DEC 16 came and went. Some sporadic articles appeared and a few events were held. It has been 47 years since East Pakistan was lost; it was four years since nearly 150 people, most of them bright, young children, were shot and killed by barbarians who were bent on taking revenge upon Pakistan.

Events may appear to happen all of a sudden, but looking back with the advantage of a long-term sight, one can observe the linkages between events and processes. Had the West Pakistani politicians been less desirous of gaining power despite a clear majority of the Bengalis in the elections of 1970, and had the military been less dismissive of our East Pakistani brethren, the break-up could have been avoided. The country might have remained a federation with autonomous units and the evil of extreme ideologies would not have been created in order to give the nation a reason for the military to remain dominant. And so, 2014 would not have happened.

This could be a rather simplistic explanation, but it carries some weight. There is much to mourn; even more to learn from.

Nikhat Sattar

Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2018