Peshawar – Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) is a unique alma mater of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was visited by the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, three times in his life to acknowledge the historic role of its students during the Pakistan Movement.
Impressed by the students’ role during the Pakistan Movement, the legendary Quaid visited ICP in 1936, 1945, and 1948, as the first Governor-General of Pakistan. During these visits, he highly praised their patriotism, commitment, and devotion in completing his difficult mission for Pakistan.
ICP was established by Muslim League leader Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan in 1913, and today it has attained the status of a public-sector university.
The great Quaid received a rousing welcome when he came to Peshawar and ICP in 1945. The students of ICP and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) presented him with Rs 8,000 as a fund for the Pakistan Movement. This marked a turning point, pushing the struggle for a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent toward its logical conclusion,” said Professor Dr Muhammad Younas Khan of the Pakistan Studies Department at ICP.
“The arrival of the great leader of the 20th century in Peshawar was a historic occasion. The students and MSF assured him that they would present 8,000 committed, educated workers when he visited again at this great alma mater,” he said.
The great leader’s commitment to the cause of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent had deeply moved the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They decorated their homes, bungalows, bazaars, markets, villages, towns, and vehicles with national and Muslim League flags and held placards with slogans like “Pakistan Zindabad” and “Quaid-i-Azam Zindabad.”
“The spirit and enthusiasm of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was historic. Peshawar was beautifully decorated with national flags hoisted atop major buildings, and vehicles had a festive look,” he said.
All bazaars, including Qisa Khwani, Hashtnagri, Cantonment, Firdus, and Khyber, were beautifully decorated with AIML flags atop the buildings, alongside portraits of Quaid-e-Azam.
“I clearly recall a sea of people with national flags and portraits of Quaid-e-Azam arriving from all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and erstwhile FATA to catch a glimpse of their beloved leader when he came here in 1945 and later as the first Governor-General of Pakistan on April 12, 1948,” said Misal Khan, a retired Information Officer.
Besides senior citizens, students, youth, laborers, farmers, and people from all walks of life in cars, trucks, datsuns, and rickshaws thronged Peshawar to welcome the legendary leader who had changed the world map through a purely democratic struggle, leading to the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947.
The people showed immense love for Quaid-e-Azam, which is why AIML secured the maximum number of seats in this province in the 1946 elections. After that historic victory, nobody could stop the independence movement of Pakistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The great Quaid also paid his last visit to ICP as the first Governor-General of Pakistan on April 12, 1948, and presented glowing tributes to the services of its students in the creation of Pakistan with the following words:
“I am indeed very happy to be present here today and to have the privilege of addressing students of this great Darul Uloom, who are the future builders of Pakistan.”
He advised the students to develop a sound sense of discipline, character, and a solid academic background and devote themselves to their studies.
“Remember, your government is like your own garden. Your garden flourishes by the way you look after it and the efforts you put into its improvement. Similarly, your government can only flourish through your patriotic, honest, and constructive efforts to improve it,” the great Quaid told the students.
He expressed a desire to construct a university in Peshawar from which the rays of knowledge would spread to all parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Following a one-year gap, the government established the University of Peshawar near ICP in 1949, in line with the Quaid’s vision.
Quaid-e-Azam’s love for ICP can be gauged from his historic will written on May 30, 1939, in Mumbai, in which he declared ICP, Muslim University Aligarh, and Sindh Madrassatul Islam Karachi as among the inheritors of his property. Later, the Quaid Trust paid Rs 10.81 million in different installments to ICP.
The amount was later spent on the establishment of Quaid-i-Azam College of Commerce, University of Peshawar, the construction of Jinnah Residential Quarters for college employees, Jinnah College for Women, and the newly-constructed Takbeer Block at ICP.
Quaid-e-Azam had immense love for the tribesmen of the merged tribal districts (erstwhile FATA) due to their strong loyalty, supreme sacrifices, and consistent support during the Pakistan Movement.
Despite his hectic official engagements as the first Governor-General of Pakistan, the great Quaid visited Peshawar, where he addressed a Grand Tribal Jirga at the Governor’s House, Peshawar, on April 17, 1948.
During his historic address to the tribal jirga, with overwhelming representation from tribal people, chieftains, and maliks from all tribal districts, the great Quaid highly praised the tribesmen’s strong commitment, patriotism, and support in completing his mission for Pakistan.
“The Quaid-i-Azam’s speech to students of ICP and tribal elders was historic. We can achieve every goal in life by strictly adhering to it,” said Manzoorul Haq, a former Ambassador.
The great Quaid knew that students were the future builders of Pakistan, which is why he made repeated visits to ICP despite his hectic engagements and poor health, he added.
Quaid-e-Azam had laid great emphasis on education, character building, and constructive criticism of the government for the sake of improvement and reformation, rather than point-scoring for political and personal gains.
