Independence Day: what to celebrate?

Letter August 14, 2017
As a nation, Pakistanis are still to propel their way towards prosperity

LAHORE: Not with the same zeal and patriotism as witnessed earlier, Pakistan will celebrate its 70th independence day on 14th August 2017. Keeping the territorial sovereignty of the country intact despite the looming threats from Pakistan’s ever hostile and war-mongering neighbour, the invincible defence of the country by the armed forces definitely deserve praise.

As a nation, Pakistanis are still to propel their way towards prosperity, celebrating the beauty of their diversity, completely eliminating the lines depicting differences of religion, caste and ethnicity. This divide has done more harm to Pakistan than any other external danger or enemy could have ever done. While there is no denying the involvement of external factors in terrorist attacks, suicide bombings and killings, internal political and social rifts have only made the counter response weak while supporting the narrative of Pakistan being labelled as a failed state. More than the animosity between the Hindus and the Muslims, it’s a set ideology that is upheld by the respective successive political leadership of the two countries. Facts might not be as hateful and horrendous as the narrative. It is factual yet cynical that independence in the two countries is celebrated under the name of freedom from one another, that is, Hindus and Muslims and less from the British who ruled over the resources and the political freedom of the two for decades. The governments of the two countries since separation have accused each other of causing instability across their territories, it has turned into a vicious spiral where two sides lobby and level allegations against each other and continue to do the same. Moreover, issues like Kashmir, water allocation and Kargil remain the point of contention between India and Pakistan.

Conclusively, if the two states wish to come on less hostile terms with each other, they must resort to meaningful dialogue and eliminate the hate the regimes in the two countries harbour against each other.

Imran Amin

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2017.

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