Some time back, I took my communication skills exam. We were given an article about Nehru, his policies and his legacy to
his people and how the Indian nation did not let their leader down. We were told to write a critique on that article.
In that small piece of article we were told that Nehru''s policies, like having a strong parliamentary system and independent judiciary led the Indian nation to become an example for the other countries of the world.
After filling pages with Nehru''s achievements and India''s glory, I started thinking what was wrong with our nation. Our leaders were far better than Nehru. Quaid-e-Azam, the man who needs no introduction, was a great visionary.
What''s the difference then between the two?
When Nehru was asked about the legacy to his people he had replied:
"People of India governing themselves."
What is our Quaid''s legacy? Actually there were many! Before his death he gave us a complete guideline to run the
government.
Have we
forgotten all that? Are we a weak nation? Don''t we have any goals?
After considerable deliberation, the answer came to my mind. Nehru''s people did not let him down.
The motto he believed in, which is "Government for the people and by the people" is still fresh in their mind. 11 prime ministers after Nehru have come and gone and democracy has not been sidetracked even once! Their leaders have worked for the good of the country and the betterment of the people. They have developed and improved infrastructures but unfortunately we are lagging far behind.
After the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan many came to power and left, but how many of them were sincere? How many of them actually worked for the country without inflating their personal bank accounts?
The stark reality is that we have forgotten the legacy of our Quaid and we have forgotten him, and our ancestors who sacrificed their lives so that their coming generations could live independently. We have forgotten the time when corpse laden trains used to come to Pakistan from India.
We forget everything very easily. As a nation, we have a short memory.
Even as a student I had forgotten my Quaid''s legacy to students. What was it? Last night, I opened my Frs. Punjab text book and at the back of that torn book a small quote was written; it was the legacy of my Quaid to me.
"You must devote yourself wholeheartedly to your studies, for that is your first obligation to yourselves, your parents, and to the state.
I can do that. In fact, we can all do that, can''t we? Yes, we can! Here''s a chance not to forget such a simple, but effective legacy.