By Ali Bhurgri
The country is 68 year old, and the idea of patriotism is confined by a strict narrative of nationalism embedded into people as “not Indian” or a “Muslim” As a kid growing up I was always exhilarated by the idea of nationalism. Wearing a Pakistani flag badge on 14th August was one of the things I waited for throughout the year.
There was pride and deep satisfaction in waving the Pakistani flag, as I grew up with time, the idea of nationalism became haunting. I started realizing that not everyone felt the way same as I did. In fact, most felt wronged by the state. The patriotism that I most cheered was hollow from inside, it was nothing but symbolism.
Who are we, as a nation bags a deeper question. One which is almost a paradox. Unlike the United States, or the west. There are no true left wing and right wing parties in Pakistani political scenario. Pakistan has different nations within it and most people who have governed this country have failed to acknowledge the different nations and their roots and heritage and instead tried imposing either western democracy through local patronage and kinship or an Islamic theology. Both have failed to a large extent.
Although the failure of the latter is still more prominent than the former. There cannot be a unified form of government such as Iran and neither a democracy with as strong a separation of power between institutions as the US.
In order to understand Pakistan, its important to understand it’s fascination with Islam. It’s just not a comforting religious phenomenon but rather a one attached with identity. It keeps you at ease, and helps creating the idea of one nation in the country. Because Pakistan has nothing to offer else. Different leaders from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Zia ul haq, all have used the mechanism of religion in one way or another to create strong a system of patronage.
On the other hand, Jinnah, the Quaid of Pakistan endorsed a Pakistan, which was to have of majority Muslim population but was to be largely secular in nature. Why have things turned out the way they have ?
Its because, unlike, fiction, reality is imperfect. And so was Jinnah’s vision. His early demise played a massive role in creating ambiguity. Speeches of a secular Pakistan were always backed up by allowing mobs to use street power and the only motivation the people on the streets had was religion. The slogan of ‘Pakistan ka Matlab Kya, la illah hai Illallah” bought a rush of blood and inspiration(Pakistan means, there is no God but Allah) as admittedly, street power was the a powerful element of negotiation with the British government.
Hence, The confusion that Jinnah was a liberal or conservative therefore is a matter of liberating between different spectacles. Both have equal legitimacy.
Pakistan’s attachment with religion later on became stronger than ever due to incompetent institutions and a lack of a real vision for the country but for the common people, the constant failure meant; there was some conspiracy because of the largely exaggerated defensive instincts of the establishment ingrained into people. Where India wants to destroy Pakistan and western/American imperialism is a larger conspiracy against Muslims.
So Every time an educated Pakistani countenances democracy, human rights or criticizes religious elements or the army is quickly labelled as Indian agent or guilty of a Jewish confederacy. The people have went through such a roller coaster that their identity has wrapped itself to a narrative of conspiracies and lies.
The creation of the Mujahideen to fight against the Soviets in the 1980’s or endorsing the Taliban were enormous negligence on part of the state. There is not enough space in this article to explore this debate but These powerful and callous Organization could only be created by using the sentiments of the middle class, or poor people and no prizes for guessing that the mechanism of Jihad was the most consummate fashion to do so.
The hostility towards Ahmedis therefore, is an extremely natural but loathsome instinct of the people as a defense mechanism. The fear of losing an identity brings the worst out of people.
Therefore to cater any kind of extremism it is enormously important to realize that majority of the people who sympathize with any level of extremism are not aware of it or their stakes are not attached to it.
If we are to bring a real change to Pakistan, the people need to feel secure of their identity and made to see their own reality, a mirror image of who we are. An important part of the subcontinent, we may have lost the right to be called Indians, but our soul belongs to this very region.
We need to realize, that we are just a part of these wonderful regions of Sindh, Punjab, KPK, Balochistan and FATA. Even then we will have to face a certain cultural radicalism which also recently led to the death of Pakistani social media star Qandeel baloch. We may speak the Mughal language of Urdu for connectivity, but our real identity is our culture, good or bad to modern values. We have to embrace it regardless. Because that is the only way we can change it.
Our traditions, our strong kinship links, Our big fat weddings, our music and Qawalis, our colors, our native languages our honor killings, our misogyny.
We need to acknowledge these and work toward developing our institutions, student unions, create a larger democratic function within the state. Educate yourself to modern values and enlightenment. And If an attempt at this isn’t made Quickly, Pakistan will last for the near future but it won’t last forever.