We as a nation have become so critical of ourselves that we often forget to cherish the blessings in our lives. Specially, when it comes to analyzing the situation of our country, we take no caution in blaming the country for all the wrongs happening around. In the midst of all the criticism, we often ignore the fact that it’s our own collective behaviors that shape the society of ours. And it is we the people who are more or less responsible for most of the odds prevailing in the country. Hence, we are the ones who have the ability and the strength to change our own perspectives and narratives regarding our country and ourselves as a nation.
We keep quarreling on issues such as whether Pakistan was meant to be an Islamic country or a Secular country; whether Jinnah and Iqbal wanted to have a separate country for Muslims of Indo-Pak subcontinent or just a separate state with Muslim majorities. We even go to the extent of arguing over the validity of the Two-Nation Theory, which actually was the basis of creation of Pakistan. Whether we accept it or deny it, but Two-Nation theory will remain a foundation of the creation of Pakistan. Such vagueness of minds at this stage when it’s been 67 years since Pakistan came into being is nothing but a huge disappointment.
With every passing year, the spirit of independence seems to be declining to a painful extent and our nation is forgetting to cherish the fact that we are an independent nation. We may not understand the importance of being an independent nation because our generation has not witnessed the struggle of independence but we should never forget that our forefathers did struggle and sacrifice a lot for this piece of land for their future generations so that we may be able to enjoy the sense of freedom which they had been deprived of.
14th August has become more or less just another day to enjoy a holiday. We do not realize the importance of the day anymore. We forget to pay tribute to those who scarified in many ways for this land which our leaders had carved out for us. We don’t bother to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation for his selfless struggle for the Muslims of the region.
We keep looking at the flaws within us throughout the year but on the day of our Azadi, we must put aside those negativities for a while and give the message to the world that no matter how weaknesses we may have within us, we are all one; for Pakistan is what gives us our identity. 14th August can be the best day to pay homage to all those martyrs of our defense institutions who have always been brave enough to fight and take the bullet to defend the motherland so that the rest of the nation can live in peace.
Independence is a real blessing. We Pakistanis needs to realize the value of this blessing all over again. And if anyone has forgotten what Azadi is all about, just have a look at the conditions of the oppressed nations – Kashmir and Palestine – for a while and ask them what freedom means to them. Then we shall definitely understand that to be an independent nation is truly a blessing. Independenceis a feeling which is to be kept alive at all times.
