#14ActsForPakistan: This Independence Day, be a part of the Urdu hashtag movement

Sparked by few tweets, # blew up all over the world.

KARACHI:

“Check the top trend on Twitter,” said Ahsan, my colleague, while pointing towards his laptop.

This was a regular conversation for us as we sipped on our morning teas and chatted about how depressing it was to wake up so early. Perks of being in the Digital Marketing field — we take our Twitter too seriously.

We also take patriotism very seriously. You can tell by the green and white décor and the sound of national songs resonating within the walls of our cubicles as August 14 draws near.

We huddled around Ahsan’s laptop, peering over each other’s heads to stare at a blue hyperlink. The hashtag that was trending on top was Justin Bieber. No offence to Bieber’s fans but this got us thinking — wasn’t the public supposed to be talking about nationalism and love for Pakistan with Independence Day so close?



We as a people have a tendency to curse others for their acts. We judge. We condemn. We lament. We disapprove. But what we hesitate to do is do is actually take concrete steps. I don’t blame us — the words ‘change’, ‘revolution’ and ‘peace’ after all have become too clichéd for us. They have been politicised, abused and patronised.

This is when we decided to start a trend — an Urdu trend.

We named it #میراپاکستان.

Sparked by only a few tweets from us, it blew up not just in Pakistan but all over the world. Within a matter of hours, it was trending worldwide as the first ever Urdu hashtag. We smiled at the success as it meant Pakistanis were alive and wanted to be heard.

At the end of the day, however, it appeared to be just another Twitter trend — words, not actions. Realising we had to do something to channelise all this positive energy into positive acts, it dawned on us. Act. #14ActsForPakistan, this August 14: Hand out some candy to the child selling flags on the street or maybe pass on a packet of juice to the random guy stuck in traffic, sweating in the heat and humidity. Gift a nice pair of sunglasses to that traffic policeman at the signal, controlling the boisterous rush of cars. In a nutshell, give something or do something for a Pakistani, for Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/HariMirchein/statuses/366151770054995968

Stop saying "sab karte hain" as a justification for your acts. Don't harm your country just because everybody else is. #14ActsForPakistan

— Syeda Jaisha (@SyedaJaisha) August 12, 2013

The idea, although simple, received an overwhelming response from the public. It was once again a worldwide trend on Twitter with 1,500 contributors and a staggering number of 5,000+ tweets. People were curious and amazed at the same time.

We encouraged them to form their own groups of friends, take to the streets and do their own version of #14ActsForPakistan this Independence Day. Even our friends from across the border started talking about how they could do something similar for their own country.

https://twitter.com/dancintilldawn_/statuses/367031243759562753

This hashtag movement not only includes people in this venture, but has also gathered support from renowned brands and companies who have been pitching in funds and providing coverage. We have our cars, we have our supplies and we have our patriotism ready to hit the roads on August 14. Act for Pakistan and be a part of this campaign!

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2013.