This is a series of blogs about the creation and philosophy of Pakistan and its key actors. These accounts are based on historical facts and references are linked at the bottom.
Nationalism as proposed by Indian National Congress formed in Calcutta in 1885 was seen as a threat by leaders of the Muslim community of India, who gathered at Aligarh in 1886 at the call of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. With consensus, they founded Mohammedan Educational Conference.From this point onwards, we observe a strange pattern in the history of the Pakistani nation (part of the Indian Muslim community until 1947). Every twentieth year, this nation rises almost unanimously to give a fresh verdict about its future course:
- 1886: Mohammedan Educational Conference founded
- 1906: All-India Muslim League founded
- 1926: Elections on the basis of separate electorates
- 1945-46: Elections on the question of Pakistan
- 1967: the birth of Pakistan People's Party
- 1987: dissatisfaction with General Zia with Jamaat-i-Islami joing the demand for party politics
- 2007: the Lawyers' Movement
Despite dictators and tyrants (foreign and local), the people have kept this routine. And no other moments in between - elections, political movements or unrests - match these "peak moments" as occasions when everyone wants to give an opinion about where the nation should go.
You can find out more about Sir Syed Ahmad Khan at Wikipedia.
