This month is the 149th birth anniversary of the Founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. It is a public holiday; the National Flag is hoisted on all principal government buildings; the day dawns with special prayers for the security, progress and prosperity of the country.
The best tribute to our Quaid is to follow his footsteps and vision. The question is what exactly was his vision, and what really he wanted us to be? Let me present you some of the Quaid-i-Azam’s famous quotes on his vision and struggle for Pakistan, for the role of the youth, and his ideology on life.
His Vision for Pakistan
-    “The great majority of us are Muslims. We follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed (may peace be upon him). We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in which all are equal in rights, dignity and self-respect. Consequently, we have a special and a very deep sense of unity. But make no mistake: Pakistan is not a theocracy or anything like it.”
-    “We should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men and which we could develop according to our own rights and culture and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play.”
-    “We have undoubtedly achieved Pakistan, and that too without bloody war, practically peacefully, by moral and intellectual force, and with the power of the pen, which is no less mighty than that of the sword and so our righteous cause has triumphed. Are we now going to besmear and tarnish this greatest achievement for which there is no parallel in the history of the world? Pakistan is now a fait accompli and it can never be undone, besides, it was the only just, honourable, and practical solution of the most complex constitutional problem of this great subcontinent. Let us now plan to build and reconstruct and regenerate our great nation...”
-    “The establishment of Pakistan is a fact of which there is no parallel in the history of the world.” 
-    “We are now all Pakistanis – not Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on – and as Pakistanis we must feel, behave and act.”
-    “You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”
-    “My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilise all our resources in a systematic and organised way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with the grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.”
The Quaid’s Ideology of Life
-    “Think a hundred times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man.”
-    “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”
-    “With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”
-    “I have lived as plain Mr Jinnah and I hope to die as plain Mr Jinnah. I am very much averse to any title or honours and I will be more than happy if there was no prefix to my name.”
-    “Failure is a word unknown to me.”
-    “Your government can only flourish by your patriotic, honest and constructive efforts to improve it.”
-    “A country without a strong Air Force is at the mercy of any aggressor.”
-    “I do not believe in taking the right decision, I take a decision and make it right.”
-    “You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude and determination you bring to it.”