The day demands unity

As we celebrate our 63rd Independence Day today, we have to review whether we have been able to prove ourselves worthy of the freedom we earned through a heroic and difficult struggle. This is also the moment to review our performance as a nation and take stock of our progress towards attaining the progressive vision expounded by Quaid-i-Azam. To begin with, the movement for carving of a new state for the Muslims of the Subcontinent was constitutional and led by a lawyer who believed in upholding the rule of law. We did away with his profound commitment to the law and constitution by first not framing the national constitution for the first nine years, and when we framed one in 1956 we quickly wrapped it up. The rest, as they say, is history. We deviated from the Quaid’s emphasis on the supremacy of parliament. The ‘doctrine of necessity’ played a vital role in perpetuating this aberration. Thankfully, this discredited judicial innovation has been finally buried by the lawyers and conscientious judges. From this perspective, the newly acquired judicial freedom is one gift the nation can rightly boast of on this occasion of Independence Day.

Yet to say that the blessing of independence is complete with the judiciary’s independence would be wrong. Pakistan continues to face the threat of militancy which is a direct result of denying the rights to masses. This militancy has destroyed our whole system. The militancy and the present situation the country is facing today is the outcome of denying the legal and constitutional rights to the people of small provinces. The framers of the 1973 Constitution had pledged to do away with the concurrent list after 10 years and implement the clauses dealing with provincial autonomy. That pledge remains unfulfilled and, resultantly, a strong anti-Centre sentiment exists among smaller provinces. The Quaid had amply stated that in Pakistan there would be no room for discrimination on the basis of religion and sect. We blew to smithereens this advice as well. Consequently, apart from the growing religious militancy, as evident in the tribal areas, there exist laws on the statute books that endanger the minorities. In the same vein, women face extremist actions. Though of late, there has been a movement towards women empowerment, it would need transformation in the general attitude before it bears fruit.

Today, it can be seen that the rights of the poor are trampled upon and the country is being used by the rich as their fiefdom. Nothing of substance was done for the poor of this country, no proper land reforms were carried out, no poor-friendly economic policies were framed and today the ever-rising inflation is taking its toll on the masses. Caught in the stranglehold of landed aristocrats and exploitive entrepreneurs, there is little respite for the common man from the ravages of poverty. With national defence taking a major chunk, even if we discount the associated cost in the form of the military’s overextended intervention in civilian affairs, very little is left for the social sector. The cumulative outcome of all failings is a country which has yet to evolve a sustainable political system and therefore is incapable of functioning as a state. It is high time that we come out of the inherited shackles of slavish mentality, the character and the civil customs and re-orient our national policies as envisioned by our Quaid. The new government must be allowed to complete its full term so that democracy can eventually take roots.