Pakistan and the Modern World by Liaqat Ali Khan
Circumstances which led to the Creation of Pakistan:
‘Pakistan and the Modern World’ is, in fact, the speech of Liaquat Ali Khan that he made at
University of Kansas, America. In his speech he tried to introduce Pakistan to the modern world
by justifying the causes of its creation and highlighting its future expectations from the developed
nations of the world.
He brought to light all the major causes which made it necessary for Muslims to establish an
independent state for them. In the united sub-continent, there was a multitude of nations including
Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsees and such other nations. Hindus and Muslims were two main
nations in that part of the world. They were living together for centuries but nothing common could
be developed among them. They had their different cultural, social, economical and educational
back-grounds. They had a definite prejudice and bias towards each other to the effect that they
could never intermarry nor inter-dine.
So it was impossible for them to live independently under one rule. Hindus were in majority with
the ratio of 1:3. When the English government decided to quit from sub-continent, Hindus were
ready to capture the reign after the departure of British. So for the Muslims, freedom from British
rule was nothing but a change of masters. There could easily be discerned a perpetual clash
between Hindu majority and Muslims and a continual problem of law and order. Sub-continent
was vast enough to be divided into two independent parts. It was surely difficult for one ruler to
keep such a heavy mass under his control. A fear of political and social disturbance could always
be there. So the Muslims rightly decided to struggle for a separate independent homeland for them
where they could lead their lives according to their own religious, political, cultural, economical
and social life style Hardships faced by Pakistan After its Creation
At the time of partition Pakistan had to face many hardships and problems. Pakistan was quite a
new state having no capital, no flag and no administrative power. It received no military
equipment.
So it was very difficult for Pakistan to manage things for its survival. Industry was poor and people
were backward. The only thing Pakistan had was the unity, will power and determination of its
people to face all these problems. Freedom and independence with a poor economic condition had
set Pakistan on a blind way which had the light of goal far away. Liaquat Ali Khan mentioned in
his speech the duties which our freedom demanded from us. According to his point of view, it was
our first and foremost duty to maintain and safeguard the freedom. Freedom from foreign rule was
not the real freedom. Real freedom was freedom of common man from the threat of poverty,
disease, social security and ignorance. So it was necessary for the people of Pakistan to utilize all
the qualities of their mind and soul to get the maximum out of least given to them. Liaqat Ali
Khan’s Expectations. In his speech at Kansas, Liaquat Ali Khan tried to explain the expectation
Pakistan had had from American and Western world. According to him, Pakistan was one of
developing Asian countries, trying to pace on the way to progress. Had the developed countries
helped it, it could have joined them in the same capacity.
To maintain the rate of progress Pakistan was looking towards the advanced nations such as
America to owe helping hand. Liaquat Ali Khan viewed the progress of Pakistan not merely as the
progress of a country but as a development and solidarity of Asia. Asia was a backward part of the
world with people struggling against poverty, disease and ignorance. To make the world
prosperous and strong, this major part of the world was necessary to be supported by the developed
countries. Being situated in the centre of Asia a strong Pakistan could be a guarantee of peace in
her continent. At that time only Pakistan was unified enough to lead other countries of her part on
the way of progress. So America and other developed nations should support Pakistan and help it
to improve its economical, educational and social knowledge
Source-1
“The Eclipse” by “Virginia Woolf”
Virginia Woolf, English novelist, essayist, and critic has beautifully portrayed the natural
phenomenon of eclipse. She has also enlightened the importance of the sun. She has narrated the
essay dramatically and has regarded sun as an actor that was going to come on the stage to perform
as if a drama was going on. The sky served as a stage. She has made the scene vivid and ravishing
by the usage of colors, images and similes. The way she has described it is so highly coloured and
realistic that the readers visualize the eclipse to be occurring before their eyes. People were
anxiously going towards a hilltop from where all would view the sun with reverence. People had
gathered on the hilltop and stood in a straight line that it seemed they were statues standing on the
edge of the world. As the sun rose, clouds glowed up. Light gleamed and peered over the rim of
the clouds. The sun raced towards the point where eclipse had to take place. But the clouds were
impeding it. The sun with a tremendous speed endeavoured to escape the mist. At some point it
came forth then again was shrouded by the fleecy clouds. The sun then appeared hollow as the
moon had come in front of it. A substantial proportion of the Sun was covered and the loss of
daylight became noticeable. The writer has efficaciously described the sun’s efforts to break free
from the cloudy hurdle. She has continuously personified sun as it was putting its best efforts to
make its face appear before the world. The clouds were stifling the sun’s speed. The sanctified
twenty-four seconds had begun but still the sun was entrapped and was striving to disencumber
itself from the clump of clouds. “Of the twenty-four seconds only five remained, and still he was
obscured.” The time of the eclipse was passing and it seemed that the sun was losing. It was
continuously obliterated by the clouds. The colours of the valleys seemed to disappear. Everything
was fading as ‘All the colour began to go from the moor.’ The colours were changing, “The blue
turned to purple, the white became livid as at the approach of a violent but windless storm. Pink
faces went green, and it became colder than ever.” The light and warmth were vanishing. the
people felt that something more had to happen.
“The shadow growing darker and darker over the moor was like the healing over of a boat, which
instead of righting itself at the critical moment turns a little further and then a little further on its
side: and suddenly capsizes.” Moon’s shadow swept over the face of the Earth. The visible crescent
of the Sun decreased in width until the two disks reached their closest approach. That was the
moment of maximum phase and thus it became totally dark.
O dark, dark, dark amid the blaze of noon
Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse, Without all hope of day! – SAMSON by John Milton
“The flesh and blood of the world was dead; only the skeleton was left.”
Earth had lost all its splendour. It was totally dead. Then gradually the genuflection of light to the
darkness began to over and degradation of the grandeur ended. After maximum phase, the crescent
of the Sun widened again until the Moon passed out of the Sun’s disk. Then slowly light began to
spread everywhere. Everything was recuperating. The colours were returning. Earlier, when the
sun had totally disappeared, earth had lost all its glamour. The people who were standing on the
hill and impatiently gazing the sky felt that the earth was a hollow frame work, a fragile shell. It
could even have blustered. But steadily the fear got mitigated and the people and their faith got
firmed as everything was becoming brightly painted. Then the world appeared to be full of life.
Everything could be viewed clearly. The earth then gave the impression of vivacity.
Thus the episode of eclipse, from beginning to end has been unfolded in a style to deepen the
impression which exhibit naturalness throughout the anecdote.
Source-2
A note on the essay “Eclipse”
‘The Eclipse’ is a well-written essay by Virginia Woolf. It is a self-witnessed account of a solar
eclipse which happened to take place in the northern parts of England on a morning of June. The
essay shows the love of writer for nature and highlights the importance of sun for us. The writer
thinks that all the colours of earth are because of sun.
It is the sunlight which makes the earth colourful, gay and live. If there is no sun, the earth would
be dead. The eclipse which is discussed in the essay was taken place on a morning of June 1870.
