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State medals turned into mockery

August 15, 2025

By Nazim Malik

Pakistan’s Independence Day was once again turned into a spectacle of irony when the government handed out medals to a select group of politicians and journalists for their “services to the nation.”

  Far from being a moment of pride, this has triggered a wave of public anger and ridicule.

    The truth is blunt: these awards have become state-sponsored stamps of approval for mediocrity and loyalty to the ruling elite.

     Questions being raised what services Ahad Cheema, Mohsin Naqvi, Atta Tarar, Ishaq Dar, Musadiq Malik type have given to get state medals.

     Journalists like Hamid Mor, Nadim Malik, Mansoor Ali Khan and several others who have built careers on parroting propaganda or staying conveniently silent in times of crisis are hailed as champions of truth.

    It is an insult to the very idea of merit.

In a country where inflation crushes households, justice is a privilege for the few, and dissent is criminalized, the distribution of medals to the powerful feels grotesque.

     Instead of recognizing teachers who educate in crumbling schools, doctors who serve in neglected hospitals, activists who risk their lives for rights, or ordinary citizens who struggle daily to keep society afloat, the state chooses to decorate its courtiers.

   These medals are no longer symbols of honor — they are tokens of hypocrisy. They reward obedience, not service; silence, not courage.

    The very people who have failed to defend press freedom, uphold democracy, or protect citizens are being celebrated as national assets.

    If this ritual continues, these medals will be remembered not as recognition of sacrifice, but as monuments to opportunism.

 Until the state learns to honor genuine heroes, these awards will remain little more than glittering ornaments pinned on the robes of hypocrisy. PAK DESTINY

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