Pakistan - The Nation of Steel

I feel privileged to express myself on a very passionate topic - Pakistan, our motherland: being among the most resilient on this Earth! I would begin with a beautiful poem of William Ralph Emerson, aptly titled A Nation's Strength:

What makes a nation's pillars high 

And its foundations strong? 

What makes it mighty to defy 

The foes that round it throng?

It is not gold. It is kingdoms grand 

Go down in battle shock; 

Its shafts are laid on sinking sand, 

Not on abiding rock.

Is it the sword? Ask the red dust 

Of empires passed away; 

The blood has turned their stones to rust, 

Their glory to decay.

And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown 

Has seemed to nations sweet; 

But God has struck its luster down 

In ashes at his feet.

Not gold but only men can make 

A people great and strong; 

Men who for truth and honor's sake 

Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep, 

Who dare while others fly. 

They build a nation's pillars deep 

And lift them to the sky.

Truth cannot be any far: a nation is never defined by its boundaries, landscapes or geography but it is the character, steadfastness and perseverance of its men that make it stand out tall! The attitude, passion and courage in face of adversity determine the fate of nations.

And Pakistan is among the most resilient of all nations on Earth!

Let me take you down the memory lane to the first light of September 6, 1965, when Indian Army launched a massive thrust towards Lahore with strength of a hundred thousand men backed by armored regiments.

The vanity of Indian Army Chief led him to joke about dining at Lahore Gymkhana but all that followed was exceptional bravery of Pakistan's valiant troops on who engraved tales of valor, courage and resilience with their blood during the inspired Battle of Lahore. Not only did history witness a stunning defense but our troops beat them back to Khem Kharan, a town inside Indian border.

Similarly, Battle of Chawinda from September 14, 1965, was the largest tank battle in history since the Battle of Kursk (1943) in World War II where our soldiers were outnumbered 10:1 and yet; the men of steel turned the fierce dust columns rising from advancing Indian Tanks into fire and ashes!

This is no average nation - this is a nation of fire and blood - a nation that has always responded to the call of duty with an unparalleled fervor and unwavering faith!

These men are true heirs to heroes like Muhammad-bin-Qasim, Tariq-bin-Ziyad and Mahmood Ghaznavi who soaked inspiration into the fertile basins of Indus that echoes to date: the mesmerism, charm and magnificence are still here - embedded, in our land of the pure.

It was never easy. The struggle for independence did not begin in 1940 but the seeds were sowed right during the uprising of 1857 when we fought back against colonials. They lost but were not beaten; and two generations later, they returned with renewed zeal and greater hope; events that led up to the Pakistan Resolution and culminated in the creation of Pakistan.

And then, just when the dream had been realized; there came the evil taunts about our failed state and inability to survive the early years. Further, the nation got orphaned within a year of its birth and yet; the nation just refused to give up; despite the surmounting odds.

The country was in dire-straits (imagine; for instance; the scene of dwindling stationery in government offices), a blatantly unfair partition of assets, complete absence of an institutional framework and influx from the largest ever migration in the world and yet: not only did we keep our head held high and survived but we marched on.

If a list were to be a drawn up for possessing the best organized agricultural infrastructure in the world: our nation would be on top of the list and make no mistake: it is home to the largest irrigation network in the world (with total length of canals being over 56,000 km) which are all, a product of untiring toil and sweat.

Pakistan ranks eighth worldwide in farm output and is ranked among the world's largest producers of rice, mango, cotton, chickpeas, milk, apricot, date, sugarcane, onion, oranges and wheat. The production is a result of the resolute labor of our countrymen who work from dawn to dusk - be it in face of sweltering heat, merciless rain or desert-like humidity. In our land of the pure, the ploughing never stops.

We have also made our mark by being the only seventh nuclear power. Note that this remarkable achievement came despite active opposition from world powers.

Pakistan boasts the finest human capital pool which includes Nobel laureates, world's youngest and highest academic scorers alongside millions of talented professionals, working worldwide.

We also have our own list of man-made wonders including world's largest earth-filled dam at Tarbela, world's biggest deep-sea port at Gwadar, world's highest paved international road across the Karakoram, troops over the highest battlefield on earth and a lot more.

Pakistan; this amazing country of ours just turned 70 but in these seven decades, we have achieved more than we have lost: believed more than we gave-up and we stand much better prospects today than we did in 1947! This is not a long period in the history of nations; our story is far from over: we have just begun writing history and our future generations will write a lot more!

Some politicians in corridors of power will spare no moment to explain as to how precariously we are placed but that's empty half of the glass - they want us afraid - our nation has stood up to every trial of history and we have come out victorious. This time and the next time, too, we will prevail: we are Pakistan and we are second to none!

Make faith a verb and see miracles usher in midst of struggle!

Pakistan Zinadabad!

An auditor by profession, the author is engaged in public accounting and auditing services for past six years with a profound interest in aviation, movies and traveling but writes with passion from the cultural capital of Pakistan to voice his concerns on public interest topics.

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