National Integration: A challenge for Pakistan

By Ehsan Ali

Pakistan has been suffering from the crisis of national integration since its birth. The issue has been debated by the intellectuals in the country and yet it remains the most fundamental problem. National disintegration jeopardized the potential and expectations of the people who dreamed an Islamic State, which was to be run according to the Islamic teachings. The slogan of the founder of Pakistan; Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Unity, Faith and Discipline saw a great downfall after his death.Consensus on the basic issues couldn’t be developed among the units and in general among the people of Pakistan neither it has been practices and advocated by the ruling class of the country.

Pakistan remained highly volatile in its ability to integrate the nation on a single platform which led to more unforeseen problems. Where national integration is the vehicle through which a nation prospers, Pakistan from the very beginning beyond any doubt has never adopted the policy of integrating the nation.The division among people was further exacerbated by the debate whether Pakistan is meant to be a secular or non-secular state. Pakistan unlike other nations has absorbed many ethnic groups and people from different cultures and traditions. The aim of the creation of Pakistan was an independent Muslim state which could be run through the principles of Islam(Quran and Sunnah). It was meant to be a role model for Muslim-e-Ummah but unfortunately it couldn’t adhere to the basic ideology upon which it was created and upon which the Muslims of the sub-continent were united and lead to the creation of Pakistan. Pakistan came into being under the slogan of “Pakistan ka MATLAB kia “LA ILLAHA ILLAH ALLAH”.

Some people also argue that “Two Nation Theory” also plays a major role in the independence of Pakistan that Muslims and Hindus are two different nations by religion, cultures and civilization, therefore the Muslims of sub-continent should have a separate country of their own. The aim after the creation of Pakistan was to Establishment the sovereignty of Allah Almighty, establish of the Islamic democracy, to revive the Muslin image and identity and to protect the Muslim culture and civilization.

Despite of being created upon a very strong ideology of Islam the ruling elite failed to guide the state by the Islamic ideology which further exposed the nation to many unexpected social problems. Pakistan is not a homogeneous country rather it is a mixture of people belonging to different and often divergent ethnicities, further sub-divided into complex web of associations. At the time of independence it was thought that religion is powerful enough to unite all the people who have otherwise nothing in common but their religion. But it proved to be a far cry.