Daily Times

There is a dire need to fully enlighten the young generation about the background of the freedom movement of Pakistan, that freedom is a priceless blessing.

14th August holds a special and historical significance for the Muslims of Pakistan. On August 14, 1947, the Castle of Islam Pakistan came into existence on the world map based on the two-nation theory.

Millions of Muslims offered countless sacrifices for the establishment of their homeland. Millions of Muslims sacrificed their lives for Pakistan. The only purpose of mentioning these sacrifices is whether our young generation is aware of how much sacrifices our elders have made for the establishment of this country.

The freedom of Pakistan is not less than any blessing given by Allah and it is less to thank Allah for it. Every year, the young generation celebrates the country’s independence on August 14 with enthusiasm, colorful events are organized in every region of the country, while the people also organize their processions.

After the celebrations, though we become silent again for a year, even though Independence Day is a day of pledge renewal and we should collectively repeat the pledge on August 14th for which we have sacrificed millions to get this dear country.

As a free nation, our motto should be that we should not fall into any kind of sectarianism, linguistic or provincial differences.

We will work to achieve this goal with the same passion that we had at the time of the independence movement and whether our young generation and the generations that came after the establishment of Pakistan had and still have this passion for this country. Always be ready to make any kind of sacrifice.

There are various requirements of Independence Day: the first requirement is sacrifice, that freedom demands sacrifice, and besides, the biggest requirement of Independence Day is that we end our differences and establish unity within ourselves so that we can fight against the conspiracies of the enemy together. As a free nation, our motto should be that we should not fall into any kind of grouping, sectarianism, linguistic or provincial differences and our great leader, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, taught the nation unity, faith and organization. That is, the first lesson is unity and unity is the basic thing for the development of any nation.

I will give an example of this oppression and persecution that have been going on for a long time in Occupied Kashmir, but after August 5, 2019, the oppression and oppression that India has done there made us realize how great a blessing freedom is.

There was a time when our elders made efforts to free the country from the British, in memory of which we are celebrating this day, and today there is a time when our country is going through a severe crisis, the economic conditions are very bad, political parties are fighting each other, everyone is in the process of building their mosque.

Independence celebration is not that hoisting the flag, cutting the cake, dressed the children in green and white clothes, these are the external requirements, but the real purpose of the independence celebration is something else which should be taught to every member of the nation.

The value of this freedom cannot be realized without bringing forward the story of the atrocities of the British and then the atrocities of the Hindu extremists. Take account of your efforts in terms of the pace of development and prosperity, the potential fruits of independence and the survival of communal harmony and integrity of the country.

August 14th is celebrated as Independence Day but also as I have mentioned before it is a day of reckoning as to where we stand as a nation and what role we have played in the development of our country. What are the achievements of our elders, are we following in their footsteps or have we strayed from their path?

The protectors of our country’s borders are our armed forces who are performing their duty well and there is no doubt that the Pakistan Army is playing its role to maintain this freedom in the presence of an enemy like India, but there is a question, do our political and civil institutions also have the same passion to maintain the glory of the country and its freedom and independence, these are the basic questions that this country Pakistan demands from us at the time of Independence Day.

Therefore, we as a nation have to have full faith in our abilities and we have to continuously strive to get the nation out of the present difficulties at the same time we have to make sure that we do not lose this great blessing like freedom. And to raise the name of the country in the international community, every individual has to continue their efforts at their level. This is the requirement of freedom and this is the lesson of August 14 that we have to remember.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.