Seventy-seven years ago, on this very day, Muhammad Ali Jinnah left this world. Pakistan was only a year old, fragile, unsure, and yet standing tall because of the vision of one man. Since then, 11 September has always been a bittersweet date for us. Sweet, because it reminds us of the gift of Pakistan. Bitter, because we lost the one leader who had the clarity to guide us through the storms that were bound to come.
Jinnah’s words were simple: unity, faith, discipline. He repeated them so often that many of us take them for granted. But when you look at Pakistan today — fighting terrorists on one front, rescuing flood-hit families on the other — you realize how much those three words still matter.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>The nation will solemnly commemorate the 77th death anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah today. <a href=”https://t.co/SE8RdkhsD3″>pic.twitter.com/SE8RdkhsD3</a></p>— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) <a href=”https://twitter.com/PTVNewsOfficial/status/1966033975060869238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>September 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Unity that we still struggle with
For Jinnah, unity was the backbone of Pakistan. He dreamt of a country where differences of language, sect, or ethnicity would not matter. But the truth is, we’ve often failed him. Our divisions have made it easy for terrorists to exploit us. They thrive when we fight among ourselves, when we see each other not as Pakistanis but as rivals or strangers.
Right now, when our soldiers are embracing shahadat in operations against extremists, the least we can do is stand united behind them. Not just with words, but in spirit. Unity also means our politicians must learn to pause their endless quarrels. Floods don’t ask whether the water is rising in a governing party-supported or opposition-supported area. Terrorism doesn’t target people based on party flags. Then why do we keep dragging our national tragedies into political games?
Faith beyond slogans
Jinnah’s idea of faith wasn’t about loud claims. It was quiet but strong — faith in Pakistan, in justice, in our ability to rise after setbacks. Look at the families in Sindh and Balochistan who have lost everything in the recent rains. They sit by the roadside waiting for help, but still believe that tomorrow can be better. That’s faith in action.
But faith is also about honesty. Corruption and carelessness have weakened trust in our institutions. And without trust, people lose faith. If Jinnah were here, he would probably remind us that faith in Pakistan also means faithfulness to our duty — whether you’re a politician, a bureaucrat, or just an ordinary citizen trying to follow rules on the road.
Discipline — the one we ignore most
This last principle is the hardest. Discipline. We’re quick to chant it, but slow to practice it. Terrorism thrives in places where there is no rule of law, where systems break down. And when floods strike, the damage is always worse because of our lack of planning, illegal constructions, and our tendency to ignore warnings.
Discipline doesn’t mean blind obedience. It means respecting order, following through on responsibility. Imagine if each official simply did his job without delay, if political leaders didn’t wait for cameras to arrive before visiting disaster areas, if ordinary citizens didn’t throw trash into drains that are already choking. Just these small steps of discipline would save us from so much unnecessary suffering.
Remembering Jinnah today
On this anniversary, we shouldn’t just lay flowers at Jinnah’s tomb and repeat his quotes. We should actually test ourselves against his message. Are we united? Are we faithful? Are we disciplined?
The honest answer is: not enough. But that doesn’t mean we give up. Nations are not built in perfection; they are built in struggle. And Jinnah’s life itself was proof that persistence, even against the heaviest odds, can create miracles.
So, as Pakistan faces bombs in one place and floodwaters in another, maybe the best tribute to Jinnah is not silence or mourning, but a simple promise: we will try harder to live by the words he left us. Unity. Faith. Discipline. Not just on posters, but in practice.
Because the truth is — Pakistan’s survival depends on it.
