Dear Quaid-I-Azam,
I write this letter to you on the 138th anniversary of your birth. I am embarrassed to say we have not been able to live up to your great expectations of us. We have let you down. You formed our magnificent nation of Pakistan after much struggle and hardship. You gave us the motto of ‘Unity, Faith and Discipline’, I am afraid we are struggling with this also. You asked us to respect others irrespective of their faith, look after the weak and vulnerable of our society. You surely would have expected us to try harder?
In fact we have travelled on a journey directly opposite to your beliefs and principles. We started off by discriminating against our religious minorities then killing them, because they were different. Now this culture has spread and nobody is safe, even women and children. People including tourists are afraid of visiting our country. Some local inhabitants are trying to leave, anyway they can find.
We are influenced by powerful foreign nations, backed up by millions of dollars and pounds in foreign aid. But we are not totally sure where it all goes, as the poorer gets poor and public services are at a stretch. We have excelled in corruption and the black market which you clearly warned us against. We developed the intelligence to equip ourselves with nuclear weapons to defend us against outside threats. However the internal threats have proved to be far worse.
We have focused too much on asking others, what ‘type’ of Muslim are you? Rather than following the basic principles of Islam ourselves. We have accumulated political dynasties instead of cultivating individual political brilliance. The political parties amuse themselves by participating in daily melodramatic soap operas. We are maligned and demonised in the world as a ‘terror/failed’ state.
You repeatedly expressed the need for ‘ justice and complete impartiality’ without favouritism. I wish we had followed your advice.
However on a positive note we have an extraordinary, talented, intelligent population of 180 million, with a vast international diaspora. I feel that as a combined unit of honest, hardworking citizens, the nation is powerful enough to make a change for the better. As individuals, communities, regions, provinces and as a country we can make the change peacefully. As a nation we need to grasp the momentum and deliver on the ethics and principles that you as our ‘founding father’ taught us. We need to start the revolution to recovery. We need to put ourselves on the map once again, in a positive way. This time we will learn from our mistakes.
We owe it to you, Quaid-I-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the millions who have given their lives for the ‘Land of the Pure’ Pakistan, to follow your guidance.
God, Almighty rewards generously the nations, governments and the people when they manage the requirements of justice with equity. These principles will protect us from further destruction. I pray for a peaceful future for Pakistan.
Yours Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
