The Islamic Republic of Pakistan turned 65 three days ago. The country that came into existence after much bloodshed is still bleeding; there is no end to its suffering. Perhaps the bleeding never stopped.
Granted some of the damage was done by the foreign forces but most of the damage was inflicted by our own hands. We allowed ourselves to lie, to cheat and to become dishonest in every walk of life. Result is for all to see. We have wide spread poverty, lack of basic education and morality, lack of any sort of health structure, no clear public policy, no tolerance towards ideas and views different from ours, high levels of hypocrisy, no patience and no respect for others, no unity, no faith and no discipline – ironically the last three attributes are the motto of Pakistan . In short we are everything that a nation or a country should not be. Last year Pakistan was ranked 12th worst state on the list of failed states.
The country presently is being run by incompetent nincompoops. It is futile to blame them entirely for they merely reflect the society. Our beloved President Mr. 10-percent along with much adored Prime Minister Raja Rental/Bijlee are from amongst us. This does not mean that every second person can become the President or Prime Minister; it means that every second person is Mr. 10 percent or Raja Rental in some way or the other! (So don’t be surprised if you see Zardari blinking back at you through a mirror – scary thought)
It’s heartbreaking to see the county where it is right now. All the efforts for a separate Muslim homeland have been all in vain because what we have today is clearly not what the dream began with. We have had very little to cheer about for the past 65 years (apart from cheering every alternate hour for being blessed with electric supply). But these 65 years could not have been all bad.. I would like to think that we achieved something as well. For better or for worse, we did become a nuclear state which I personally believe is a stupendous achievement considering the circumstances in which the nuclear bomb was made. At least most Pakistanis cheered at that. 1992 Cricket World Cup and 2009 T20 World Cup are also one of the very few things that the whole nation was happy about. People like Dr. Abdus Salam, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Ali Moeen Nawazish, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Arfa Karim and many others like them have made the country proud but all these names are never celebrated. The nations that fail to celebrate their heroes seldom produce more of them, and that is the ultimate demise. May God help this nation – Amen.
