Misplaced Pride

Misplaced Pride
By Farhan Arif

Recently, I received an email inviting me to join a web-group of Pakistanis interested in writing online about our beloved country and the threats facing it. This group incidentally call themselves "PakNationalists" and mention a certain "Nationalistic pride" they happen to share which shapes their hopes for the future. I read the posts on that group, and decided I for one, am not going to tag myself a "Nationalist". I am just a Pakistani. A plain Pakistani. And I love Pakistan. Period. The following was my response on that group, never to be approved, as expected from a "Proud Nationalistic Pakistani" upholding the rights of all to express their opinions without vilifying anyone.

We are proud Pakistani Nationalists! Yes we have pride associated to our homeland, our identity, our historical legacy and our forefathers who gave their lives to achieve the "Mumlikat-e-Khudaa-daad Islami Jamhoorya e Pakistan". That does not mean we are not Critical at all. Pride in identity is misplaced if it is not derived from Real history. Books have been written by the Education boards in Pakistan to serve a purpose, and there should be no denying that fact. I got a good taste of that here with a bitter-sweet experience with a close friend of mine.We grew up being told, and hence believing that Bangladesh (Our eastern Twin Brother country) was taken away from us by the sheer aggression of India and covert "Nationalistic Politics" being run from the other side of the border. I always considered Bangladeshis our brethren in a "Nationalistic" way than any other people. After all we were one people.
Having that false sense of brotherhood, I very nicely talked to a friend of mine from Dhaka in ways that I considered should have been more diplomatic, "but who is diplomatic with brothers?", I thought. Turns out I was wrong. They have read history books in which their "Freedom Struggle" and "War of Independence" were not fought in 1947, nor 1857. 1971 was when they were born. That's what the historians in Dhaka and Chittagong focus on. We were the oppressors then, and I must say I am not proud of that. Rather I am a strong proponent of Our Parliaments and Armed forces officially and Internationally apologising for the acts carried out by our "great" forefathers.

Apologising for errors makes for greatness. Ask Kevin Rudd, the incumbent PM of Australia. I might have been proud if I was a Neo-Nazi, but I am not. I am a Pakistani, not necessarily a Nationalist, if that requires being proud of the wrong-doings of our forefathers, political leaders and armymen. Our Parliament was very vocal and proactive to condemn the "Judicial murder" of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto just after taking oath this time around, and I fully support that cause. Read the following account and decide who, if anyone needs to condemn and apologise for what happened then to millions in the name of "Nationalism".
According to Independent estimates that we as "Proud Pakistani Nationalists" will say are totally "out to get us" biased against Pakistan, here is an overview:
"On February 22, 1971 the generals in West Pakistan took a decision to crush the Awami League and its supporters. It was recognized from the first that a campaign of genocide would be necessary to eradicate the threat: "Kill three million of them," said President Yahya Khan at the February conference, "and the rest will eat out of our hands." (Robert Payne, Massacre [1972], p. 50.) On March 25 the genocide was launched. The university in Dacca was attacked and students exterminated in their hundreds. Death squads roamed the streets of Dacca, killing some 7,000 people in a single night. It was only the beginning. "Within a week, half the population of Dacca had fled, and at least 30,000 people had been killed. Chittagong, too, had lost half its population. All over East Pakistan people were taking flight, and it was estimated that in April some thirty million people [!] were wandering helplessly across East Pakistan to escape the grasp of the military." (Payne, Massacre, p. 48.) Ten million refugees fled to India, overwhelming that country's resources and spurring the eventual Indian military intervention. (The population of Bangladesh/East Pakistan at the outbreak of the genocide was about 75 million.)"

Okay, let us for one minute put these events under the microscope. Let's say these authors exaggerated the real statistics to "break us up" and revel on the killings later. Just for arguments' sake, halve the numbers, if you're still thinking that's a bit too much, halve them again! Can you justify that act still? Slogans of pride in being "PakNationalists" are fair enough, but let's keep our eyes on the road. Let's be just. Let's be objective, look into our own eyes in the mirror, look at how many women were reported raped this year alone, and I stress on reported here. Look at what has happened to our "Proud nation" in the last 60 years. Pick out the proud moments and then yes, deservingly, we should take pride in them.
Look at how ethnicity, sectarianism and tribalism has divided and destroyed our beloved Pakistan.Look at how bad the social conditions of those are, who have no access to this article whatsoever.Ever ponder who you will take your grievances to, in case someone robs you in the street tomorrow? Unless you belong to the social class where it does not matter if your mobile phone got snatched or your car, you can just get another one from daddy's money, you will feel the pinch. That might wake you up from the dream; A Euphoric national Pride that is nowhere to be found outside speeches and Military school handbooks. Taking pride alone shall not change anything though. The pride has to be coupled with actions to achieve greater heights, or to get out of depths, in our case.

A nation where the national pastime happens to be "Bragging" about everything material, and immaterial, we need to shed some pride to realise where we stand.
- This is the first blog the writer has written.