ISLAMABAD: Islamia College Peshawar is the only alma-mater of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) which has had the honor of being visited by Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah thrice to appreciate the historic role of its students during the Pakistan Movement.
The Quaid first visited the college in 1936, then in 1945, and lastly as the first Governor General of Pakistan in 1948, where he appreciated the patriotism, devotion, and commitment of its students in the completion of his difficult mission for Pakistan.
The historic college was founded by Muslim League leader Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan in 1913, and today, it has attained the status of a public-sector university.
Muhammad Younas Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Studies Department, ICP, said that Jinnah received a rousing welcome from the people of Peshawar, including students, in 1945. The college students and the Muslim Students Federation presented the fund of 8,000 rupees for the Pakistan Movement, and after that, the struggle for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent moved towards its logical end.
He said that it was a historic occasion when the MSF committed to present eight thousand educated workers during Jinnah’s next visit to the great alma mater.
The KP people, he recalled, had wholeheartedly heeded the Quaid’s call for a separate state as evidenced by the hoisting of their homes, markets, villages, towns, and vehicles with the Muslim League flags, besides placards inscribed with slogans of Pakistan Zindabad and Quaid-i-Azam Zindabad.
Jinnah was Warmly Welcomed in Peshawar
The spirit and enthusiasm of the KP people were historic. Peshawar was beautifully decorated with the Muslim League flags hoisted atop all major buildings and cars wearing a festive look, he added.
All bazaars, including Hasthnagri, Cantonment, Qisa Khwani, Firdus, and Khyber, were given a festive look with Muslim League flags and portraits of the Quaid-e-Azam.
