniversary of founder of the nation Qauid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

SSMS President Brigadier (r) Iqbal Shafi said the Quaid always stressed the need for character building of the nation especially youngsters saying, "when character is lost then everything is lost."

He said when Dr Patel informed Quaid that his life expectancy was not more than six months, he enhanced the duration of work up to sixteen hours a day because he wanted to do as much work as possible before his death.

Referring to the last official function attended by the Qauid, he said when he arrived at the venue, more than half of the seats were vacant and he ordered to close the doors and start proceedings without taking any care or showing any respect for the late comers.

He quoted Quaid as saying, "Education does not merely mean academic education because its main focus be on character building of the students."

Iqbal Shafi said when the British rulers announced general elections in the mid 40s, the Quaid issued directives to 10,000 students of the Aligarh University to spread in every nook and corner and helped Muslim candidates in their election campaigns.

Dr Aliya Imam, an intellectual and educationist, said the Quaid possessed some unique personal qualities that made him an extra ordinary leader in the history of the modern world. "His clarity of thoughts, unique vision and holistic approach in the social and political fields paved the way for establishment of a separate homeland for the Muslim in the sub-continent," she added.

She said the Quaid who used to speak in English decided to make Urdu the official language of the county because he considered it as a 'symbol of integrity' among the people.

Professor Dr Abdul Jabbar Shakir, a scholar, said the Quaid was a political thinker who guided the Muslims towards their destination despite strong resistance from the British rulers, Hindus and some opponent Muslim groups.

He said the Aligarh University served as a 'nursery of Pakistan' that produced a lot of youngsters that not only conveyed the message of All India Muslim League to the people, but also countered the false propaganda against the Quaid.

He referred to a biography written by top writer Stanley Wolpert with the title 'Jinnah of Pakistan' and said the biographer felt really amazed when he found some exceptional qualities in the personality of Quaid, which he portrayed through his words.

A large number of students, educationists, intellectuals and people from all walks of life attended the seminar.

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