Saturday 28 August 2010

Quaid-i-Azam


Quaid-i-Azam ('Great Leader') was Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948). He was the founding father of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and is pictured above standing next to Jawaharlal Nehru, the Hindu leader. Although he was instrumental in the removal of the British from India, Jinnah had been educated in Britian and was one of the youngest students ever called to the English Bar. His sartorial tastes included English suits, co-respondent shoes and an eyeglass on a ribbon, all of which he carried off with panache. Of course, he was often seen in Indian dress as well and it was this catholicism of taste and inclusivity which evidenced a moral superiority.

2 comments:

  1. Would that Pakistan were blessed with such a leader in these sad days. HGB

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  2. Same goes for many countries; several have near-mobsters as leaders; or drab mice. The only things that one might criticize him for were: cutting off his daughter, for marrying outside the faith, and the mess made (with Mountbatten, Nehru and others) of the partition of India. Still, overall, a great man.

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