In 2011, a few months after Egypt ousted the military ruler Hosni Mubarak, I happened to be in Cairo.  Still on mild security alert, the ...

14th August; Why I Feels the Dheets for Mera Watan

01:13:00 Samina Rizwan 2 Comments

In 2011, a few months after Egypt ousted the military ruler Hosni Mubarak, I happened to be in Cairo.  Still on mild security alert, the city was pumped and euphoric. Curiosity always gets the better of me where international politics is concerned so between meetings, planning sessions and random “shai” breaks, I proceeded to do what I do best – ask questions. There was no shortage of opinions, popular sentiment being “We did it, we are King Kong, bring on another misguided military monster and we shall devour him like we did this one”.  “Hmm, that’s awesome” I responded; non-committal, polite and correct because I was in their country and it was their business.

Then, some smart-ass blurted “This is Egypt (pelvic thrust to accompany). We are not Pakistan”.  The derogatory insinuation in that poorly chosen remark ignited a slow boil up my spine and exploded in my head. “Damn right you’re not!”  Since I had prefixed my rant with a cuss word, I figured I might as well complete the thought. “It took you decades to muster the courage to challenge a dictator, the first such accomplishment in your history.  Pakistan has stared down five and we are still standing to tell the tale.  There is no chest thumping though, because the beating that we endure repeatedly has taken its toll and we are exhausted.  I am not sure if you will remain steadfast in your resolve to confront dictatorship, but Pakistan has proven time and again that we will”.

That was my “Tera kya ho ga Kaalia” moment in Cairo. Fast forward two years and Egypt had a spanking new coup maker, Gen Al-Sisi.  So much for Kaalia.

Last month, the Turkish people conducted a defiant street fight against presumptuous coup makers, showing them who’s boss.  Their President, whose popularity one is not fully convinced of - at least not in the urban centers of the country – would have this extraordinary feat pocketed as his victory and emphatic proof of his popularity.  I don’t believe it was, and Turkish friends anxiously try to explain the reason why they took to the streets.  “We may or may not agree with Erdogan, and we love and respect our military, but we will never allow democracy to be derailed by the military.”  For their courage and resolve, they are now rewarded with a crackdown in Turkey that would put a dictatorship to shame. It’s a price the nation pays for its chosen system of government.  It may be broken, but in its worst state it is better than a dictatorship, so my Turkish friends tell me.

The incompetent, ill-advised, unfortunate man named Mian Nawaz Sharif, of #MereyMulkKaPMChorHai fame, fancies himself a desi Recep Tayyip Erdogan and revels in the misconception that the Pakistani nation will rise up in his favor against a frustratingly powerful Army in similar fashion. If he happens to read this, I would refer him to the paragraph above or, if as you say he doesn’t read, I would shout so he hears me in Raiwind; “you ain’t no Erdogan, this ain’t Turkey and – puhleez – that’s Raheel Sharif you’re messin’ with!”.  In short, he need have no doubt that Pakistanis will not support a military coup, but he must get his limited faculties around the fact that it would not be for the love of him nor for the slightest disrespect towards the most proficient, battle-hardened military force in the world.

Pakistanis, military and civilian alike, will reject a coup for the same reason we stoically suffer horrific train-wrecks like PPP and PMLN governments; we have understood that it is our collective responsibility to give democracy the chance it deserves to grow and prosper.

This, then, defines Pakistan for me, and this is why – in the words of my slang-slinging children – “I Feels the Dheets for Mera Watan”.  Translated, I remain bullish on Pakistan, betting on a steadily maturing democracy, standing by what I believe to be the most resilient nation in the world.

So, today on August 14th, my thoughts remain with the thousands of countrymen  we have lost to violence, intolerance and bigotry.  My generation cannot be forgiven our failure to secure our children’s future and, as parents, we shall forever suffer this shame.  But this is a new day, and I remain expectant and excited about how young Pakistan intends to steer this country.

The green shines bright, the white flutters in harmony; Salgirah Mubarik Merey Watan.