Presidential Election Campaign Statement of Miss Fatima Jinnah: Call for Democracy, Direct Elections, and National Duty

Sub title : Statement issued by Madar-e-Millat Miss Fatima Jinnah upon accepting the nomination for the presidency of Pakistan

Subject: Miss Fatima Jinnah | Presidential election 1965 | Democracy | Direct adult franchise | Authoritarian government

Date of publication: 1965

Language: English

Page: 73 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 28871

Keyword: Miss Fatima Jinnah -- Presidential election 1965 -- Democracy -- Direct elections | Adult franchise -- Basic Democracy -- Authoritarianism | Quaid-i-Azam -- Political detenues -- Press freedom -- Independent judiciary -- Pakistan.

Abstract: This document contains the text of a statement or speech delivered by Miss Fatima Jinnah after all the major political parties of Pakistan approached her to stand as a presidential candidate. She explains that she accepted the nomination as a national duty, despite having no personal political ambition. She calls on the people of Pakistan to ensure that the country does not drift from the course charted by Quaid-i-Azam. She raises fundamental moral and political questions: whether absolute power is the only sanction behind laws, whether Pakistan will have a representative or authoritarian government, and whether the people will ever have a constitutional change of government according to their wishes.

Description: This document comprises the political statement or speech of Miss Fatima Jinnah during the 1965 presidential election campaign. She announces her acceptance of the presidential nomination from the combined opposition parties, explaining that she feels it her duty to answer the nation’s call. She contrasts the vision of Quaid-i-Azam—a representative, democratic government with equal rights for all—with the existing authoritarian system, which she describes as a mockery of democracy. She poses a series of fundamental questions about the nature of law, power, and governance, and argues that genuine democracy requires direct adult franchise, freedom of the press, release of political prisoners, and an independent judiciary. She calls on every Pakistani to cast off fear and work for the restoration of true democracy. The speech reflects Miss Fatima Jinnah’s deep commitment to democratic values and her role as a unifying opposition leader against the military‑backed regime of President Ayub Khan. The document exists in multiple copies with slight variations, indicating it was circulated widely. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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