Painters of Pakistan. (2006-7)

This series is a posthumous tribute to ten great painters who helped to raise an awareness of art in Pakistan and established their names in universal art world.
Any discussion of the contemporary art movement in Pakistan must begin by inquiring into its cultural past, particularly in view of the rich and unique artistic tradition and the heritage of its people. The historical circumstances, which have subscribed to Pakistan, are often referred to as a \'crucible\' of cultures, a traditional meeting-point of East and West. One may trace influences of Aryan and pre-Aryan eras; the Buddhist and the Greek, the Mughal and the Rajput cultural elements. All these influences are clearly visible, though aesthetically integrated, in the artworks of the artists who have inhabited these regions over a period of four to five thousands years.
The arts of painting, modeling and engraving are deeply rooted in this land. Creative artists and their work flourished here through successive periods of history and pre-history. The last of these periods, and the nearest to our own time historically was dominated by the Mughal, a dynamic, vigorous and highly artistic people. In the course of several centuries they became fully integrated with the local population, and greatly contributed to the cultural renaissance in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.
All these works of individual artists are sensitive to a multiplicity of influences while at the same time striving to evolve individual expressions of their own.
Shakir Ali (1916-1975)
Born in Rampur, Shakir Ali had received an extensive art education at the J.J. School of Art Bombay, the Slade School of Art, London, in France with Andre L\'Hote, and in Prague, before he came to Pakistan. He began by painting in the style of Braque, making bull\'s heads and still life in a Cubist manner. Later, found his own style in which human figures, horses and cattle were reduced to their basic structure in a few bold, powerful lines. There was masterly economy in his style and tremendous force in his line. The distortion of the natural form was based on a close study of nature.
Shakir Ali is acknowledged as the founder of Modern art in Pakistan, and he introduced the philosophy and developments in art to generation of young artist.
His position as teacher gave him a special opportunity to influence the young artists of Lahore. Moreover, his friendly nature brought him in touch with a large section of the cultural world, his persuasive and sincere manner of talking helped him to bring round the young artists to his manner of thinking.
Once a discussion with artists and art critics Shakir Ali said. \"I am not totally abstract. This is a period of symbolism. Every artist passes through this period and I think I am also passing through this period. Similarly the moon and flowers which shine equally all over the world, symbolized universality\".
In this connection, it is relevant to quote some observations that Shakir Ali made in a talk he gave before a gathering in Lahore in 1966.
\"Each one of us is born with a bird, free unfettered, reaching out for the infinite. But owing to the prejudices of our civilization, the restriction of our families and the superimposition of convention, that bird is caged and loss its notes of freedom. I am trying to find that bird in men. And if I do, I will pass it on. That bird will go right from me to you\".
Shakir Ali was one of the first artists to explore calligraphy in a painterly style. He died on January 27, 1975, few days after he attended the funeral of Abdur Rahman Chughtai. He was awarded President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance in 1967 and Sitara-e-lmtiaz in 1971.
Anna Molka Ahmed (1917-1994)
Anna Molka Ahmed was born on August 13, 1917 in London. She was the first art teacher in Pakistan to take her students outdoor to paint their surroundings. Her own work, thick impasto impressions often appear to capture the very essence of sunshine. Professor Emeritus, Punjab University Fine Arts Department, her pioneering work in the field of art education is incalculable. Recognition of her work is documented by way of national awards, which include the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, in 1963, The President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance in 1969 and also the Khudeja Tul Kubra Medal.
A child of mixed Russian and Polish parentage, she was born in 1917 and was drawn to art at an early age. Defying parental disapproval, Anna achieved first a scholarship to St. Martin\'s School of Art in London, followed by a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Art. She met and married fellow artist, Sheikh Ahmed, and left her native London to make her home in the Punjab. Anna Molka set fourth to change art education in Pakistan and launched the Fine Arts Department in the Punjab University in 1940, which she continued to head for over three decades.
Professor Anna Molka Ahmed\'s students were instrumental in establishing Fine Arts Departments throughout Pakistan and many have gained recognition in the art world.
After her retirement, she took great satisfaction in concentrating on her painting, still vibrant and full of interest inspite of health problems. Anna is part of the beginning of art developments in Pakistan. I am, once she said \"the Mother of all the artists.\" The artists are fortunate, she was a gallant matriarch and a great lady. Died in Lahore on April 21, 1994.
Sadequain (1930-1987)
Born in Amroha in 1930 and graduated at Agra University, Sadequain was one of the most prolific artists of Pakistan. He was wholly self-taught and after some efforts, crystallized his art into a very distinct and personal idiom. Sadequain made his name as a painter of large murals in public buildings, the first of which was in Jinnah Hospital and the second at Karachi Airport in 1957 where he painted Sindhi and Balochi women with their long embroidered gowns, carrying water pitchers.
In 1960 he was awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the government, won top honours in a national Art Exhibition and was invited to Paris by the French Committee of the International Association of Plastic Arts. There, he was awarded at the Paris Biennale.
From 1969 to 1985, he devoted himself to calligraphy, of which he developed an entirely new style. His calligraphic style is an icon of standard and widely followed. He painted the different verses of the Sura Rahman from the Quran and made each verse into a painting. Painterly calligraphy became popular with all artists and the public in Pakistan after Sadequain.
Sadequain traveled intensively for long periods of time, showing his work in London, New York, Australia, Romania and Russia. He journeyed through India for two years, showing his work in major cities, painting and sketching ceaselessly. In 1972, he was engaged in painting the ceiling of the Lahore Museum with the epic mural, The Evolution of Mankind.
Shortly before his death, he again came back to painting and was working on the most prodigious painting project of his life on the theme \"Man and his Universe\" when he died, leaving it only three-fourth complete. It has been installed on the ceiling of Liaquat Hall (former Frere Hall) in Karachi by his pupil, Anwar. He received Pride of Performance in 1962.
Ali Imam (1924-2002)
Ali Imam started painting in 1941 when he joined the evening classes of the Nagpur School of Art. He held his first one-man show at Rawalpindi in 1952. Included in this exhibition were watercolour street scenes of Lahore of pastoral activity, such as winnowing, threshing by village women. After graduating from Gordon College, Rawalpindi, in 1949; he worked with peasants in villages as a Communist party worker till 1951. His observation of village life was projected in his paintings, like Punjabi village women at their homely tasks, churning curd to make butter, grinding corn and pounding spices with mortar, the women sat on low high-backed chairs, typical of rural Punjab. In his work figures are utterly simplified and are heavily swathed in loose garments.
Ali Imam went to London in 1956 where he lived till 1967. On his return, he developed a simple yet sophisticated style in which human figures, horses and other objects were shown in his paintings with soft subdued greys, blues, browns and yellows and neutral colours. Later his design quality became less but great emphasis given on the text of the paint. For this he laid pigment on pigment in related hues in such dots and patches so that the lower layers glimmered through and certain colours vibrations were created.
Ali Imam was of the first generation of Pakistan artists and promoter. From 1970 till 2002 he was running the Indus Gallery Karachi where many notable artists have held their first shows. His sole aim was to promote artist, create a public awareness and educate art collectors, May 23, 2002, was the day, when a very important chapter of Pakistan art history closed.
He was awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz and President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance.
Zubeida Agha (1922-1997)
Her birth place is Layallpur now Faisalabad, a woman with the courage of her convictions, Zubeida lived her life for art, creating paintings that will enable future generations to share her extraordinary vision.
Zubeida Agha graduated in Philosophy from Kinniard College and cast about for explanations for her wildly coloured dreams about painting. She began her study of art with Sanyal in Lahore. In her early work, she attempted to explore the theme in the medium of sculpture, also surrealistic paintings, done in somber colours with titles \"Wisdom\", \"Beethoven\'s Fifth Symphony. Deserted Street and so on.
Offered an art scholarship in 1950, Zubeida enrolled at St. Martin\'s School of Arts, London but six months later transferred to the Ecole des Beau Arts, Paris and there, she began her serious study of art.
Zubeida thoroughly explored the possibilities of colour, returning to Pakistan in 1953, with an intense, vigorously imaginative style of painting.
Her opinions on modern art developments were definite. What is the point of painting problems, does it solve anything?\" \"Galleries, are more interested in sales than standards and the artists are complicit in this, \"Without sincerity there is no true art,\" she once said.
In 1965, Zubeida Agha was Awarded the President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance.
Laila Shahzada (1926-1994)
Laila Shahzada\'s early years of schooling were spent in England. Adolescence was spent in the family home in India, where she was surrounded by the traditions of the past. She spoke of silver furniture, bowls of pearls, iridescent ornaments cool to the touch that were intrinsic ingredients of this period in her life. Reality came with partition, when life itself became the only object to be considered. Her earliest paintings of the 1950s were delicate tentative, in marked contrast to the later forceful work executed as \'Drift Moods\'. Initially trained in England in drawing and watercolour, Laila received early encouragement in Pakistan from Fyzee Rahamin and his musicologist wife, Attiya Begum. In those days, there were few women artists in Pakistan, and it was Nagi who taught her to use oils. She made a great impact on the media when the “Drift Moods” paintings were exhibited in 1964, a series inspired by pieces of driftwood battered into distorted forms by the power of the sea. These Laila compared to the human condition, forced into unnatural shapes by stronger powers. Later inspired by the artifacts of the Indus Valley Civilization, she worked on a series titled “Moenjodaro”, shown in New York, where she was awarded a gold medal and the Key of the city of New York in 1975. Laila has painted seventy historical paintings, a substantial contribution to this genre. In 1995 her work was included in an exhibition of Paintings from Pakistan at the Pacific, Asia Museum, California where her landscape paintings were graded with those of Georgia O\'keefe. She was awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 1986, and in 1994 was posthumously awarded The Presidents Award for the Pride of Performance.
Ahmed Parvez (1926-1979)
Ahmed Parvez born in Rawalpindi on June 7, 1926 was a most prolific painter. From 1955 to 1964, he lived in London and there developed a purely abstract style in which short swift strokes, arcs, ellipses, whorls and circles, were used to build up a design that seemed to explode and erupt and fly apart but were firmly held together in a coherent pattern. Parvez was renewed for painting of ingenious and intricate abstract compositions. From his first solo exhibition in 1952 to his last in 1979, Parvez passed through many phases as a painter. During all these years his work was marked by bursts of nervous energy expressed in vigorous short strokes sharp turns and twists of the line.
Though his work is prismatically colourful, it is basically linear. He conceived a composition and drew, often in thick black line, filled with intense bright colours, which many linked to jewels.
Some of his linear motifs are like Islamic arabesque made up of long hooks, loops, curls, elongated shapes and tear shapes, but in Parvez they are not languid but always bursting with an contemporary in character.
Parvez was Awarded President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance in 1978.
Bashir Mirza (1941 -2000)
Bashir Mirza was born in Amritsar. His father was a woodwork designer. He came to Pakistan on August 14, 1947. After graduating from National College of Arts with distinction in 1962. Bashir set off for Karachi to seek fame and fortune. On the strength of his work he was offered a job at the Pakistan Security corporation in 1962 and accepted it with alacrity as his first stepping stone to independence. He was impatient to explore other avenues and handed in his registration.
Soon after leaving his first post, Bashir joined an advertising agency, where his creative ability outweighed his resistance to routine. His salary increased and he learned a lot about the business of advertising and public relations.
Bashir planned to open an Art Gallery at the end of 1965, it was a milestone of an art event. Artists of Lahore and Karachi contributed work to the premiere exhibition and a select group of invitees, artists, the media, diplomats and VIPs attended the smart reception.
During the gallery years BM painted a large body of work. He was above all a figurative painter; the human form and how it mirrored individual emotions fascinated him. As a device, he incorporated contrasting abstract elements in his work, very individual and very much of his own style.
From 1969 to 1971, he visited Germany and on return painted two very striking series, which he called “The Lonely Girl” series and “Flower Flowers” series. This series heralded a major period in Bashir Mirza\'s creative maturity, highlighting the artist\'s superb manipulation of his medium and brilliant sense of composition. In the first, lightly clad females were shown in dramatic poses with billowing costumes of diaphanous material with bright colours. In the second, square canvases were filled with a woman\'s head and a magnified flower. In 1989 he painted on large canvases some of the faces he had drawn in pen and ink in his portfolio \"People of Pakistan\" From 1990 till death he had been painting in thick brush strokes vigorously applied, under the influence of the Indian artist F.N. Souza, but with brighter colours and more attractive forms, with great spontaneity.
He was awarded President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance in 1994.
Zahoorul Akhlaque (1941-1999)
Zahoorul Akhlaque joined the famous art institute of Lahore in 1958 when it was elevated from the Mayo School of Art to the National College of Art. The College was fortunate to get in those years a new Principal in the person of Prof. Sponenburgh while Shakir Ali was promoted Professor of Art. As a student of Fine Art, Zahoor came in close contact with Shakir Ali and received his close attention and encouragement. After graduation from the College in 1962, Zahoor joined as a teacher in the Fine Arts Department.
Under the influence of such a highly gifted teacher and guide it was natural for Zahoor to be influenced by the Cubist style and other modern ideas of Shakir Ali.
He used the format of the manuscript page and the royal edict with calligraphic effects in his paintings before going to London. There he was irresistibly drawn towards the Mughal miniatures in the British Museum. During 1966-67, he studied at the Hornsey College of Art, London and during 1968-69 at the Royal College of Art. Four years of higher education in these famous art institutions and the opportunity to see and study an treasures of London, helped the artist to evolve and mature.
In the huge painting that he displayed in the National Exhibition held at Lahore in March, 1985, Zahoor took up a nationalist theme, the heroes of the Pakistan Movement, which was formally launched at Lahore in March, 1990. The canvas was divided into small squares and many of them were filled with small portraits of the makers of Pakistan. These were actually photographs pasted and painted over. In the center was a large portrait of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
One of the artists memorable paintings was titled, \"A Study for a Butterfly\". It shows a hugh black cloud representing an atomic explosion. Caught in this fearful dark cloud is a colourful butterfly painted in bright green and orange. It is bravely fluttering its way through deadly smoke, as the symbol of hope and surviving life. Zahoor lost her life accidentally along with his daughter on January 18, 1999.
He was awarded, the President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance, award posthumously in 2005.
Askari Mian Irani (1940-2004)
In 1967, Askari graduated from N.C.A. in Commercial Design and not painting, which he would have personally preferred, but his father wanted to see him as commercial designer. Till 1976, he remained in the business of advertising, but became disillusioned and dissatisfied with the nature of his job. His first love and passion had always been painting and he felt that his potential as painter was being stifled. So a job opening in the design department of N.C.A., seemed timely. In 1976 he came back to Lahore, joined NCA ; Assistant Professor of design, and was promoted to Associate Professor till his retirement in 2000. In his mature work, Askari Mian Irani developed a new style, assimilating alphabets, syllables and numerical. Architectural elements both structural and decorative, equestrian figures in princely costumes, derived from the country visions of Mughal India, were all part of his idiom. Glowing with colours, rich with textures, his paintings show a vast variation in the use of eastern motifs. Askari plucks them from their traditional context to place them in visually different and exiting variations, making paintings come alive with a fresh immediacy. His paintings communicate to viewers on different levels and can be appreciated equally by those for whom the motifs mean something, as well as those for whom they are no more than elements of design.
He was awarded the President\'s Award for the Pride of Performance in 2002.

Promotion of Tourism in Pakistan (Lake Series) (2006-6)

LAKE SAIFUL MALUK
Lake Saiful Maluk has a touch of the unreal about it, nestling 3,206 meters high in the shadow of the Malika Parbat (Queen of the mountains - 5,291 m). You can go fishing or boating in the lake and hear the local legend about Prince Saiful Maluk who fell in love with a fairy.
HANNA LAKE
A little short of the place where the Urak Valley begins and 10 kms from Quetta is the Hanna Lake, where benches and pavilions on terraces have been provided. Golden fish in the lake comes swimming right up to the edge of the lake. A little distance away the waters of the lake take on a greenish blue tint. Right where the water ends, pine trees have been planted on the grass filled slopes. The greenish - blue waters of the lake provide a rich contrast to the sandy brown of the hills in the background. One can promenade on the terraces.
SARI PAYEE AND DUDIPAT SAR, SARI
Sari is just 3 km from beautiful Tourist Resort.’Shogran” in locals language the word SAR is used for big lake and sari for the smallest. This is a sari (Smallest lake) but remains full with water from March to May and become dry in June it is spectacular place in the Himalaya range and its height is 8900 feet; ft is nice place for camping, one can view Malika Parbat (Queen of the mountains -17500 ft) in the North and Musaka Musailah (14200 ft) in the west.
PAYEE
Payee mean feet. It is base camp for Makia Mountains (spider), 13500 feet above sea level. It is 3 km from Sari and is a beautiful picnic spot in Kaghan valley. One can enjoy spectacular surroundings here and view Musaka Mussallah in the west and Malika Parbat and other beautiful Mountains there is one and half hours treks from Pyee to Makra and after reaching on tOp, one can view Muzaffarabad and Neelam valley. Its height is 10200 feet (Payee).
DUDI PAT SAR
Dudi Pat Sar is (on way to Babusar’s Pass) 42 km from Naran and 5 km short of Besal. The trek starts leading to Dudi Pat Sar on the north east. It is about 10 km from the main road and takes 3-4 hours. Its height is 11000 feet above sea level. Surrounding mountains remain covered with snow and lake reflects the snow colour, that is why it is called Dudi Pat Sar (Milky Lake). It is good for Trout lovers. There are lot of Yellow Himalayan Marmots are abundance here.
To Promote of Tourism in Pakistan, Four Commemorative Postage Stamps of Rs. 5/- denomination in each design are being issued by Pakistan Post on July 20, 2006.

400th Anniversary of Sri Guru Arjun Dev Jee Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore. (2006-4)

Guru Arjun Dev Jee (5th Guru) the youngest son of Guru Ram Das Jee was born on 15th April 1563 at Goindwal and was awarded Guruship by his father in 1581. His elder brother Pirthi Chand disputed the succession and made representations against his suppression to the Mughal Emperor, who refused to intervene.
Guru Arjun Dev Jee started reforms in Sikh religion and tradition (Maryada). He selected Amritsar as centre of Sikh Community. At Amritsar, he completed the digging of sacred pool (Sarowar) and construction of the sacred temple Darbar Sahib, which was started by his father. He declared that all Sikhs should donate 1/10th of their earnings to charity. Guru Arjun Dev Jee compiled the writings of his predecessors under the title ‘Adi Granth’. He held Hazrat Mian Mir Sahib in his highest esteems and on his request Hazrat Mian Mir Sahib travelled to Amritsar from Lahore and laid the foundation stone of Harmander Sahib.
Guru Arjun Dev Jee’s gradual increase in power and authority created number of his enemies who were mostly influential and powerful people. These were accentuated by misunderstandings created by the people having vested interests between the Government and the Guru, Pirthi Chand, the elder brother of Guru Arjun Dev Jee who had earlier unsuccessfully contested the Guruship and Chandu Mal, the Diwan of Lahore, to whose daughter the Guru had refused to betroth his son, exploited the situation and wanted to settle their personal ver datta. Diwan Chandu Mal, the adversary of the Guru, took him into his custody. The Guru had to undergo great rigours and hardships at the hands of Diwan Chandu Mal and at last met his death in June 1606, at Lahore.
When Emperor Jehangir heard about the inhuman treatment meted out to Guru Arjun Dev Jee, he showed his anger and utter displeasure and Chandu Mal was handed over under his orders to Guru Har Gobind, the son and successor of Guru Arjun Dev, to be treated by him as he liked. The emperor dispensed justice to the bereaved family and restored its honour.
On the occasion of 400th Anniversary of Sri Guru Arjun Dev Jee Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore, a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs. 5/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on June 16, 2006.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Visit to Armoured Corps Centre. (2006-2)

Historical Back Ground 1. Armoured Corps is pride of our Army. Its origin dates back to 1764 when the East India Company started raising its own military force. Some cavalry regiments were inherited from the Moghuls, most were raised by the Company itself. These were divided into Regular and Irregular Regiments on the \"Silladar\" system, which implied a man providing his own horse, equipment etc. In 1921 the \"Silladar\" system was abolished, and the regiments were serially numbered. In 1938 came the mechanization of the Armoured Corps and the cavalryman exchanged the horse with a heavy iron muscular machine equipped with gun and armaments called \'tank\'. 13th Lancers was the first regiment to be mechanized. Post Independence Era 2. The post-independence period is one of great struggle and dedicated efforts of all personnel of Armoured Corps. At the time of independence, the share of Pakistan was six Armour regiments only. These were 13th Lancers, Guides Cavalry (FF). 11 Cavalry (FF), 5 Horse, 6 Lancers, and 19 Lancers. Despite this humble start, every individual put in his best to turn these units into a combat worthy force. Brief History of Armoured Corps Centre 3. The Muslim elements of the Indian Armoured Corps Centres at LUCKNOW.BABINA and AHMED NAGAR formed the nucleus of the Pakistan Armoured Corps Training. After collecting a token share of stores, equipment and funds, they moved to Nowshera - Pakistan. The first Commandant of Armoured Corps Centre was Col GM Stroud. Quaid\'s Visit to Armoured Corps Centre 4. The Quaid’s visited the Armoured Corps Centre on 13 April 1948. In his address he acknowledged the difficulties faced by the newly raised establishment which literally had to start from scratch. However, he was pleased to know about the untiring efforts of officers and soldiers of Armoured Corps who made the Centre operational in a short span of time. 5. In his address, the Quaid remarked that the Cavalry had always been the spearhead of the Army. This was no less true in the modern days of mechanization than it was in the day of horses. Cavalry was to have the best officers and men. The Quaid advised the under training recruits to do their best and take the fullest advantage of the opportunities offered at the Centre. He complimented the contribution made by the Centre to the Quaid-e-Azam\'s Relief Fund. Expansion of Armoured Corps 6 Ever since Pakistan won its independence, Armoured Corps has witnessed expansion in all dimensions. Besides increase in its strength, it has made rapid advancement in equipment and gadgetry. By 1971, the number of Armoured Corps regiments had risen to 26. Today, with the grace of Almighty Allah, the number of Armoured Corps regiments has almost doubled. Tanks which served the Corps include Humber Mark IV, Daimler Mark I, Ferret, Stuart M3, Tank Destroyer M-36B 2, M4 Sherman, M24 Chaffee, T-34, T-59, T-59M, M-47, M-48A5, T-6911MP, T-8511AP, TankT-80UD, Al-Zarar and AI-Khalid. Up gradation /Modernization of Tanks 7. Up-gradation and modernization of equipment and weaponry is an ongoing process in the Armoured Corps. Today the Armoured Corps is equipped with state of the art tanks like T-80UD, Al-Zarar and AI-Khalid with latest armour, fire control system and guns. War Performance 8. The combat efficiency of Armoured Corps was proven during Indo-Pak War of Sep 1965 and December 1971. They successfully withstood the hardships of the battlefield and exhibited great feats of valour and determination and won for themselves the title of \"Men of Steel\". 53 gallantry awards including the most coveted Nishan-e-Haider and over 60 Imtiazi Sanads have been awarded to the personnel of the elite Corps. To commemorate the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah\'s Visit to Amoured Corps Centre on 13tn April, 1948, Pakistan Post Office is issuing two Commemorative Postage Stamps of Rs.5/- denomination each design on April 14, 2006.

Platinum Jubilee Celebration of K.M.C. Building, Karachi (1932-2007) 2006-13

The set of eight commemorative postage stamps portrays a few milestones in the annals of All India Muslim League (AIML) which are epitomized as below:
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \'Quaid Joining Muslim League- 1913\'
One of the most historic and significant events, which was destined to emancipate the Muslims of South Asia from servitude and rid them of the dual bondage of British Raj and All India Congress hegemony, was the decision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah to join the AIML in 1913.
This momentous decision of Mr. Jinnah was the outcome of his deeply insightful thought process and acumen that he acquired at a very young age. After doing his Bar-at-Law from Lincon\'s Inn in 1895, he acted as Private Secretary to such great liberal and enlightened Indian leaders as Dada Bhai Naoroji, Member of the House of Lord & President All Indian Congress and Sir Surendranath Banerjee.
By 1912 the great visionary Jinnah had realized that the All Indian Congress, though professed to be a secular party upholding the interests of all the communities of India irrespective of religion, caste or creed was, in fact, non-serious to address the economic and political deprivation of the Muslim Community, and this attitude of the Congress, instead of bridging the gulf, was widening the distrust between the Hindu and the Muslim communities.
The rai-son detre of the establishment of AIML in Dhaka in 1906 was also based on this widespread discontentment and distrust and the growing realization on the part of Indian Muslims that although Congress professed to be a non-communal political party yet, in fact it was protecting the interests of Hindu majority. This necessitated the founding fathers of AIML demand for separate electorate from the very outset of its establishment. Mr. Jinnah, being entirely non-communal by conviction and a great proponent of tolerance, enlightenment and vision was averse to parochialism and religious bigotry. To him, fundamentalism and theocracy was outside the pale of political beliefs and practices. Being a Statesman, his decision to join the Muslim League was to bring about harmony between the Hindu and the Muslim communities. When Mr. Jinnah joined Muslim League on 10 October, 1913, he, therefore, continued to remain for a long time a prominent leader of the All India Congress and worked ceaselessly to bring about empathy, justice and fair play between the Hindus and the Muslims in grant of the political and constitutional rights. By 1916, Le. in just three years after his joining the Muslim League, he did succeed in bringing about unique rapprochement through his historic 14 Points which bestowed upon him the unprecedented recognition and title as \"AMBASSADOR OF HINDU MUSLIM UNITY\"
By 1926 Mr. Jinnah had become the sole spokesman of a hundred million Muslims of India. And finally in 1927 he was elected President of All India Muslim League - the Party that he led as Quaid-i-Azam (i.e. the Great Leader) till he breathed his last in 1948.
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \"Quaid in Sherwani and Jinnah Cap - 1937\"
The year 1937 witnessed a unique and delightful, nevertheless, historic happening in the life of Quaid-i-Azam and that is when Quaid-i-Azam adorned Sherwani and Samoor Cap.
The incident is closely related to the twenty fifth session of the All India Muslim League which was held from 15 to 18 October, 1937, in Lucknow with Mr. Jinnah as its President and Amir Ahmed Khan known as \"Raja Saheb Mahmudabad\", as Chairman Reception Committee.
Before the beginning of the Session (on 15th October) all the top AIML leaders had gathered in one of the spacious chambers of the imposing saffron colored \'Qaiser Bagh\' - the residence of Raja Saheb Mahmudabad in Lucknow. Raja Saheb presented Quaid-i-Azam with a sherwani & tight pajamas, which he gladly wore on this occasion. He looked equally immaculate in this new attire. Looking adoringly at Quaid-i-Azam, Nawab Ismail Khan, one of his close associates and confidants, and the then front leader of the Indian Muslims, had a bright idea. Nawab Ismail Khan always wore a \'Samoor Cap\'. He had one on just then. He requested Quaid-i-Azam to wear it for once while addressing the big meeting, which was scheduled later in the evening. Other leaders also joined in the request. After much insistence the Quaid accepted Nawab Ismail\'s cap. For the first time in his life he had worn a cap of this kind. He spelled a pleasant surprise to the audience at the meeting when he addressed them elegantly attired in sherwani and (Samoor) cap. That day he was putting Nawab Ismail Khan\'s cap. Quaid liked it so much that he had his own cap ordered which instantly got his name as JINNAH CAP for all times to come. Little did the participants know that this attire of Quaid-i-Azam would also soon acquire a symbol of unity of the Muslim Ummah in its struggle for freedom. The whole Muslim Nation would now make it a necessary adjunct to wear and cherish it as a symbol of their national pride. After the creation of Pakistan Jinnah Cap became an official headwear and has acquired a distinction - carving a permanent niche in the world of fashion and design.
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \"Quaid Addressing Lucknow Session - 1937\"
In January 1937 Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru declared that \'there were only two Parties in the Country, namely the Government and the Congress.\' Mr. Jinnah in a counter statement aptly reminded Pandit Nehru that there was a third party namely \'Indian Muslims.\' From then onwards there was no turning back from this historic utterance.
Mr. Jinnah became increasingly identified in the Muslim minds as a charismatic Leader, the identification of which answered their psychic need for endowing and sanctifying the sense of community with the sense of power. Increasingly did he become with the passage of time an embodiment of the Muslim National Consensus. And this explains why and how Muslims were soon to acknowledge Mr. Jinnah as their Quaid-i-Azam - even before the launching of Pakistan Resolution in March 1940.
Year 1937 will be remembered as on of the most eventful years in the history of All India Muslim League when clear lines of political direction and destiny of the Muslims of South Asia were about to be crystallized.
The twenty fifth Session of the All India Muslim League was held from 15 to 18 October, 1937 in Lucknow. Almost the entire year Mr. Jinnah ha d traveled across India by train in a triumphant manner. When he started for Lucknow at almost every station where his train stopped, he was given arousing ovation, and at Jhansi and Kanpur particularly huge crowds turned out to see him, indicating that the Muslims of these areas were whole heartedly in support of his programme. It was at this Session that Mr. Jinnah unfurled what he described as the Flag of Islam - Star and Crescent inscribed in a green background. This was the first occasion on which the Muslim League flag was unfurled at a League session. Resoluteness adopted included those for the \"establishment of full independence in the form of a new federation of free democratic states in which interest of the Musalmans and other minorities are adequately effectively safeguarded in the Constitution\", condemning the demolition of the Shahidganj Mosque at Lahore, and the attitude of the Congress in foisting the Bande Mataram as the national anthem; and disapproving the scheme of All-India Federation as embodied in the Government of India Act, 1935.
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \"Quaid & Fatima Jinnah with Youth & Women Wing - 1938\" 1938 also saw establishment of Women & Youth Wing of All India Muslim League which functioned under the patronage of Madr-e-Millat Muhtarma Fatima Jinnah, Begum Ra’na Liaquat Ali Khan and other female stalwarts of the Muslim League. The establishment of \'Women National Guard\' and All Indian Muslim Students Federation (AIMSF), were the outcome of this wing of the Muslim League. It was one of the members of Women Wing of AIML who had hoisted flag of the Muslim League on Lahore Secretariat on the independence day i.e. 14th August, 1947. The establishment of All Pakistan Women\'s Association (known as \'APWA\') is also the product of Women Wing of Muslim League.
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned:
\"Quaid-i-Azam Hoisting Muslim League Flag at Manto Park Lahore March 21, 1940\"
Although it was at the twenty fifth Session of All India Muslim League (AIML) held in October in Lucknow in 1937 that Quaid-i-Azam had unfurled the Muslim League Flag yet, it was at the 27th Session of AIML at Manto Park (now Allama Iqbal Park) Lahore that the Muslim League Flag became synonymous with the struggle for the establishment of Pakistan.
On 21st March, 1940 a tumultuous reception was accorded to Quaid-i-Azam, President AIML, who arrived in Lahore from Delhi by a special train bedecked with Muslim League flags, and buntings. He was received by Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, Chief Minister Punjab & Chairman Reception Committee, and other prominent Muslims, including delegates from all over the country. Never before in the history of Lahore had Muslims shown such enthusiasm as they did that day.
Quaid-i-Azam drove to the residence of Sir Shah Nawaz Khan in a decorated cr. Quaid-i-Azam was accompanied by Miss Fatima Jinnah, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, Nawab Muhammad Ismail Khan, Sir Abdullah Haroon and a large number of delegates from all over India. Muhtarma Fatima Jinnah was accorded a separate reception by Women Wing of Muslim League that evening. The same afternoon \"Quaid-i-Azam performed the historic flag hoisting ceremony at the Muslim League pandal in the presence of a large gathering including a number of women representing the Women Wing of All India Muslim League.
22nd March saw holding of the meeting of the working Committee of the All India Muslim League.
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \"Quaid Addressing Lahore Session 1940\"
23rd March, 1940 witnessed the culmination of the twenty seventh session of the IML at Manto Park (now Iqbal Park), Lahore with Quaid-i-Azam as president and Sir Shah Nawaz Khan as Chairman, Reception Committee. Over one hundred thousand people witnessed the passing of the historic \"Lahore Resolution\" popularly known as \"Pakistan Resolution \". Stirring scenes were witnessed during the session. In his presidential address Quaid-i-Azam declared his view on Muslim Nationalism, differences between Hindu and Muslim cultures in India along with its historical dimensions. The pivotal resolution adopted at the Session was, inter alia. \"That geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority, as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India, should be grouped to constitute Independent States in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign\". Other resolution adopted included those appealing to the British Government to solve the Palestine problem; and empowering the AIML Working Committee to regulate the activities of the provincial Leagues.
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \"Landslide Victory Elections 1945-1946\" All India Muslim League showed it tremendous political strength in 1945-1946 historical elections. Compared to the earlier elections held in 1937, the overwhelming success of AIML in provincial and central Legislative Assembly Elections in 1945-1946 was due to the unfaltering and unassailable leadership of Quaid-i-Azam who succeeded in galvanizing the Muslim League into most dynamic organization, and whose President - the great Quaid - came to symbolize the Muslim aspirations for a separate independent homeland. It will be pertinent to very briefly mention here the historic election that Quaid-i-Azam contested from Bombay.
On 27 November 1945 a record number of votes were cast in the election to the Central Legislative Assembly from Bombay City Urban (Mohammedan) Constituency. There Quaid-i-Azam swept the polls.
On 4 December, 1945 Quaid-i-Azam was officially declared elected to the Central Legislative Assembly from the Bombay City Urban (Mohammedan) Constituency. He secured 3602 votes as against his opponents. Hooseinbhoy A. Lalljee. who secured 127 votes and forfeited his deposit. Elaborating the landslide victory of the AIML Quaid-i-Azam told the special correspondent of API
on 10 December, 1945, \"we could settle the Indian problem in ten minutes if Mr. Gandhi would say: \'I agree that there should be Pakistan. I agree that one-forth of India, composed of six provinces Sindh, Balochistan, the Punjab, NWFP., Bengal and Assam, with their present boundaries should constitute Pakistan State.\"
Commemorative Postage Stamp captioned: \"Quaid Addressing First Constituent Assembly August 14, 1947\"
After a hard heroic struggle of the Muslim of South Asian Subcontinent, steered by Quaid-i-Azam, the British Parliament was forced to approve the Indian Independence Act 1947; and on 26th July, 1947 in consequence of this, the Governor General of India Lord Mountbatten, announced the setting up of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. The names of the Members were also announced. On 4th August design of Pakistan flag was finally settled.
On 7th August 1947 Quaid-i-Azam, as Governor General designate of Pakistan, received tumultuous reception at Mauripur Airport, at Drig Road (now Shahra-e-Faisal), Karachi in the evening when he returned from Delhi to his birthplace (at Karachi) with the dream of Pakistan fully realized, Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan, first Prime Minister of Pakistan, was first to greet Quaid-i-Azam and Muhtarma Fatima Jinnah. Soon the Quaid was surrounded by surging crowd, chanting \'Quaid-i--Azam Zindabad\', \'Pakistan Paindabad.\' There was sea of emotions and tears that immersed Quaid and Madr-e-Millat. Quaid-i-Azam, no doubt, stood there as one of the greatest statesman of the world.
On 11th August Quaid-i-Azam was unanimously elected as the first President of the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. There in his historic speech he laid the guiding principles of the new state when, inter alia, he categorically said \"we are starting with the fundamental principal, that we are all citizens and equal citizens of Pakistan with no distinction of caste and community.
On 13th August Viceroy lord Mountabatten accompanied by Lady Mountbatten arrived. They were received at Mauripur Airport by Col. Bumie, Military Secretary to Quaid-i-Azam. On 14th August Quaid-i-Azam and Lord Mountbatten addressed the constituent Assembly.
Addressing that morning Lord Mountbatten stated that the birth of Pakistan was a great event in history and conveyed at the outset the greetings and the warmest wishes of His Majesty the king and his own. Quaid-i-Azam in his reply reciprocated the good wishes of His Majesty and Lord Mountbatten and affirmed, \"we are parting as friends and we shall ever remain friends\". He hoped that the great preaching of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) of equality of all the citizens in the eyes of law and in all spheres of life would continue to pervade in the dominion of Pakistan. He reiterated his assurances of equal and equitable treatment to the minorities of Pakistan.
Let all the citizens of Pakistan severely and collectively resolve to carry this pristine mission forward.
Courtesy Dr. Ghazanfar Mehdi.
On the Occasion of Centenary Celebrations of the Muslim League 1906-2006, Commemorative postage stamps of Rs. 4/- denomination each design issued by Pakistan Post on December 30, 2006.