Hello again from Sumbul. What does independence day mean to us Pakistanis? I am a Canadian Pakistani. Yes, I mentioned that I am Canadian prior to mentioning that I am Pakistani. I will tell you why.
When I think of Canadian independence day (July 1st) I think of fireworks, barbeques, and all the wonderful reasons to be thankful for being a Canadian.
When I think of Pakistan’s independence day I make a conscious effort to ‘forget’ news about femicide, corruption, and careless public statements in the media. I feel sad and anxious to think about Pakistan.
We all want change
The brightest association I can make with Pakistan is Jinnah and his wonderful vision. What happened in the 70+ years in the middle? Did everything go wrong or is it that our media mostly covers negative news about Pakistan? We question the integrity of heroes like Malala Yousuf Zai (Youngest Nobel Prize Winner), Abdul Sattar Edhi (philanthropist), and Abdul Qadeer Khan (known as ‘father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb’). We seem to have forgotten that Pakistan has beautiful mountains and world heritage sites. I wonder how a country, which is so controversial, can produce such talented people like you and me.
It is true that negative news catches 30% more attention because it is sensational. The media wants to sell more by focusing on the negative but can we play our own role in talking about what’s positive about Pakistan? Can we be the change?
Looking at the bright side
Despite all the negative emotions running high, the change starts with us.
We need affirmations to remind us of the good we have in us, of the identity we all share regardless of our differences in opinion. We all want our next generation to keep their connection and maintain the part of their identity that lives in Pakistan and gets sad when unjust and cruel things happen and go unpunished.
That begins with us reminding ourselves of a few things.
Ten Awesome reasons to be proud of
Here’s a list of 10 interesting facts about Pakistan that I have researched:
1. Two Pakistanis have won the Nobel Peace Prize:
It is no easy feat to accomplish, and yet late Abdus Salam and Malala Yousafzai have this remarkable achievement. Late Abdus Salam, a theoretical physicist who in 1979 shared the Nobel Prize in physics for his contribution to electroweak unification theory.
Malala Yousafzai, a woman’s education activist who in 2014 shared it with Kailash Satyarthi of India. Yousafzai was 17 when she was awarded the Nobel, making her the youngest-ever laureate.
2. Pakistan has six designated UNESCO World Heritage sites:
These include:
- The archeological ruins at Moenjodaro
- The Buddhist ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and the neighboring city remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol
- The fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore
- The monuments at Makli
- Fort Rohtas
- The ancient ruins of Taxila.
3. Pakistan has an ATM at the world’s highest elevation:
It belongs to the National Bank of Pakistan and sits in the Khunjerab Pass, in Gilgit-Baltistan. It was established in November 2016 and is 15,397 feet above sea level.
4. Sialkot is the world’s largest producer of handsewn footballs.
Local factories in the region produce 40-60 million footballs a year, which is roughly 50-70% of the world’s total production. The football manufacturing industry now consists of more than 200 factories.
5. Pakistan has the world’s largest ambulance network.
Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation, which is also listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, operates the network.
6. Record for the highest batting partnership by two players in their first test match of Cricket
The highest batting partnership formed by two players playing in their first Test matches in the sport of Cricket is 249 runs by Khalid Ibadulla (b. 20 December 1935) and Abdul Kadir (b. 1944, d. 2002) for Pakistan against Australia in Karachi, Pakistan, in the match played 24-29 October 1964. Wasim Akram, a former Pakistani fast bowler is the first to take 400 wickets in both Tests and ODIs (second being Muttiah Muralitharan).
7. Pakistan has a rare species of ‘Blind Dolphin’
It is found in the water of the Indus River. It is the second most endangered freshwater dolphin species in the world, the first being the ‘functionally extinct’ Yangtze River dolphin.
8. The eleventh largest Armed Force in the world
It has the eleventh-largest armed force in the world. It has 617,000 people in its army. UN peacekeeping missions are supported largely by the Pakistani army.
9. Former World Number one professional Squash player Jahangir Khan is from Pakistan
Pakistan is also blessed with Jahangir Khan, a former World No. 1 professional squash player. Between 1981 and 1986, he won 555 matches consecutively (the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sports as recorded by Guinness World Records).
10. World’s biggest Earth Filled dam is in Pakistan
The Tarbela Dam located on the Indus River in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the world’s biggest earth-filled dam and the largest one by structural volume. The dam is 143 m tall. It forms the Tarbela Reservoir that encompasses an area of 250 square kilometers. The Tarbela Dam was completed in 1976 and is primarily used for hydroelectricity generation.
Celebrating Pakistani women
My friend, Sara Hasan (host and producer of The Winning Side) created a cover song to celebrate successful Pakistani women and you. It’s her way of reminding us that amidst all the negativity we have achieved great heights. You can view the song here:
Can we be part of the change and share more positive things about Pakistan? Would love to hear stories of success and hope from you about Pakistan on our independence day.
Please let us know what makes Pakistan special to YOU in the comments.
