Daily Times

On this March 23, it would be 61 years since Pakistan inaugurated its first constitution declaring the country a republic- a first in the Muslim world. The nation started celebrating March 23 as a Republic day instead of Pakistan Day. It is such a sad saga as to how this day, originally celebrated as a Republic Day, tuned into a bland Pakistan Day.

The story started soon after we got independence from the British. Until 1956 when Pakistan formulated its first constitution, the Government of India Act 1935 served as the makeshift constitution of Pakistan with certain adaptations as necessary. And the country being a dominion under the British Crown remained short of a sovereign state.

While India, freed the same day as Pakistan, was able to have a constitution in 1950, within two and a half years of its existence, making it a democratic republic and a sovereign state, no more a dominion of the British- the formulation of a constitution in Pakistan took almost nine years of tumultuous politics.

When the constituent assembly passed the constitution for the country on February 28 1956, it was decided to bring it into effect on March 23, 1956.

The date was planned to inaugurate the new constitution and a new republic in order to commemorate this giant leap of a nation with the All India Muslim League’s (AIML) historic Lahore Resolution which demanded independent state(s) [sic] for the Muslims of India; that AIML resolution in 1940 was also passed on the same date.

Indeed it was such a unique distinction as Pakistan ceased to be a dominion of the British Crown and became the first Islamic Republic in the world.

It meant that Pakistan will be a democracy. It was also agreed by the then political leadership of the country to celebrate this day annually as Pakistan Republic Day. The same year a commemorative postal stamp was also issued which proudly sported ‘Republic Day’ in bold fonts.

The government of Pakistan formally celebrated Republic Day on March 23 for the next two years. It’s noteworthy that the date of Lahore Resolution 1940 was never celebrated before 1956. Per se the Pakistan Day then used to be, more logically, celebrated on 14 August.

Unfortunately, in October 1958 President Iskandar Mirza imposed martial law in the country thereby abrogating the constitution and sending Prime Minister Feroze Khan Noon home.

The following March 23 in 1959, five months after, when Pakistan was neither a democracy nor did it have any constitution to declare it a republic- the rulers in country could not have certainly celebrated a Republic Day.

So Ayub Khan, who had removed Iskandar Mirza within just over a fortnight of his imposition of martial law, and his cronies found it so convenient to celebrate that day as Pakistan Day, linking it just to Lahore Resolution of 1940. Then onward and until August 1973, as the country was ruled either under dictatorship of Ayub Khan or under one form of interim Legal Framework Ordinances, only Pakistan Day could be celebrated.

Even the constitution of 1973 sustained for four years before it was abrogated and another dictatorship got imposed in 1977. The shadow which continued till General Zia, the military dictator, died in an air crash 11 years later.

The decade of the 1990s although saw successive democratically elected governments of Benazir Bhutto-led PPP and Nawaz Sharif -led Muslim League, both remained involved in politics of agitation mainly owing to the imbalance in civil-military relations.

When in power, each of them struggled to somehow survive their term in the office- albeit unsuccessfully every single time.

The idea of celebrating a Republic Day would certainly have looked so remote then. At the end of the 90’s, the rise of another military dictator, General Musharraf, was hardly seen with a shred of surprise who then continued to rule Pakistan till 2008.

Certainly, the political history of Pakistan didn’t offer us the luxury of thriving under continuous democratic regimes or a democratic republic and celebrating it year after year. By extension, our sporadic democratic governments couldn’t enjoy the confidence to restore a fully pronounced Republic Day celebration ever since 1958.

Nevertheless, today, we as a nation have moved forward. Pakistan saw for the first time a democratic political transition after a full term in 2013. Even the current government is heading towards the end of its elected term. The domestic outlook of the politics offers optimistic prospects of another round of general elections by early 2018.

With this outlook in view, shouldn’t our political leaders find enough confidence to be vocal and celebrate democracy? Certainly, the true essence and fruits of democracy will become more pervasively visible with the passage of time and as a result of our continued adherence with not only the system but with spirit.

Yet it’s inevitable for our political leaders to inculcate and instil a pride amongst the masses but pronouncedly for a democratic Pakistan through a set of upfront rites, such as restoring commemoration of March 23 as a Republic Day.

Having a Republic Day on March 23 should also help us as people to historically move forward.

Commemorating it with the 1940’s Lahore Resolution doesn’t allow us to imbibe nationalism without profusely invoking the memories of Hindu atrocities, both real and imagined, on our ancestors.

In fact, if we restore Republic Day to inculcate a passion, fondness and commitment towards a democratic Pakistan- it would add positive energy and a sense of festivity with a sort of PSTD effects for our painful memories of atrocious dictatorships in Pakistan and that of pre-independence servitude to the British.

Such an effect aptly echoes with Tennyson’s ‘The song that nerves a nation’s heart/Is itself a deed’.

Pakistan’s political leadership must deliver to spread the conviction in keeping this country a democratic republic and promote celebrating Republic Day pronouncedly instead of reticently murmuring that it is ‘also’ one.

The writer is a sociologist with an interest in history & politics. He can be reached at zulfirao@yahoo.com and tweets at @ZulfiRao1