Happy Birthday New Pakistan
My greatest regret is that I have only one life to give for Pakistan and expect most of the 160m Pakistanis inside and outside of Pakistan to echo such sentiments. This pakwatan is now sixty years strong and the sixtieth birthday of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a great day to celebrate for one and all, even more so in 2007. The number 60 is of some significance in our celebrations but surely our real cause for celebration is the birth of a new Pakistan. From flooded Karachi to Khyber all will tell you that Pakistan has awoken from her deep sleep; that something is in the air, and that we are living in historic times.
Chili Davis once said of birthdays that ‘growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional’. For too long Pakistan has grown only older, with green and white adorning every bazaar and basti cometh each August, the net effect resulting in only a date being celebrated and the cause for the celebration forgotten. As a nation we have many questions and crimes to answer for. Have we forgotten the blood and toil of our forefathers who made this land pure through their sacrifices, and worse why have we allowed the Quaid to be reduced to an ornament in name with his portraits decorating our homes and offices but not our hearts? Have we forgotten the vision of Allama Iqbal and that Pakistan was created to be the second Madina or do we not care anymore?
The Holocaust Museum in Washington DC words capture best our predicament namely that ‘thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, and above all thou shalt not be a bystander’. However for far too long Pakistanis have been a bystander and sat on the fence as every evil was committed in our name by military and civilian regimes alike. This is our national war crime and we cannot absolve ourselves from our acts of omission and commission and of let it be any longer. It is true that Pakistan has grown older but not wiser and seen payback through turmoil after turmoil but after the 9th of March 2007 all has changed, Pakistan said with one voice that enough is enough.
A new dawn has broken and a new Pakistan is in its embryonic stages thanks to the lawyers and awaami movement that has reclaimed Pakistan for all of Pakistan. For me the Pakistan of 2007 is a reincarnation of sorts of the Pakistan of 1947 for this new Pakistan is being sculpted by lawyers and the awaam alike as was the case in 1947. It is true we have do not have the Quaid to lead us through this crucial time but we do have his ideals and vision as our guide. This moment will not come again, someone said ALLAH has taken suo moto notice to save Pakistan, please do not waste it.
At Other Pakistan we see this as the perfect opportunity to articulate how we can all work together to build a better and more just Pakistan and we invite all Pakistanis to play their part in the spirit of nation building noting the words of Agatha Christie who once said ‘good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that’s no reason not to give it’ so pass on your advice by emailing me at wasim@otherpakistan.org
Let us create an alternative Pakistan, that other Pakistan of which we can all be proud of.
- Originally posted on 12th August 2007, 15.36 PK Time