پاکستان میں سچ کا قحط ہے
A Civilizational and Moral Inquiry
Abstract
Truth is not merely a personal virtue; it is the moral backbone of civilizations. Across religions, philosophies, histories, and literatures, truth has been revered as the condition of freedom and the measure of human dignity. When truth becomes dangerous and silence becomes safe, societies enter a state of moral famine. This article argues that Pakistan today stands in such a moment. The crisis is not one of resources or capacity, but of conscience. Drawing upon Qur’anic injunctions, Prophetic teachings, philosophy, history, literature, and political thought, the essay situates Pakistan’s present condition within a broader civilizational struggle between truth and convenience. It contends that nations are not destroyed by enemies, but by the erosion of moral courage. Where truth is forbidden, silence becomes the gravest sin. Pakistan’s future depends not on slogans or structures, but on restoring safety and dignity to honest speech.
I. Truth as a Universal Moral Principle
Truth is the common denominator of all moral systems. Every religion and every ethical tradition begins with a single command: Do not lie. Do not distort. Do not conceal what you know to be right.
سچ تمام اخلاقی نظاموں کی مشترکہ بنیاد ہے۔ ہر مذہب اور ہر تہذیب کا پہلا حکم یہی ہے: جھوٹ نہ بولو، حق کو مسخ نہ کرو، اور جو سچ جانتے ہو اسے نہ چھپاؤ۔
الصدق هو القاسم المشترك بين جميع الأنظمة الأخلاقية. كل دين وكل فلسفة يبدأ بأمر واحد: لا تكذب، ولا تزور، ولا تكتم الحق.
Islam places truth at the core of faith:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ
“O believers! Fear God and be with the truthful.” (Qur’an 9:119)
Another Qur’anic injunction warns:
وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ
“Do not mix truth with falsehood.” (Qur’an 2:42)
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ declared:
“Truth leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Christian scripture affirms:
“The truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)
The Torah commands:
“Keep far from a false matter.” (Exodus 23:7)
Across civilizations, truth is not optional. It is constitutive.
II. Philosophy: The Price of Speaking Truth
Socrates questioned Athenian power. The state demanded silence. He chose death.
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” (Plato, Apology)
سقراط نے زہر پی لیا، مگر سچ سے پیچھے نہ ہٹا۔ وہ جانتا تھا کہ غلط زندگی گزارنے سے بہتر ہے کہ مر جایا جائے۔
فضّل سقراط الموت على أن يتخلى عن الحقيقة، لأنه آمن أن الحياة بلا صدق ليست حياة.
Immanuel Kant later argued that lying is never morally permissible, because it reduces human beings to instruments. Hannah Arendt warned that when facts themselves are destroyed, “freedom of opinion is a farce.” A society that loses respect for truth becomes manipulable.
III. History: Where Truth Meets Power
Karbala was not a battle for power; it was a declaration of conscience.
Husayn did not seek a throne; he sought a moral boundary.
کربلا اقتدار کی جنگ نہیں تھی، یہ حق اور باطل کے درمیان حدِ فاصل تھی۔
كربلاء لم تكن صراعاً على السلطة، بل كانت إعلاناً للضمير.
Empires endure by force. Civilizations endure by truth.
IV. Literature: Truth as the Soul of Expression
“To thine own self be true.” (Shakespeare)
بول کہ لب آزاد ہیں تیرے
بول زباں اب تک تری ہے
Speak—for your lips are free,
Speak—for your tongue is still yours.
Saadat Hasan Manto wrote:
اگر میری تحریریں ناقابلِ برداشت ہیں، تو اس کا مطلب ہے کہ زمانہ ناقابلِ برداشت ہو چکا ہے۔
If my writing is unbearable, it is because reality has become unbearable.
Literature survives where truth breathes. When truth dies, art becomes propaganda.
V. Politics: Why Tyranny Fears Truth
“Two plus two equals five.” (George Orwell)
Bullets kill bodies. Truth destabilizes systems.
گولی جسم کو مارتی ہے، مگر سچ نظام کو ہلا دیتا ہے۔
الرصاصة تقتل الجسد، لكن الحقيقة تهز النظام.
VI. Pakistan: A Society in Moral Famine
In Pakistan, the famine of truth is not metaphorical—it is lived. Speaking truth has become dangerous. Silence is rewarded as wisdom; compromise as maturity.
Across institutions, witnesses hesitate, employees fear honesty, students avoid questions, journalists calculate risk, and teachers soften reality.
A generation is raised on:
“Don’t speak—there will be trouble.”
“Mind your own business.”
“Everyone does it.”
This is not a famine of bread. It is a famine of character. Not a scarcity of water—but a drought of conscience.
Conclusion
Nations are not destroyed by weapons. They are destroyed by the erosion of truth.
قومیں ہتھیاروں سے نہیں مرتیں، وہ سچ کے زوال سے مرتی ہیں۔
الأمم لا تموت بالسلاح، بل تموت حين ينهار الصدق فيها.