Jinnah's Influence On Indian Muslim Leaders

It is common for new nation-states to construct a larger- than- life image of their founding fathers. Jinnah, without whom the creation of Pakistan probably wouldn’t have taken place, is one such heroic figure. However, deifying national leaders, even one with a significant historical impact as Jinnah hamper an honest review of their record.

Jinnah possessed a unique authority within the Muslim community, despite being an anglicized, secular and non-practicing Muslim. He became a rallying point for the Indian Muslims who had few powerful and charismatic leaders they could point with pride. To other Indians, Jinnah was an anti-Hindu demagogue, British pawn and political shyster. To the colonial masters, Jinnah was a tough adversary who respected British political traditions.
Most successful politicians are opportunistic, ruthless and tenacious in their pursuit of political power even to the extent of getting blood on their hands. They take advantage of prevailing conditions and capitalise on the mistakes of the opposition. Jinnah was no exception and to say otherwise would be ignoring reality. Under Jinnah’s leadership, the communal strategy of the Muslim League stoked and contributed to the stark horrors and strife during Partition.
It was a stroke of luck for both the Pakistan

However, his political instincts guided him not to press overly hard for a separate state where the majority happened to be Muslims, but others such as Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and people with no faith at all, were to be equal citizens according to a secular constitution. This unambiguous demand would have been much more difficult to sell to Indians resisting the division of the country and those Indian Muslims vehemently opposed to the idea of a secular state. As we know, Jinnah’s tactic of keeping his idea of Pakistan vague coupled with his early passing had far-reaching negative consequences for the new