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Wang Xiaohe has been one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Pakistan national football team, and arguably the most successful so far.

First arriving through Chinese foreign aid before the 1989 South Asian Games, he guided Pakistan to the gold medal that year, the country’s first major official international football title in decades since the 1952 Quadrangular Tournament.

He later became associated with Pakistan Army FC and returned to coach Pakistan again in 2003. Under his leadership, Pakistan’s U23 side won another South Asian Games gold medal in 2004, after the tournament had switched to an under-23 format.

During his career, Wang also coached in China with teams such as Bayi Football Team and Xi’an Anxinyuan, while remaining closely connected to football in Pakistan for many years.

One aspect of pre-1947 history that doesn’t get discussed much is the stance of Jamaat-e-Islami regarding the creation of Pakistan.

The organization was founded in 1941 by Abul A'la Maududi. During the final years of the subcontinent, when the demand for Pakistan was gaining momentum under Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the All-India Muslim League, Maududi and Jamaat-e-Islami openly criticized the idea of a separate Muslim nation-state.

Their main argument was ideological: Maududi rejected nationalism, even Muslim nationalism, as un-Islamic. Because of this, he opposed the division of subcontinent into separate nations , including Pakistan. In his writings and speeches at the time, he also criticized the Muslim League’s leadership, arguing that they were not working toward a truly Islamic system but rather a secular nation under the banner of Muslim identity.

As a result, Jamaat-e-Islami did not support the Pakistan Movement and, stood in opposition to it during a crucial period when many Muslims in the subcontinent were mobilizing for a separate homeland.

Critics argue that this position placed Jamaat on the wrong side of a defining historical moment. While they may not have had the power to “stop” the creation of Pakistan, their ideological campaign clearly rejected the movement that ultimately led to its formation.

What makes this more controversial is what happened after pakistan was created in 1947, Jamaat accepted the new state and became politically active within it. The organization began advocating for the Islamization of Pakistan’s laws and constitution, positioning itself as a key voice in defining the country’s Islamic identity.

This shift raises some difficult questions:

• If Pakistan was initially seen as an un-Islamic project, what changed after 1947?
• Was this a adjustment to political identity, or a contradiction in principle?
• How should we evaluate groups that opposed the creation of a state but later became influential within it?

To be fair, Jamaat-e-Islami’s opposition was rooted in a broader ideological vision rather than simple hostility to Muslims having a state. However, the fact remains that they opposed the Pakistan Movement at a time when it was shaping the future of millions.

This part of history is complex, but it’s worth discussing openly rather than ignoring it.