Abstract:

In August 1947, Pakistan became a separate Muslim nation amid the bloodshed following the partitioning of India. To this day, the religious animosities that prompted the separation persist, with both Muslims and Hindus claiming political superiority. This program examines the role of Pakistan’s founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in Pakistan’s fight to be recognized as a separate nation. It traces Jinnah’s evolution from supporter of a British plan to preserve India as a single nation with Muslim autonomy, through his contentious relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, to his ultimate role as leader of the Pakistani separatist movement. Jinnah’s legacy is examined in India and Pakistan, where he is alternately vilified and deified. (51 minutes, color)