Mayassar Ati Hai Fursat Faqt Ghulamon Ko..
Nahin Hai Banda-e-Hur Ke Liye Jahan Mein Faragh...
This the verse of Shair-e-Mashriq, Allama Muhammad Iqbal that Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal Sahab quoted on a summary. He very abruptly rejected the plea of announcing a public holiday in the honour of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, a leader who played a vital role in the creation of Pakistan.
My question to Ahsan Iqbal Sahab is that why does the government announce public holidays on February 5 (Kashmir Day), March 23 (Pakistan Day), May 1 (Labour Day), August 14 (Independence Day) and December 25 (Quaid Day)?
According to the minister, moments of "faraghat" (leisure)are for "ghulam" (slaves) only. Not for "Banda-e-Hur" (men of high and nobel birth), no matter what.
A question to the minister sahab is that, do we get these public holidays to enjoy moments of "faraghat (leisure)" only, or they are there to pay a tribute to, and celebrate the hardships that our forefathers faced to make Pakistan an independent state?
Kashmir day is declared a public holiday to support the Kashmiris. Labour day is declared a public holiday to honour the labours of the country. Similarly, March 23, August 14 and December 25 are celebrated to honour and celebrate freedom. It is because of the combined efforts of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal that you and I breathe freely. Who gave him the right to discriminate between Iqbal and Quaid?
Is the minister trying to accentuate that declaration and celebration of other public holidays makes us less of a "Banda-e-Hur" and more of a "slave"? If that's the case, then we shouldn't get any public holidays, whatsoever.
The time is not far away when we will be driven away from our cultural norms and traditions, and the world as TS ELIOT describes would be no less than a "wasteland". We, as a nation, are leaving no stone unturned to transform our country into a moral, cultural, ethical, and traditional wasteland. Leave the concept of "Banda-e-Hur" aside, we would soon be called hollow men because of government officials who do zero research before taking an action. Our government should take into consideration that their single decision or action can have adverse effects upon the cultural heritage of the country. I'm sorry to say that it was an absurd and nonsensical decision. It is sad how our government, and we as a nation make our cultural heritage die. If we won't value our national heroes, who else will?