In a Jungle of
Extremist Opinions, Noorani is a Sane Voice
A Truly Democratic Maulana we should
all Respect
Talha
Siddiqui, MD
It
is enticing to observe the apprehension prevailing among the progressive
quarters of Pakistani proletariat. From Sherry Rehman to Benazir
Bhutto everyone is tense. What are the Mullah's going to do? This
is the question emanating from every nook and corner of our country.
Although
I am not advocating all the religious factions in MMA, due to
personal proximity I can throw some light on one of its leaders.
In his presence they will not do anything to harm the country's
interests.
Maulana
Shah Ahmed Noorani or Noorani Mian as he is known among his followers,
entered politics during 1970's election. He was elected to the
National Assembly from his seat in Old Karachi. He represented
Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP) and became its President in 1973.
He was elected as the General Secretary of the small combined
Opposition after 1970 election. He along with other Opposition
parties worked earnestly to develop a consensus constitution for
Pakistan.
He
was one of the members of the constitution committee headed by
Z A Bhutto. Along with Maulana Mufti Mehmood, Wali Khan, Sher
Baz Mazari and Ghous Bizenjo he was able to convince the People's
Party to implement an agreeable and unanimous constitution. This
constitution was Parliamentary with the Parliament as the supreme
body. The Islamic ideology council was only allowed to recommend
and not to impose its verdict on the parliament. This stance of
Maulana was democratic to the core.
He
was the first leader to challenge ZAB when he stood for the post
of Prime Minister. ZAB wanted to get elected unopposed but the
opposition thwarted this move. This was the first time the people
of Pakistan realized that there is an opposition in the assembly
and they have a voice. Maulana was defeated as expected since
the opposition only had thirty-three votes but his fellow parliamentarians
remembered his role as a challenger.
Maulana
ceaselessly challenged the dictatorial regime of ZAB and also
his wrongful amendments in the constitution. In 1975 he was elected
to the Senate and served in its scientific committee. This was
the committee, which recommended the development of nuclear technology
after India's 1974 nuke test.
During
1977 he became one of the most respected and hard-line leaders
against ZAB's regime. He won his National Assembly seat from Hyderabad
and was the main politician behind the Nizam-e- Mustafa slogan
as it was JUP's slogan for seven years.
After
the martial law in 1977 he could have joined hands with General
Zia and fortify his party and popularity. However being a thoroughly
urbanized democrat he opposed General Zia tooth and nail and demanded
fresh elections. During this period all other religious parties
joined hands with Zia.
Maulana
suffered a setback when his political cadre in Karachi became
turncoats and started co-operating with Zia and his Majlis Shoora.
Haji Hanif Tayyab and Zahoor Bhopali destroyed the strength of
JUP in Karachi by joining Zia. During the eleven years of Zia,
Maulana resolutely and offensively opposed his martial law. He
was house arrested several times and his party was surgically
dissected by the ISI but he continued to strive for his principled
stance of advocating democracy.
When
democracy returned in 1985 he refused to participate in party
less elections and once again supported the democratic institutions.
Finally
in 1988 when he did participate in the elections the MQM phenomenon
had erupted in Karachi. He vehemently opposed the division of
Sindh on ethnic basis. He argued in favor of a dialogue between
the Sindhi and Mohajir communities, an idea, which MQM is finally
accepting. It is to be noted that he is the only leader in this
country who has survived four assassination attempts by MQM.
During
1990's a lot of sectarian rift erupted in Pakistan and Maulana
along with Qazi Hussain Ahmed decided to form a non-political
forum for peace among different sects in Pakistan. He became the
President of MMA which initially tried to control the sectarian
killings and did succeed although not completely.
It
is also to be noted that when the government and the Deobandi-Jamaat
Islami axis was at war heads with each other Maulana carefully
calmed down both the parties and advised MMA to show its strength
through polls rather than on the streets. The fruits of this decision
are obvious from the election results.
Even
recently when there is a political deadlock in the country he
had the vision to call for an all parties’ conference. His
six points now known as Noorani's six points are the talk of the
town. His command over parliamentary politics and his sincerity
towards a democratic set up is reflected through his six points.
Our
progressive media can oppose his views about religion but we should
appreciate his democratic principles as well.
The writer is settled in Canada. E-Mail: talsid@hotmail.com
