Editorial
Nearly 40 percent of Pakistan’s population lives in poverty. The true measure of a government’s success is not how grandly it celebrates cultural festivals, but whether it enables all citizens to take part in them with dignity. During this year’s Basant celebrations, that forty percent was not flying kites or enjoying the festivities. Instead, many were seen collecting fallen kites, standing on the margins of a celebration that was never meant for them.
Lifting people out of poverty is the real essence of governance. When citizens are forced to survive on scraps of others’ joy, it reflects a deeper failure of priorities. Festivals are meant to unite society, to create shared moments of happiness across classes. When they instead highlight inequality, they lose their meaning.
A society cannot claim progress if a large segment of its population remains excluded from even simple cultural pleasures. Bright skies, music and celebration mean little to those struggling daily for food, shelter and security. For them, survival takes precedence over festivity.
Good governance is not about organising colourful events or creating the appearance of normalcy. It is about building systems that provide jobs, education and basic services, so that people can live with self-respect. Only when poverty is reduced can cultural celebrations become truly inclusive, reflecting collective joy rather than deep social divides.
