Over the last fortnight two more Pakistanis joined the pantheon of national heroes. Chaudhry Aslam of the Sindh police, who had been defending the citizens of Karachi against terrorists with exceptional courage and dedication to duty, was killed in a car bomb attack, and Aitzaz Hasan, a schoolboy in Hangu, died protecting his schoolmates while fending off a suicide bomber. These acts of valour were honoured with a spontaneous salute by all sections of society, security organisations of the state, parliament and the government. It was a rare moment of national unity. This coming together of the people and the state affirmed the values of humanity and sense of selfless duty of the citizens, whether in society or organisations of the state.
Chaudhry Aslam and Aitzaz Hasan rose to the stage of history as heroes when they demonstrated the perennial value that gives cohesion to a society: the status of a person is based not on how much one takes but how much one gives to others. That they were celebrated as heroes by a nation united signified that, in spite of being battered by the pursuit of power and pelf of the elite and in the face of the brutality of the terrorists, the strength and virtue of ordinary citizens remains undefeated and keeps the national edifice intact.
What is the underlying meaning of the myth of the hero in human history? The hero is an individual who makes an existential choice that affirms, even at the cost of personal interest, the highest values in terms of which the human community apprehends itself. By so doing the hero renews that community, gives it a deeper consciousness and ignites action to actualise its creative possibilities. Thus the choice of the hero becomes a metaphor that resonates in the collective psyche and serves to pull society out of its stasis into action.
Hegel proposed: “Men make their own history, though not in circumstances determined by themselves.” Well, in the context of our present discussion, we can suggest that the hero helps identify that point of inflection in history and provides the impetus through which individuals can overcome existing circumstances to construct a better future for themselves. Therein lies the power of the hero myth. Joseph Campbell, in his book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces argues that the hero myth has “a characteristic efficacy to touch and inspire deep creative centres”. Thus, one can argue that the hero is simultaneously a poet and a teacher who inspires a new awareness of the deeper significance of existence: through the poetry of the heroic act, society can identify its historic moment and is catalysed into making history.
Ever since the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has come into power, the state and society of Pakistan have been subjected to a relentless series of attacks by the Taliban conglomerate. However, following the resolution of the All Parties Conference, the government has assiduously sought peace talks with the Taliban. During the last two weeks, the Taliban have spoken but in the language of escalating violence: the bombing of Chaudhry Aslam in Karachi, the suicide bombing attempt at a school in Hangu in which Aitzaz Hasan sacrificed his life, the attack on the Express TV staffers in which three brave men lost their lives and, most recently, the suicide bombing outside the GHQ in Rawalpindi where over a dozen soldiers and civilians were killed. It is clear that the terrorists are waging war against Pakistan and its constitutional order. Thirty thousand soldiers, police personnel and civilians have given their lives in this battle for Pakistan. There are so many unsung heroes in the armed forces of Pakistan and the police. Through their love, our heroes have strengthened the commitment of the people of Pakistan to defend their country and the human values that define them. This is the moment when the choice the leadership makes will shape the future of Pakistan. If the choice is to defend Pakistan and all that its people hold dear, the leadership will find that the people will stand behind them, resolute and united.
The writer is Distinguished Professor of Economics at the FC College University