“The story of Pakistan was a story of  the ideals of equality, fraternity and social and economic justice” Mohtarima Fatimah Jinnah

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نثار ميں تيري گليوں پے، اے وطن، کہ جهاں	(Urdu)
Nisar mein teri galyion ke aye watan ke jahan	(transliteration)
I give my life to your alleys, o my land, where	(translation)
چلے کے اٹھا سر نہ کوئي کہ رسم هے چلي	(Urdu)
chali hai rasm keh koi na sar utha kay chalay	(transliteration)
custom now dictates that one walk with head bowed	(translation)

                                                                                         (Faiz Ahmad Faiz) 

The state of Pakistan is facing the most difficult and unmanageable time of its history. Terrorism and religious extremism have been damaging the socio-political structure of Pakistan, its relations in the region and across the globe, or the last few years. The recent floods have escalated some of the problems, thousands have lost their lives, millions have been displaced, crops of cotton, rice, sugarcane and tobacco, worth of billions rupees, have been destroyed, and many cities and villages have been washed out. Although the natural disasters are beyond human control,  the recent flooding has exposed the state’s incapacity even to minimise the devastations. The people of Pakistan looks like a rabble and the concept of a nation has not been emerged yet. The institutions which are responsible to achieve it, are struggling to gain superiority and authority over each other. 

Once Mohtarima Fatimah Jinnah (younger sister of Mr. Jinnah) said, “The story of Pakistan was a story of the ideals of equality, fraternity and social and economic justice”. Mrs Hilary Clinton, US Foreign Secretary, in her recent message says, “Since gaining independence in 1947, the people of Pakistan have been writing that story, one day at a time. And the Pakistani people will continue to write the story that began 63 years ago.”

Sixty three years back, on 14^th of August, Pakistan came into being; however a vast majority of Pakistanis do not have a real experience of freedom. Since independence a small elite minority is enjoying-rather over enjoying itself, while the ‘Independence Day’ to a deprived majority is not more than the day of separation from the Indian Subcontinent. The people, who have memories of pre-partitions period, regard the British period as a golden time. The present political, social and economical scenario depicts a despairing picture of Pakistan. Who is responsible? Religious extremists would blame the West, political parties blame each other, some democrats will point out the military interventions, liberal and secular groups will criticise the Islamisation, minorities will mention the arrogance-rather persecution – of the majority community, and friends of Pakistan and the international community will refer to the insincerity and lack of commitment of the political leadership and the government. These all are valid observations, however Pakistan as country has no vision-rather has lost the vision which was given by its founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who In his opening speech, on 11^th August 1947, to the Constituent Assembly, said:

“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

He in particular highlighted the democratic features of England in his speech said,

“Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.” 

One of the foremost poets in the Indian sub-continent, Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) studied philosophy and English literature, but poetry and politics preoccupied him more than anything else, writing poetry that always antagonizes the ruling elite and challenges feudal values. In the 1930s Faiz Ahmed Faiz married a British woman, Alys Faiz. He had to go to jail repeatedly during both colonial and postcolonial times in Pakistan because of his liberal thoughts. He says,

If they snatch my ink and pen
I should not complain,

For I have dipped my fingers
In the blood of my heart.
I should not complain
Even if they seal my tongue,
For every ring of my chain
Is a tongue ready to speak. 

 

On the Independence Day I would love to share the masterpiece of Mr. Faiz Ahmad Faiz, translated by Mr. Asif Iftikhar, a friend of mine and the disciple of Mr. Javid Ahmad Ghamadi.

نثار ميں تيري گليوں پے، اے وطن، کہ جهاں کے اٹھا سر نہ کوئي کہ رسم هے چلي نکلے کو طواف والا چاهنے کوئي جو نظر چُرا کے چلے، جسم و جاں بچا کے چلے کشاد ہے اهل ِ دل کے ليے اب يہ نظم ِ بست و کہ سنگ و خشت مقيد هيں اور سگ آزاد	In every lane yours, O Land mine, my heart I lay   Where “No head shall rise!” now the way Stealthily to the tryst, must your love proceed And guard its life ‘n limb night ‘n day For those with heart, now 'tis the decree Stones ‘n wood in prison, and dogs roam free
ليے کے جو بهانه ِ دست کے ظلم هيں بهت هيں ليوا نام تيرے جنوں اهل ِ چند جو بنےهيں اهل ِ هوس مدعي بھي، منصف بھي   چاهيں منصفي سے کس کريں وکيل کسے	Suffice for the hand oppressive as excuse The few love-crazed that proclaim your name The plaintiff and the judge both venal plain Who be counsel, from whom one justice obtain?
مگر گزارنے والوں کے دن گزرتے هيں تيرے فراق ميں يوں صبح و شام کرتے هيں   بُجها جو روزن ِ زنداں تو دل يہ سمجھا هے ستاروں سے بھر گئي هو گي کہ تيري مانگ چمک اٹھے ہيں ِسلاسل تو هم نے جانا هے گئي هو گي کہ اب سحر تيرے رخ پر بکھر	But the one who'll not give up, still goes on ‘Tis how he does night 'n day, of you forlorn:   Now that the light through prison hole has faded My heart sees stars parting your hair Now that my chains are bright and un-shaded I know the dawn in your visage did appear
غرض تصور ِ شام و سحر ميں جيتے ہيں گرفت ِ سايہ ِ ديوار و در ميں جيتے ہيں	Thus, I live in thoughts of today and the ‘morrow In the shadow of prison walls ‘n door, my sorrow
يونهي هميشه الجھتي رهي هے ظلم سے خلق نہ ان کي رسم نئي هے، نہ اپني ريت نئي پھول يونهي هميشه کھلائے هيں هم نے آگ ميں نہ ان کي هار نئي هے، نہ اپني جيت نئي اسي سبب سے فلک کا گلہ نهيں کرتے تيرے فراق ميں هم دل برا نهيں کرتے     گر آج تجھ سے جدا هيں تو کل بهم هوں گے	Such has been the rift between Creation and oppression Neither their ritual nor mine new for the eye to see In such manner have my kind watered flowers in the fire Not new is their defeat, not new my victory  For this reason I don’t complain of the sky Even forlorn of your love, my hope won’t die
يہ رات بھر کي جدائي تو کوئي بات نهيں گر آج اوج پہ هيں طالع ِ رقيب تو کيا؟ يہ چار دن کي خدائي تو کوئي بات نهيں	If away today, tomorrow we’ll be one This night of separation is no great ordeal If rival’s moon is bright today, so it be! ‘Tis ephemeral apotheosis is not real!
جو تجھ سے عهد ِ وفا استوار رکھتے هيں علاج ِ گردش ِ ليل و نهار رکھتے هيں	Those who in your love keep strong Know the panacea for every wrong!
.۱۹۵۳، فيض احمد فيض Faiz Ahmad Faiz, 1953	Mr. Asif Iftikhar, McGill, Montréal Canada (Published in Renaissance, Lahore)

 

In this time of distress and hopelessness what can a true Pakistani and a lover of humanity do? Mr Ardisher Cowasjee, a prominent columnist says,

                            “As long as the majority of our people remain uneducated their thinking can only be narrow and bigoted. All we can do is constantly keep on reminding them of what Jinnah, the founder of their country, said and wrote.”

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