Reclaiming the deferred dream

#Reclaiming #deferred #dream

When we celebrate March 23, reminding the resolution of the historic Lahore of 1940, we consider the moment that founded Pakistan. The resolution, which was approved at Manto Park (now Iqbal Park) in Lahore, was not just a demand for a separate state, but also a commitment to the principles of justice, equality, and progress values, which aimed to explain the country’s political and ideological framework.

The time has come for us to maintain these principles. The resolution of Lahore was higher than the demand of the state. It was a vision for a nation based on justice, equality and progress. However, as we consider the journey to Pakistan, we must ask: Has this dream been realized, or is it permanently postponed?

Justice was imagined as the foundation of a new nation, yet economic and legal differences remain. Pakistan’s legal system is in favor of the powerful. Political and business elite cases often face long legal battles or are dismissed on a technical basis, while ordinary citizens suffer from a backup judicial system, extraordinary legal costs and slow action.

Forcibly facing disappearances, families face legal obstacles in achieving justice. Even when cases reach the courts, the process is painful, which raises questions about accountability. The phrase “delayed justice is denied justice” describes the renovation of Pakistan’s legal land, where decisions often take decades, which gives public distrust. In particular, women face systemic obstacles in access to justice, especially in domestic violence and harassment at workplace. Many people abandon their legal battles due to non -ending hearings, social pressure and prohibited costs. People who survive gender -based violence often tolerate legal organs for years, while the guarantee of criminals is protected, which strengthens the culture of immunity.

The intersection of gender and climate justice offers extra challenges. Women, especially they depend on agriculture, face systemic barriers to land and livelihood conflicts. The displaced by natural disasters or climate change often struggles for legal identity and compensation, and increases their weakness. According to World Justice Report 2024, Pakistan ranks 129 out of 142 countries on the rule of the law index, with a stable score of 0.38 since 2014. Recovery of the spirit of Pakistan resolution requires immediate, structural legal reforms. The modernization of case management, smooth judicial appointments, and integrating technology in judicial proceedings are important steps to restore public belief in the judiciary. Without these reforms, the promise of a fair and equitable society, which was imagined in 1940, would not be incomplete.

The Pakistan resolution was considered a society where all citizens enjoyed equal rights. Nevertheless, economic discrimination, gender discrimination and regional inequality have only deepened. Education, health care, and access to employment are unequal, which are obstacles to restricting backward class opportunities. In a recent report by the World Economic Forum, Pakistan has included the lowest in the global rankings in economic equality.

Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 146 countries in economic gender equality, only Sudan is worse. According to a 2024 report on the World Bank’s women’s empowerment, Pakistani women earn 18 % less than men for the same task, and 47 million women are out of power. In the agricultural sector, where women work 68 % of the workforce, 76 % of men works without salary than 24 % men. Female businessmen also face significant obstacles to access to financial resources and business opportunities.

The widespread difference of wealth is another pressure problem. The tax system supports the rich in proportional, while indirect tax burden is on the lower and middle class. Pakistan operates two parallel economies for the elite, which enjoy access to world -class health care, education, and financial protection, and the other for backward people, who strive for basic needs. Climate change affects the poor, especially rural communities, yet government relief efforts are inadequate.

Equality in wealth exceeds inequality in income, which has a difference of 70.7 % compared to 32.7 % (Burke, Hussein and Khan, 2021). Economic reforms should focus on progressive tax, wealth distribution, and investment in human capital to promote comprehensive development.

Pakistan has developed measurements in infrastructure, technology, direct foreign investment, and services sectors, yet political instability, weak governance, and contradictory policies. The World Development Report is ranked 164th out of 193 countries in the human development index in 2024, which has put it in the category of “low human development”.

A delayed dream is not a lost dream. The views of Pakistan’s resolution are only in this case, but only if we, as a nation, act actively to claim them again. Strengthening institutions, ensuring equal economic policies, and investing in education, research and technology are essential steps towards sustainable progress.

The Pakistan Resolution was a pledge to build a fair, equal and progressive society that should be confirmed today. It is very important to move forward, empower youth and women, promote comprehensive development, and strengthen democratic institutions. The dream of 1940 should not be expected. It should be a living reality.

The question remains: Will we re -claim to the dream or continue to postpone it?

-The author is a politicalist economist and the Martin Luther King Award.