Willpower Determines Destiny

BY USAMA KHALID

Man is a product of his social experiences. The will power, or Khudi, or the power that conforms his ideology shapes his aura, drives his intent, and fuels this mortal engine.

Jinnah would have thought of law and democracy differently had he opened his eyes in the current era. Iqbal wouldn’t have had such staunch vehemence towards the Musalmans, had he not observed first-hand the bleak situation they were living in the sub-continent.

Circumstances have the untenable power of creating or altering ideologies of societies. They can rapidly amend foreign policies. They can create America, cause Arab Spring, bring forth China from last to the premier economic spot, show Trump the way to the White House and cause Brexit.

They can even bring an armless and unshakeable man face to face with an armed, fully-loaded tank. No man of great stature would deny his unparalleled efforts, sleepless nights, bounty-less struggle, and unending sufferings that he had to endure in order to achieve splendour.

Though, the sun shines bright but light only enters through the bare windows. And, likewise, circumstances strengthen only those, who aren’t blinded by the bright gleam or self-made eye-patches.

The generation, that saw the creation of Pakistan, did not only witness exuberance on the August 14, 1947, but also sustained the pre-liberation destitution. A boy of 18 was among those people who slept in one country and woke up in another. Jinnah did not know him, but he knew Jinnah as his idol. He dreamed Iqbal’s dream with open eyes and struggled among countless during those hard days for a separate state for the Musalmans of the sub-continent.

When Pakistan came into being, the destitute were finally able to luxuriate after a long, long time. But this boy decided not to slumber but to saddle the horses and embellish his mind with as much scholastic understandings of law and politics, as possible. And time tells his tales.

Pakistan has never seen a man standing up to once the rulers with such might and posture like he did, apart from Jinnah. He belonged to a rich family, but he spoke the common accent. He breathed the local air. He drank the water that people of the slums drank. He, somehow, knew how to resonate with the poor, common populace. He was a barrister, and a man of letters. Even the worse of his adversaries gave in their stubbornness to stand by what he believed in to be righteous.

With the Coronavirus taking toll on the countrymen, Sindh provincial government seems performing little better as compared to the other units. The way the provincial government has been serving her people in this crisis should be replicated in other areas as well. May God help us all!

(Usama Khalid is Masters in English. He is a Lecturer and a student of media studies. He is writes columns and blogs. He is fond of writing Urdu Poetry. His first book in publication phase. He can be reached at kham.qalam@gmail.com)

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