Each year, as we stand to salute the flag on August 14, we remember our martyrs, our soldiers, our founders and our hopes. And rightly so: this day belongs to the soul of Pakistan. But as I reflect on the journey of our nation and the countless sacrifices that have held its fabric together, I feel the silence of one group echo louder than ever: our caregivers.
They are not on the front pages of newspapers. They do not raise slogans or demand recognition. But every single day, in homes tucked away across the country, they tend to ailing parents, mentally struggling siblings, children with special needs and spouses sinking under the weight of emotional burdens. They are the quiet warriors of this land – the mothers, daughters, sons, husbands, nurses, neighbours – who carry the emotional weight of others on their backs.
My journey into mental health advocacy began nearly a decade ago, when I co-founded Taskeen with Dr Taha Sabri – driven by the desire to normalise conversations around mental distress in Pakistan. Back then, the stigma was suffocating. People whispered about depression as if it were contagious, and anxiety was mistaken for weakness. But over the years, we saw change. We saw doors open. We saw courage blossom in those who dared to seek help.
Yet amidst all that progress, one reality remained heartbreakingly unchanged: the caregiver was still invisible. We hear about the boy with schizophrenia, but rarely about the sister who gave up her job to stay by his side. We empathise with the elderly father lost to dementia, but not with the daughter who wakes every night to soothe his restlessness. We applaud the recovery of a young man after a suicide attempt, but overlook the friend who took him to therapy and sat in the waiting room for weeks on end.
As we think of our independence, I want to say: these caregivers are Pakistan.
They embody the same spirit of sacrifice that gave us this homeland. They hold the same resilience that has kept us afloat in the face of economic, political and social storms. And just as Pakistan is often misunderstood by the world, so too are they – mistaken as merely dutiful, when in truth they are bleeding heroes.
But courage alone is not enough. In Pakistan, our caregivers receive little to no guidance, support or psychological tools. Most act out of instinct, love and cultural obligation, but they are left to navigate burnout, grief, compassion fatigue and trauma all on their own. This is not sustainable. Just as the health of a nation rests on the wellbeing of its people, so too does the health of a struggling individual depend on the strength and support of the one who cares for them.
As someone who has invested years into awareness campaigns, community programmes and policy-level dialogue on mental health, I say this with urgency: it is time to centre the caregiver in our national narrative on healing.
As we light candles and raise flags, let us also raise our awareness. Let us commit to building platforms for caregiver education and emotional support. Let us initiate national conversations that validate their experience. Let us ask our mental health professionals to not only treat the patient, but to check on the ones who brought them to the clinic in the first place.
At Taskeen, we intend to take this initiative on board as another pioneering effort. Just as we now speak of psychological suffering with greater openness, we must begin to speak of caregiving as a noble, national duty and provide the tools, empathy and infrastructure to match. Because Pakistan will not truly be free – not in spirit, not in dignity – until we recognise and uplift those whose love has kept so many of us alive.
And to every caregiver out there, unseen but unwavering: you are not forgotten. You are the soul of this nation. And this Azadi is yours, too. Pakistan Zindabad – and Caregivers Paindabad.
The writer is a former global corporate executive (Unilever, PepsiCo, Yum! Brands), a mental health advocate and a founding board member of Taskeen, a pioneering organisation focused on emotional well-being in Pakistan.