Proud to be a Pakistani

I came across a small blog the other day in which a ‘social activist’ was asked to highlight five great things about Pakistan. The activist refused to do so, saying that he/she couldn’t think of one good thing to say about the country, nor would he/she lie for the sake of indulging the public. Now at the risk of sounding reactionary, I must say that I was surprised to read that response from an activist who apparently was trying to bring a positive change to the country.  And clearly, I don’t agree.

Although we may have a lot to complain about, we certainly have things to celebrate, one of which is our youth. When the earthquake came to the North, I personally saw how the youth rose to the challenge and risked their lives, money and valuables to help Pakistanis in need. Students from ‘elitist’ universities were seen jostling up rugged terrains with a couple of bottles of water and a backpack full of relief goods, for the simple reason that this was the only method of reaching those inaccessible areas where trucks or helicopters could not reach. They did it at their own volition, and at the risk of their lives.

I have seen this youth take the politics of Pakistan in their hands and force it to bow to the will of the people.  When the judiciary was attacked by a not so benevolent dictator, it was the youth amongst the lawyers and civil society who declared constitutionalism as their slogan and used all peaceful means to achieve their goals. And that too at a time when the political parties wouldn’t dare to openly oppose General Musharraf and frankly, couldn’t care less for the cause of the judiciary.

I have also seen students from impoverished backgrounds who end up in Harvard, Columbia and other Ivy League institutions through sheer determination and hard work. Their motivating factor was the ability to better the lives of their fellow countrymen on completing their education. And finally, I have also seen members of the youth dreaming of and planning to set up schools and universities in the rural areas of the country for the greater good of society, and in fact, many actually succeeded in building the same on a non-profit basis.

The point of stating all of this, and perhaps the obvious, is that not all is lost as some would have us believe.  There are so many wrongs in this society, but clearly our older generation must have done something right to bring up a youth which has such ambitions considering the prevalent sense of hopelessness.

An incident that took place recently sums up the state of affairs as I see it. A friend had been thinking of how he could make a difference in this country. So one random day he gifted me a book titled Three Cups of Tea.  The inspiring book is about the journey of Greg Mortenson who raises funds for and successfully establishes a network of schools across Gilgit-Baltistan through sheer perseverance and dedication. Although clearly moving, the real message for me was contained on its inside page, where the friend wrote a small message which said “Dear Basil, maybe this is the first step!”  Well, my friend, if not the first step, it surely is a step in the right direction.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2010.