The author is Editor of PakistanFirst.com and hosts The Editor's Show. He is also the Director of ‘Parliament Watch’ a project of the ‘Future leaders of Pakistan’. Ali believes in the youth of Pakistan and works with different think-tanks and groups to motivate the Pakistani youth.
By Ali Khan
Patriotism, is mostly treated as a word from the English dictionary, it should be, but only when used in a sentence.But when it is put to practice I ask you not to look upon it as ‘just a word’. Think instead, of the act that makes an ‘action’ patriotic.
Look at the intention that makes a decision patriotic, look at the sacrifice that makes a human patriotic.Dinning out on the 23rd of March or the 14th of August is a costly patriotic act, thus, limited to very few people in our country. But what about those for whom every day and every night is full of patriotism? There are many who sleep hungry every night but live their lives minus any iota of corruption.
I remember a picture that I once saw when the hurricane Katrina had hit the United States. It depicted people looting shops and homes. But I also remember those visuals from TV from the October ’05 earthquake in Pakistan, when people opened up their shops to give free food, shared their water and clothes with others.
What if someone unknown, with a big beard, knocks on your door and tells you that he has just fled his home - will you keep him in your house? Share your food and your clothes with him? And then, what if someone else knocks on your door with 5 family members, would you tell your children to share their clothes and toys with these unknown people?
What if you have so many unknown people walking into your home that you share everything with them and are left with nothing but a small blanket to sleep with?
People in Mardan and Dir have done this.
This is ‘patriotism’.
When the West says; “A friend in need is a friend in deed” we believe them, but when we Pakistanis are together, as one, in time of crises, are we not a nation? Helping each other in the time of need is a bad thing, now?
Whatever that Lawyer’s Movement was about, whatever that Chief Justice wanted, I could hardly care less. But don’t overlook that lawyer who saw his children sleep at night on empty stomachs, as he couldn’t make money that day since he was fighting for justice in his country - not selling it.
How can you and I ignore that patriotic act?
For God’s sake, even the maximum torture a ‘Talib’ could do to a non-Muslim in Pakistan is to put ‘Jazia’ on them for against which they provide them security and justice according to their religion. Also, I have never heard that non-Muslim Pakistanis are flogged in trains like chickens and burned. In Pakistan I have never heard of a church burnt to the ground either – with the bishop, his wife and his five-year-old child still inside. And you still say Pakistan never exhibits true unity and bonding?
Patriotism is not an economic scale from which you measure constant progression of development on every level. Even if it was, tell me the name of one other country in the world, which fought three wars, lost a part of it, helped destroy the world’s super power and has an archrival on one side, 7 times bigger in size, but still survived. And in its history the economy never went - with all the turmoil going on - below 2.5% GDP.
Tell me about a country which started with Rs. 200 million in cash, no industry, no resources, no government infrastructure, no offices and became what it is today. Let it be no surprise that in 2004 and 2005 we were the second fastest growing country in the world according to international organizations.
I think, we ought to thank the Almighty as from Rs. 200 million cash today, we stand more than $1 trillion in just 62 years. Although we could do much better.
Let it be known; Pakistan is a great nation. It has the power to not only survive in the gravest of times, but it has also taken the responsibility to save the world from the menace of terrorism and militancy.
The time for hopeless banter should be gone, now is the time for a rising again - with hope, belief and hard work. The time for only criticizing and criticizing alone should be done with, now is time for only developing minds, hearts and the will for a rising Pakistan.
After learning from our past, this time we shall be better and more resilient.
Our country is not as bad as we think it is. We have just stopped looking for the better things it gave us. Remember we don’t have to follow another nation, which does not share the same ideals and beliefs as us.
Let it be known; the people of Pakistan are patriotic, they are the followers of Allama Iqbal and they will one day make their homeland, as their Quaid said: “The greatest nation-state on earth”, a homeland they call Pakistan, ‘The Land of the Pure’!
*This article was written in response to Zareen Zubair’s ‘Who are we?’ article published in one of TGK’s previous issues.
Patriotism, is mostly treated as a word from the English dictionary, it should be, but only when used in a sentence.But when it is put to practice I ask you not to look upon it as ‘just a word’. Think instead, of the act that makes an ‘action’ patriotic.
Look at the intention that makes a decision patriotic, look at the sacrifice that makes a human patriotic.Dinning out on the 23rd of March or the 14th of August is a costly patriotic act, thus, limited to very few people in our country. But what about those for whom every day and every night is full of patriotism? There are many who sleep hungry every night but live their lives minus any iota of corruption.
I remember a picture that I once saw when the hurricane Katrina had hit the United States. It depicted people looting shops and homes. But I also remember those visuals from TV from the October ’05 earthquake in Pakistan, when people opened up their shops to give free food, shared their water and clothes with others.
What if someone unknown, with a big beard, knocks on your door and tells you that he has just fled his home - will you keep him in your house? Share your food and your clothes with him? And then, what if someone else knocks on your door with 5 family members, would you tell your children to share their clothes and toys with these unknown people?
What if you have so many unknown people walking into your home that you share everything with them and are left with nothing but a small blanket to sleep with?
People in Mardan and Dir have done this.
This is ‘patriotism’.
When the West says; “A friend in need is a friend in deed” we believe them, but when we Pakistanis are together, as one, in time of crises, are we not a nation? Helping each other in the time of need is a bad thing, now?
Whatever that Lawyer’s Movement was about, whatever that Chief Justice wanted, I could hardly care less. But don’t overlook that lawyer who saw his children sleep at night on empty stomachs, as he couldn’t make money that day since he was fighting for justice in his country - not selling it.
How can you and I ignore that patriotic act?
For God’s sake, even the maximum torture a ‘Talib’ could do to a non-Muslim in Pakistan is to put ‘Jazia’ on them for against which they provide them security and justice according to their religion. Also, I have never heard that non-Muslim Pakistanis are flogged in trains like chickens and burned. In Pakistan I have never heard of a church burnt to the ground either – with the bishop, his wife and his five-year-old child still inside. And you still say Pakistan never exhibits true unity and bonding?
Patriotism is not an economic scale from which you measure constant progression of development on every level. Even if it was, tell me the name of one other country in the world, which fought three wars, lost a part of it, helped destroy the world’s super power and has an archrival on one side, 7 times bigger in size, but still survived. And in its history the economy never went - with all the turmoil going on - below 2.5% GDP.
Tell me about a country which started with Rs. 200 million in cash, no industry, no resources, no government infrastructure, no offices and became what it is today. Let it be no surprise that in 2004 and 2005 we were the second fastest growing country in the world according to international organizations.
I think, we ought to thank the Almighty as from Rs. 200 million cash today, we stand more than $1 trillion in just 62 years. Although we could do much better.
Let it be known; Pakistan is a great nation. It has the power to not only survive in the gravest of times, but it has also taken the responsibility to save the world from the menace of terrorism and militancy.
The time for hopeless banter should be gone, now is the time for a rising again - with hope, belief and hard work. The time for only criticizing and criticizing alone should be done with, now is time for only developing minds, hearts and the will for a rising Pakistan.
After learning from our past, this time we shall be better and more resilient.
Our country is not as bad as we think it is. We have just stopped looking for the better things it gave us. Remember we don’t have to follow another nation, which does not share the same ideals and beliefs as us.
Let it be known; the people of Pakistan are patriotic, they are the followers of Allama Iqbal and they will one day make their homeland, as their Quaid said: “The greatest nation-state on earth”, a homeland they call Pakistan, ‘The Land of the Pure’!
*This article was written in response to Zareen Zubair’s ‘Who are we?’ article published in one of TGK’s previous issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment