In one of Bertolt Brecht’s most famous plays ‘Life of Galileo’, one of the characters says, “Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero”, to which the leading character of Galileo candidly replies, “Pity the country that needs heroes”. The significance of the latter lines stands true in its own right but the fact remains that until a nation reaches this level of collective consciousness, heroes do matter. And in such situations it is important to understand which heroes are lionized and which ones are ignored, and the respective reasons for both.
The recent demise of Nelson Mandela is an interesting case in point. Pakistanis, like rest of the world, rightly mourned and commemorated the loss of this legendary figure – although the extent to which we understand and follow the great legacy of ‘Madiba’ is another question. What is perhaps more relevant is whether we equally recognize and celebrate the heroes of our own soil. And there is no dearth of such heroes.
Leaving aside those hundreds of nameless and unsung heroes who sacrificed their lives and futures for the establishment of a more peaceful and egalitarian society, we also have among our midst towering figures such as Bacha Khan, Ajmal Khattak, G M Syed, Mir Ghaus Bux Bizenjo, Major Ishaq and many more whose names have systematically been removed from our collective memory. Needless to say, the prodigious striving and legacy of these leaders is nothing short of the global figures that we feel pride in commemorating. Isn’t it ironic that we disown our own heritage under the garb of controversy and some ambiguous notions of national ideology and then desperately mourn the dearth of heroes among us.
The need for a consensus on national heroes has never been as pressing as it is now. In the aftermath of the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the delegation of the education ministry to the provinces, the debate has already taken its course over the question of national heroes. A few issues would be relevant to mention in this regard. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the coalition government of PTI has hinted at removing Bacha Khan and Ghani Khan from the school curriculum. This has led to severe criticism not only from the Awami National Party (ANP) but also from other sections of society as well as several rights groups. On the other hand, provincial authorities in Balochistan have announced their decision to include nationalist heroes in the curriculum, which has predictably instigated a backlash. Such issues are likely to increase and intensify in the near future.
The question of national heroes cannot be addressed without doing away with the ideological presuppositions of our state. But more importantly it must also not be forgotten that Pakistan is a federation where political and cultural rights of various ethnic nationalities have been guaranteed by the social contract enshrined in the Constitution. It is time to reassess the monolithic state-imposed narrative and find its antidote by reclaiming the ignored heroes of our land.