Pakistan, Then and Now

Pakistan came into being after a great struggle. According to Mr. Zaid Hamid , 40 lakh people lost their lives for it. Millions sacrificed their loved ones, their possessions and property. They came to Pakistan as refugees, without any worldly possessions, as individuals and families, after the horrible riots that had broken out once the creation of Pakistan was announced. These riots had started as far back as 1935, and unlike what many of my own generation or the new one is made to believe, this was the strongest factor that decided the Quaid that we are two nations who cannot co-exist. Today, children as young as ten or eleven are saying that the Quaid-e-Azam made Pakistan because he was power hungry. I am sure if he had agreed to work with Ghandhi or Nehru, he would have gotten a respectable post within the Congress, or in the Post partition Indian Government. Besides, he knew he was a dying man and did not have long to live. That was the main reason that he could not continue his bargaining and accepted whatever was given to him as Pakistan.

Immediately after Pakistan came into being, the people suffered great hardships to defy the world which in general believed that Pakistan would soon cease to exist. Whereas India had full support from the Western world, Pakistan had none. Despite everything, Pakistan made remarkable progress. Our beloved Quaid and leader died within a year of Pakistan’s creation, and soon after Quaid-e-Millat was also brutally murdered. It’s almost 58 years since his assassination, but most Pakistanis do not know about the whereabouts of his sons. He is the unsung hero of Pakistan who dedicated his life to the creation of Pakistan and gave his life for Pakistan. The next few years were not very pleasant, but somehow our country survived. Then came the era of the first Martial Law Dictator. I remember the happenings quite clearly. There were lots of apprehensions and fears, especially amongst the few corrupt people. Anyway, that was perhaps the golden era of Pakistan when we progressed in leaps and bounds. Pakistan began to be considered a model state, which had made remarkable progress. Its five year programs were taken and followed by many countries. I know my statement will bring down the wrath of a number of democracy-loving liberals who think that dictators have been the main cause of our country’s predicaments. But only those who do not want to face reality think and believe so.

During the Ayub era, PIA was doing great, PNSC was ready to make and launch its own ships, our railways ran on time, the industrial growth was also good and the best thing was that most Government schools produced good students with potential and ability who could be counted upon to lead and become useful citizens. But then, things somehow changed. Our people seem to be under a magical spell. As soon as the country appears to be on the path of progress, rumors from unknown sources begin to circulate, and quite a few people, whether willingly or unwillingly, spread them about, without any proper verification. Sometimes, the rumor takes an ugly turn, and most of the time, a change for the worse has taken place. Some rumors are still in circulation and have not been squashed. One is about our great leader, the Quaid-e-Azam, and the other which circulates from time to time is the effort to willfully destroy our Armed Forces. Forty years after Ayub Khan’s exit, the only institution that has some discipline and order left are the armed forces of Pakistan. There is no doubt that like every other institution in Pakistan, corruption has entered the forces, but it has still maintained its professionalism and discipline. As for the rest of the country, you can witness the corruption and chaos in every department. Why has this happened? Simply because I do believe in the existence of a group of people with “vested interest”. Now we have a situation where even educated people do not know what to do or where to look for. But we must pause and look around us, and think which phase in our country was good for us. Try and reason out why that was so. Then one can decide what is to be done. Pakistan must come first.

The people who blame the dictators, those who believe that a conspiracy has been hatched against the politicians need to think only of Pakistan. Think in these terms; what is needed to bring Pakistan out of the present mess? Suggest names of honest and straight forward people who you think can do some good for your country, About ten years back, Rehana Hakim in one of “Newsline” Editorials wrote that in a country with 16 crore people this is not difficult. Pakistanis need not continue to be depressed and dejected at the present state of affairs. Look around you for people who are honest and dedicated to the cause of Pakistan. When we decide to choose and select a leader for ourselves we would all come under one banner and start our selection process. The names that come to my mind are some of our younger generation parliamentarians like Marvi Memon, social workers like Maulana Abdus Sattar Eidhi, Ansar Burney, Syed Khalid Muhammad, founder member of ‘Take Back Pakistan’ and his wife Sabahat, Naila Salahuddin of ‘Shehri’, anchors like Zaid Hamid, Mubashir Lucman, Jasmine and Sahir Lodhi, journalists like Hassan Nisar, PJMir. There are reformers, great people like Haji Nazim, Jameel Yousuf, CPLC founders and Aziz Suharwardy. I am sure there are many more people that I do not know about and whose names I have missed out. But this is a start, a positive and welcome beginning for a new Pakistan. A Pakistan for you, me and everyone and for our coming generations. LONG LIVE PAKISTAN.