What type of Constitution and form of government
the Quaid had in mind for Pakistan becomes fairly evident from the excerpts of
his speeches he made at different occasions. The Quaid emphatically asserts
that Islam and its idealism has taught us democracy. In view this, he says,
“The model of an Islamic state before us is the Glorious Quran. He was
confident that Pakistan would be an “Islamic democracy.” The Quaid said so
because unlike the secular democracies of the West based upon the principle of
simple majority vote, Quranic democracy does not respect the majority of the
illiterate and the ignorant. The voter must be literate and well aware of the
value and importance of his vote. Since power-seeking is forbidden in Islam. no
individual on his own volunteers for candidature in elections. They are
identified by the people or their leadership qualities and past record of
social services. They may be persons of ordinary means but should have the
passion to serve people.
Moreover, the Islamic version of democracy, as
opposed to its western counterpart, is two dimensional. It caters for the
wellbeing, both spiritual and temporal, of the individual. the society and the
state. While morality does not form part of the Western systems of politics and
economy, spirituality is an inseparable virtue of Islamic way of life. In the
field of social and economic justice the Western democracy permits a person to
amass as much wealth as possible, by fair or foul means, but Islam lays down a
discipline of income and expenditure. It prescribes limits upon the ownership
of wealth and property which if practiced honestly promotes equitable
distribution of wealth and ends poverty.
In view of this consideration therefore, an
Islamic democracy takes serious note of the existence of a minority of
fabulously affluent people whose treasure chests overflow with wealth that they
acquire through operation of unrestrained oppressive capitalistic order. Under
this system the rich become richer, and the poor, poorer. To achieve the goal
of fair distribution of wealth the feudal class dominating agriculture,
industry, trade and commerce, has to be dismantled. Since it commands all the
means of production and distribution and has the strategies at hand to siphon
off country’s wealth by hoarding, inflation, creating false shortages etc. the
society has to be freed from its stranglehold. The feudal class, in broader
sense, consists of Jagirdars, Landlords, Waderas, Khans, Sardars, Chaudhries,
Industrialists, Army Generals, politico-religious leaders and all those who
have attained the status of capitalists. A feudal, by definition, is an
autocrat whose word for his subordinates, is law. He neither has a democratic
mind nor his attitudes are truly Islamic. He is a misfit in an Islamic democratic
system. For the success of the system, therefore, he has to be eliminated.
There is yet another justification for putting an
end to feudalism in Pakistan. No feudal would ever like his underlings to get
educated nor would he tolerate their economic emancipation because that way the
wretched ones become conscious of their human rights and start asserting their
independence. In an Islamic democracy education is obligatory for all men and
women and economic independence is their birth right. It grants them social and
economic justice in ample measure that brings about equitable distribution of
wealth and ownership of assets. Attainment of universal education makes the
Islamic democracy functional because it does not accord respect to the vote of
an illiterate. Similarly equitable distribution of wealth enables the voter to
cast his vote as per the call of the conscience. His vote then is neither
available for sale nor is to be cast under any social or political pressure. In
an Islamic State there is no underdog and no one mightier enough to dictate
terms. As a result, if election is held under such conditions, the individuals
who get elected emerge as true representatives of the masses.
For the individual, the system caters for his maximum
physical needs i.e. the so called roti, kapra and makan hut that is just one of
his important needs to ensure honourable existence. His other needs, of much
greater significance, are the demands of his soul and the spirit. A society
purged of wrongdoings under an Islamic system lets him flourish in an
environment of Islamic morality that gives 1-nm strength of character to become
an asset for the nation. It initiates him to the extent that he even lays down
his precious life when called upon in the defence of the motherland. He gains
tranquility of soul and shapes up his daily life to prepare for the hereafter.
The system that evolves as such brings multiple
benefits and blessings in its wake for the state, as well. Using the words of
the Quaid— One God, one Book, one Prophet all weld the scattered flock of
people into a well integrated nation, that is not to fall apart under adverse
circumstances. A reconstruction of Quaid’s thought brings us to the conclusion
that he wished Pakistan to become an Islamic Welfare State with a genuine and
true democratic tradition.