Abstract
The present paper investigates Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s principles of government. It is an attempt to analyze his ideals, principles and vision towards politics and governance. He envisioned a modern Muslim State, the constitution of which would be democratic embodying the essential principles of Islam such as democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech and expression, women’s rights, human rights, equality, tolerance, justice and fair play for all to all, a country where all citizens could freely practice their religious beliefs and achieve political and economic independence. It is only in this perspective that the high ideal of the freedom of belief acquired great significance. His assurance to the citizens of Pakistan that all of them were ‘equal citizens of one State’ should leave no one in doubt that Pakistan guides enshrined as a modern liberal state guided by the Islamic ideals set in practice by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself. He made it crystal clear that whether it was the question of relations between the democratically elected representatives of the people and the civil-military bureaucracy, or the deliberation of its citizens, or the issue of rapid development, he was optimistic and convinced that Pakistan would emerge as strong modern country. This would be possible, he emphasized, only when the principles of ‘service above self’ and ‘fair play’ ruled supreme in translating high ideals into policies of good governance.