by Irshad Ahmad Mughal
The 14th of August is the Independence Day of Pakistan. There are lots of flags all around. Dangerous demonstrations are made on the roads due to the one-wheeling of motorcyclists. A 12-gun salute is fired by the Army and messages are given on the day by the Chief of Army Staff, the President and the Prime Minister.
For the past several decades, Pakistan has not had the same splendor of the day as it used to. You can say that common people suffer from inflation, terrorism, lawlessness, bribery, unemployment, and political corruption. All these diseases have made them emaciated.
They are complicit to the extent that this is our country, but there is a terrible despair within their souls. Apart from this, there is insurgency in several districts of Balochistan and KPK which has attracted the attention of more security agencies. Despite all these problems, you can see the celebration of independence on the streets of Pakistan. It seems as if nothing has happened anywhere and it is all a product of the media. Understanding Pakistan from outside is a difficult task.
At the international level, Pakistan is portrayed in the media as a disgrace, when in reality it is not. Efforts are being made to suppress us on the international stage, but despite this, our youth somewhere plants the flag on some international stage and tell the world that we exist.
It is a strange combination. On the one hand, there is the incompetence and short-sightedness of the rulers and on the other hand, there is the power to bear the suffering.
Being an agricultural society, Pakistani society endures all kinds of shocks and the people also endure it. Perhaps no other country in the world will have that level of tolerance and resilience. In the last 20 years, earthquakes, floods and terrorism have shaken the entire country, but the people are still celebrating independence with gratitude and patience.
Pakistan’s surroundings are in turmoil. Afghanistan is one neighbor and a hub of extremism and terrorism. Iran has too unpredictable relations with Pakistan. India is considered as a enemy. China has strong economic influence in Pakistan and influence in its politics but it also make Pakistani politics vulnerable to deal with USA and West due to their own policy of curtaining China.
Thus you can say that Pakistan is stuck in a political, economic and cultural mire from which it needs courage and energy to take every step. This kind of mud easily tires even a strong buffalo. But time is passing. The world is changing rapidly but Pakistan has different aspects of change. On the one hand, you think there is rapid digital transformation and people are living just like in a western country, and on the other hand, you feel that you have reached an ancient Roman era where Russell and magazines have not yet reached. People have the same way of life and the values are also the same.
Historically there are three ancient civilizations in Pakistan namely Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa and Taxila which provide us material for ancient knowledge, wisdom, and civilization but we do not connect them with our Islamic history due to which its chain of relationship is broken.
Apart from this, there are also magnificent palaces and mosques of the Mughal era that link
this country to its glorious past.
Overall, on Pakistani Independence Day, I want to say that if you haven’t visited Pakistan, you can’t understand it. So don’t just go by the media reports but see for yourself and guess in which region of the world we are celebrating independence today.
About the Author:
Irshad Ahmad Mughal is the chairman of the Iraj Education & Development Foundation, based in 82B, New Chaburji Park, Lahore.
