Let’s join hands together and vow to make Pakistan a better place for all of its citizens
KARACHI: It is the 68th year of independence of the so-called democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan, yet sectarian violence and corruption continue to destabilise the country. In a presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, the Quaid-e-Azam famously stated, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state.” However, as is quite obvious, we have failed to uphold the Quaid’s ideals.
Is this the country Muhammad Ali Jinnah worked so hard for? Can we really call ourselves a free nation? As a Pakistani, I am concerned about not having the opportunity to do much for my people due to the absence of meritocracy and transparency in our electoral process. While it may be easy for a person belonging to a politically-influential family to hold a strong position in a political party, the path may not be so easy for those who do not have a strong political background. The famous slogan of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, ‘roti, kapra, makaan’, never materialised in reality and before we look into the larger issues of our country, we should realise that these basic needs should be met first. The reason why the West has progressed is because governments provide basic necessities to all people. On the other hand, in Pakistan, we have people dying of the heatwave while our politicians roam around in their air-conditioned cars. How can we ever expect a nation to progress if people continue to die due to a lack of health facilities and increasing poverty?
Also, instead of spending vacations abroad and benefiting the economy of developed countries, we should appreciate the beauty of our own country and explore its hidden gems. Pakistan’s economy remains in a precarious position. The deteriorating law and order situation is a major cause of the country’s poor economy. Change can’t come from the government only; all citizens need to play their part in eliminating violence that is carried out on the basis of ethnicity and sectarianism. Despite the myriad of problems being faced by Pakistan, as patriotic citizens, we should stand by the nation through its tough times and never give up hope. Let’s join hands together and vow to make Pakistan a better place for all of its citizens.
Samar Ansari
Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
