Hard talk

With pomp and circumstance we observed our 78th Republic Day. A few days later we revelled in a long-unforgotten rapturous ecstasy over spectacular cricket. The aura was electric, the joy spontaneous and palpable; more so with foreigners deigning to come to our shores for important final matches. After a long time, the happy and superbly-behaved populations of Lahore and Karachi briefly forgot about getting mugged and other haunting insecurities. Pakistanis found a reason to be proud of themselves and of Pakistan. I cannot recall us feeling so liberated in decades. But as we return to the often anarchic routine of life and all is forgotten, those who are capable should ponder rationally that why, in a country that professes peace and love for all, did large swathes of Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi needed to be cordoned off, causing mass inconvenience and disruptions? What forces do we fear and from where did they emerge?

As the FATF spectacle looms again, screws tighten and sanctions kick in, are we sovereign enough to discard our begging bowl or reciprocate suitably? We have almost run out of friends. Instead of swaggering braggadocio that does us no good, it is time to take serious stock of where we kneel. We need to stop blaming others for our ills. We can never have reconciliation until we seek and accept bitter truths. The answers are, ‘blowing in the wind’, are we ready to face them.

Dr Mervyn Hosein

Karachi