In Quest of Jinnah
edited by sharif al mujahid
OUP (Karachi), Rs 495

Hector bolitho was well known in his lifetime as a prolific writer of books, primarily non-fiction, but is remembered today only for his biography of Mohamamd Ali Jinnah, published in 1954 as Jinnah: Creator Of Pakistan. Commissioned by the Government of Pakistan, it was, for many years the only full book on Jinnah.

Bolitho later gathered his papers relating to Jinnah and sold them for the princely sum of $300. Sharif al Mujahid, a prominent Pakistani scholar, spent years tracking them, and finally found them in 1984, but has chosen to publish them only now. The reason, he writes, is that he was waiting for “the arrival of fair weather”. It is only now, he feels, that it is possible to discuss with a measure of objectivity the roles and politics of former leaders, without immediately drawing the wrath of those who will not allow diminution of any icon.

The project of a Jinnah biography was initiated by Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, but the process by which Bolitho, this most eminently unsuitable person, was chosen remains a mystery. What were the criteria? Were there any other candidates? If so, who, and why did they fall by the wayside? Al Mujahid sheds no light on the subject. Bolitho had three strikes against him — for reasons unknown, Jinnah’s sister Fatima was against him; his knowledge of the historical background of the British Raj was non-existent; and he had no knowledge at all of Jinnah.

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