THE DEPENDENT INDEPENDENCE

All were busy in an Iftar feast. Some were dancing on foreign music, some enjoying food, smoking cigars and cigarettes, drinking and lot of other stuffs while others were talking. It was a gathering of half a dozen men, belonging to the top classes. They all belong to rich families; Industrialist, factories owners and landlords.

Ch. Mukhtar: By the end of this month, all my business shall be shifted to Dubai.

Mr. Ali: So you have finally decided to leave?

Before Ch. Mukhtar would say a thing, Mr. Moin interrupted: “Good! This place has lost all essence of love. Nobody can work here anymore".

Ch.Mukhtar: Yeah! Our families come first. How can we run our businesses in a place where there is no peace and security?

Mr. Ali: Well, this is in fact the truth. Many of us have already moved. I will join you there very soon Mr. Mukhtar.

The others shake their heads in affirmation.

Meanwhile a ten year old kid interrupted his father, Mr. Ali.

Kid: Daddy, the Independence Day is near and I do not get my flag yet.

Mr.Ali: There is no need of that son. Soon we will be gone abroad.

Ch.Mukhtar: I still remember my old days, when I was a kid. Before the Independence Day, the stalls were setup with the flags and posters months before the event.

Mr. Ali: I remember! The whole neighborhood was pasted with the posters and flags.

Mr. Moin: Remember! We wear the national badges and paste stickers on the cover of our school copies couple of months before.

Ch.Mukhtar: Yes. Yes. (he sniffed) but all that was is lost now. The middle and poor classes of our country ruined all these things.

Mr. Moin: They spent all the time in increasing their population rather than to educate themselves and work hard.

You see, these poor men are involved in all the crimes, Mr. Moin added.

Mr.Ali: All our efforts in flourishing the countries fate are lost due to these men. They were always looked more interested in who is sunni, who is shia, who is baloch, panjabi and whatever. I think we would have been living a happier life if there was no partitioned.

Ch.Mukhtar: With all that, you can’t neglect the foreign elements.

Mr.Moin: Of course not, but we are weakened internally, so there may be some foreign elements.

Mr.Ali: Quite frankly, I do not see this. Why would the whole world be against us? Actually these poor hungry people are the cause of our demise……

On the same moment in a village, a ten years old child was sitting with his father Barkat, on a four legged woven webbing bed.

Boy asked: Father! Independence Day is very near, but I have not seen any stall of the nation’s flags and banners?

Barkat belongs to a very poor family. He works in a nearby shoe factory.

Barkat replied, Son! The old days are dying, as our hopes with this country.

The days when none will doubt the patriotism of others.

The days when everyone would proud to be a nationalist.

The days when everybody was willing to give all he possessed, his property, his wealth and above all his blood. Those days, are now over.

Son: But how did it all happened?

Barkat: My forefathers were very rich. After the partition, they left everything behind, except the hearts filled with the joys of the independence. They lost many of their family members and gave up all the properties and wealth they had. They choose an independent and poor life. But the people with false claims, earned lands and became rich. They setup industries and factories. These rich men are the root cause of destruction for our country and its pride. We worked day and night in their factories and earned nothing worthy.

This is just one of the many uncountable situations I have been watching from years. None of you knows the story better than me. I have seen it all. I was there; 65 years ago I was there. When people from all casts and creed; men, women and children were up to only one thing. They suppressed all the ill-feelings against one another and were united only for independence; the only one thing. The bonds of brotherhood and fellowship were strong. I have seen it. Trains full of hewn corpses, villages burnt with peoples alive, women raped, children slaughtered. I remember better than every one of you. I have seen it.  I saw the lands covered with the blood more than that you have now flowing inside your bodies combined. Nothing has changed in all those years except your hearts. You have wrecked all the bonds of friendship and brotherhood. The color of your blood is still the same, but your hearts have changed. I knew your past and I know your future. I have seen it. I have already given you what all I had and now I ask you for only one thing in return. Give me the hearts enriched with same old strength, courage, love , affection, brotherhood and patriotism. I will give the same honor and respect, peace and harmony, pride and admiration. But if you failed to give me these, remember I have seen it.  I have seen what you have failed to. I am P A K I S T A N!


CINCH