As a matter of principle, they say – and perhaps rightly so – that in a free country there is much clamour with little suffering; in a despotic state there is little complaint with much grievance.

Historically, we did gain independence on August 14, 1947, but economically, socially, culturally, politically and even psychologically we continue to be shackled. Things are deteriorating with each passing day. Perhaps a miracle would rid the nation of its predicament. Faiz Ahmed Faiz repeated knocks at the frayed nerves of every level-minded citizen with his time-tested line:

Woh intezar tha jis ka/ yeh woh sahar to naheen. (This is not the dawn we had been waiting for.)

I am not among those lucky ones who slept one night in a slave country and woke up the next in an independent homeland. As a six-year-old  at the time of Partition, I had to endure the torment of migration. I vividly remember the over-stuffed train (filled almost quadruple to its capacity), in which, finding no room, my father slipped me below the passenger seat along with the luggage. I crouched in the crammed space for several hours in the stifling heat with all the windows closed for security reasons.

It was only when my mother suddenly thought of me that I was taken out in a semi-conscious condition. By the time the train arrived at the Walton Refugee Camp (Lahore), some fifty per cent of the passengers had been slain during the slow, oft-interrupted journey through East Punjab. Yet, our elders were – as we are now – hooked on to hope which springs eternal and strengthens confidence in the future.

Democracy was our cherished goal which came our way, though fitfully, but matters of the state continued to spin out of control eventually reaching a stage where it is a government – of the corrupt, by the corrupt, for the corrupt. The much talked about ‘common man’ does not figure anywhere in the present dispensation. Ironically, however, every ill is committed “in the best interest of the common man.” and “with a view to saving the system.”

The system being: Make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer. American president,  John F. Kennedy had so aptly cautioned, “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

I am reminded of a fable. In a certain ship sailing smoothly on waves, a passenger spotted that the spikes driven into the washroom fixtures were of pure gold. He stealthily pulled off a few and came back. Not content with the booty, he closely inspected the ship’s joints only to find that it had gold spikes throughout.

In a spate of crass rapacity, he started hastily taking them out. Soon news went round that the ship was a gold mine of sorts. There was a commotion on board with passengers wiggling and pushing each other in a desperate bid to collect as many spikes as they could possibly do. The imprudent fellows ripped up the ship causing it to dismantle and drown with their coffers.Sixty-four years down the line, our self-serving attitude has brought our ‘ship’ to the brink of complete disaster. In our lower-secondary classes the history exam had questions like: Describe the reasons for the fall of the Mughal rule in India.

Unwittingly, though, we are ‘creating’ the reasons which, God forbid, might be asked of the future generations as to how we failed to take care of a priceless gift of God which we so lovingly call Pakistan.

“Statistics can prove anything” goes an old maxim. The rulers may allude to one-sided, isolated figures of forex reserves,  remittances, export income, revenue collection, etc. to present a rosy picture of economy and social welfare. They are smug with their (lousy) performance. One of our former (banker) PMs even boasted of increased number of bikes (obtained under lease deals) as a proof of progress and development.

The ground reality, however, remains that, according to government’s own report, the amount of foreign and domestic loans of Pakistan has skyrocketed to Rs11 trillion. Tagore said, “Every child comes with the message that God is not discouraged of humanity.” In Pakistan, every newborn comes with the additional message that he is a borrower of Rs  60,000. No wonder, ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine of America has ranked Pakistan as 12th in the list of ‘failed states.’ A few  countries like Bhutan and Nepal have more per capita income than Pakistan.

Still, as some sage exhorted, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic as powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.” Hope is above logic. If, to travel hopefully is better than to arrive, let’s continue our journey for a bright future of posterity.