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Why are we labeling entire Pakistan as misogynistic? I asked my friends when I spotted this article in a renowned national daily titled “Misogynistic Pakistan”. “It is people who make a country; labeling it would mean labeling your own self,” I added.
“But misogyny, hate and similar traits are prevalent in this country and we can’t turn a blind eye,” my friend argued. “Yes, I said, but a sense of ownership is absent, as if we’ve been taking our homeland for granted all along.” This is the reason that when we start to talk about Pakistan, we begin saying “this country,” which reflects a lack of ownership, I tried to explain.
“Misogyny and other such issues are a reality,” another female friend intervened. I leaned back in my seat and took a sigh. “I’m not, at all, refusing to accept the fact that these issues exist in Pakistan, but we need to own our country and work to resolve the issues that gave it such labels in the first place.”
“The way we express our concerns should be reflective of an inner pain and ownership and not in a tone that is similar to a hostile neighboring country.” Does anyone ever abuse their own home that’s sheltering them? I asked. “Why are you comparing Pakistan with a home,” she asked. And that was it. That was the end of discussion for me.
The fact that Pakistan is surrounded by a myriad of problems has a lot to do with our comprehension of issues, and about becoming aware if we are part of the problem or part of the solution. We cannot change an entire system but can do our bit, and do our bid to do, whatever that is possible, to change it. If we, as Pakistanis, cannot commit to doing so, the least we can do is to stop being a part of the problem, being unjustly skeptical about it and sometimes going to an extent to abusing it.
I’ve mostly come across three kinds of people who are concerned about Pakistan.
Firstly, the ones who think that their ancestors had strived for a separate country so that they could live a life full of luxuries, and since they are not being provided with such comfort, they have the right to abuse Pakistan.
Secondly, I’ve encountered people who think and say that Pakistan should be handed over to the US so that it is ‘better administered’. There are others, who like to think that Pakistan should, once and for all, accept the hegemony of neighboring India. They belittle Pakistan by comparing it with everything that it hasn’t got and other countries do, and persistently highlight its shortcomings and failures. They repeatedly assert that Pakistan was founded on a false pretext and predict that, God forbid, it will soon be shattered into pieces. You can feel a sense of joy in their voice when they say so, God knows why.
The third is the kind of people, who, to me, is the sanest, realistic and beautiful. They don’t disown, humiliate or degrade their homeland. They are cognizant of all the issues facing Pakistan but are equally optimistic that the country is capable to resolve them, or at least is able to manage them. You don’t feel an underlying hate in their expression of concerns, but a deep pain and worry for the country’s survival. They admit that Pakistan needs to fight for its survival, but don’t predict that it will collapse. Rather, they are willing to risk their lives; fighting on the front line for their homeland and supporting the armed forces whenever the country needs them.
Pakistan is us and we are Pakistan. Yes, patriotism maybe ‘overrated’ but we do need to awaken that love for the motherland to develop a sense of ownership, optimism, and affiliation with our beloved Pakistan.
