We spend much of the year lamenting our problems, and sometimes we perform this ritual with such regularity that it has almost become a fashion. But in these moments of celebrating our Independence, we should also pause and remember some of the achievements of which we, as Pakistanis, can genuinely be proud.

The truth is that our achievements outweigh our failures, and the record of our successes is far longer and brighter than our failures would have us believe.

One of Pakistan’s greatest achievements is that it is the only nuclear power in the Muslim world. Acquiring this capability was no small feat. It was an act of extraordinary resolve, a mountain that we ourselves saw many people lose heart at the very thought of climbing. By the grace of Allah, Pakistan did it.

And this achievement was certainly not the result of some sudden accident, as though we had gone to sleep one night and woken up the next morning as a nuclear power. It was a journey of determination, one that we pursued with remarkable single-mindedness. Whether it was Bhutto or Zia-ul-Haq, Ghulam Ishaq Khan or Nawaz Sharif, their political differences were as vast as mountains, and the bitterness with which those differences were expressed was no less intense. Yet there was one thing on which they all agreed: we had to make our beloved country a nuclear power.

Whether it be sports, culture and the arts, scientific research or medicine, Pakistani achievements can be found across the world.Connecting........

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