Our War of Independence

And the way ahead

The relations with Afghanistan will continue to deteriorate as long as Indian presence is there. To counter-balance this problem it would be in Pakistan’s interest to increase bilateral relations with the Central Asian Republics

We always hear a lot about the struggle that American founding fathers made to get independence from Britain. It is quite obvious that nations sometimes exaggerate reality and make heroes to follow for the years to come. These heroes actually become idols in the lives of nations.

The America that we see today has travelled a very long journey and the struggle has been dominated by immense sacrifices. They fought against the British Empire due to the oppressive and suppressive rule of the Brits. But a lot of people don’t know that Americans were backed by France in the pursuit of freedom. The Battle of Yorktown (1781) was decisive in the American Revolution and in that particular battle French General Marquis de Lafayette played a significant role.

Americans fought for almost eight years from 1775 till 1783 to get freedom. The Treaty of Paris on 3 September 1783 marked the end of the American Revolutionary War and Britain recognised the sovereignty of the United States of America.

The story behind the creation of Pakistan is almost 90 years long. The War of Independence in 1857 marked the beginning of the struggle for the creation of Pakistan and continued till August 14, 1947. The pursuit of freedom is filled with unprecedented and unmatched oppression by the Brits. Apart from the British, Muslims fought against Hindus, Sikhs and even many Muslim individuals and organisations. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was the man who laid down the foundations of Pakistan and equipped the Muslims of South Asia with the power of knowledge.

Apart from the remarkable leadership of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal, it is very much evident that some credit goes to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler who brought Britain to its knees during World War-II and paved the way for the independence of Pakistan. The Atlantic Charter of 14 August 1941 by the US and UK is clear evidence of how Germany’s war effort brought the principle of self-determination in the favour of the Muslims of India. The Cripps Mission in March 1942; headed by Sir Stafford Cripps mandated by PM Churchill was another effort by UK to gain the support of India to fight against Axis Forces. Hitler also funded Subhas Chandra Bhose’s ”Azad Hind” independence movement.

The story of Pakistan is unique in the history of the world and there is no precedent to the sacrifices made by the Muslims of South Asia. Those who witnessed the creation of Pakistan still believe it to be a miracle. The survival of this land till this day is also not less of a miracle.

Perhaps today we have forgotten the immaculate sacrifices made by our fathers. It is the time that we must reiterate our ultimate resolve to safeguard Pakistan and bring down every enemy of the fatherland. It is prayed that the government may accelerate its efforts to eradicate terrorism so that the economy may flourish and maximise. The survival of Pakistan can only be assured through concentrated efforts on national integrity and the achievement of national objectives as they were envisaged by Quaid and Iqbal. PM Nawaz has to realise that India was never our friend and it never will be. It is the need of the hour to support the Kashmiri freedom movement by every means possible so that India may withdraw its sabotage and disruption policies across Pakistan especially in Baluchistan and Karachi. The Pakistani support for Kashmiri brethren hurts India the most.

Pakistan must look for new friends to survive in the dynamic world. The relations with Afghanistan will continue to deteriorate as long as Indian presence is there. To counter-balance this problem it would be in Pakistan’s interest to increase bilateral relations with the Central Asian Republics. Apart from China, it is the most appropriate time to move towards Russia for bilateral trade and security relations.