Jinnah's Vision: Pakistan's Founding Speech Delivered
Muhammad Ali Jinnah addressed Pakistan's first Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, three days before the country's official independence, with a speech that continues to divide historians. He declared that citizens would be free to worship at any temple or mosque and that religion would have "nothing to do with the business of the state." This secular vision contradicted the two-nation theory that had justified partition, the argument that Muslims needed a separate homeland because they could not coexist with Hindus. Jinnah died of tuberculosis just thirteen months later, on September 11, 1948, before he could anchor his vision in the constitution. Pakistan has oscillated between secular and Islamic governance ever since.
August 11, 1947
79 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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