Freedom for you and for me
For nations to dwell on dreams is living. We stopped dreaming long ago and consequently we are living a nightmare now. We don’t have a great past to boast about. With unscrupulous politicians, corrupt and undisciplined police force, over-ambitious generals, inept bureaucracy, unenviable judiciary, we don’t have much to regale to coming generations.
Our mullah is not left far behind either. He has done everything to bring to disrepute the very religion majority of the nation professes.
We have just celebrated yet another anniversary of our independence. We paid rich tributes to Quaid’s leadership and thanked him for his untiring labour to create this country for us. We thanked him for employing matchless perseverance of his character, acumen and wisdom to carve out a country for us for a free flow of our faculties, for advancement and improvement in our lives.
Where do we stand now? We certainly aren’t what the Quaid had envisaged. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves where did we falter? Where did our sincerity of purpose and a deep commitment to integrity, solidarity, sovereignty and independence go? How did we turn into a ragtag of teaming, wreathing, swelling and shrivelling millions?
Where do we stand now? We certainly aren’t what the Quaid had envisaged. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves where did we falter?
We certainly haven’t lived up to our Quaid’s vision of a new country. We may have moved ahead a little in certain areas, but our overall performance as a nation, at best, is dismal. Sixty-seven years after the departure of the Quaid, we have very less to boast about and much more to feel ashamed of.
For example, take the slogan Pakistan Ka Matlab Keya ‘What does Pakistan mean?”, La ilaha illallah, There is no god but Allah. Islam claims to have brought peace and tolerance to the world and preaches equality and egalitarianism by ridding the society of tribalism, ethnicity and sectarianism.
Look what the mullah has done to Islam itself? When you are caught off guard by the shout ‘Allaho Akbar’, you look around in haste and expect a boom.
One wonders if an acute minority of these firebrand mullahs, who have no regard and respect for human life against the explicit teachings of the Quran, is tarnishing Islam then why are Ulema silent or not loud enough?
This acute minority of fanatical half-wits is ruining Pakistan in the name of Islam and our mainstream Ulema are not able to counter their offensive propaganda that is wooing our children away from us to them.
Our mainstream Ulema must be louder than ever before and expose to the world the devilish nature to these violent, extremist and fanatical outfits that are neither Islamic nor humane in their operational and ideological comportment.
Can anything happen in an environment where politicians are so unscrupulous that they can go to any length to serve themselves? Each day a new scandal flashes in the media. We hear millions of rupees are misappropriated by one politician or the other. No one is put to shame. Elites in authority don’t care anymore what the people or the press say.
One wonders if an acute minority of these firebrand mullahs, who have no regard and respect for human life against the explicit teachings of the Quran, is tarnishing Islam then why are Ulema silent or not loud enough?
We have an aimless and crumbling educational system that has in the last 68 years failed to create a nation and meet its needs. We have rising inflation, unemployment, corruption, immorality, disregard to family life and social and political discontent. And what not! We have an economy that is shabby and politicians who will not tire themselves claiming windfalls. Millions of people living below the poverty line are simply not registered as existing.
Norman Douglas has rightfully given voice to our emotions which we can ill afford to ignore. Words of wisdom we should grasp from whichever source they may come.
I want freedom for you and for me
I want us to be free from violence, sickness and poverty
When we face our challenges, don’t be scared, don’t back down
Let’s help each other turn things around
Remember also that you are not alone
We are family, we help each other get strong.
Let’s all hope and dream good things
But it will only happen if you live it, work it and give it wings.
