The Abuse of Islam by Pakistani Leaders

{"President Ayub Khan (1958-69) showed clear modernistic tendencies; yet retained a modest complacency towards a degree of pre-existing Islamic ideology legitimized by the Pakistan movement, but took it no further . The trend of predominantly religion-free politics continued with Yahya Khan (1969-71), who similarly showed little sympathy for the religious parties. Till the rise of Pakistan People’s Party in the 1970s, the political stance regarding religious parties had been unsympathetic, as evidenced by the imprisonment and original announcement of death sentence of Maulana Maududi, head of the Jamaat-i-Islami in response to the Punjab disturbances in 1953."}

Dear Mubarka,
Thank you for presenting this important topic in a proper context. The title of your article could very well be "The Abuse of Politicized Islam In Pakistan."

Pakistan was created by secular-minded Muslims for many reasons, the least of which was the establishment of a theocracy. Whether it was the commercial interest of the Marwari and Bombay businessmen, the selfish feudal concerns of UP/CP Zamindaars, or the personal political ambitions of MAJ, one thing is abundantly clear. The JI, Deobandis, and other bearded brigades wanted no part of Pakistan. To their credit, they could not see any religious benefit in establishing so-called Islamic rule for two-thirds of Muslims while one-third remained in a much weakened and helpless position.

Over one million Indians died, tens of millions were uprooted, thousands of women were raped and abducted, and millions of people were looted, ruined, and separated from families to satisfy the lofty ambitions of just a few "leaders." Those Muslims who remained in India became a hated and suspected fifth column for the aggrieved Hindus and Sikhs.

Following partition, Pakistanis settled down, partly as a result of exhaustion and partly because of the need for survival, to build their nation. Islam to the early Pakistanis meant belief in Allah and His Messenger (PBUH), praying when possible, fasting when necessary, giving charity often, and otherwise eating, drinking, living and letting live.

It was only with the elections of 1970, that ZAB rediscovered Islam as a tool for his personal triumphs. He used Islam, provincialism, ethnicity, language, and the PAF against the Qadiani Punjabis, majority Bengalis, liberal Pakhtoons, Urdu-speaking Mohajirs, rebellious Baluchis, and even his former supporters in the Punjab. The only mistake he made was trusting a religious Zia Ul Haq as his top military man. The real abuse of Islam began and reached its peak with Zia - the results of which Pakistan is still encountering three decades later.

Salim