A SUFI saint has defined
culture as the fragrance left behind when the incense stick of life has burnt
out. And, heritage is valued as the highly prized family silver — a loan from
our ancestors to be passed on to future generations.
No department of life – be it economic, cultural, religious or recreational –
has been free from the effect of this great transformation in progress. The old
system of classification and stratification of society as a whole is changing
gradually and slowly but surely and certainly.
We may go for some little changes. For instance, we may change clothing style.
We may change our room setting. We may change our eating stuff. We may do
whatever makes us happy.
Movement is the stuff and essence of life, both for individual and the society.
From the independence day of August 14, 1947 up to date, Pakistan’s has been a
society in transition. The society of Pakistan is dynamic and therefore
ever-changing, and its patterns are changing transforming from time to time. The
national society has been responding to the challenges of environment, natural
and man-made.
The factors and circumstances responsible for these changes can be enumerated as
below; partition of sub-continent, technological and scientific inventions,
growth of urbanization and industrialization, expansion of commercial activities
and international trade, changes in the economic structure of the country
initiating the industrialization of its economy, the spread of literacy
resulting in the rise of a secular intelligentsia, the effect of the spread of
different ideologies of different political parties in the country, the impact
of the highly developed countries of the world on our society, the working and
influence of the trade union and co-operative movement, the expansion of the
area reached by the mass media of communication like radio, press, cinema,
television etc. migration and finally cultural diffusion.
Changes are the spice of life. Is it true? Of course YES! It is true because
everybody needs a change in whatever he/she is doing. We want changes around us.
Monotonous life just makes us feel bored. It is good to have a change. It is not
important that we should go for big changes everyday. We may go for little
changes that should be pretty affordable. If we are seeking for a healthy and
entertaining life then changes are very important. Changes must be positive. If
we will go for negative ones then they will obviously have a negative impact
upon our lives. Negative impacts are accountable for some more negative changes
so we need to be assiduous in this regard.
Pakistan today is undergoing an identity crisis a crisis which the author feels
arises from culture conflict. One of the causes of this conflict is that the
Pakistani society possesses imported cultures along with its own; varying with
the diverse regions. The numerous cultures tend to conflict with one another.
This crisis is clearly manifest in the actions of the Pakistani youth
--rebellions, and indecisiveness.
The struggle for Pakistan was a unique historical experience with few parallels
in the annals of history .It transcended ethnic ,linguistic, cultural and
regional differences and coalesced into a powerful movement culminating in the
creation of an independent homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent. It
even defied the geographic compulsions. In essence, it was an experience of a
deep Muslim consciousness which both inspiring and invigorating. However
,Pakistan after its creation was, indeed ,and ethnically plural society.
Pakistan, these days is passing through a crucial era of multifarious ethnic
problems; multi-lingual and regional; problems etc. The province of the Punjabi
has three distinct ethno-linguistic groups i.e. Punjabi ,Potohari and Saraiki
speaking .Of late ,there has been a nascent rise of Saraiki consciousness with a
demand for a separate Saraiki Province comprising of Saraiki speaking areas .In
Baluchistan the Baluch , Brohi and Pakhtoons are dominated ethnoligual groups.
The wide spread nationalist consciousness of Balchusitan has cut across the
tribal divisions. In the North-Western Province of Pakistan ,apart from
Pushtu,Hindku and Saraiki are also spoken in some parts of this province .The
Pustoons as an ethnic group are integrating with the economic life of the rest
of the country .The issue of Kalabagh Dam has arisen out of the same ethnic
issue and provincial disharmony of Pakistan in the province. Though the proposed
dam may play the role of key factor in the prosperity of the country and may
breath a new life in the agricultural and industrial life of Pakistan .Moreover
the ethnic groups of the province also demand regional and to rename the
province as Pakhtoonistan. Similarly the problem of ethnicity in Sindh is very
complex. It is a web of discards, clash of interest and the resultant sense
deprivation between the different ethnic groups. Overawed bewildered conditions,
the inhabitants themselves ,sometime become bewildered and the frequent out
–burst of violence creates hysteria among the people which consequences which
are damaging for the peace and harmony of the province and also for the nation
as a whole.
All cultural activities can be perpetuated through private-sector support by
providing incentives and tax breaks. Let there be encouragement by the
government for partnerships of commerce and culture, for promoting a positive,
cultural image of Pakistan. The government needs to do a lot, but it needn’t do
it alone — through a strategic plan each Pakistani can be encouraged to become a
cultural worker. Pakistan is today at a crossroads due to challenges posed in
the post 9/11 world — the world of so-called clash of civilizations — with an
increasing polarization between the Muslims and the Western world. The affect of
negative images flashed around the world can only be counter-acted through a
cultural offensive. To achieve our objective of becoming a favored country for
investment, culture will need to be placed at the core of our development
policies and propagated with every possible means.
It is not only political and diplomatic strategies that will create a better
image for our country, but equally the propagation of our cultural agenda that
is likely to pay dividends. Let us promote our vision of a cultural Pakistan,
Saqafati Pakistan, to provide another window to our country, a world removed
from violence and negativism, promoting instead an image of a pluralistic Muslim
country, a depository of rare cultural assets, along with historical memories
and spiritual orientation of its people. Each public sector organization and
private sector, too, can be engaged in promoting our cultural resources, through
even simple means of films, posters, images and leaflets: PIA within aeroplanes
and national and international offices, Pakistan Railways by utilizing its
countrywide stations, Pakistan Post Office through its innumerable outlets, the
technological gateways and countless websites, to name a few.
Let us not fritter away our family silver and the fragrance of the incense
stick, but safeguard them and utilize them for creation of a cultural Pakistan,
for not only development and well being of our people, but also for social and
economic advancement of our nation.