The figure and personality of the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah is a fertile area of study because he played a key role in the creation of Pakistan, which altered the political map of South Asia and ushered in a new era of freedom struggle in the Muslim world, in particular, and throughout the world.
Max Weber’s theory of the ‘Charismatic leader’ fits Jinnah’s personality and leadership of the struggle for Pakistan’s creation. Jinnah’s personality possessed all of the essential characteristics of a charismatic leader, particularly the ‘personality and situation factor,’ allowing him to achieve his goal. In a very short period of time, he was able to gain the popular support of an overwhelming majority of Muslims in India for his cause.
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Jinnah used all available resources to achieve the goal of Hindu-Muslim unity in the early and middle phases of his political career, and he was very successful in this in his early career, earning him the honorific title ‘Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity’.
Hindu Mindset & Two Nation Theory
However, the Hindu mindset, as reflected in the Nehru Report (1928) and the workings of the Congress ministries (1937-1939), convinced him that partitioning India based on the two-nation theory was the only solution to the constitutional problem of Indian religious groups.
The nobility, titled gentry, and large landholders, as well as the Ulema and Mushaikhs, comprised the Indian Muslim leadership at the time. However, nearly all of them were provincial or local leaders who lacked the understanding of national issues and the drive to play a significant role in national politics.
Thus, a huge political vacuum existed in the political fabric of Indian Muslim politics, and Jinnah, as a charismatic leader, admirably filled this gap and played the sheet-anchor role in Muslim politics. He was the only Muslim leader who had the vision and ability to put his ideas into action.
Lahore Resolution as a Tactical Move by Jinnah
Mr. Jinnah’s political career had reached its apex with the Lahore Resolution in 1940. If the promised creation of a separate homeland for Indian Muslims was to ensure peace, prosperity, power, and a sense of purpose for Indian Muslims, it was vivisection of the motherland for its opponents, particularly Hindus and Sikhs.
The Lahore resolution was a tactical move by Mr Jinnah to allow opponents to speculate on the resolution’s content and substance. The crux of the resolution, however, was crystal clear: India should be partitioned into two sovereign and independent states, one Hindu and one Muslim.
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By confronting the Congress and deftly dealing with the British, by first creating and then strengthening the base of the Muslim League among the Muslim masses, the Quaid was not only a visionary but also a master of grand strategy and planning at the all-India level, to achieve his goal.
The Quaid’s charisma had worked, as evidenced by the Indian Muslims’ overwhelming support for the Muslim League programme, which called for the establishment of Pakistan in the general elections of 1945-1946.
The framework of the concept of ‘charisma’ has outlined a detailed description of Indian politics from 1939 to 1945, with Mr. Jinnah as the focal point of the Indian political scene. During this time, he frequently and successfully stole the spotlight from the much larger and more organized Congress, and he was able to rebuff the British as well, knowing that they needed his support to successfully pursue their war goals. In this way, he was able to strengthen his position on Pakistan’s demand.
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Mr. Jinnah was a perennially brilliant political fighter capable of confronting and defeating his opponents on multiple fronts, the hallmark of a true charismatic leader, despite having only a moribund 25% constituency that he aroused with his relentless efforts and political acumen.
Written by: Ayesha Azmat AwanÂ
The writer is currently working as a Media Analyst. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.