Celebrating our freedom

NIDDERAU, GERMANY: I like what Rubina Saigol said in her article “Whose freedom are we celebrating?” (August 11). I agree that things have been going in the wrong direction since 1947. Democracy was not given a chance and many democratic leaders who came lacked the qualities needed to be leaders. Admittedly, Pakistan’s governing institutions were weak from the outset, but the army’s meddling has made them even weaker. Pervez Musharraf’s rule left the civil service and judiciary defanged and demoralised. (A tenth of civil-service appointments must still go to the military.) But we must carry on pursuing the path of secular democracy. We need to give equal rights to minorities and women. Laws should be made that women are allotted a certain per cent of jobs in all spheres, be it shops, restaurants or offices. Unfortunately, the number of those who believe in liberal thinking is shrinking rapidly. That is perturbing. Sixty-three years may not be a long time in history, but unless we divert our priorities and direction, things will not improve.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2010.