COVER STORY
A thunderstorm, and a pleasant night’s sleep. Children tucked into blankets, as it is a surprisingly cold May night. Soon it will be June, and a cold night like this will seem like a far-fetched dream. BOOM - a loud crashing sound muffled in the clouds. Oh, it must be the planes. Some routine drill, some usual work. Go back to sleep. Lullabies for the little babies of an independent, nuclear-armed state. We are safe because they are awake.
The nation woke up to the news of the nosy neighbour trying not just to intimidate, but to intrude deep into our territory. The bet on the jet, the faith in the heart, the eye on the enemy - the game was on, and the win was in.
Pakistan became the talk of the town, and the town was our big ol’ planet Earth. However, this game comes with a heavy price. And when the price is paid, the lessons are learnt. Now that the dust has settled, we can look back and reflect. There are a few lessons to consider as a nation.
The true meaning of submitting to religion is difficult to relearn and re-establish in your life when you are young, just starting out in life. It feels unfair. One might feel the urge to let go of whatever little faith they are holding onto. Witnessing an active war in another country through screens and signals is exhausting and takes a toll on your mental well-being, so you scroll and swipe it away. The idea of war invading the very homes you live and breathe in seems far-fetched, but it arrives sooner than expected. And the only prayer that is not just whispered, but shouted in the streets, is for it never to settle in the roots or end in graves.
Lying in bed, facing up towards the ceiling, it sinks your heart as you await the roof falling down on you, and you relive your entire life in a few seconds - in numbered, calculated breaths. None of that happened for most of us in our, fortunately, very short-lived war. The terror heightened with each passing night, and we found ourselves divided into two newfound realms of spirituality: those whose faith had intensified, ready to give away their lives in the face of the enemy’s soulless toys; and those who rekindled their faith, hiding it in the deepest pits of their hearts - to live a life worth giving away.
The third eye that this war awakened in the new generation of our nation will help them lead and raise the next, with a more grounded understanding of religion and patriotism, rather than feeding them the usual extremist and nationalist narrative that takes no one anywhere better. Every living atom of the mosque that became rubble in a cowardly attack by the neighbour, and the innocent citizens, men, women, and children alike, who drank from the cup of martyrdom, in another dimension, feel proud and relieved that the war bore fruit that couldn’t be weighed, even if an instrument were ever invented to weigh it.
The armed forces
They were truly awake, as they promised the nation, and they made us rediscover a pride in our hearts that had long been forgotten. The vehicles that were once ignored were now showered with rose petals. People cooked food and waited in the streets for hours to offer chilled drinks to those who were sweating blood in the line of duty. These souls have been blessed with a promise greater than the life of this world, and their pockets are always heavy with the price they must pay.
The fire of this war engulfed the hearts of their kith and kin, who continued to pray for their beloveds in uniform - those who, upon writing their supposed last letters, had gone to fight for the sake of the land and to strike back in order to keep its people alive. From the moment their children could stand on their own two feet, they were taught to believe that the chances of their fathers returning home each time they stepped out were no better than a coin toss, making every return feel like a miraculous rebirth.
The words spoken, the faces shining, and the smiles flashed as they gracefully carried out the first tri-service press conference before the retaliation everyone had been waiting for. The decision to delay the response, to strike back with a more calculated approach, rightfully made them our heroes. Pakistan’s diplomatic strategies also played their part. As the night grew darker, citizens stayed glued to their screens for updates. The enemy’s soulless toys were intercepted, and counter-attacks continued mercilessly. Dawn broke with the news of the beginning of a war, bearing a name as fitting as it could be: Bunyan-un-Marsoos.
A day to remember for generations - the valour was unmatched. The armed forces proved their strength, protecting the land and its people with hearts lit by the fire of faith. The short-lived war ended, and those familiar faces shone once more on our screens - this time, even brighter. Smiles were barely contained, and the famous line, “I’ll begin from where I left the day before yesterday - IAF vs PAF, 6–0,” became the talk of the town.
The ‘Silent Guy’ stood up to show the preparedness of the Pakistan Navy, and how it would have struck back if stirred, and assured us that they had it covered. The day was, hence, saved, and sanity prevailed.
The nights marked by sleeplessness, crippling anxiety, and stress united this generation like nothing else ever has in the past. Putting class wars aside, they prepared for the cyber war that earned them the title of ‘cyber warriors’ by the time the conflict ended. From generating memes to keeping the nation updated, and from preventing unnecessary chaos to curbing fear-mongering among the public, they kept morale high, the nation united, and the enemy confused.
The nation’s ability to navigate difficult times unscathed with the help of humour and resilience, especially through memes, not only proved to be an incredible psychological operations tactic but also taught us an important lesson: resources used rightly produce rightful results and can bring forth a positive image of an entire nation. If this lesson is fully learned and applied, the people can finally put aside their differences - not just during crises, but in everyday life too.
The playlists changed, and so did the emotions, as eyes were un-blinded and minds perceived images that had never been so clear. Friendships across boundaries faded when true colours came into the picture. Artists were rightfully criticised for not speaking up, or not speaking enough and the often-quoted phrase, “Art knows no boundaries,” took a backseat. One of the many questions raised was: does a shared history of art and culture matter when the deaths of children are celebrated, and death upon each individual is openly wished?
Where the nation stands now - nearly three months since the fortunately short-lived war - is something that needs to be deeply pondered.
A raw wound allows the wounded to contemplate the options of debriding and dressing it in the most effective manner, so as to avoid the possibility of unanticipated infections in the future. This short-lived war showed us what we could be if, as a nation, we tried putting our soul and arm together and treated this place as our home, instead of a pit stop until we could grab the first opportunity to fly away, leaving it in shackles.
The taste of unity this war left on our tongues reminded us of the glory of our ancestors, inscribed in our DNA - those who took a giant leap of faith and built something that has housed us for so many years. Desperate times make you hopeless and urge you to quit, but taking time to understand what truly needs our effort, talent, and intellect is crucial. Those who promise to build for the nation are exalted - not only in the hearts of its people, but in Allah’s court as well. Beyond this life lies another, where we will be questioned about where our loyalties rested when our house screamed for us to turn it into a home, but we chose to leave it behind like a hungry child, crying and extending its arms to be picked up.
A promise, once made, turns the promisor’s feet into roots - as they grow deep into the soil, connecting with the roots of others who also vowed to stay. Together, they strengthen the promisee enough to let that promise expand into one massive tree, each leaf glistening with pride and glee.