Kolkata: Without too much of beating about the bush, here’s straight to the point — As Pakistan celebrates its 75th Independence Day today, a few pertinent issues need to be addressed at the earliest.
Are our neighbours enjoying the fruits of Azadi in the true sense of the term? The array of fulminations traded at the nation is a clear vindication of the beleaguered state of affairs across the border. But they still have dreams despite knowing from within that such aspirations will be a damp squib if one doesn’t reconcile to reality.
“This country is undoubtedly a gift of Allah Almighty for us. I once again felicitate all Pakistanis, both inland and overseas, on this auspicious occasion,” tweeted PM Imran Khan! Didn’t he say Gift of Allah? Here are some facts that depict the true picture!
“This country is undoubtedly a gift of Allah Almighty for us. I once again felicitate all Pakistanis, both inland and overseas, on this auspicious occasion.”#HappyIndependenceDay#PakistanZindabad
10/11 pic.twitter.com/TMS7BvoIwA
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) August 14, 2021
1. Lack of democratic process 2. Pathetic fall in GDP. 3. Insurmountable incidence of unemployment. 4. Atrocities on minorities. 5. Condemnable treatment meted out to women. 6. The country’s relentless endeavour to harbour terrorists and foment insurgency in its immediate neighbourhood. 7. Feeble political leadership which succumbs to the whims and fancies of the Army at Rawalpindi. Need we elaborate?
The list would go on and on but little do the Imran Khans and Nawaz Sharifs realise that the country is on the cusp of being labelled a pariah state. The core of the contention is the background of the powers that be — leaders in Pakistan are bereft of grass-roots politics, most of them being rich land owners and industrialists who lack the acumen to push forward an agenda. The lust for power refuses to wane and it is this steadfast ambition that makes them pawns in the hands of the military generals who rule the roost.
The aftermath is horrifying — lack of clarity on their part takes a toll on the country that still reels under archaic laws which exacerbate the crisis — hence you face inhuman tortures on women, rampant honour killings and an unbridled run of miscreants that cut the country a sorry figure on the global platform.
What can you say about a country where a foreign envoy’s daughter is abducted in a plush area of the capital city? What about the murder of the daughter of a former diplomat? But unfortunately, Pakistan sees a foreign (read Indian) hand in them so in the bus explosion at Dasu or the recent blast in Lahore. Hey! You give shelter to proscribed terrorists but beg for sympathy for being victims of terrorism. Duplicity at its worst!
A country that has been run from Rawalpindi on more occasions than Islamabad, playing second fiddle to powerful forces like China and others in an anguished bid to stay relevant has only torpedoed its developmental process.
Be it Jammu & Kashmir or Taliban or Xinjiang, the hypocrisy of Pakistan is credible enough to be crucified but a pusillanimous Premier who runs piggyback on his iron friend, just wouldn’t mend his ways. Do not blame him — he cannot afford to antagonise his ‘Uniformed Bosses’! Pitiable!
Pakistan’s obsession with anything India and J&K persists much to the rest of the world’s dismay. Even in his Independence Day speech, Khan ensures he reminds the world of his solidarity with Kashmiris.
“On this occasion, we should not forget our Kashmiri brothers & sisters in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) struggling for their right to self-determination under extremely adverse circumstances marked by illegal Indian occupation & unspeakable repression,” he added.
The irony is that his party itself indulges in malpractice and violence to win polls in Pak Occupied Kashmir. On Afghanistan, a former senator has openly castigated Pakistan for being in tandem with the Taliban but Khan talks about peace and negotiations with the Taliban when the rest of the world is convinced of its connivance with the militant group. The statements of Khan only add to the rhetorical lexicon but have little relevance.
Sad! So sad! But why pass the buck to Khan? His continuity at the helm is subject to the will of the Army and he is not oblivious to it.
But the sufferers are ordinary Pakistanis who crave for peace but the ones they look up to are too besotted with greed and prominence.
Certainly not worthy of being wished, “Happy Independence Day.”
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