“Realizing the Pakistani dream – founding vision of Pakistan: knowledge, justice, dignity, security, and enterprise for all.”

On the eve of independence, the Quaid-e-Azam held out a glorious vision for Pakistan ’s future, a vision of prosperous and democratic people, a responsible government free from corruption, nepotism, and jobbery, and an enlightened society based on Islamic values of justice and equity. Sixty years later, we are nowhere close to that vision. We are still struggling to find a stable political order, which would guide us towards the lofty ideals of our founding fathers.

In 1997,PML-N was selected to steer the country on to the path of reforms, but unfortunately the government was not allowed to complete its tenure and overthrown on October 12, 1999 by General Pervez Musharraf, when he was dismissed by the Prime Minister for intriguing to undermine a democratic government. PML-N has consistently maintained a principled position against military intervention in politics and has resisted the agenda of militarization of civil society forcefully. Today, to pull the country and the people out of despair and despondency, we need that winning combination, the spirit of 1947.

Crisis is a moment of reflection and introspection in the life of any nation. Today there is an opportunity to reflect upon and recover our founding vision, a vision based not on alien ideals, values, and histories but on our own, which helped us win freedom struggle. Economic prosperity is essential to this vision. Yet it cannot be the only element, or even the most important one.

The centerpiece of Pakistan ’s vision must be justice as enshrined in the principles of Islam. Pakistan itself was born out of the struggle of Muslim community of South Asia for justice. Today, justice must once again be placed at the center of our definition of good life – justice for all Pakistanis, including women, minorities, and all vulnerable groups. Without independence of judiciary and rule of law no society can survive. The society must also free its citizens.