mahtabbashir@gmail.com
ISLAMABAD
After nearly eight decades of independence, Pakistan has finally achieved something remarkable: we have spent 80 years perfecting the art of making a functioning society look dysfunctional.
Corruption is no longer an aberration but an operating principle; policies are drafted more for files than for implementation; professionalism is often sacrificed at the altar of sifarish; loyalty is measured by personal benefit rather than principle; patriotism appears most passionately on national days, preferably with a flag as a profile picture; and empathy has become an increasingly rare luxury.
From politics to bureaucracy, education to healthcare, media to business, and institutions to ordinary social dealings, the same disease seems to have spread everywhere, rules are negotiable, accountability selective, and merit perpetually homeless.
And now, after eight long decades of denial, excuses and ceremonial self-congratulation, we are astonished to discover that the system has not merely developed cracks, it has collapsed.
The tragedy, however, is not that we failed to notice the collapse; it is that we spent 80 years calling the falling walls “progress.”
The tragedy, however, is not that we failed to notice the collapse; it is that we spent 80 years calling the falling walls “progress.”
Many moons ago, when a Pakistani swimming contingent returned home after a dismal performance at the Olympics, they faced severe criticism. During a meeting with the swimmers, sports minister congratulated them, saying, “Everyone has returned safely, and, thankfully, no one drowned. Big congratulations!”
Let's talk about Hockey, the sport in which Pakistan once ruled the world and proudly flaunted it as our national game, has now given us another reason to celebrate. The Pakistan hockey team qualified for the World Cup after a hard-fought campaign and managed to win just one match, against Japan. It was, of course, a historic victory: our first World Cup win in 16 years. And, naturally, we also lost to our arch-rivals, India.
But by the time these lines are being written, the celebrations over the thrilling 4-3 victory against Japan may have ended, or perhaps they are still going on. After all, the Green Shirts will now play in the 9th-to-16th-place classification matches. Big congratulations!
On Friday, August 21, England defeated visiting Pakistan by an innings and 120 runs within three days at Headingley, in what was supposed to be a five-day Test match and the first of a three-match series. The second Test will be played at Lord’s on August 27, when Babar Azam is expected to make his comeback.
At Headingley, many people, including the goras, ridiculed Pakistan’s selectors, with some calling it the worst team in the history of Pakistan cricket, or suggesting that perhaps the selectors themselves were the worst. Ali Usman, however, proved them all wrong. He became the first overseas spinner since 1972 to claim a five-wicket haul at Headingley. Yes, Pakistan suffered a massive defeat, but let us not allow that minor detail to spoil the celebration. Big congratulations!
Arshad Nadeem, our champion javelin thrower who stunned the world by setting an Olympic record of 92.97 metres to win gold at the Paris Olympics, suffered an early exit after reportedly feeling cold and groggy. As he himself described it, the cold apparently got the better of him before his javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he finished ninth among 12 competitors.
Arshad managed a best throw of 77.41 metres in his first three attempts. But there was one encouraging sign: thankfully, the javelin (neza) was not frozen, only the thrower seemed to be. Especially the thrower in whom governments and the private sector have invested so heavily. Big Congratulations!
On August 14, the Pakistani government announced a number of civilian awards for people contributing in different fields. The actual conferment, however, will take place on March 23 next year. The decision was widely mocked on social media, with critics arguing that the value of civilian awards has been diluted, not only by some of the recipients, including serving office-holders, but also by those handing them out.
One social media user summed up the sentiment rather brutally: “Those deprived of awards for some reason can always get a Sitara-e-Imtiaz from any outlet of Imtiaz Store.”
Another interesting development came when a lawyer put the Presidency on notice by issuing a legal notice to President Asif Ali Zardari, seeking revocation of the civil awards announced for serving bureaucrats and officials. The petition reportedly invokes Article 259(2) of the Constitution and the Decorations Act, 1975, questioning whether routine official duties can really be classified as extraordinary public service.
Will the Presidency respond? If it does not, perhaps the awardees will simply have to accept the honour. Congratulations!
On the same evening, the Islamabad city administration (ICT) and Islamabad Police organised “A Parade” at D-Chowk as part of the Independence Day celebrations. The public event was largely appreciated, but the appearance of the Chief Commissioner Islamabad, who also happens to chair the CDA, and the Inspector General of Islamabad Police riding together on a buggy certainly added an unexpected royal touch to the proceedings.
Social media, naturally, noticed. The federal interior minister who days earlier had revealed that ‘system has collapsed’, later offered a rather thoughtful explanation: the chief guest was late because of other engagements, and the two senior officers were apparently directed not to give the public any “further pain” by making them wait any longer. So, instead of waiting on the ground, the two high-ranking officials were placed on the buggy. Problem solved, and, apparently, history made.
Days later, however, the prime minister took stern notice, expressing disappointment and displeasure over the display of pomp and show. The officials were advised to demonstrate humility, restraint and dignity, and to ensure that such conduct would not recur.
The public, meanwhile, appreciated the parade. The gathering was somewhat thin, but perhaps that too was part of the national restraint. Big Congratulations!
Most recently, on Monday, August 24, 2026, yet again during the month of our Independence, a group of students at Sarhad University’s Islamabad campus staged a protest over issues about the reinstatement of their Head of Department, fee structure and class arrangements.
The university’s female Head of Student Affairs, approached the protesting students in an attempt to engage with them and resolve their grievances; however, some of the agitated students reportedly misbehaved her. She subsequently called her husband, a serving military officer, for assistance.
Upon entering the university premises, the officer confronted the students; after a quick exchange of harsh words, he scuffled and opened ariel fire, apparently to intimidate protesting students. Several mobile-phone videos, including footage portraying the officer’s conduct during the incident, subsequently went viral on social media.
Having watched all the viral videos circulating on social media and thoroughly examined the matter at the campus, many are now showering praise on the civilian-military couple for their “gallant” intervention in resolving the issue, with some even recommending that the President confer upon them the prestigious Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Big congratulations!
Meanwhile, according to the official version, the officer has since been taken into custody and disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against him. The Pakistan Army has reiterated that discipline, accountability and justice remain its foremost institutional priorities, and that appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the findings of the ongoing inquiry.
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Talking to this scribe, Shahzad Anwar Farooqi, a senior journalist and political commentator, said it was unfortunate and a matter of concern that Pakistan was declining in almost every field, with sports being no exception.
“Over the years, whatever Pakistan has achieved in various sports has largely been because of individual brilliance and natural talent. Teamwork never really worked in our sporting history. Now, unfortunately, those individuals are also missing,” he lamented.
Farooqi said Pakistan no longer produced players of the class of Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram, to name a few. “Perhaps players of that calibre still exist, but where are the eyes that can identify them and put them into the playing arena?”
He questioned the current selection system, saying policies were often made in closed rooms. “How can a selector identify the quality of a player without watching him in domestic cricket? Statistics can tell you who performed best, but they cannot always reveal a player's real quality under different circumstances, pitch, ground conditions, facilities and other factors, unless selectors are physically present.” So, politics is everywhere, and the system has collapsed, he concluded.
Now, we have reached a point where failure is celebrated as survival, mediocrity as achievement, privilege as merit and misconduct as gallantry. Whether it is sport, education, administration, institutions, or public life, we no longer seem interested in fixing the system; we are merely competing to explain why its latest failure deserves congratulations.
After 80 years, the walls have finally fallen, and instead of rebuilding them, we are busy applauding the collapse. Big congratulations, Pakistan!
Mahtab Bashir is a journalist and holds M.Phil degree in Political Science and International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
Talking to this scribe, Shahzad Anwar Farooqi, a senior journalist and political commentator, said it was unfortunate and a matter of concern that Pakistan was declining in almost every field, with sports being no exception.
“Over the years, whatever Pakistan has achieved in various sports has largely been because of individual brilliance and natural talent. Teamwork never really worked in our sporting history. Now, unfortunately, those individuals are also missing,” he lamented.
Farooqi said Pakistan no longer produced players of the class of Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram, to name a few. “Perhaps players of that calibre still exist, but where are the eyes that can identify them and put them into the playing arena?”
He questioned the current selection system, saying policies were often made in closed rooms. “How can a selector identify the quality of a player without watching him in domestic cricket? Statistics can tell you who performed best, but they cannot always reveal a player's real quality under different circumstances, pitch, ground conditions, facilities and other factors, unless selectors are physically present.” So, politics is everywhere, and the system has collapsed, he concluded.
Now, we have reached a point where failure is celebrated as survival, mediocrity as achievement, privilege as merit and misconduct as gallantry. Whether it is sport, education, administration, institutions, or public life, we no longer seem interested in fixing the system; we are merely competing to explain why its latest failure deserves congratulations.
After 80 years, the walls have finally fallen, and instead of rebuilding them, we are busy applauding the collapse. Big congratulations, Pakistan!
Mahtab Bashir is a journalist and holds M.Phil degree in Political Science and International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
