Charades and parades

Are we celebrating that we’re the only country in the world where polio still exists or our senseless terror attacks?

Parade? Really? The dictionary defines it as “a procession, especially one celebrating a special day or event”.

The last time the Pakistan Day parade happened was in 2007-08. That’s the year we had the Lal Masjid operation, after which public security unravelled at such a dizzying pace. So why now? What are we celebrating exactly? The fact that we’re the only country in the world where polio still exists or that we can’t stop the senseless terror attacks?

Or the fact that we tried arming school teachers since we can’t protect students or the fact that our airports aren’t safe for night flights so we ban flying after dark?

Let’s not fool ourselves; the decision to organise a parade has very little to do with marking the Lahore Resolution. There is no need to emulate what India does on its Republic Day.

Tit-for-tat responses with regards to India are part of the old mindset. The state shouldn’t have to match US President Barack Obama’s visit with Xi Jinping’s. How about copying India’s model of wiping out polio? We have a hydra-headed monster under our own bed that demands our unwavered attention.

If we want to make a positive impact outside the country, it can only happen when things improve at home. Whoever came up with the brilliant idea of a parade should realise that as a nation we aren’t at that point yet. We haven’t won the war yet. And yes, the public needs reassurance and support, but it’ll come from hard actions on the ground and not displays such as this one.

Why are our leaders such suckers for theatrics anyway? Will everything be all right just because we’ve made (or have we?) a National Internal Security Policy, a National Action Plan and are arresting ‘terror suspects’? Will peace come to Karachi or Quetta by virtue of counter-terrorism measures ? Why does Nawaz Sharif feel that it’s okay to spend several millions on flaunting guns and tanks for a day to impress the Chinese leader? How about using the same money for protecting polio workers? Or strengthening the police and the justice system?

And what happens when, after the ‘grand’ parade is over and the patriotic serum dissolves, there’s another Shikarpur or Peshawar type incident, or worse? Would we have been right in celebrating? Repeating that we’re serious and will win the war over and over again isn’t going to help us. It’s that simple. But for our PR-loving leaders, that’s the easy way out.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2015.