In(creasing)Dependence Day 2023 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #835

In(creasing)Dependence Day 2023 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #835

Dear Colleagues!  This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #835 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans aims to share knowledge and wisdom from Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on  WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here.

Photo Credit: Khawar Nazir

This is not a political post; it is rather a cry over what has happened and is happening to our beloved country.

I was borne a few years after the partition, grew up during Ayub Khan’s regime, and suffered through successive, repressive regimes. The independence we received on 14 August 1947 was increasingly usurped by each new government; the last one acing them all.

Without taking names, and names are not even required, because all of them have been the same, our country has been looted, robbed, plundered, exploited, tortured, distorted, and looted again. We have major challenges looking at us in our face, but we are not paying attention, or worse still, looking the other way. 

The question is what do we celebrate? What should we celebrate? 

The crowd of motorcyclists who roam around the cities on the nights of 13/14 August is a mob which is out to disrupt the lives of ordinary citizens. They neither have any sense of independence nor any respect for it. They do not represent Independence Day celebrations. They are hooligans of various shades with many shady objectives.

Lighting at the buildings and on the roads is a routine activity which is seen every year. The enthusiasm, if any, has been waning. School children are forced to come and celebrate independence today. Private corporates celebrate with real fervor, but it is a day or two earlier as no one wants to come on a holiday.

The air of the country is not filled with happiness; it is filled with anguish, concerns, worries, fear, apprehensions, and anger. Record number of people of leaving the country, legally and illegally. This is probably the biggest exodus from a country in peace time. People from war-torn countries fleeing illegally and dying in boats can be understood, but hundreds of Pakistanis dying is beyond understanding. They must have lost all hope in this country.

The ruling oligarchy of politicians, army, maulvis, businessmen, judiciary, and vested stakeholders is now brutal and naked, and they do not care two hoots about what anyone thinks. The families of hundreds of missing person had been picketing in front of national press club building Islamabad for days, families with children and young adults. No one knows how they survived there. A police tent has now been erected in the middle of the ground to stop this activity. Terrorism is killing jawans every day and rampant crime is killing citizens every day. 

This day is for soul-searching, for contemplation, and deep thinking, not for empty speeches and usual presentations. We are going downhill at an alarming speed and the drivers are not applying brakes. Prayers alone shall not do miracles unless these are backed up by relevant actions. 

We, the common citizens of Pakistan must come together to save our country. 

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was among our greatest poets who created most beautiful and heartfelt poems. His poetry is as relevant today as it was then. 

یہ داغ داغ اجالا یہ شب گزیدہ سحر 

وہ انتظار تھا جس کا یہ وہ سحر تو نہیں 

یہ وہ سحر تو نہیں جس کی آرزو لے کر 

چلے تھے یار کہ مل جائے گی کہیں نہ کہیں 

فلک کے دشت میں تاروں کی آخری منزل 

کہیں تو ہوگا شب سست موج کا ساحل 

کہیں تو جا کے رکے گا سفینۂ غم دل 

جواں لہو کی پر اسرار شاہراہوں سے 

چلے جو یار تو دامن پہ کتنے ہاتھ پڑے 

دیار حسن کی بے صبر خواب گاہوں سے 

پکارتی رہیں باہیں بدن بلاتے رہے 

بہت عزیز تھی لیکن رخ سحر کی لگن 

بہت قریں تھا حسینان نور کا دامن 

سبک سبک تھی تمنا دبی دبی تھی تھکن 

سنا ہے ہو بھی چکا ہے فراق ظلمت و نور 

سنا ہے ہو بھی چکا ہے وصال منزل و گام 

بدل چکا ہے بہت اہل درد کا دستور 

نشاط وصل حلال و عذاب ہجر حرام 

جگر کی آگ نظر کی امنگ دل کی جلن 

کسی پہ چارۂ ہجراں کا کچھ اثر ہی نہیں 

کہاں سے آئی نگار صبا کدھر کو گئی 

ابھی چراغ سر رہ کو کچھ خبر ہی نہیں 

ابھی گرانیٔ شب میں کمی نہیں آئی 

نجات دیدہ و دل کی گھڑی نہیں آئی 

چلے چلو کہ وہ منزل ابھی نہیں آئی 

Concluded.

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