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Should have formulated our concepts of culture which we have still not done.
‘The partition of the subcontinent gave birth to a new country — Pakistan. A new nation came into existence. Pakistan has different regions. Every region has its own language and modes and customs which are not like the products of a factory, nor have they come about as a result of a government’s rules and regulations. They all spring from the historical, geographical, political and social conditions. When we talk of different areas, we must always remember that they poses many common features which can be the foundation of our national culture. Of these by far the most important is a common religion. Apart from this, the common factor in many other features is geographical contiguity and an identical historical experience.
“If there is a difference between the ways of life of two or more regions, it should be taken as a difference and not as a contradiction. We should emphasize the commonality and sameness of as many of the features as possible. Because national integration cannot come about by negating these differences or diversities, but by accepting their existence and by mixing them together. There is no country in the world, nor there ever was one, where the way of life of all its components is absolutely identical, or possesses no variations. Are England and Scotland and Wales the same in their way of life?
‘To label talk about these differences as propagation of four nationalities or promoting provincial prejudices, is absolutely wrong and misleading. Actually it is a useless war of definitions, and we have acquired this term or definition from the English language. It is now creating much misunderstanding because of its meaning and interpretation.
‘I think that the meaning of nationality, as current in English, is different from that of the Urdu word qaumiat, because the character of our nation and our language are different. Despite the fact that linguistically it may be the correct translation, it is not acceptable in our social conditions. That is why it has resulted in this war of definitions.
The other thing that I said on television was that normally the boundaries of a state and its culture do not correspond. There are many countries of Central Asia which are deeply influenced by the Arabian and Iranian civilizations. In several European countries, the civilizations of Greece and Rome have left deep imprints. Same is the case with Pakistan. No doubt our cultural heritage includes Delhi and Agra, Meer and Ghalib, as also samarqand and Bukhara, and Hafiz and Saadi, But we must differentiate also between those manifestations and vestiges of civilizations that are present in our country and those which lie outside.
“Take the case of Europe. All European countries accept the arts and civilisations of Greece and Rome as their own heritage, but despite that the cultures of France and Britain are different. The cultures of Holland and Germany are not the same. When the people of these countries talk of national pride, then the Englishman expresses his admiration for Shakespeare, not for Homer. The German takes pride in Goethe, and the French in Victor Hugo, For all these nations, their own art and literature come first.
‘Similarly, after the establishment of Pakistan, the basic requirement in this behalf is that we should learn to look up to whatever arts and crafts and antiquities we have here. In this context there is need for us to amend our basic point of view, to the extent that the Pakistani society is not the society of undivided India. Nor is the Pakistani nation the same Muslim nation that it was in the united subcontinent. Pakistan is a new country, and Pakistanis arc a new nation. Therefore, those who live here must learn to love and be proud of this land. Whatever there is present here, whatever history has given us, we should own it; and whatever has come from outside and permeated our way of life we should accept it.
“Admittedly the Taj Mahal, and Samarqand and Bukhara are closely related to us, but we do not possess them. Our possessions are Moenjodaro and Sehwan Sharif, Taxila and Lahore, Multan and Khyber.
“In short, we should not become like the (proverbial) frog in the well in matters of culture. All that we have acquired from everywhere, there is no need to shed it or disown it, or to expel it from our way of life. On the other hand, we should not be acquisitive too, and ignoring what really belongs to us boast about others’ possessions as ours. No culture can be brought into being by speeches and articles and slogans and posters, or by announcements and advertising. Nor can these vehicles pose a threat to any civilisation. Culture is a manifestation of love, and flowers in an atmosphere of peace and goodwill.’
Thus wrote Faiz Sahib twelve years ago. There is no doubt that these thoughts had been his when he started becoming known as a poet, and continued to be his till he died. As we remember him on his birth anniversary we should ponder these thoughts and see if they can contribute to a culturally more homogenous Pakistan. I am sure they can.
