Today the nation will celebrate the 85th Pakistan Day with a renewed zeal to overcome the crisis of governance and an existential threat that looms in the form of terrorism. The day is in commemoration of the spirit of egalitarianism that our forefathers strived for in pursuit of creating an independent homeland for the Muslims of the Indian Subcontinent.
The Lahore Resolution of March 23, 1940, thus, lives in our hearts and minds, and the best tribute to our Founding Fathers could be to realise the dream of a welfare state, where there is rule of law, triumph of constitutionalism, pluralism at work, and no discrimination on the basis of race, colour and religion. Eight decades down the line that intuition is never lost, and today is the day to reinforce that resolution in all walks of national life.
Pakistan Day this year, however, will be celebrated on a limited scale and the mammoth traditional parade will be restricted to the President House premises. Apart from Ramazan, the new fissures of terror are behind these constraints. But the sky is the limit to the nation that is united against adversity, and believes that there is no looking back.
The country today is infected with internal and external disorders, and solicits a broad-based consensus to pull the nation out of this quagmire. The way forward is to instantly restore political stability and work zealously for erecting an economic order that is in relevance with local mores, and not one that is dictated on the premise of loans, aid and assistance. The country is bestowed with immense natural resources and an industrious workforce that is resilient to the core.
Apart from euphoria, the day invites some deep introspection to devise a roadmap out of the prevailing crisis. It's time to rework the synopsis of civil-military relations, embrace political leadership across the board and ensure speedy dispensation of justice. That is how grievances redressed, and sections of society who have resorted to radicalism with a deep sense of otherness can be won over.
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