Pakistan: my home, my country, turns 78 years old today – come August, we start gearing up to celebrate Pakistan’s birthday. Given that green is my favourite colour and that I tend to be an emotional patriot, the whole “green” thing works for me. It is my time to revisit qaumi taraanas (patriotic songs), re-watch Hum TV’s Dastaan and maybe watch the Azadi Parade at Kakul’s Pakistan Military Academy. In August, I am having a crash course in patriotism. Like the 8th or 16th or 45th honeymoon of that couple, who over the years have forgotten what they mean to each other. So they take a trip down memory lane and sit and see their shadi photo albums and watch their shadi videos – whilst leaving their children with the grandparents and take a trip together to rekindle what’s left.
In many cases, this stuff works. As in the case of Pakistan and me.
But one minor issue.
Let’s go back to my example about the couple and imagine this. They have a great “rekindle their romance” rendezvous at a far-eastern island resort; spend a week together, and love is in the air.
But then reality sets in, when they return – this is when the honeymoon fever starts subsiding. The couple slides back into their old patterns. One nags and the other is indifferent and insensitive. One is family-oriented – who dotes on the family, while the other is a career-obsessed workaholic with no time for the family.
Honeymoon goes down the drain – recreating the superficiality and void.
That might, potentially and sadly, be the problem with how we look at 14th August and our relationship with Pakistan: hollow and shallow. Where most of us claim to love Pakistan, we somehow missed the memo that said when a love affair is real, it is a two-way road.
Celebrating Pakistan’s 78th birthday, we – as Pakistanis – are happy. But the question remains: what can I do that would make Pakistan happy?
Pakistan looks happy today. Celebration is in the air. Fireworks marked the grand entry of Pakistan’s 78th birthday at midnight. Everyone will be dressed in green. Flags, songs, chants, slogans of hope, of better tomorrows. Maybe even Google will come up with something a la Pakistan, as has been the case in previous years.
So yes, Pakistan looks all happy. Just like how my hypothetical couple looked happy in the honeymoon pictures that they posted on Facebook. But are they? And is Pakistan happy? Really?
If we are positive contributors to the well-being of this nation, we have every reason and right to celebrate the 14th of August, sing the national anthem and say Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Paindabad
As of 2025, approximately 45% of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line. This information was based on revised poverty thresholds and survey data from 2018–19. The World Bank also noted a rise in extreme poverty, with the proportion increasing from 4.9% to 16.5%. Additionally, 10 million additional individuals were found to be at risk of descending into poverty. Literacy rate in Pakistan is between a dismal 60% to 62% and there is an almost non-existent state emphasis on health and education when compared to what we spend on defence. Ethnic violence, extremism, huge economic disparity, an increasing societal polarisation, a society divided between liberal and religious extremists, and persecution of minorities. The list is endless. I do believe that all of this goes against what Islam teaches us – and, ironically, Pakistan is one of two countries created in the name of religion.
I, hence, ask again. Is Pakistan really and truly happy?
Because, in all honesty, with the mess that we often find our country in, it cannot possibly be happy. And, subsequently, how proud does that make us – as Pakistanis?
Yet, I still choose to celebrate the 14th of August. Not because I moved to Pakistan around the time Vital Signs released their Dil Dil Pakistan and that I love Ay Jawan by Haroon Fakhir. And not because I am in the 14th August honeymoon zone.
No.
It goes beyond that.
A friend on a mutual WhatsApp group asked what we thought Pakistan’s biggest achievements were, given that the country was turning 78 soon. One of the responses he got was that this person was saddened to see people in Pakistan having stopped following the national cricket team. To give perspective, this person mentioned, “many people follow them religiously in the US, and friends in Pakistan aren't even aware of the matches taking place”. Ouch.
With all the mess Pakistan is in, I somehow see something beyond all of it. When I see Dr Adeeb Rizvi serving at SIUT and I see people believing in him, I know there is something worth celebrating. When I see the work Imran Khan has done at Shaukat Khanum and the work Edhi has done, I know there is hope. And not just these “known” heroes. At the grassroots level, I know a girl who lives in Lahore’s “Purana Shehr” and works with the Punjab Tourism group. She is a tour guide and knows the city like the back of her hand. In the dangerous Lyari, I know of a girl who engages in professional boxing at a national level: Razia Bano. Several times at Jinnah International, the chivalrous men of my nation have helped me with my luggage, and the poor fruit vendor has occasionally given me an extra banana free of charge.
I remember an InDrive driver telling me to be careful at my drop-off point in Lahore: the city’s famous Food Street. Good values are cherished. We are a poor nation (barring the ruling elite, right now!), but one of the most charitable nations in the world. We have been through hell and are often described as a dangerous country to live in; but we are resilient, and this “mess” is bringing out our best in art, literature and humour. Re: Pakistan’s meme game, during recent skirmishes with cross-border neighbours:
Deep down, somewhere, Pakistan is happy.
None of the above, however, justifies why I celebrate the 14th of August. For me, the reason is multifaceted. Patriotism can be a positive force if used correctly, where it can ignite a sense of responsibility towards one’s country and their nation. If coupled with even the slightest sense of reflection and awareness, it can potentially remind us of lessons long-forgotten. As an example, the white part of Pakistan’s flag reminds us of the presence of minorities as equal citizens of the state. Disregarding our minority groups (in one way or another) is tantamount to disrespecting the basic ideology on which our nation was formed. The basic premise here would then be to ensure that our patriotism is not misfounded – leading to an “us versus them” psyche.
So, here is to giving it careful thought today – each one of us: as to what we are doing to make Pakistan happy. If we are positive contributors to the well-being of this nation, we have every reason and right to celebrate the 14th of August, sing the national anthem and say Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Paindabad.