Maulana Yaqub Khan in a New Field

Mohammad Yakub Khan
Civil & Military Gazette, Lahore

It will greatly interest our readers to know that Maulana Yaqub Khan, who has been the Editor of this paper for over a quarter of a century has been called to a wider field of activity. The ’Civil and Military Gazette’ on its change of proprietorship and choosing to become the organ of the cause of Pakistan, has considered the Maulana’s service as indispensable and he has been acting as an Editor of this renowned daily since a little over a month now. The old readers of the Light are well aware what the personality of the Maulana has meant to this paper. It was at his hands that it became a powerful organ of the politico-cultural aspirations of the Muslims of this subcontinent. Pakistan movement is therefore greatly indebted to the inspiration supplied by this paper under the editorship of the Maulana. To rouse the waning national Pride of the Muslims at a time when organised and militant Hinduism was determined to make an end of it, is a unique achievement of this humble journal and the credit of it all goes to the Maulana. The penetrating eyes of the Quaid-i-Azam when he assumed the leadership of the Pakistan Movement, was not slow to recognise this service of the ’Light’ to the cause of Pakistan and he made no secret of it. Speaking at a Drawing-room meeting in Lahore he once related how helpful the ’Light’ was to him when he was accused by the then Governor General Lord Linlithgow, of being alone in his contention that the Hindus and the Muslims were two different nations. The Editor of a Lahore weekly who was once the private Secretary of the Quaid-i-Azam and who was also for some time on the Dawn editorial staff related to us the other day what a great value the father of the nation attached so this paper—how he once ordered the Editor of the Dawn to reproduce a whole article from this paper in the columns of that pioneer Pakistan Daily.

We are no doubt somewhat sorry that this paper will no longer enjoy the concentrated attention of the Maulana as it had been doing hitherto fore, but we are consoled by the fact that ’Allah has given him’ an opportunity to work for the same cause with better means and resources at his disposal. We have the further consolation that the Maulana will continue his contribution to this paper in the form of his valuable comments on current events as also in that of his general interest in the running of the paper.

A.D.A

Notes and Comments

(The Light, February 16, 1950)