We have to ask ourselves whether we are truly a sovereign nation. An affirmative would lend closure to the debate, but an affirmation we cannot offer. With a bunch of leaders that form a pseudo-democratic government has become the bane of our lives. Sovereignty is lost when options are closed as in the case of entering into the US-led war that we were forced to own. Pakistan had never been an absolutely sovereign nation as every decision made has been for the pleasure of the others.
We lost our liberty soon after independence when all the Toms, Dicks and Harrys from all over the world could influence the political action in this country. We became even less so when we started begging for money. Killing and selling our people for the extra buck. Can beggars ever become choosers? Let’s come out of our fool’s paradise and not be shocked every time the US enters our terrain! What we actually need is to start the process of gathering ourselves as a nation, to put ourselves back on the track that would give us strength. It may be a slow and tedious process, but it is the only one that we are left with. It should be known that to defeat the enemy you must first attain a position of strength.
DR SAFA RAHMAN
Islamabad
