March 25, 2012
By Farhan Bokhari

Pakistan’s annual Resolution Day on March 23 was hardly a moment of celebration for the South Asian country. Remembered in the memory of a landmark resolution passed by the Muslim leaders of India in 1940 to carve out a separate country for themselves, the event was followed by the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

While Pakistan was born in adversity as a country, and saw one of the largest movements of migrants in modern history, its ultimate fate as a nation could not have been visualised by its founding fathers.

Accounts of millions of migrants sacrificing most of their worldly belongings, all for the journey towards a new country and a new nation, remain central features of the story of Pakistan’s birth.

Yet the many ironies surrounding Pakistan’s story today stand in sharp contrast to the dream of Pakistan when it was born. On Friday — the commemoration of the 1940 resolution saw Pakistan observe a public holiday though with many glaring ironies.

In a country which is starved of electricity, prominent buildings were well lit, while the top leaders hosted lavish meals to mark the day, at least a third of Pakistan’s population went to bed underfed. Meanwhile, in sharp contrast to the unity which surrounded Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a credible and well-respected leader of the Pakistan movement, the country he created remains divided politically, ethnically and geographically.

On Friday, the mediocrity of those in charge of Pakistan was evident at the event held to give out civil awards by Asif Ali Zardari, the president. Barring the well-deserving illustrious few such as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker, the event was devoted to the services of political cronies from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.

This followed a year in which Zardari, Prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other notable figures of the ruling party have only wrapped themselves with new controversies. Defying the Supreme Court and thereby the rule of law has become the norm in today’s Pakistan — a country, whose founding father, Jinnah, an illustrious barrister, would never have compromised on his principles.

Nepotism

The collapse of Pakistan’s political and economic institutions in the past four years since Zardari, Gilani and the PPP came to power, is a glaring example of how the dream of Pakistan has gone sour.

And the writing on the wall for the foreseeable future will likely be no different. As the leaders seek to consolidate their hold on a country which is surrounded by widespread accounts of corruption and nepotism tied to the top tiers of the ruling structure, Pakistan remains poised to see further aggravation.

In a year which is likely to witness the next parliamentary elections, Pakistan’s story of everything that will be in contrast to Jinnah’s vision will increasingly become the norm. Some of the PPP’s leaders recognised through awards on Friday have a history of blind loyalty to the party. Their examples are now set to be emulated by others among their compatriots, for such blind loyalty to a partisan cause has in fact become the route to success in today’s Pakistan.

As for the fate of Pakistan itself, more of the same will hardly make things better. The state of affairs is a complete departure from its founding vision.

Ultimately, Pakistanis must decide if they want to return to the vision of the country’s founding fathers or simply accept a fact of life that surrounds the country’s ruling structure today.

March 23 could well work as a powerful reminder of the need to rescue Pakistan from those in charge of the country, as they neither have the means nor the apparent desire to take the country towards its founding principles. A failure by the people of Pakistan to change the status quo will sadly continue to make anniversaries, such as the one on Friday, no more than a moment of rejoicing without meaning.

Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.
Source:Gulf News