Beacon of Light

The 144th birth anniversary of Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah, popularly known as Aga Khan III, is being observed today on November 2, 2021. Aga Khan stands among those leaders who paved the way for the creation of Pakistan. Apart from being the 48th spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili community, he also played a prominent role in the world history, particularly during the Pakistan Movement.

He was the leader of the Simla deputation that persuaded the British government to accept Muslims demands, which said the position accorded to the Muslim community should be consummate not merely with their numerical strength but also with their political importance.

By embedding the separate electorate through all subsequent legislative reforms by the British Raj, such as the Indian Councils Act of 1909, it was well established that Muslims were to be considered a separate nation, a vision that was further cemented later as the 'Two Nation Theory'.

In 1937, he was appointed chairman of the League of Nations. His contribution to the Aligarh University made him a great figure in the history of the sub-continent. In recognition of his services to education he was appointed chancellor of the Aligarh University. After independence when the language crisis was sprouting in East Pakistan in particular, he proposed that Arabic should be made the national language of Pakistan, since it would strengthen our ties with Muslim countries and the issue of language would be resolved once and for all.

Following in his footsteps, his grandson and successor Prince Karim Aga Khan set up a network of social, cultural and economic institutions, which are now operating in more than 25 developing countries of the world.

Aga Khan had a political and educational vision for Muslims and he made practical efforts to institutionalise these two aspects through a dedicated political platform as well as a university on the firm belief that access to modern education and scientific knowledge is essential to the overall progress and prosperity of Muslims. These two fundamental aspects respectively proved to be the basic pillars upon which the entire Pakistan Movement was founded His efforts were rewarded when Pakistan ultimately came into being. His Independence Day message for Pakistan is as fresh and relevant as it was back then, and is a beacon of light even today for the entire nation.

Pakistan is now an accomplished fact but a lot of efforts are required to make it a model Muslim state. If the Muslims were depressed by the misfortunes of the last 200 years across the world, now, at last, the wheel of fortune has turned and we are no longer justified in being either half-hearted or pessimistic.

We must, with our energy, heart and soul with faith in Islam and trust in God, work for the present and future glory of Pakistan and lend a help to the unfortunate Muslims who are still suffering under foreign dominion. We must work for a better world, and be no more hypnotised by the dead glories of the distant past, or by the misfortunes of the near past.