Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
―John F Kennedy
Pakistanis all over the world live in a default “apologetic” state. Any ill-found misdirected accusation can see the best of us kneeling down begging for forgiveness without even challenging the basis of such charges.
In the last few days I have seen a sudden surge of Anti Pakistan writings by some so called “pseudo-patriotic intellectuals”. Whether it be the notoriety of the “green passport” or the astonishingly prominent standing on the “Google sex search database” we don’t miss a chance to denounce our country!
Start discussing “terrorism safe houses” in Pakistan or President Obama’s latest visit to India and you will have an infinite number of “hibernating drawing room political pundits” and “narcissistic intelligentsia” jumping up and down with remorse for their motherland.
Reading about people narrating their experience at various embassies while holding the green passport in an abashed manner makes me think that this contrition is deep seated. Blaming non-issuance of visa on the “color” of the passport rather than the deficiencies in application, uncertainty of means and reason to travel and/or the errors made by the particular embassy staff, has become a norm. Majority of well settled overseas Pakistanis will agree with me that challenging visa rejection can be a very successful tactic if employed early and with good reason rather than blogging about it .People who have been through visa processes also know it’s not always the color of the passport rather the “caliber” of the person holding it which matters.
List of countries topping the Google “porn search” has been widely advertised as a depiction of frustration in Pakistani youth in particular and Muslim youth in general. I am not sure if the Pakistani newspapers highlighting these grossly misrepresentative findings of the overall data did any search of their own before initiating this assault on Pakistan’s already tarnished reputation. The fact is that Pakistan tops the lists for the least searched keywords such as “bird sex” as compared to the more commonly ascribed words like “sex”, “sex videos”, “free sex”, “porn” etc. Google admitted in a statement that the results in the minimally searched categories can be inaccurate referring to the extremely small sample size being prone to statistical inaccuracies.
The notion of “Terrorism safe houses” was probably coined to pressurize General Musharraf’s regime to undo the work of his predecessor ,General Zia. An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis denounce all “banned terrorist outfits” as well as support efforts to excavate this cancer of extremism from the “Land of the pure”. This country is no longer a terrorist safe heaven, rather is en route to becoming worse than hell for the ill meaning conspirators .
There is no denying the fact that President Obama’s visit to India will have far reaching consequences. Asia is the continent which will be holding the baton of world economy in the coming decades and Indian economic supremacy is a “reality”. The recognition of this fact should prompt us to delve into the reasons behind such economic success. Continuation of democracy, unprejudiced and more refined electoral system, impartial judicial system, higher literacy rates, better foreign policies, meritocratic appointments at key posts and comparatively higher level of investment in research are some of the reasons for their success rather than the color of their passport or their religion.
Self accountability is one of the tools which helps define the future of a nation. That said, self flogging can ruin self esteem and the ensuing lowliness can be destructive.
Our Forefathers strived for an independent homeland which would become an aspiration for others to follow.
Quaid’s message was of hope and utilization of resources with a method.
“My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.”
― Muhammad Ali Jinnah“You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude and determination you bring to it.”
― Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Allama Iqbal (RA) told us that nurturing of human ego or one’s “Khudi” is fundamental to success. He has taken clues from the Holy Quran, and tried to make us understand .
Pakistanis are playing a pivotal role in economic, educational and health sectors of various first world countries. Majority of our population is young who make exceptional workforce on foreign soils. We are amongst the highest suppliers of quality doctors, accountants and engineers to other countries. Our land is fertile and beaming with minerals worth billions .People like Imran Khan, Edhi, Burni and Cheepa are successful selfless philanthropists likes of which are unmatchable. As a nation we are one of the highest givers of charity in the world. Despite the worst support systems, we continue to produce sporting greats. Despite paucity of resources,we achieved nuclear capability thanks to the genius of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and Dr Mubarakmand. And finally to top it all, we have become aware of our rights and have started questioning the “self proclaimed elites”.
The path to success is lit with hope not despair, self esteem not self effacement, ego and not demureness. Let us all try to act on these principles of continued success and stop blaming “Pakistan” for “our” frailties!
