IQBAL by Sajjad Zaheer (1945)
Spiritual & Popular voice of South Asian Muslims
This article was written by communist leader Sajjad Zaheer when he was editor of CPI magazine Qumi Jang and it was published in 22 April 1945. Interestingly Sajjad was first secretary general of CPP, nominated in side lines trickily of 2nd CPI Congress held at Calcutta Feb1948. He went to Lhore as central office of newly formed party was there. He returned to Bharat after release from infamous Pindi Conspiracy case. That case was planned against communists in March 1951, at the eve of first general election for Punjab assembly. Why establishment planned it? what were the motives? Now after 67 years one can said that there were multiple benefits internationally as well as locally linked with that plan i-e
1- Ayub Khan fixed his enemies within Army especially those who were like young Turks not ready to become part of cold war, had reservations against cease fire at Kashmir Front in 1948 and had soft corner for those security men who defected during INA (1941-44) and Jhazi rebellion (1946).
2- State gave impression of Communist threat to attract US attention in the time of infamous McCarthyism. At that time, especially after WW2, Cold War (Planned) had started between two camps and including Pakistan & Bharat many countries wanted to join US camp. So Pindi conspiracy was a planned fake case in that regard.
3- After 1949 Chinese revolution there was a debate in Pakistan how to respond on it because Pakistan has a border with China too. Before Chinese revolution CPP had published a pamphlet in its favor but British trained bureaucracy banned it. As par 1933 intelligence record (Published in India) British intelligence had fears of spreading rural base communism in South & South East Asia and wanted to stop it at any cost. Mian Iftiqar uddin was in Muslim league and he with many were lobbying for Pak China relations. So Pindi conspiracy case was used against China too. Yet in-spite of many odds Mian Sahib led a high powered Pakistani official delegation at 3rd anniversary of Chinese revolution in 1952.
3- After 1949 Chinese revolution there was a debate in Pakistan how to respond on it because Pakistan has a border with China too. Before Chinese revolution CPP had published a pamphlet in its favor but British trained bureaucracy banned it. As par 1933 intelligence record (Published in India) British intelligence had fears of spreading rural base communism in South & South East Asia and wanted to stop it at any cost. Mian Iftiqar uddin was in Muslim league and he with many were lobbying for Pak China relations. So Pindi conspiracy case was used against China too. Yet in-spite of many odds Mian Sahib led a high powered Pakistani official delegation at 3rd anniversary of Chinese revolution in 1952.
4- Establishment at that time took fatwas from Islamists to show how they could combat communism (an old British plan coined during 1920s as mentioned by Keith Jefferey) and started a campaign especially after Objective resolution (March 1949) and raised it during first session of Progressive Writers public meeting (Nov 1949). So it was first mulla establishment nexus much before Anti Ahmadi riots of 1953) that created ample spaces for religious extremism. Interestingly at that time Sir Zafrullah, an Ahmadi, was foreign minister but he did not react against that policy but in National assembly record his 12 pages long speech is present which he did in favor of Objective Resolution. He himself was anti communist. Those who were at forefront in misusing Islam against Communism included those religious intellectuals and journalists who had opposed idea of Pakistan till 1948 and one such example was editor weekly Chitan Shorash Kashmiri, guru of many journalists in Pakistan.
As Pakistani State had declared Iqbal as national thinker so many communists not only in Bharat but Pakistan especially from Karachi disowned Iqbal.
Today an article published in Dawn The lost verse: Why is Iqbal going out of fashion? but writer failed to understand why some communists were against Iqbal and what was its background? He wrote
But what is most significant and ironic is that Pakistan’s leftist groups in their private moments appeared to be utterly enamoured of Iqbal’s verse, listening to it practically as a clandestine treasonable activity. They indulged in this activity despite their formal and vocal ideological rejection of Iqbal’s ‘philosophy’, whatever that is.
Although leftists like Zahir Kashmiri, Mian Iftiqar uddin, Safdar Mir, C R Aslam and more importantly Faiz did not oppose Iqbal but quote it.
Sajjad Zaheer article remind us that how due to bad policies of State they made Iqbal controversial largely.
Today an article published in Dawn The lost verse: Why is Iqbal going out of fashion? but writer failed to understand why some communists were against Iqbal and what was its background? He wrote
But what is most significant and ironic is that Pakistan’s leftist groups in their private moments appeared to be utterly enamoured of Iqbal’s verse, listening to it practically as a clandestine treasonable activity. They indulged in this activity despite their formal and vocal ideological rejection of Iqbal’s ‘philosophy’, whatever that is.
Although leftists like Zahir Kashmiri, Mian Iftiqar uddin, Safdar Mir, C R Aslam and more importantly Faiz did not oppose Iqbal but quote it.
Sajjad Zaheer article remind us that how due to bad policies of State they made Iqbal controversial largely.
This article is recently published after many years of gape and prove of bankruptcy of reds too.
Rauf Malik autobiography Surkh Siasat published by jumhori publications and Admad Saleem edited book Hamri Tahreek e Azadi aur Takhliqi Amal published by Sang e meal reproduced it.
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