ON the first anniversary of May 2025 clash between Pakistan and India, it was a pleasure to see in newspapers images of Allama Muhamamad Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The images of chiefs of the armed forces of Pakistan were, indeed, appropriate because of their exceptional achievements in terms of inflicting a humiliating defeat on India, a much bigger and far more resourceful enemy, a year ago. However, shockingly missing was the image of Liaquat Ali Khan, who was one of the founding leaders alongside the Quaid.

In contrast, the placement of the images of president and the prime minister alongside the Quaid and Iqbal hardly seemed appropriate because they had not played any part whatsoever in the creation of Pakistan. Moreover, the two have been senior, but routine state officials, with their leadership performance in no way comparable to that of the founding fathers.

Unfortunately, after the demise of the sincere and capable founding leaders, we have mostly had opportunists and dynastic politicians as senior state officials.

Such leaders tend to end their tenures with ever-rising levels of loans. This burden has now become unbearable and unsustainable on many counts. We have reached a level where we have to acquire fresh loans even to repay the past loans.

S.R.H. Hashmi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2026