Part 4
By Iqbal Hamza
The fourth factor that is pushing Pakistan’s military regime toward collapse is its abandonment of the very purpose for which the country was created. The single argument that persuaded Islamic scholars to support the establishment of Pakistan was the assurance that an Islamic state, governed by Islamic law, would be built on its soil. Yet the British, long-standing adversaries of Islam, shattered the hopes of the people who believed that such a system would emerge in the land that came to be known as Pakistan.
In reality, Pakistan merely adopted Lord Macaulay’s code and wrapped it in an Islamic label to placate the Muslims. It is akin to calling a bottle of wine “Islamic wine,” God forbid; the name changes, yet the substance remains the same. For years, ordinary Pakistanis and religious scholars showed remarkable patience, hoping that the laws would one day be reformed. That patience, however, has now reached its end. The religious class has arrived at the conviction that Islamic law can only be established in Pakistan through jihad, and they hold with firm confidence that Allah will grant them victory.
History offers no example of a struggle grounded in Islamic belief ultimately ending in defeat. In this particular case, the confrontation between the religious class and corrupt generals known for their indulgence in vice is so stark and unmistakable that the collapse of the military regime appears only a matter of time.
It is true that, for a brief period, the generals may rely on the support of Western and Israeli powers to suppress dissent and silence the nation through heavy-handed measures. Yet such oppression will yield nothing for them except disgrace and failure. The vast majority of Pakistan’s citizens are Muslims, and their demand for Islamic governance is just and rightful.
The reason the armed opposition’s narrative carries such weight is rooted in Pakistan’s own origins. The country was created in the name of Islam and Islamic law. Had that idea not existed, Pakistan could have fragmented at birth. Many of the political parties in Pakistan also recognize that it is no longer feasible to enforce Macaulay’s laws in the society.
To put the matter plainly, the fourth reason behind Pakistan’s impending collapse is the presence of a strong motivation for jihad against the military regime in the hearts and minds of the Muslim population. Experience throughout history has shown that when such a conviction takes hold among Muslims, the opposing force is eventually defeated.
The fate of the great empires of Russia, Britain, and the United States illustrates this clearly. Each of them was brought low by the determination of the mujahideen. If such powerful states were unable to withstand a movement driven by faith, then how can a weak, corrupt, and trembling military regime like Pakistan’s hope to survive?
The cry of “Hayya ‘ala al-Jihad” has long struck fear into the hearts of the world’s strongest powers and its most oppressive rulers. Those against whom this call has been raised have rarely seen anything in this world except humiliation and loss.
