Independent Pakistan is still not free

This week Pakistan marks 64 years of independence from British rule. Beyond the usual delusory speeches and expensive junkets which take place on such occasions, now is perhaps an opportune time to reflect on what azadi – freedom – has meant for Pakistan.

The British packed their bags and left in 1947, but vestiges from the colonial era continue to linger on in Pakistan. Some of them are relatively harmless, such as the national obsession with cricket. Then you have the little-known fact that Pakistan is a top world exporter of Scotland’s favourite musical instrument, the bagpipes – another relic from the days of the Empire. (These are made in Sialkot in Punjab, which is famous for its small industries.)

Yet there are those who would argue that “freedom” from the British never provided Pakistan with the sort of utopia the people were longing for.

Regarding the country’s independence, the left-wing poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once famously wrote: “This is not that Dawn for which, ravished with freedom, we had set out in sheer longing.”

The British, as became clear with the passage of time, had been replaced by a tiny local elite who went on to put in place a poor imitation of their former rulers.

Take the English language, one of the relics which survived from the colonial period. There is a gulf in terms of opportunities available to those who are fluent in the language, and the majority who cannot afford to send their children to such establishments that would teach it to them properly. Meanwhile, books and research in the national language, Urdu, lag seriously behind. In other words, proficiency in the English language is being used as a barrier to keep people from climbing the social ladder.

But beyond even the politics of language, two voices have hijacked the international press coverage of Pakistan: the angry mullahs and the so-called “liberals”.

In a new book, The State of Islam: Culture and Cold War Politics in Pakistan, Saadia Toor presents an erudite analysis of the consequence of how the Left in the country has been targeted by the “liberal” elite since shortly after independence.

She writes: “The tendency of the Pakistani establishment to turn to Islam – and, more importantly, to Islamist forces – in order to undermine progressive politics was evident from the very beginning and created the conditions for the increasing power of the religious Right within Pakistani society and politics.”

She argues that the story of the “decimation of the Left” is a crucial part of the “story of the Islamisation of Pakistan”.

Add to that the CIA-operated drone strikes which violate Pakistan’s sovereignty on a daily basis and cynics question whether “freedom” was just an illusion. There are people in the region who today look at the United States as the sort of new colonial power – even if they are unwilling to say so openly.

In some areas the country even seems to be going backwards. For example, recently, due to a deteriorating security situation, the government took steps towards restoring the Police Act of 1861 in southern Sindh province – a British colonial-era law. The fact that there are those in the government who want to bring back 150-year-old oppressive strictures speaks for itself.

The transport infrastructure is also in disarray. In 1947 Pakistan inherited an impressive railway network from the British. Today it faces decline with many trains being cancelled and delays due to financial worries and a lack of modernisation.

While independence in 1947 was certainly a milestone for Pakistan, a lot of hard work needs to be done to make a real difference to people’s lives. Talk won’t get things done.