The main reason why I always wanted to leave Pakistan was that I didn’t like the way daily life moved. In Fact, I was trying to find excuses to speak bad things. I was a famous unpatriotic person among my friends. I used to get annoyed by the honking bikes and polluted traffic.
I remember clearly that I never thought for a single moment to improve things, at least to keep a positive attitude and optimistic approach towards things. All I did was I ran away.
Today I realize that the efforts that I put and the money that I spent in order to get aboard and leave the country; If I could just spend a half of it over making something better, I would have been something. At least I would have been able to visualize the future, which I can’t see it here in Kuala Lumpur.
It’s been 64 years since Pakistan got freedom. Wait a minute: What is Freedom? I don’t know. They never taught me in school. All I remember from school is that Pakistan was freed by Jinnah on 14th August 1947 from The Great Britain via dialogues.
So what is freedom? When Pakistan was a part of India, still things would’ve been the same. People with families trying to find work to feed them. Parents would be thinking about their children’s future and education.
Ambitious people would have been running after money, sex and fame. People would hardy get the justice out of the government offices unless they have certain sources. Scared of political and racist activities with in the towns. The Mothers would send their children to the schools like they send young men for war, hoping for their safe return. So where are we now? What we have lost and achieved in the 64 years? Freedom?
Dictionary defines Freedom as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. These words seem quite simple but holds massive power and importance. It is human psychology that we always realize the importance of something once we lose it.
Every family has a black sheep you would never realize the importance of something if you haven’t seen the opposite. I have not experienced but seen, the captivity and hence I realize the importance of Freedom. It really brings hell of feelings in my mind when A police officer on a road block stops me and asks me” What are you doing in my country”? Or when a proud citizen yells out that” This is My country and I would do what I want”.
This is when I realized how free we used to be; the freedom of making choices. See your friends whenever you want to, stay late night out and no one would ask a question. No police officer will question about your appearance in that country, for, that is your home, the paradise within. The country is our body, and if any part of our body is aching, we don’t cut it, we work on it, try to improve it and bring it back to music. The fact is, I think, that we are too busy in criticizing our country’s problems that we have lost the notion of thinking it optimistically to make things better. If the system is corrupt, let it me. But corruption doesn’t work officially. You are citizen, you have the rights. You should know the rights and you should use them.
I’m the active user of Facebook and I have seen many people/pages that post mainly the pictures which exposes the bad side of the country. And I feel sad and sorry. Why don’t they post the good things to show the worlds how good we are or how good we want to be. Yesterday tells us that the nation it used to be, but today and tomorrow, this is what matters. We can make it happen. The tomorrow might be ours. Miracles do happen and we have ability to make one happen.
The security concerns might be an issue but when your emotional self is satisfied and like hell we care about anything else. Besides that you are close to your family and your traditions and cultures. You are surrounded by the people who look alike you and you have the liberty of expressing your emotions in your own language.
So now this comes with the technology and modern things. So tell me, Should I not love Pakistan because it doesn’t have metro train systems, huge shopping malls and branded coffee shops? That’s not enough reason not to love your nation. Let’s, for instance, look at education. I am enrolled in one of the leading industries of this country, Hotel Management.
I don’t say I’m super talented and hard-working student but I don’t find any competition. Most of the times I tell my teachers what to do. I rather felt sad when I was the only student in my first semester to pass my exams out ta 23 students. I wish badly that I could have invested my money in any of the leading Alma mater of Pakistan, such as CBM or SZABIST. I could have some competition and luxury of being taught by the quality and highly qualified teachers rather than high school graduates.
Most of the people say Pakistan doesn’t have the opportunities but that is not true. Where there is will there is a way. I would put it like this. If you have courage of doing things you do, no mater what circumstances be, or you become coward, and run away. After completion of my studies I wish to comeback and work in my own country and something tells me I’m going to do it hell lot more better that anywhere else in this world.
First important tier of Islam is Touheed; which means “I believe in ALLAH the Exalted, in His Angels, His Scriptures, His Prophets, the Day of Judgement, and in the fact that every thing good or bad (in the world) is pre-destined by ALL resurrection after death.” Every Muslim in the world believes so. So the primary belief of Islam is not only to believe what you see but believe what you don’t see; Allah. This belief differentiates from other religions of the world. So the point is, Why don’t we keep such belief for our future; That, Allah has set up the destiny and you would never know what’s coming on your way. The question arises here in my mind that does Allah pre-destined the life and future of communities, cities, states and countries. The only answer that comes to my mind is that all those worldly things are run my man and faith ans self belief is what is going to take them to the finish point.
Awais Rehman, A Hotelier
in Kuala Lampur
eimaan 