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Soldiers of the people

Jinnah's Ideals

 “Finally, I would earnestly advise you to think and act with sobriety and in all humility as selfless and true soldiers of the people, and with absolute loyalty to Pakistan.  ”

- Mr. Jinnah / Quaid-e-Azam

- Speech:  Responsibilities of the youth

- Context: Speech in reply to the address presented by the Students of Islamia College, Peshawar

 

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Deeper reflections

Existence and unity of a nation must be shown to the whole world by operationalizing our national will for the aim of achieving peace and prosperity in the region. The entire nation is ready to stand up for its rights and we must proceed with earnestness, sobriety, humility and loyalty so that we launch effective operations that are appropriate to the circumstances we face. 

 

Earnestness

For the youth to operate as selfless and true soldiers of our people, an extraordinary sincerity is required to subordinate personal progress when the existence of the country and the whole nation is at stake. We must be earnest in our constructive endeavors and we must have an astute self-assuredness and deep faith in our abilities to achieve our noble objectives. The nation is capable of enforcing its will. No power can hold it back, and we must not be discouraged by critics whose job is to paint a dark scenario and project imaginary fears. 

 

Sobriety

In the positive endeavor to realize an opinion, to convert a theory into practice, it may be, and very often is, highly expedient to defer to the prejudices of the majority, to move very slowly, to bow to the conditions of the status quo. Promotion of new progressive ideas aiming to change national attitudes towards knowledge and science, requires citizens to operate with sobriety and self-restraint armed by  judicious, cool and austere mindset. Mr. Jinnah rightly expressed “Remember, you must have patience. Rome was not built in a day. The time factor, therefore, is essential. The success of our achievements will depend upon our unity, discipline and faith not only in ourselves but in God who determines the destinies of peoples and nations.” 

 

Humility 

Humility is the freedom from egotism that is rooted in a self-concerned, competitive, and distinction-hungry behavior. Humility is infused with elevated emotions like admiration, companionship and gratitude. Gratitude is the soil in which pride does not easily grow. There’s an intellectually impressive quality* about humility that enables greater self-awareness which leads to wisdom. Wisdom isn’t a body of information but a moral quality acquired from knowing our own limitations, ignorance and uncertainties. By muting the sound of our ego while retaining undeniable faith in ourselves, we can see the world more clearly so that we can rightly act and improve our human condition. Therefore, our national pride is in our humility. Our ability to acknowledge our successes and failures coupled with our drive to immerse ourselves in the continuous journey of self-improvement is core to our national character.  


Loyalty

Loyalty to the nation is a key requirement for any citizen belonging to any country. Oftentimes, the leaders of developing countries are not loyal to their nation, they create conditions that promote rampant corruption and they illegally extract wealth from their native soil and launder it to off-shore accounts in Western countries. Loyalty to the nation means working for the welfare of the people which means protecting the source of sustenance for the population from royalty, enclosures, predatory corporations and state authorities who cooperate with them. Our land, water, trees and natural resources will be protected and made available to all Pakistanis for our own development and prosperity.

***

We must not think of our resources, circumstances, opportunities and conditions in order to begin our duty for public welfare. We must overcome unfavorable odds by strengthening our resolve and being determined to achieve progress. There will be those among us who may have selfish interests designed to disrupt national unity or those who may be aligned with the interests of non-allies. 

 

Even in the most unfavorable circumstances, we will find strength to be loyal to Pakistan. Our valiant history is enough to empower our voice with authority, to nerve our action by generous resolution, and to fill our counsels with weightiness and power.

* source: The Road to Character, David Brooks 

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note: Overseas Pakistanis contribute 10% of GDP  in the form of remittances to Pakistan. Loyalty for diaspora communities means operating within the intersection of shared mutual interest between host country and native soil. 

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64% of the nation is younger than 30. Mr. Jinnah explains how the youth must fully equip themselves with discipline, education and training.

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