I saw Pakistanis crying as they waved Flags

October 30 2011 , Lahore stood together and united for one cause which was to "bring a change" .I personally managed to witnessed it. Those few hours standing among the crowd i felt my ethnic, provincial, and even professional identity being absorbed by my national one. It felt good to be a Pakistani.

You just had to be there. I was. And I stood there, among the crowd, and looked at the sea of people shouting, clapping, laughing, dancing and waving flags.

It was mesmerizing. It was electrifying.

Minar - e -Pakistan Jalsa

People just kept coming , men , women , teenagers , children's and even families were present. They were all there. Everyone was pumped was and Minto Park ignited into deafening roars , drumbeats ad motivational music. The atmosphere was unreal. This was like no other jalsa. It had shaken Pakistani Politics and Politicians to the core. Those five hours on October 30th in the city of Lahore, under the shadow of the Minar-e-Pakistan, have transformed the struggling dreamer into a political rock star.

Politicians at that time could only say "it was a good jalsa , but it is not like he has won the election". It is true , he might still have a long and shaky road infront of him but what he did that night was remarkable. He bought some hope in the eyes of all Pakistanis. All Pakistanis present at that jalsa felt something different ,  they and I both imagined a future draped in colours of hope. This was not due to any one-sideness or political loyalty but was a mixture of emotions visible in the form of collective yearning.This yearning was for a better life ,  for justice , for peace in a society in which every man, woman and child enjoys equal opportunity. A yearning for equality before law and an end to exploitation. A yearning for dignity, for tolerance, and for the protection of the weak.

For those few hours , I felt my ethnic, provincial, and even professional identity being subsumed by my national one.All my internal conflicts , contradictions , sarcasm , bitterness and hatred had seemed to melt away and i experienced a warm glow and happy emoticons formed up . At that time it felt good to be a PAKISTANI .

Can you imagine this feeling ?Every living moment Pakistan is bombarded with negativity. Terrorism ,corruption , injustice ,exploitation and topped off with devastating effects of the collapsing economy. In Quaids country , life has been nasty. Anywhere you go, the world disrespects us and the green passports sparks red alerts.We envy India, we hate the US and we beg in front of the Saudis. As a result, we are made to feel like we have no self-respect. This feels bad and it hurts.

But the situation was different that day . We all felt good.Tens of thousands of fellow Pakistanis, together under one huge green and white flag, dreaming of a better tomorrow .I saw Pakistanis crying as they waved flags, swayed to the tunes and yearned for a shore that glows in the distance. They cried for the broken promises, for lives ruined and for a future that their kids deserve but may not get. But they also laughed, danced and screamed because they felt one, bound together by a failed past, and a hopeful future. 

This was way beyond politics. This was about being Pakistanis, pure and simple , I - Pakistani .Nothing else matters.This was a clear message for all those who say Pakistan is a failed state. That evening, Pakistan the concept, was right there in front of the whole world, living, breathing and screaming.

The rally is over but its hangover hovers in the air. Soon it too will disperse. But that flash of emotion we all felt that day , being there at Lahore's Minto Park will keep burning a small but intense flame inside of us , a reminder that there is dream call Pakistan. 

And it is still very much alive.

Now is the time that we stand united and work towards bringing the Quaid's Pakistan back !

Uzair Khan 
Section F 
11U0306