Independence Day on 14th August passed amidst jubilation, military parades, patriotic songs and dazzling illuminations. Seventy-eight years on, we continue to mark this day with great fervour. The very word independence evokes a sense of fresh breathing, of casting off the shackles that once bound us. All nations take pride in their independence, for it is supposed to signify dignity, self-determination and collective ownership of destiny.

But have we ever paused to ask ourselves: Why did we seek independence? What does it truly mean in the life of a nation?

Before 14 August 1947, we had our mosques, offered our prayers and revered our shrines, many of which were - and still are - in India. Millions of Muslims continue to live there today. Our inheritance, marriages and other personal matters were governed under Muslim personal law. Then why was there such a powerful demand for a separate homeland?

The leaders of the Pakistan Movement argued that in a Hindu-majority India, Muslims would be politically marginalised and economically disadvantaged. Their voices would be drowned, their talents stifled. They feared that without political autonomy, Muslims would remain underdogs - destined for poverty, exploitation and denial of fundamental rights. The dream was of emancipation from the yoke of subjugation - of a state where the rights of all citizens would be safeguarded, where justice would prevail, and where every individual could flourish regardless of creed, caste or class.

Yet, as we look around........

© The Express Tribune