I would like to add to the opinion by Zarminay Haq in her letter of 3 January and Amjad H Mirza in his contribution ‘The Pakistan that I see’ on same pages on 5 January.
Question is, why was Pakistan created? Why thousands of Muslims scarified their lives to have a separate homeland of their own? They wanted a piece of land where they could live according to the principles of Islam and enjoy all the rights which they deserved as human beings, because they were deprived of these opportunities under the British and the Hindus.
When they achieved their goal, they thought they would get basic facilities and their necessities would be fulfilled without any questions. Justice would rule the country. The evils like bribery, corruption, favouritism, usury and prejudices would find no place in the country. But alas, all the expectations and hopes were washed away by the leaders that came after our founding fathers.
The dictators disguised themselves under the cover of democrats and the democrats played the role of dictators. Excluding few, majority had their own axe to grind. Their arrival had been for a short period of time but the taste to rule intoxicated them to such an extent that even a decade was not enough to satiate their appetite.
Some of them were killed, exiled for years, put behind the bars, but the desire to rule did not diminish as now their offspring came forward to fill their into their shoes.
Why is it so? It is because the people of this country are unique. These people have many qualities, including too little retention of memory and no endurance. They are so simple that if someone robs them and then gives them back a little, they raise slogans in favour of such persons. It is lot easier to make them happy. They are so innocent that they can neither recognise the true faces behind the masks nor they have the ability to read between the lines.
These characteristics urge everyone so extensively that the men living in foreign palaces with all the facilities become restless and return to rule over us again. When would we get rid of these qualities is an even bitter question? But my advice is to get rid of these qualities as soon as possible for the sake of this country.
MUHAMMAD MASOOD ALAM
Khushab