(FOR UKAID ESSAY CONTEST)What I want the future of Pakistan to be…

At the time of creation of Pakistan, many people looked into their crystal balls and predicted that the country will barely survive. But Pakistan has spent 67 years as a nation. Nation? Inhabitants of each province try to retain their specific identities rather than taking pride in being a “Pakistani”. I want to see a united Pakistan where there is no sectarianism and ethnicity.

I fervently pray to see sincere leaders dominating the political arena of Pakistan. I wish to see leaders that work for welfare of the nation rather than filling their own coffers and quenching their never-ending financial appetite.

People in rural areas are alienated from education. If the feudalism is erased from the face of Pakistan, then people in rural areas can come out of the cocoon of ignorance and acknowledge their rights.  Examination system encourages rote-learning and is not even transparent. Education is not just getting a degree. Millions create counterfeit certificates because they assume that 5 letter word “ Doctor” will guarantee them a bright future. Where the rest of the world is sprinting at an ultra-sonic speed, I don't want to see Pakistan sharing the lowest literacy rate with Afghanistan.

I envision a Pakistan that Allama Iqbal had dreamt of. I yearn for  Pakistan to transform from a developing to a developed country, where doctors don't gauge your financial position before treating patients, where you get what you deserve and not what others want you to get, where an entire city doesn't get shut down when a bureaucrate is murdered, where the life of a common man is as valuable as the life of a  political leader, where voices of people are not muted , where citizens don't have  to get their mouths ached to get a proper water, electricity and gas supply and where  you fear travelling because air transportation is so unsafe.

We have tested the patience of IMF by asking for debts. I want to see a Pakistan that is self-reliant and does not need the foreign aids for every other developmental project.

I wish to see a Pakistan where people can breath in the air of freedom and security. They should have the assurance that they won’t be blown by a terrorist bomber or fall prey to target killing. They should have the confidence that they will return home safe and sound without any damage to their life, property and honor. After the 9 11 incident, Pakistanis have been labeled as “Terrorists”. Ou international image has been blemished. I wish I could erase these titles “ 3^rd world country with a poor economic growth rate Foreigners fear visiting Pakistan because according to them it is a suicide attempt. I dream to see a Pakistan which is a safe haven for its inhabitants and the foreigners.

I envision Pakistan where the main motive of getting education is not to serve overseas. 

No matter how dark and depressing the night sky is, there is always a streak of hope that there will be a new dawn. I hope and pray that the day when Pakistan will witness its golden era is near.

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE- SEASONAL SWINGS IN PAKISTAN

SEASONAL SWINGS!

Cloaking the northern areas of Gilgit, Naran and Kaghan in a garment of white, comes the winter! The snowfall seems to multiply the beauty of the picturesque area, manifold. Holding my breath was the most eye-catching area of my country. I had gone on a tour during the summer vacations with my family and the weather changes and its impact on people was my vacation project. Bubbling with excitement, I was eager to taste each season. I watched the spring painting the trees in green and cradling the ambience with a jubilant mood. The red, yellow and orange shades that people wear sends a glimmer of hope and excitement in one's eyes. Spring then melted into summer and then autumn overruled the summer. Snow-covered trees and chattering teeth, you might have guessed that I am talking about winters!
Forget the dryness and lethargy and even the itch to stay in blanket all the day and break the beds, winters are a treat. Your eyes can feast on the deep-blue frozen lakes.Lighting a fire at night with the cold winds whipping you can be an unforgettable experience. Peanuts, cashew nuts and oranges are those delectable treats that deserve to be entitled as "Winter Delights".
With the foilage of leaves fallen and the trees nearly nude, autumn is not given a warm welcome. But Autumn is not very long so it is tolerable if your skin and lips crack for a 2-3 months.
Summers is considered the worst season but in my view it is the best season! During the trip, I remember being roasted by the sun and then sneering at my tanned reflection in the mirror. It would be injustice, if I move on before praising the mangoes. A very hilarious incident happened during the trip. With a glint of mischief in her eyes, my sister said, " Why not pluck mangoes from that garden?" I replied solemnly, "If the gardener or owner arrives? " Dragging me, she paced towards a big mango tree with its mangoes ripe and even dispersed on the floor. Gathering as much of them, some in the cup of my hands and some in my pockets, I couldn't resist the temptation to climb the tree. Climbing stealthily, as I plucked some three mangoes, I heard a man scream as if there was a raven in his throat. He roared," Get off!" He was running with a large stick in his hand. I landed with a thump on the ground but managed to escape. I didn't mind the weal on my cheek and devoured the succulent mangoes, with its pulp running down my elbows. I remember how parched our mouths got after a cricket match in the scorching sun. I felt that my mouth was crammed with red-hot cotton wool. Those heavy downpours and the rain swishing through the air, sending a verve of excitement through your system makes it the most memorable moment of your life. After the rain, we probed every part of the roof for leeches and enjoyed killing them using salt.
When the load-shedding occurred, we couldn't help the sweat running down our foreheads so it provided us an opportunity to go to the beach. Splashing the water and building the sand-castles and reconstructing them with the same vigor every time a wave steals it away.
In Muree, I took a ride on the chairlift. My stomach somersaulted to my mouth when I saw how high I was hovering. It was indeed a nerve-shredder, marking the biggest adrenaline gush of my life. Fighting acrophobia, I tried to keep at least one eye open during the ride.
The weather changes are necessary. They are the nature's mechanism of preventing living beings from being bored. No matter how much we criticize the dramatic weather changes, we definitely feel enthused by them. Indeed,  VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE!

LOSING IDENTITY!

LOSING IDENTITY!

Who doesn’t crave for their white skin and blue eyes, their typical English accent and their advanced world with the cutting edge technology? You would have guessed that I am talking about the Western people. Most of us feel like hiding from the grim reality that we have complexes. If you had a chance to decide your birthplace, I bet most of you would go for the Western countries. If you don’t agree with me, then observe your surroundings.

At every public place, you will find some people struggling to speak labored English in the most fabricated accent. You will find aunties pronouncing English words in the weirdest manner, rebuking their children if they speak in Urdu because they want to portray that they are from the elite class. But why? Simply because they have a complex and feel insulted to speak their mother tongue. Ok, then you have to face people who start off with a long speech that English is the International language of communication. But why trying to replace your national language with the international language of communication? The eye-brows of most parents get creased if they find a D in English Language in the grade book of their child and then they will enroll their child in the most renowned English Learning Centre. But they hardily pay heed if their child is scrambling in writing good essays in Urdu. 

Most bachelors want to marry a green-card holder. There is so much corruption, unemployment nepotism, injustice, insecurity of life and property, sectarianism, poverty and the litany of problem goes on. But what is guarantee that you can survive happily in the Western world? How can you be sure that you will find an appropriate, white-collar job? Is the high G.D.P of the Western world, a guarantee?  Ambitious and talented individuals emigrate to study abroad. This is appreciable! But then earning their and getting settled permanently is sheer selfishness and dishonesty. Every child writes an essay in Grade 2, announcing that if they become a doctor or an engineer then they will serve their country. But there are very few who fulfill this commitment. Otherwise, Pakistan would not face an acute shortage of good doctors.

Most bachelors want a life-partner with a fair-complexion. Even if they don’t, their mothers hunt for a WHITE daughter-in-law at every public place. The thriving skin-whitening products’ industry and those advertisements speak of this SNOW-White Syndrome. So, this is another complex-Asians hate their tanned complexion.

How can I miss the trend of wearing skin-tight jeans, sleeveless shirts, backless tops and any other obscene or vulgar fashion that has appeared? Wearing such clothes that fit like a second skin which makes you look like one of those Western temptresses is entitled “ MODERNIZATION”.

Why trying your level best to smother and strangulate your culture, national language and national dress? Would that fake accent and provocative clothing camouflage your real identity? No, you will always be what you are. If you try to conceal your real “identity” by posing to be someone else, you will become “UNKNOWN”.  Then, you can’t run back towards your original identity nor you can fool people by portraying to be someone else.

The crux of the problem is that the ones who hold the power to bring a revolution have changed. They have molded themselves to fit into the Western culture and life-style. While the lower class that is actually immune to modernization, has no power to bring about a change. This is widening the chasm between the two strata of the society.

 Why groping the wrong end of the rope? There is nothing wrong with your identity. You don’t need to mimic their culture or life-style; there is something else that you need to learn. You need to learn their working strategies and you need to MIMIC their educational system. Confess this that you are standing on the shore of the ocean of educational and technological advancement when the rest of the world is nearly half-way in conquering the ocean. Upgrade your text-books and encourage creative thinking rather than the run-of-the mill ROTE-LEARNING SYSTEM.  Pakistan has loads of talented individuals but they need guidance and an appropriate way to channelize their talents effectively. People dominating the economic, military and political arena need to delve into the Western economic, military and political systems to see what factors are earning them success and stability in these spheres.

Hope is not lost! Whenever I see veiled women speaking Urdu proudly, whenever I find a skilled professional with a degree from Oxford, Howard, Yale, Cambridge or any other top-notch university serving his homeland, I am filled with hope. No matter how dark and depressing the night-sky is, there are always those shimmering stars, whose light re-assures you that there will be a new DAWN.