When we see that green and white flag fluttering over our cities and towns on 14th August, we do not recall a mere historical milestone but a monolithic struggle. Pakistan’s Independence Day is more an observance of the reminder of an immense political and moral victory – the capacity to exist with dignity, faith, and freedom. It is also a day for serious introspection – not only about how much distance we have covered, but about what we opposed then, and what we remain cautious of now.

Pakistan appeared on the map in 1947 after a protracted political and ideological struggle, led by our visionary leader Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and fought by millions of Indian subcontinent Muslims. The call for a homeland was not inspired by ambition but necessity – a response to centuries of political exclusion and growing religious polarisation.

For all those who ever doubted the logic of the establishment of Pakistan, contemporary India is the strongest justification for the Two-Nation Theory.

The partition of British India was followed by one of the largest mass migrations in the history of recorded time, as approximately 15 million people were moved across borders in conditions usually of a bestial and inhuman type. Carnage was particularly brutal, comprising massacres, forced conversions, mass abductions, and brutal sexual assault. In June 2008, Harvard Kennedy School estimated that nearly 3.7 million migrants perished. Through all the tragedy, however, the Muslim community found comfort in Pakistan’s dream – where they would be able to practice their religion openly, maintain their culture, and choose their own fate.

Freedom is not an abstract concept; it is the very essence of human dignity. We can call the ‘Azaan’ five times a day freely in Pakistan without fear. We can live under the laws based on our own values. We have a constitution that upholds the supremacy of Allah, the significance of Islamic principles, and the sanctity of human life.

Though there are........

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