Pakistan- the ideal, not the pathetic shadow of it we have in our current state- has a funny habit of sneaking up on you as a pleasant surprise. We have so many things that are wrong, the blame for which squarely lies on our shoulders. Not the least of that is how we have allowed the once-beautiful and cosmopolitan city of Karachi slip in a hellhole of chaos, poverty, mismanagement and ethnic conflict. Yet it was in this torn up and shattered Karachi, much more representative of the true state of affairs in Pakistan than Lahore, that this ideal of Pakistan sneaked up on me. Allow me to explain:

My Australian nephews, whose father works for the World Conservation Union, have been living in Karachi for the past one-year. Abid is a budding violinist and Majid excels at the flute. On the eve of the Independence day, we were cordially invited to see them perform at a small event organized by their music academy. Always one for such hulla Gullah, Aisha and I, with our little daughter Zoya on her first long trip, decided to drop in but it far exceeded all our expectations. At Schon Circle , near Teen Talwar, there is a small flat, located in a dilapidated building with a small sign saying “Funsaaz Academy”. As we sat down in the room where the rehearsal was , I was pleasantly surprised to find my sister in law singing “Sohni Dharti Allah rakhay”. Now my sister in law and her husband are not the nationalist types and maybe I read too much into it, but it was almost as if they had planned this for me, knowing how crazy and defensive, I can get about Pakistan. Maybe this was their way of telling me that though they might not show it, but they do feel the same pain and hurt at Pakistan’s failures as I do.

As the show formally started, I realized that our family members were the only Muslims there. The jazba that there is for Pakistan seems to be entirely in the non-Muslim Pakistanis and they have a much better way of showing it too. No law-breaking, no gunfire, no silencer-less motorcycles, no women-teasing as has become commonplace on Independence day amongst the youth of Pakistan. Our minorities celebrate the Pakistan’s independence day with music. The show kicked off with a young man singing “Millat ka pasbaan hai Mahomed Ali Jinnah”. Naturally I was moved, having spent so much of my time in recent years studying and promoting the message of the man. And how fitting also- 2 days earlier the Pakistan Minorities Conference had issued its most forceful call yet for Jinnah’s vision of a secular Pakistan. Then came another surprise… Aisha got up to sing Sohni Dharti with my sister in law. How proud their father must have been? I have seen enough pictures of their childhood to appreciate the significance of this. As children growing up in Africa they sang national songs on the Pakistan Day and Independence Day. To finally do it in Karachi together as sisters so many years later must have brought back so many bittersweet memories. After them two confident and very cosmopolitan young women got up to sing Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan. Their names were Puja and Raakhi and they were Sindhi Hindus. Then came a little boy, no more than 3 years of age, who was introduced to us as Jerry Emannuel. He started to sing “Sohni Dharti Allah rakhay..” and then seemed to forget the words. The long pause was broken by clapping.

The boy’s eyes lit up and he began to sing again-louder this time. It was somewhere between the time I kissed my daughter’s forehead and saw Aisha crying that Pakistan sneaked up on me. Yes- the Pakistan I could proudly call my own- the Pakistan that is not hidden in the Burka of theocracy, closed up in the char devari of a narrow interpretation of Islam. For a brief moment I saw its beautiful face and tears welled up in my eyes.

My nephews didn’t disappoint me either- though incomplete Abid’s rendition of the national anthem was flawless and Majid’s flute skills are just amazing. In a small way I’d like to take the credit for reconnecting them to their heritage.

The Independence Day weekend turned out to be very emotional for me. I realized that in this world there are two kinds of people: those who just live and those who live for conviction. The latter kind are often made fun of and considered crazy and psychotic. So be it. I also realized how right I am in my conviction. Jinnah’s Pakistan lives on in fringes- amongst the Hindus and Christians who continue to revere his memory thinking that one day their rights might be restored to them. I can honestly say that they love Pakistan more than the Muslims and what is more is that their love is positive and constructive. Jinnah’s Pakistan is actually Jerry’s Pakistan.

And how have we treated the Jerrys, Rakhis and Pujas of Pakistan? And Why? Because unlike many, these people haven’t abandoned their nationality and taken economic and social refuge in the countries of the west? It is this question that we should answer and rectify all injustices that have been meted out to our minorities. Pakistan will not go forward until we include the religious minorities of our country completely as equals in our national life. A few ex-Pakistani Canadians and Americans on Chowk question the wisdom of harping about Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan and “secularism”. I am not sure why it bites them so hard when we talk of equal rights for minorities in Pakistan? I am afraid economic prosperity is not everything. Despite all its economic prosperity, a state like Saudi Arabia is draconian country to live in for non-Muslims, that is if you have any concern for non-Muslims. One cannot trade self respect and dignity for “economic prosperity”. If indeed that was the case then why the hell did we even ask Independence for South Asia? The prosperity that Punjab for example saw under the British continues to be unmatched even after the great IT Revolution. No- it is all about self-respect and dignity. I recall one American Muslim hijabi remarking how nice it is to see Non-Muslims get humiliated when the road to Mecca says “Muslims Only”. I hope and pray she faces similar humiliation in the US.

The long and short of it is: A state formed out of the struggle of a minority cannot by any logical extension turn around and oppress its own minorities. And yet that is precisely what we have done. Now if this is not a valid concern then god knows what is. After all what is this “failed state” business anyway, if it is not the lack of justice, equality and fair play? Secularism doesn’t mean irreligiousity. By all means- be as Muslim or Christian or Hindu as you want. Since in Pakistan, the minorities are defined by their religious affiliation, Secularism becomes all the more important. It means simply: equal rights for all and a fair play between the majority and the minority.

Jerry’s Pakistan is a given. It is our future. The only question that remains to be answered is how we will get there. Would we have to go through more international humiliation and abuse heaped on us, or would we learn our lesson and restore to our citizens their full rights. But- as Faiz would put it- Jerry ka Pakistan :
hum dekhainge
lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhainge
hum dekhainge
woh din ke jis ka wada hai…hum dekhainge
jo loh-e-azal pe likha hai…hum dekhiange
jab zulm-o-sitam ke kooh-e-garan,
rooyi ki tarah u\’dh jayenge
hum mehkoomon ke paoon tale,
yeh dharti gha\’dh gha\’dh gha\’dhke gi
aur ahl-e-hakam ke saron per,
jab bijli ka\’dh ka\’dh ka\’dhke gi
hum dekhainge
lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhainge
hum dekhainge
jab arz-e-khuda ke kaabe se,
sab butt uthwaye jayenge
hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-haram,
masnad pe bithaaye jayenge
sab taj uchhale jayenge,
sab takhat giray jayenge
hum dekhainge
lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhainge
hum dekhainge
bas naam rahe ga Allah ka
jo gayab bhi hai hazir bhi
jo manzar bhi hai nazir bhi
uthe ga anal haq ka na\’ra
jo main bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho
aur raaj kare gi khalq-e-khuda
jo main bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho
hum dekhainge
lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhainge
hum dekhainge
woh din ke jis ka wada hai…hum dekhainge
jo loh-e-azal pe likha hai…hum dekhiange