Unpublished
Constitution, Law,
democracy and august 14th
Today is 68th Birthday of Pakistan. Muslim league
and congress created two countries with a political cum constitutional
struggle. Yet right from early 20th century we have two mind sets.
One who was ready to use even minimum democratic spaces available in given
circumstances and the other who want to use unconstitutional methods as a
weapon against rulers. Those who boycott
elections either ruined in history or had to join both parties as subservient players.
In August, 67 years back after an agreement at 3rd
June British parliament passed a law, Act of independence 1947 and created two
new Nation States, Pakistan and India. At that point Congress demanded division
of the Punjab and Bengal on religious basis. Just imagine, the demand came from
secular Congress and it was passed by a parliament who claimed that it was
mother of democracy. The world witnessed
not only unprecedented killings and rioting but also migration of 20 million
Muslim, Hindus & Sikhs. Why British parliament failed to access fatal
impacts of partition of Bengal & the Punjab is still haunting all rational
beings especially people of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
In the first half of 20th century numerous
parties were in struggle. Some were active at provincial level and few at
federal level. From Act of India 1919 British
Indian administration introduced selective system of elections at provincial
level. There were two mind sets regarding provincial elections and at that
point numerous people left All India congress due to that development. In 1920,
K M Minshi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and two dozen people left Congress when under
the pressure of Mahatma Gandhi Congress adopted unconstitutional methods on the
name of boycott of British. In 1922, when Khilafat, Hijrat, Non-cooperation
movements failed than Congress split again and Motilal Nehru, C R das like
people made Swaraj Party. That party participated in elections instead of
opposition of Mahatama. Interestingly All India Central Khilafat committee also
followed Gandhi ji yet numerous provincial khilafat committees esp. Punjab
Khilafat committee did not listen Delhi and their leaders participated in
provincial elections throughout 1920s. In
the final decades Muslim League & Congress played their cards smartly by
participating in elections yet those who boycott assemblies either rejected or
had to join both parties. Allama Iqbal & Jinnah was among those who
participated in elections while Mahatma Gandhi boycotts elections.
Download and read whole article here
No comments:
Post a Comment