An inch towards Pakistan

Bekaran sadiyon ki mehroomi ke baad

Benawa barson ki mehroomi ke baad

Saaf dil taarikh ke auraq ke baad

khoon se likha gaya Chauda August

(After centuries of endless subjugation; after years of the helpless deprived-ness; with a pure heart; written in blood upon the pages of history is the Fourteenth of August.)

 

These evocative lines by Dil Nawaz Dil capture, in a few words, the long journey of sacrifice and suffering that culminated in the creation of Pakistan on 14th August 1947. Fourteenth August was undoubtedly the culmination of centuries of subjugation, years of deprivation and countless sacrifices. Seventy-nine years later, as we celebrate another Independence Day, perhaps we need to ask ourselves a different question. Having inherited a country secured through such enormous sacrifice, what are we doing to take it forward?

There is a quotation that has stayed with me since a long time: "An inch of movement is better than a mile of intentions." In my view, perhaps on this Independence Day, there can be no more appropriate thought for suggesting a resolution for Pakistan today. We have never been short of intentions. We have spoken repeatedly of a prosperous Pakistan, a just Pakistan, an educated Pakistan, a strong Pakistan and a Pakistan where the rule of law prevail. Governments have announced ambitious programmes, institutions have articulated noble objectives and citizens have expressed sincere aspirations.

Still, the expanse between intention and achievement remains one of our most persistent national challenges. The problem is not necessarily that we do not know where we want to go. The problem is that we have struggled to maintain the consistency, discipline and collective effort required to get there. Perhaps, therefore, on our 79th Independence Day, we should stop asking how Pakistan can make a giant leap forward and instead ask a much simpler question: what is the one inch we can move this year?

An inch towards the rule of law would matter. It would mean that the law is applied without fear or favour, without distinction between the powerful and the ordinary citizen. It would mean that institutions respect the limits placed upon them by law and that citizens understand that rights and responsibilities are inseparable.

An inch towards merit would matter. It would mean placing the right person in the right position because of ability rather than influence, connection or favour. A country cannot build strong institutions when competence is repeatedly subordinated to considerations other than merit.

An inch towards institutional responsibility would matter. Every institution has a defined role in the functioning of a state. If each institution performs that role with professionalism, restraint and fidelity to the Constitution, the cumulative effect can be transformative. Strong institutions alone do not make strong nations. It is their consistent, impartial and responsible functioning that ultimately determines a nation's strength.

An inch towards economic productivity would matter. Pakistan does not need more consumption only. It needs greater production, investment, innovation, exports and entrepreneurship. We need to create an environment in which hard work and enterprise are rewarded and where productive activity is valued more than rent seeking. Economic strength is not achieved through announcements, it is built through sustained effort over time.

An inch towards better education would matter. This perhaps remains one of our weakest attributes. Millions of children are out of school, the content, quality and direction of the education we provide are often disconnected from the needs of our society and the demands of a changing world. Much of what we impart lacks coherence, relevance and the capacity to equip most of our children with the knowledge, skills and critical thinking they need to contribute meaningfully to the country's future.

An inch towards social tolerance would matter. We have become increasingly accustomed to viewing disagreement as hostility. Political differences become personal conflicts, differing opinions become accusations of disloyalty and public discourse often becomes more about defeating the other side than understanding it. A confident nation does not fear disagreement. It learns from it. Can we take an inch towards national cohesion by just tolerating and being truthful about each other?

But perhaps the most important inch is the one towards personal responsibility. We often speak of Pakistan as though the responsibility for its progress rests entirely with governments and institutions. They undoubtedly carry enormous responsibility. But a nation is ultimately the sum of the conduct of its citizens.

Pakistan that was created on 14th August 1947, required extraordinary courage. The Pakistan that we must build today requires something equally important: extraordinary consistency. Our forefathers were confronted with a historic challenge and responded with resolve. Our challenge is different. We have inherited the country they struggled to create. Our responsibility is to strengthen it, improve it and pass it on to the next generation in a better condition than we received it. That cannot be achieved through rhetoric alone.

Perhaps we should, therefore, make fewer grand resolutions this Independence Day. Instead, let every institution, every profession and every citizen identify one meaningful inch of progress and commit to taking it. One inch may appear insignificant. But one inch, followed by another, and another, eventually becomes a mile. And if millions of Pakistanis move an inch in the same direction, Pakistan itself will have moved a considerable distance.

The 79th Independence Day, therefore, should not merely be a celebration of how far we have come. It should be a commitment to how much further we are prepared to go. We owe that to those who gave us Pakistan. We owe it to those who live in Pakistan today. And above all, we owe it to those who will inherit Pakistan tomorrow.

Let this Independence Day mark not another mile of intentions, but the beginning of an inch of movement. Pakistan does not need to become perfect overnight. It simply needs to keep moving, consistently and in the right direction.