Independence day: road to freedom

Pakistan is currently in the midst of a silent revolution. The current economic and political chaos has created a thick fog which obscures the road to freedom. We get occasional glimpses of that road which fills our youth with passion and excitement. The fog thickens again with its tyrannical censorship which is justified by its ruling elite that the county is going yet again through a nazuk daur. Yet, our youth pray and hope for the light of justice to lift the fog of oppression. The cynical elders admonish the idealistic youth to keep their heads low and tolerate the injustices so that status quo can be maintained to ensure stability. Yet, the road to freedom has started to glimmer in the approaching dawn and our nation appears determined to break the shackles of slavery to take that road.

Victor Hugo once remarked: “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” The idea of Pakistan was and will always be independence. This conception is embedded in the nation since its inception. Pakistan is different from most conventional countries because it was formed based on an idea. That idea of freedom inspired its people to vote overwhelmingly for Muslim League in 1946 which paved the way for the creation of a new nation. Millions of people migrated to the country based on this idea of independence.

This idea of Pakistan was subsequently hijacked by its ruling elite for their own political and economic gains which led to injustice and tyranny. Thus, in the 1970 general election of Pakistan, half of its citizens voted for Awami League which ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh. Clever political engineering and various military operations could not save the country from its tragic breakup in 1971. The ruling elite, led by Yahya Khan had a conception that Pakistan was another military fiefdom like Egypt or Iraq and could easily be controlled by sheer violence. They had forgotten that Pakistan came into being due to the political will of its people and its future would be guided based on the same principle.

The current ruling elite needs to heed the lessons of history and change course to pave the way for general elections. The political will of the people of Pakistan must be respected and the country needs to change course for its own internal and external viability. Internally, Pakistan is going through a youth bulge where majority of our population is under the age of 30. The young people of our country need to be empowered as that is the political future of the country. PTI is currently tapping into this demographic dividend which has led to its recent electoral victories. However, the party is still a one-man show and will only have a short-term political future if it does not truly empower the youth.

Externally, Pakistan is also in a very precarious state. It faces a hostile neighbour whose ruling party’s raison d’existence is the creation of a new Hindutva state in the subcontinent. Historically, Pakistan can be compared to the Emirate of Granada which was the last Andalusian state protecting the rights of its citizens. The internal political bickering greatly weakened the state which led to its economic and military decline. Ultimately, the Catholic monarchs of Spain completed their reconquista which led to the tragic end of religious coexistence in the Iberian Peninsula.

The road to freedom for Pakistan leads to the political and economic empowerment of its citizens which was the reason for its very inception. Thus, an independent and democratic Pakistan can become a harbinger of peace and prosperity not only for its own citizens but also for the people of Indian subcontinent. This was indeed, the vision of the founding fathers of Pakistan.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2022.

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