This year marks the 74th year of Independence of Pakistan from British rule. Reporter Mustafa Ali Hamdani from Radio Pakistan had the honour of broadcasting the news of freedom at 11:59pm sharp, 13 August, “Greetings Pakistan Broadcasting Service. We are speaking from Lahore. The night between the thirteenth and fourteenth of August, year forty-seven. It is twelve o’clock. Dawn of Freedom.”
Fast-forward 74 years, the memories from 1947 are still afresh in the minds of the immigrants. The pain becomes visible on my grandmother’s face as she vividly recalls the brutality with which her five-year-old-self witnessed her relatives being slaughtered in cold blood and the roads littered with corpses wherever she went. Sooner or later, she lost both her parents. The traumatic experiences scarred her for life. Similarly, my grandfather, who migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947, experiences the ache of saudade and gets teary-eyed as he narrates the poignant happenings. Friends turned into enemies overnight. He, along with his mother and 7 siblings, arrived in Pakistan bare-handed and started anew. Despite the horrors they experienced, both my grandparents were lucky enough to avoid the anticipated enemy skirmishes and make a safe journey across the border.
14th August holds tremendous significance and reinvigorates the spirit of zeal and zest as the entire nation stands in solidarity and forgets all sorts of differences amongst themselves. Annually, Independence Day is commemorated with traditional flag-hoisting ceremonies, change-of-guards parade at Mazar-e-Quaid, cultural events and patriotic songs. The country proudly celebrates and acknowledges its efforts to combat external and internal challenges; for instance, threats of hegemonically hostile neighbour, terrorism and Covid-19 pandemic, to name a few. It is apt to recall the sacrifices of our forefathers and pay tribute to all the heroes of our nation who laid down their lives to protect the ideological foundations for the up-coming generations.
On this monumental day, we must revisit the ideals laid down by our founding fathers and face all adversaries with ‘unity, faith and discipline’. Jinnah’s vision of a ‘democratic’ Pakistan was based on equal citizenship, modernist Islam and socio-economic justice. It must be realised that Islamic ideology of Pakistan must not be interpreted narrowly; instead, the Quran as a guide holistically accounts for law, politics, philosophy, social, justice and commercial rules. One must not forget the plight of the minorities and our occupied brethren in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir—who are continuously facing gross human right violations to this day. Rule of law must prevail where every citizen has absolute right to freedom of speech and religion, as envisioned by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
However, in order to realise these ideals, there is a need for economic egalitarianism that ameliorates poverty by accumulating foreign reserves via increased industrial and agricultural productivity, for all nationals. Moreover, Foreign policy must promote goodwill and peace, in accordance with the UN charter. However, in the era of survival of the fittest, it is essential to build deterrence via nuclear and military power. Last but not the least, as stressed by Jinnah, we must strive to promote education and civil services, in order to eradicate corruption and nepotism, as well as, promote patriotism for a prosperous society.
Unfortunately, Pakistan today has been unable to follow into the footsteps of its contemporaries. In order to procure Pakistan as envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam, the need of the hour is to implement the former ideals of Quaid. The rulers and citizens must join hands to alleviate the nation from its ruins. The institutions must become transparent and ensure strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures. Energy crises must be resolved via atomic energy, food and water insecurity via agriculture and debt crises relieved with increasing exports. A successful foreign policy, increased GDP and democratic system that ensures freedom of speech, citizen participation and human development are prerequisites to Quaid’s Pakistan.