With the country embroiled in a seemingly never-ending political crisis, there are many who fear that the dark clouds will never lift, that nothing can be allowed to function as normal in Pakistan.

No wonder, then, that it is increasingly possible to detect in the citizenry a desperate desire for something other than the projections of gloom.

Happily, it is possible to turn to other interests, as Karachiites were reminded on Sunday when an automobile show brought together some 500 stately ladies of the mechanical kind at the Expo Centre.

Also Read: Automobile show attracts over 500 vehicles

Organised by PakWheels, one of the largest community-based websites in the country, the show had vehicles both of the classic and fairly new variety — a 1982 Suzuki FX and a 2000-model Honda Civic can’t be termed vintage but that doesn’t prevent them from being spectacular.

Jeeps, VWs, vans and trucks rubbed shoulders with sedans and motorcycles, a motley crew with one thing in common — they were all owned and kept in top condition by enthusiasts who clearly lavished time, expertise and money on motor vehicles.

On display were vehicles that, as many a visitor to the show must have fancied, reminded one of the gentler, more charismatic times when these designs and technologies tooled along the country’s roads.

There can be no denying that nostalgia for the Pakistan that once was is alluring.

But the organisers and attendees of events such as the automobile show, and the very many other similar efforts that are made across cities and towns, should be aware of the value of their work: they aren’t just providing an avenue of distraction, they are actively helping construct the country that aspires to be.

With every piece of good cheer, every show of normalcy, the tide is reversed to that little extent against those who wish to pull Pakistan towards darkness.

There is a large constituency for positivity, and more importantly, the willingness to work towards it is strengthened in a thousand small ways each day.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2014