Not Just the Day of Resolutions
Each year, each day, something happens that is special to someone, but there are few years, which hold significance for an entire nation. Among such rare days, one not forgotten but the relatively less recognized day is Pakistan Day. It is the day of the sacred vow to realize a million dreams, to relive the life desired by millions of enslaved souls in a so-called “free land”.
It is the day when the leaders of the past, and heroes of present Pakistan avowed a resolution to fulfill the ultimate destiny of the Muslims of the Subcontinent. In those dark times of enslavement of the Muslims of the Subcontinent, this day rose as a morning star to free the dormant spirits of the Muslims. The three-day session resulted in the adoption of the Lahore Resolution as presented by the founding fathers of the great nation.
23rd March holds historical significance in the lives of Pakistani people, commemorating the Lahore Resolution. It reminds us of the momentous day when the All India Muslim League, led by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, adopted the Pakistan Resolution at Minar-e Pakistan, officially declaring that Muslims of India wanted a separate homeland. The Resolution was executed by the then Bengal Chief Minister A. K. Fazlul Haq and Chaudhry Khaliq uz Zaman. On this day, Quaid also made a thought-provoking and motivational speech on how Muslims in the subcontinent were mistreated by Hindu Extremists and voiced that the intensity of the Hindu-Muslim differences was no longer an internal affair but an international one. This resolution was the basic foundation of an enterprise-to-be.
What this day reminds us of has become a thing from which our nation remains oblivious. We have forgotten the real spirit with which this day was to be celebrated. It is a day to honor the services and sacrifices of our valiant ancestors. It reminds us of the day when the Resolution marked the pinnacle of a century-long struggle and the acceptance of which accelerated the rate of our freedom movement. This day is the song of a thousand symphonies of varied frequencies and pitches; so different from each other, yet so similar.
We all might have been too late to realize what this day truly means, what essence it holds, but it is never too late. What this day holds are not mere words of the resolution, but the feelings and emotions of the people and the monologue by the nation itself. These words are abstract, with roots not belonging to any language but the language of patriotism and nationhood; this is what this day possesses.
It brings us the binding words of allegiance to the national cause, the day to pay tribute to the past, future, and present knights of the nation who have protected it with their souls, the day to thank the workers and nation-builders. It is the day to pay homage to the leaders and the founders of this nation who constructed an empire for Muslims by sacrificing all their lives for this greater cause. This is what 23rd March is and what it truly signifies for all of us: The day of a nation- The day of Pakistan.
