Here are a few verses from the prayer penned once by General Douglas MacArthur of US for his son: “Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory, writes Mian Saifur Rehman. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenges. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. Then I, his father will dare to whisper, I have not lived in vain.” I’m sure the proud fathers of martyred Captain Asfandyar Bokhari and Pakistan Air Force’s martyred officials had been beseeching Lord’s beneficence for their illustrious sons with the same spirit, though in their own words and languages. And their prayers were granted since they got sons who could brave any storm and withstand any threat to their homeland. No doubt the country is proud of its brave sons who have laid down their lives for securing their fellow countrymen and providing them protection against the enemies of humankind. This war against terrorism is a multi-faceted war and it has to be fought on all fronts including the ideological and psychological fronts where the role of messengers of good messages and good words is vital to national peace. And who else can be better messengers (of good messages, we should hope) than the men and women of media. And who other than Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa can be fine-tuner of media messages aimed at bringing hope and clarity in the minds of terrorism-struck people of Pakistan (it is just fine-tuning and nothing more, as explained in the following lines)? By promoting the Director-General ISPR, Maj. Gen Bajwa to the position of a Lieutenant-General, the COAS, General Raheel Sharif has acknowledged the significance of morale-building of the nation through reality-based motivational messages. Of course, such despair-dispelling messages were direly needed since the nation had started feeling at a certain point of time in the past (pre-Zarb-e-Azb era) that the country had virtually been subjugated by the militants. Certainly, building up hopes based on actual facts and figures that need no re-verification as to the victories bagged by valiant soldiers and pilots of Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force respectively, helps a lot in strengthening the nation against all odds, threats and challenges. mianrehman1@gmail.comsdfg
