As Pakistan approaches another Independence Day, the familiar celebrations will once again fill our streets with flags, lights, national songs and speeches. Yet Independence Day should not merely be an occasion to remember the sacrifices of our forefathers or to celebrate the creation of Pakistan. It should also be a moment of national introspection: What have we done with the freedom we inherited and what responsibilities does that freedom place upon us?

On August 14, 1947, Pakistan emerged as an independent state after a remarkable political and constitutional struggle led by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and supported by millions of Muslims of the subcontinent. Independence gave Pakistanis the right to determine their political, economic and social destiny, but freedom was never meant to be freedom from responsibility. It transferred an enormous responsibility to the people themselves. The real meaning of independence therefore goes beyond the absence of foreign rule: a genuinely independent nation must have strong institutions, respect the rule of law, protect citizens’ rights, provide equal opportunities and create an environment where every individual can contribute to national development.

Freedom gives citizens rights, but also demands duties. We have the right to speak, participate politically and criticize governments, but must act responsibly, place national interest above personal and partisan interests, respect constitutional institutions and obey the law. Pakistan’s political history shows that we have often demanded democracy’s benefits without accepting its responsibilities, as political........

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