Punjabi Christians took part in the Pakistan movement wholeheartedly alongside the Muslims and hence proved their recognition in the movement of Pakistan. The annual meeting of the Muslim League was held at Manto Park Lahore on 23rd March 1940 in which the resolution of Pakistan was passed. Great Christian leaders like Seeta Parkash Singha (aka S. P. Singha), C.E Gaban, R. A Gomner, Chaudhary Sundar Singh Albert, Raliah Ram, Brothers of Mrs. Singha, Josho Afzal Din, A. D. Joseph, Dr. James C. Paul, Fazal Elahi, Dr. John Methai, Alfred Pershaad, F. E. Chaudhary, Rajkumari Amrat Kor, and Chaudhary Chandu Lal along with representatives of millions of Christians from the entire subcontinent of India participated in this meeting.
Quaid-e-Azam was little concerned taking West Punjab because there was a tie between the members of the Muslim League and the supporters of Hindustan (for both parties contained 88 seats each). While there were four Christian members and the fortune of West Punjab was in the hands of Christian members.
It seemed that the vote was going against Quaid e Azam when the Hindus and Sikhs refused to support and joined forces to make Punjab a part of India. Quaid seemed resigned to it, saying: “Better a moth-eaten Pakistan than no Pakistan at all.” S. P. Singha, invited Quaid-e-Azam, along with the mother of the nation at his residence situated at 3 David Road Lahore. On this occasion, Quad-e-Azam was assured of the complete and full support of Punjabi Punjabi Christians, and despite the influences and powers of Nehru, Gandhi, and Patel, three Christian members, S. P. Singha, Fazal Elahi, and C. E Gahan voted, in the meeting of United Punjab on 23rd June 1947 to the Boundary Commission in favor of Pakistan. S. P. Singha who was the Speaker of that time stood up from his seat and vote in favor of Pakistan, hence West Punjab became the part of Pakistan. 89 votes were cast in favor of Pakistan and 88 votes in favor of Hindustan. Christians should be proud of that.
When Akalidal Leader Master Tara Singh pronounced the slogan, standing at the gates of joint Punjab Assembly and waiving Karpan (the sword) in the air, that, “anyone who will demand Pakistan will be killed”. Then, the great Punjabi Christian leader S. P. Singha, who was at that time, the Speaker of the joint Punjab Assembly, answered the Akalidal leader Master Tara Singh with these words, that, “we will die but will not stop demanding Pakistan”.
On 25th July 1947 great Punjabi Christian leader S. P. Singha, representing the entire Punjabi Christian community, recorded his statement that “at the time of participation of the sub-continent of India, in the entire country, the Christians should be counted with Muslims”. On 17th August 1947, when the Boundary Commission, under a conspiracy, decided to allocate many of the parts, which were supposed to be in Pakistan, were included in Hindustan, S. P. Singha criticized the decision severely and declared the Red Cliff Award one-sided and injustice with Pakistan. When the Tahseel (District) Shakargarh of Sialkot and Tahseel (District) Chunniah of Lahore was mapped in Hindustan, the Punjabi Christians of these Tahseels (Districts) protested against this decision and afterward both Tahseels (Districts) were re-mapped and included in Pakistan.
The sayings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Presidential address at constituent assembly 11th August 1947; “Do not be mistaken, Pakistan is not theocratic state or something like that. Islam demands that we welcome all people of other regions, no matter what religion or sect of the group they belong to. No matter what religion you belong to or what creeds you follow, the state affairs have nothing to do with them. We are starting with the basic rule that we are the citizens of one state and have equal rights. So we should all abide by this model of perfection. You will see with the passage of time that neither Muslim will remain a Muslim anymore nor Hindu will remain a Hindu anymore. Not in terms of religion because this is every individual’s personal matter, but in terms of politics by which all citizens are equal for the state.
At the time of partition, many Uttar Pradesh and Central Provinces based Muslim Parties like Majlis-e-Harar, Khaksaar Tahreek, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, Jamat-e-Islami were not in favor of the partition of the country but Punjabi Christian leaders and Punjabi Christians fully supported the birth of Pakistan which was testified by Dr. Mubeedkar and K.K Aziz. Punjabi Christian Leaders Dewan Buhadar S. P. Singha, Punjabi Christian member and Speaker of Punjab Assembly (1947) supported and voted with Jinnah. On the other hand, Central Province based Maulana Maudoodi of the Jama’at-e-Islami bitterly opposed Jinnah. Maudoodi said that making of Pakistan was the same as cooking and eating pork (Soor Kaa Gosht).
But once Pakistan became Pakistan with the Punjabi Christian Leaders’ help and support (votes), the same Central Province based Maulana Maudoodi and his entire Jama’at-e-Islami came to Pakistan and made their headquarters near Lahore. Now the Jama’at-e-Islami claims that it’s their Pakistan, not the Punjabi Christians whose ancestors and leaders helped to make Pakistan.
That is because the role of Punjabi Christians like S. P. Singha in the formation of Pakistan has been largely airbrushed out of our national history. Most Pakistanis are unaware of S. P. Singha and the vital contribution he made to the development of Punjab’s education system and had fixed the metric examination system and intermediate level degrees. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the title of “Dewan Bahadur”, distinguishing him from ordinary men.
S. P. Singha was born in 1893 in Pasroor/Sialkot, Punjab, but later moved to Lahore where he worked as a registrar in the Punjab University and permanently settled in the city. Later, he was elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly and became a Speaker in the Assembly with the support of the Unionist Party. He served in this role until the partition when he became the first Speaker of the Pakistani Punjab Assembly.
But this is where the happy story ends, as soon after he was informed that only a Muslim could be Speaker of the Assembly and a vote of no confidence was moved against him on the grounds of his religion. In essence, he was ousted and this affected him profoundly. In fact, it shattered him to the core as he never for a minute expected in the new Pakistan that he would be punished simply for being a Christian and especially given his years of devoted service.
After all, hadn’t Quaid in his first presidential speech guaranteed to religious minorities that they were “free to go to your temples” and “equal citizens of one state”? This was not so much a speech as a covenant between Quaid and the minorities who had supported him in the creation of Pakistan? S. P. Singha would have no doubt really taken these words to heart because he was so very committed to the vision of Pakistan – support which proved crucial when it came to deciding whether it should get Punjab or India.
The map of Pakistan looks the way it does today because of the loyalty of Punjabi Christians and their unwavering faith in the new nation. But, how quickly Quaid’s radical vision and the part played by Punjabi Christians were forgotten after Quaid’s death? The betrayal of these ideas and S. P. Singha’s forced exit from the Assembly broke his heart that not long after this betrayal he fell ill, dying on 22 October 1948, just a month after the death of Quaid.
S. P. Singha must have seen what was coming for Punjabi Christians in this new Pakistan and perhaps, as some speculate, he came to regret his decision, especially when he was publicly humiliated and ejected from the Speaker’s office simply for being a Christian. With Quaid gone, who could he turn to?
Although many unnecessary years of pain have already passed by, it is better late than never that we still try to make Pakistan envisaged by Quaid e Azam, where religion has nothing to do with the business of government and every Pakistani, regardless of their race and religion, is an equal Pakistani citizen.
For this, a good start would be to give credit where credit’s due to Dewan Bahadur S P Singha and other minority leaders like him who played a pivotal role in the making of Pakistan – and not with dutiful speeches that can once again disappear in the wind but with real words written down in the pages of our school textbooks.
The present curriculum has been strongly criticized by those who claim it is helping to create extremists. It is certainly in need of a serious overhaul. But the overhaul needs to happen not only to the curriculum but to our minds. What use is a curriculum if the parents at home or those teaching it in the classrooms do not really believe or respect it?
It is important to tell the youth of today and coming generations about the truth of Pakistan’s birth, for the sake of a healthy society and a stronger nation. The government must think over this matter with seriousness and sincerity and remembers the role of minorities in the making of Pakistan. In this respect, the Punjab government should not dismiss the very heavy responsibility it bears in particular.
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