Independence - independence of thought, physical being, economic, financial, political and constitutional freedom, freedom to promote one's culture, language, identity and defend oneself from outsiders.  Do the people of Pakistan understand the meanings of freedom on this day?  The people of Pakistan should celebrate the day but they must also pause for a moment and ponder over the fact and ask themselves don't the two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan also deserve independence?  This is a time of reflection that two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan having their own unique culture, languages, identity and history remain deprived of their basic rights even over six decades after they got independence. These people fought the Dogras, which ruled the region in 1947, and got their independence. Then they decided to live with Pakistan........?  Today, the people of Pakistan should judge for themselves whether Pakistan has done justice with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and fulfilled its obligations.

What was the reason for making Pakistan in the first place? Was it religion alone? If yes, then what happened to the millions of Muslims who left behind in India and what Fatwa would be issued against them for not joining the new state? Did they not remain Muslim by avoiding coming to the new country made in the name of Islam? No it was not the case.. History shows that religion has always been used by a few people to play with the sentiments of the masses in order to achieve their own vested interests. During the Pakistan movement too, religion was used to play with the sentiments of the Muslims of the subcontinent. It is unfortunate that the Muslims of the subcontinent did not comprehend the imperialist agenda of the partition and the imperialists succeeded in making the Muslims believe that the main reason for their backwardness was the economic and political domination of the Hindus and the British. The imperial powers also succeeded in making the Muslims believe that the basic reason for their educational backwardness was the termination of their own educational system through the conspiracy of the British and the Hindus. It is a fact that the above mentioned factors were responsible for the backwardness and poverty of the Muslims but to put the blame for all the Muslims' ills squarely on the British and the Hindus would be out of place, because society is the name of change and the one remaining static faces its own destruction sooner or later. The fact is that the Muslims never bothered to adopt modern means of education and science and technology to progress in all fields of life. Instead they resorted to seeking help from Hujras and Khanqahs instead of following the teachings of the holy Quran in letter and spirit. The Muslims rulers including the kings and the landed mafia worked for their own vested interests and for this they tried to keep the masses backward by denying them education and other facilities. This led to the downfall of the Muslims in all spheres of life in the world. Islam gives us a system of life in which there remains no difference among the haves and the have-nots and equality of social system prevails in society. History also shows that by following the golden principles of Islam Muslims not only progressed in social system but they also got ahead of all others in science and technology.. Then we also see that Muslims faced downfall and were subjugated by others. This happened when they deviated from the golden principles of their religion. And also because those with powers snatched freedom from their co-religionists and the Muslim society started facing crises of sorts never to come out of them. Today, similar game is being played with the people of Balochistan and voices of dissention are rising not only from that province but also from the southern parts of Punjab and more strongly from Gilgit-Baltistan, where people are being kept deprived of even basic facilities of life.