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Thursday March 28, 2024

Quest for change

By Sana Tariq
August 14, 2018

After the very old and our foundational slogan “Pakistan ka matlab kya”, I hear the slogan of “Naya Pakistan” everywhere and this makes me think “Naya Pakistan ka matlab kya”. Our country is abuzz with the word “Change” but what is the meaning of this change? What change we are aspiring for and what direction are we sailing our boats to? It’s time to ponder upon the idea of change while we set off our journey with the new government. The seeds we sow today will determine our future. With the word “change” the winning party, PTI has planted hopes in the minds of people. Social media has flooded all streams with the idea of “Naya Pakistan”. Now the question arises, what is going to be the “new/naya” in Pakistan? How will it be different from the old one? Will the change solely come from the leadership or the masses need to change too?

This needs to be analysed on two levels: the government and the public. Both go hand in hand in nation-building process. Government can build institutions, can formulate policies but these institutions are to be run by people. Leaders are guides. They set the path for change but it has to begin from grass root level. New policies, new laws, and new programs can be formed by the government but how far they will be practically applicable on public level that should be a matter of concern.

The world history lists exemplary leaders who changed the fate of their country but they could do it with the support of their people. Seeing China at today’s threshold, does not make us think of Mao Zedong only but its people who even today work so assiduously that they are preferred for jobs everywhere in the world. China has changed the world but for that it brought change from within first and then it changed the world. China changed with time, rather with needs of time. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many must have thought about China’s fall too, (a nation that challenged US and its hegemony in the world politics) but it didn’t happen. Many such stories teach us that we have to change our practices, not the mere faces in politics.

Achieving such high aims is going to put the new government in trouble as they have set the hopes very high. Particularly in a situation, when people are more obsessed with political ideology than its practical outcomes. It’s high time to think about the economic plans, putting aside political fanaticism. We seem to be entering a Progressive era that promises to eliminate corruption but before anything else it is important to have economic capability. We need to have an open door policy for our economic strength so that people are able to work with a peace of mind and then become able to get engaged in social welfare work which is most needed at this time.

I read somewhere today, “Every quote that one enjoys is read as it is only meant for others” which means no one applies it on himself. We are in a habit of criticising others but by doing so, we forget our responsibilities. Nations are made by peoples’ who have certain principles and we are lagging behind in that. Setting new goals is important but setting new principles is more important for a nation.

The Pakistan government has to create new jobs but at the same time, it is significant that one who already has a pakki nokri (permanent job) job, has to perform his duties honestly. The principles of Islam like honesty, punctuality and truthfulness, are now well adopted by the West but we have forgotten to practice them.

It is about accepting and fighting to maintain our roles and responsibilities as a citizen. We have information but unfortunately that is not putting us on the right track. We have learnt the art of attacking others for their differences, but have not learnt to learn from those differences and target the problem than the people. We identify alliance, not the ally. Any person can teach us a good lesson and we have to pick that good to deliver our best. Rigidity of ideas leads to a society which produces intolerant individuals. We need to make more allies, fewer alliances. We have to grow as a nation together and for that, a new orientation is required; it has to be the change of minds and practices than of mere slogans.