Never in vain

Seventy-five years ago our great leaders struggled hard to bless us with a nation where we can practice our religion without fear of recrimination. Despite all the sacrifices and hardships we have endured, are we really an independent nation or one in name only? Seventy-five years on and we still struggle to hold free and fair elections, elect competent and honest leaders, provide justice and quality education to all, keep the press free and attain gender parity.

Our great Quaid stated that the nation can progress if men and women worked together but, unfortunately, we have become a nation in which the society silences women’s voices. Different religious minorities do not practise their religion freely for fear of being attacked by extremists and the law and order situation and the economy are deteriorating by the day. We must unite as a nation to build the kind of Pakistan our leaders envisioned and not let their struggles for independence become in vain.

Kinanah Shahbaz

Islamabad