Daily Times

Sir: The leaders who assumed power after the creation of Pakistan set a trend to celebrate Independence Day every year. The celebration was full of joy, passion, and enthusiasm. The government buildings were lit with homemade ‘diyas’. The trend continued, though the enthusiasm started to wane after a few years, however the focus shifted from actually celebrating the day our planet was born, to shows of extravagant spending and showing off.

We did not learn anything from the tragedy of 1971, when half the country was lost forever. We opted to live on borrowed money, falling in a debt trap where we had to borrow more to pay of older debts, and this vicious cycle continued for years. We missed to learn from Ghalib’s poetic verse “muft ki peetay thay mey aur dil mein kehtay thay keh haan, rung lae gi hamari faqa masti eik din.”

Those who are responsible for this undesirable act of spending on superfluous projects take pride in bringing progress and prosperity, while people long for basic necessities of life, including peace and protection. We need to rethink our present way of celebrating Independence Day, because we cannot afford to spend huge amounts of money on unnecessary shows of celebration, when poor people in the country are dying of hunger, and lack basic amenities. Also, given the huge burden of external and internal loans on the country, we need to rethink our ways of spending and save every penny in order to get rid of our debts. Only by making our economy strong and reducing the burden of debts can we justify real celebrations.

I would also appeal to our politicians to shun their differences and forge unity in the national interest and for a better and prosperous Pakistan. The country cannot afford to keep spending on new elections or tainted processes while economy keeps drowning in debt. Let’s make a pledge to celebrate this Independence Day by saving and contributing to a stronger Pakistan, than wasting borrowed money on showing off.

RAJA SHAFAATULLAH

Islamabad

Published in Daily Times, August 8^th 2018.