Dubai: Dressed in green and white, a crowd began to gather at the diplomatic enclave in Bur Dubai as early as 7am on Sunday.
Children with faces painted in the national colours of Pakistan, along with many youth and senior expats, wore fancy headgear that displayed their nationalistic fervour.
The boisterous crowd would give an impression of a crowd gathering to watch a cricket match, which the country is known to enjoy, but they were actually converging at the Pakistan Consulate to mark the country’s 70th Independence Day.
Men, women, young and old, hailing from different walks of life, came together in a show of unity and love for their nation that came into being in 1947, following the partition of the Indian subcontinent.
There were taxis drivers and corporate directors as well as teachers and porters, all of whom seemed equally elated to mark the occasion.
Naimullah Khan, a taxi driver who has been in the UAE for 19 years, says August 14 is not just the birthday of a nation, it is the birthday of every Pakistani.
“Each one of us is Pakistani. My country is part of my existence and I am proud to be born a Pakistani. Every year marks the milestone of Pakistan’s progress and despite many hurdles and difficulties our nation has marched ahead. Each one of us has the responsibility to contribute further for the development of the country,” said Khan, who is from Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region.
Ishtiaq Ahmad, who has been taking part in the celebrations for 40 years, said: “I eagerly await every year to come to the consulate to show my love and passion for Pakistan. This day reminds all Pakistanis of the struggle and sacrifice our forefathers made to build the country and with unity we will only go from strength to strength.”
For Heena Masud, a Dubai-based student, Independence Day means getting to breathe freely and asserting one’s identity.
“We achieved freedom 70 years ago and I am proud of the progress made but by the country but more needs to be done in terms of providing equal opportunities to all, particularly in education. We have a lot of talent but that talent has to be unearthed in a corruption-free environment,” said Masud.
With Pakistan struggling with the menace of terrorism over the last decade, safety and security is a major concern for expats, but they seemed happy with the progress made by the anti-terror offensive launched in 2014.
“I think the Pakistan Army and the current government have done a great job in crushing terror forces and there are fewer attacks. But, the recent attack in Quetta suggested that the job is far from over. Going back to Pakistan, we feel much safer now. The Independence Day reminds us of the struggle our forefathers endured to achieve freedom and we should remember to maintain this freedom, which is equally important. We should continue to strive together for a better future,” said Shahzad Durrani, an insurance officer.
Mohammad Amir, another Dubai resident, agreed. “We achieved independence 70 years ago and we thank Allah for that, but we are yet to achieve freedom from corruption, for which we need to continue our struggle. There is no doubt Pakistan is progressing and the economy has improved but for greater development we need to root out corruption and terrorism,” said Amir.
Waheed Sitwat, who hails from the Pakistani city of Karachi, also believes that the country has made big strides over the last couple of years in improving the security as well as economy.
“The situation has been messed up for a long time now, but over the last couple of years there have been drastic improvements. Improved security situation has started to reflect on the improved economy. There is greater foreign investment and the currency has stabilised. The education standards are improving as well but I suggest the government better policies for furthering the reach of education,” said Sitwat, who is an HR manager in an insurance firm.
According to a consulate official, the participation this year was greater, but the celebration was reportedly sombre, replete with slogan shouting, cake cutting and singing of patriotic songs. That could be termed sombre only by Pakistani standards.
As much as they love their country, the Pakistanis love their food and it was obvious from the rush at the buffet serving a sumptuous breakfast of halwa, puri and chana, following the celebrations.
