Quaid e Azam visits three times to ICP to acknowledge its students’ role during Pakistan Movement
PESHAWAR : Father of the nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had visited the historic Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) three times in his life to acknowledge the outstanding role of its students in completion of his mission for Pakistan.
“The great Quaid had special fondness for the historic Islamia College Peshawar due to dynamic role of its students during Pakistan Movement and visited here three times signified his love for this great alma-mater, ” said Yunus Khan, Chairman Pakistan Studies Department, ICP while talking to APP.
He considered students of ICP and people of KP and erstwhile Fata as a frontline force in his constitutional and peaceful struggle for independence of Pakistan, he added..
Yunus said the great Quaid had visited ICP in 1936, 1945, 1948, and was greatly impressed by the devotion of its faculty, staff and students besides the building’s domes, lush-green lawns, and majestic edifice of its beautiful architecture.
In his last visit to the ICP as Governor General of Pakistan on April 12, 1948, the great Quaid presented glowing tributes to the services of its students towards making of Pakistan in these words.
“I am indeed very happy to be present here today and to have the privilege of addressing the students of this great Darul Uloom, who are the future builders of Pakistan.”
In fact, he reminded the students that now we have achieved the national goal of Pakistan and it was our collective responsibility to work hard in our respective professions with high-level of dedication, commitment and sincerity to make it one of the greatest state of the world.
He advised the students to develop a sound sense of discipline, character, initiative and a solid academic background and devote themselves wholeheartedly towards studies.
“Now we have our own government, therefore, we must be constructive in criticism and students can make a big contribution towards promotion of harmony, unity and development of Pakistan.”
Quaid e Azam while addressing students said that remember your government was like your own garden. “Your garden flourishes by the way you look after it and the efforts that you put towards its improvement. Similarly, your government can only flourish by your patriotic, honest and constructive efforts to improve it.”
On students’ demands, he said establishment of a quality university in Peshawar was very nearer to his heart, which would be great centre of culture and learning from where the rays of knowledge and culture can spread upto the Middle East and Central Asia and soon people of this province would get a quality university here.
Following a gap of one year, the Government of Pakistan, had established the University of Peshawar near Islamia College Peshawar in 1949.
Yunus said Quaid e Azam also became an honorary member of the Khyber Union, a debating society of the college, in 1936.
He said Mr Jinnah’s love for ICP could be judged from his will written on May 30, 1939 in Bombay in which he declared ICP, Muslim University Aligarh and Sindh Madrassatul Islam, Karachi, as among the inheritors of his property.
The Quaid Trust later paid Rs10.81 million in different instalments to the college. The amount was spent on the establishment of Quaid-i-Azam College of Commerce, University of Peshawar, construction of Jinnah residential quarters for the college employees, Jinnah College for Women and the newly-constructed Takbeer block.
Quaid-e-Azam also received a rousing welcome when he came to ICP in 1945. The students and Muslim Students Federation ICP presented him Rs8,000 as fund for the Pakistan Movement and assured him to present 8,000 committed educated workers for accomplishment of his mission when he came again to ICP.
The arrival of the man committed to the cause of a separate homeland for Muslims had moved the people of K-P (then known as NWFP).
They had decorated their homes, bazaars, and towns with Muslim League flags inscribed with different slogans of Pakistan and Quaid e Azam Zindabad to welcome their beloved leader.
It was the love of people of K-P with Quaid Azam that Muslim League had won more than 50 seats in this province and after that nobody could stop independence movement of Pakistan from here.
He said that Quaid e Azam was a great symbol of independence and democracy who strongly believed in power of the masses, rule of law, equality and supremacy of constitution and that was the major reasons that he had created Pakistan after a short time of seven years following adaptation of historic Pakistan Resolution at Lahore on March 23, 1940.
The college’s clock tower, which now becomes the pride symbol of Peshawar, has for long figured on the back of Rs 1000 currency note.
ICP has now attained a status of a public sector university where students from kindergarten to PhD level are quenching thirst of education.
It is time to renew our pledge and strictly adhere to the great Quaid’s principles of unity, faith and discipline to make Pakistan an economic power. (APP)
