Every language tends to change. So do its words and meanings. Sometimes the meanings of its most cherished words also change. This linguistic evolution provides an important lens through which we can read the history of Pakistan. In doing so, let us crawl through the semantic shift of the word Azadi.

On 13 August 1947, as the clock struck midnight, the air in a newly independent nation resonated with a powerful word: Azadi. For millions who left everything behind and embarked on the journey to Pakistan, it embodied freedom from colonial rule, the promise of dignity, and the dawn of a new future. It symbolised the hope that future generations would live and prosper with freedom, security, and opportunity.

Not surprisingly, each generation inherits words before it inherits institutions. Naturally, they signify these institutions through the linguistic prism of their lived experiences. Although they formally enjoy Azadi, they feel constrained by institutions they perceive to have become increasingly ineffective. They feel trapped in the capitalist vocabulary of Roti, Kapra, and Makan, which invariably delimits their creative and critical thinking to this vicious circle. Now young people have started asking who determines Pakistan’s economic future and why successive governments have failed to reduce economic dependency while continuing to impose heavy taxes without adequately delivering quality education, healthcare, justice, and employment. Hence, the meaning of Azadi has shifted from past aspiration to present doubts and concerns.

Now young people have started asking who determines Pakistan’s economic future and why successive governments have failed to reduce economic dependency while continuing to impose heavy taxes without adequately delivering quality education, healthcare,........

© Daily Times