As the month of Independence will be over soon, I want to share an incident that I witnessed on the eve of the Independence Day.
I saw many child vendors trying to sell national flags at traffic signals across Karachi. Some people gave them a little change in lieu of the flags, while others just ignored them. This made me wonder if we have achieved true independence when our children are still out on the streets trying to earn a living. Sovereignty and independence seemed to be two different entities to me.
Every day we encounter such sights, but we turn a blind eye to them. We need to ask ourselves what does independence truly mean. Even after so many years of freedom, women cannot pursue education or career not just due to social patterns, but because of fears in their own minds related to their own safety. Even on social media, not all women are comfortable expressing themselves as they see other women being trolled all the time.
Independence Day is a day to feel national pride, but it is also an occasion for introspection.
We have to suppress social evils, especially intolerance, and learn to accept differences and celebrate them. I hope some day I will see those children in schools unfurling the national flag instead of selling its replicas on traffic signals.
HIRA AMAN
KHAIRPUR
