KARACHI:
Nobody wins if Pakistan loses. Jinnah laid down his vision of a modern democratic welfare state, but unfortunately such a vision seems to be lost. Those who have chosen to live and die in this country, holding no other immigration status, are worried at the growing intolerance and frequent violations of the constitutional limits placed on individuals and powerful stakeholders.
We owe a lot to our Founding Father who provided us a country where we can live and breathe like free citizens of a sovereign state. The unfortunate 1971 debacle should have been enough to force us to learn from our mistakes. Yet we faulted once again by involving this country in a proxy war during the Zia regime, and to this day we continue to do so. The rule of law means supremacy of the constitution, not over it. The recent surge in hatred and violence is a testament to the fact that the rule of law does not prevail. Instead, it is thought of as mere words written on paper that have no actual significance. Unfortunately, myopic leaders fail to envision the utopian future that can be brought about by Jinnah’s vision. If only we were able to abide by it.
It is time to rekindle the passion that Jinnah and his followers had. It is time to abolish hatred and corruption, and pave the way for development and prosperity. It is time to wake up to the dangers looming ahead. I plead to all those who matter: stand back and reflect, for the sake of posterity and the future of the 220 million Pakistanis.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2020.
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