- Pakistan Day’s parade displays power, discipline and military strength, boosting national morale and showcasing preparedness against threats
Interview with Mr. Farhan Saeed — Faculty Member, TSA
PAGE: Tell me something about yourself, please:
Farhan Saeed: I am an educationist by profession; have invested over 37 years in the field of education both as a lead faculty of management accountancy besides being a key management person in the leading institutions of Karachi offering professional accountancy qualifications; ACCA-UK, CIMA-UK, CA-ICAP and CMA-ICMAP. Alhamdulillah, I have taught over 3,000 students since 1999 of which most of them have successfully completed their academic journey, are working in well-reputed organizations across the country and abroad. Apart from being a faculty throughout, I have also worked as Head of Academics, Head of Department (Examination), Vice-principal, Campus Head, Senior Manager Education, Manager Education & Administration, In-charge Evening Programme with some leading colleges in Karachi.
PAGE: Pakistan Day commemorates the Lahore Resolution passed on March 23, 1940. How would you comment on its significance?
Farhan Saeed: Pakistan Resolution Day symbolises the spirit of independence, unity, and self-determination that led to the creation of our beloved country, Pakistan. It is widely celebrated every 23rd March across the country and simultaneously worldwide wherever Pakistanis live, in honor of the historic Lahore Resolution, presented and unanimously adopted on March 23, 1940, during the 27th Session of the All India Muslim League at Minto Park. The session was presided by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah along with his associates prominent leaders; Liaquat Ali Khan, Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Sardar Aurangzeb Khan, Sir Abdullah Haroon, Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan, Qazi Mohammad Isa Khan, Abdul Hamid Khan, I. I. Chundrigar, Syed Abdul Rauf Shah, Dr. Mohammad Alam.
The resolution was presented by Maulvi A. K. Fazlul Haq by which it was demanded that no constitutional plan would be acceptable to the Muslims; unless geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority, as in the North Western and Eastern zones in India, should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign. Quaid-i-Azam had been eagerly anticipating this moment for a long time, aiming to organize the largest gathering of Muslims in the Indo-Pak subcontinent that might changed the scenario.
PAGE: Pakistan is facing a confluence of economic, social and political challenges, including an increasing population, climate change, unemployment and poverty. What is your perspective on it?
Farhan Saeed: According to me, the ever-increasing challenges the Pakistan has been struggling to cope with should be sorted as political, unemployment and poverty, social, economic, increasing population and climatic challenges.
Political stability is the answer to all these menaces to our country. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s short history as a country has been very turbulent with the absence of strong and powerful governments, successive immature tenure of ruling, stand-off with India, security threats on boarders, dearth of visionary leadership cumulates all these challenges. The country needs a sincere, powerful and visionary leadership now whether it is in uniform or Sherwani. We have examples around us from across the globe, how visionary leaders transformed their debilitated economies to flourishing countries, and thriving.
PAGE: Pakistan Day parade is an imperative event. What is your take on it?
Farhan Saeed: Our armed forces are our strength and pride. Unfortunately, Pakistan has a painful history of conspiracies, threats, attacks and wars against it from the neighboring countries ever since its inception as an independent Muslim state in 1947. To keep our enemies outmaneuvered we need a strong and highly vigilant army, equipped with latest range of weapons, structures, and vehicles used for warfare. These symbols of strengths; power and discipline of our forces, soldiers march in formation shouting Allah-o-Akbar often accompanied by military vehicles and bands are displayed ceremonially on national days showcasing military métier, boosting national morale, and commemorating 1965, and of course sending message to the enemies for our preparedness to tackle any adventure of war.
PAGE: On March 23, 1940, the Muslims of the British Indian Empire demanded a separate nation, as well as the declaration of Pakistan as an Islamic republic. How would you comment on it?
Farhan Saeed: Creation of Pakistan is an exceptional example in the world history. Muslims and Hindus had been living in India for centuries. They together had evolved a plural culture system in India with mutual friendship, trade ties and religious tolerance. However, British imperialism decomposed their long practiced milieu. Muslim League and the Congress had many similarities.
Both the political parties were headed by lawyers and had Muslims in their ranks. They had the same agenda for several years to set India free from British colonial rule. They were together in Lakhnow Pact (1916), Khilaphat Movement (1919-1922), Sewdeshi Movement and Civil Disobedience. However, gradually they emerged as two distinctive forces. The Congress believed, freedom of India is freedom from the British imperialism. It wanted to continue with British political system in independent India. Conversely, the Muslim League’s leader Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was not agreed with this stand of Congress. He was of the view that freedom is not only freedom from British but also freedom of the exploited majority of British India. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was of the view that the Indian Muslims are a separate nation, entitled to exercise their right of self-determination and to establish a homeland for them where they could work out their destiny according to their own ideas of Islamic culture and polity. Allama Muhammad Iqbal in 1930 favoured the creation of a Muslim India within India. Others such as Chudhary Rehmat Ali in 1933 advocated the total separation of Muslim India from the rest of India and the creation of new Muslim state, to be named as Pakistan.
Differences between the two communities, parties and nation widens every passing day. Demand for a separate country escalated that leads to the Resolution of Pakistan on March 23, 1940.