Once upon a time when I was a college student in the not so distant past while i sat down doing my military science assignment at the donation counter we had setup at the university cafeteria to collect aid for the earthquake that has happened a week before in Kashmir one thing kept bothering me that i was surly not alone there would be more who think about the future of Pakistan.

A Year or so later when I was walking past the chilling street by the US state department while i was interning in Washington D.C. the thought hit me again the future of Pakistan had to be secured and the only way in doing so would be finding like minded patriots and I decided then and there in order to do so I will have to leave the lavish lifestyle I was enjoying some who knew me then would easily compare it to the American dream come true, to go back to the country I deeply loved and find people who shared at least if not similar but close to what i felt for the future of Pakistan.

So within in a few months i sit back in my parents house in Dubai thinking I just have to land in Pakistan and start my search i tracked down all my high school friends & their friends who resided in Pakistan so that I could go pitch in my idea of a dream team.  I spent the most of 2007 travelling in Dubai colleges and across Pakistan’s metropolitan cities meeting these people and pitching them lets do something for Pakistan. Everyone asked me how I could achieve what I dreamt off i had no clear implementation idea sometimes i would say we’ll be a focus group , sometimes a new political party, sometimes a youth group, sometimes lobbying force, even  secret society which would cater to becoming the future thinkers for Pakistan.

By late 2007 after witnessing the emergency i left back to Dubai disappointed as i could no find a single individual who would be qualified enough to be part of this dream team. As i was political scientist by profession i secured a few research projects and those gave me an opportunity to travel overseas specially in the SAARC region. Wherever i travelled I started slowly and gradually promoting Pakistan and that eventually came to a point where i was vocally lobbying for Pakistan’s interests abroad which once again reminded of my failed dream.

Then in late 2008 i was approached by Mahir stating there was a group he wanted me to be a part of, it was not the first time i was being offered to join a youth based group but whom i always resented since all of them worked for personal interests and none for the future of Pakistan. But the annoying membership form or the over annoying HR email to send in your CV made me think this one has to be different than once i joined & unjoined on facebook.  We had our first meeting in a dubai coffee shop and I met young Pakistanis who were there to be part of something I always wanted to be in where i met Jawad & Badi who later became very good personal friends. Over the course of months we went to different community centres, colleges & universities to recruit as many Pakistanis as we could.

Since 2009 I started travelling to Pakistan again but this time advocating for FLP I personally met & interacting  with numerous youth based groups from Pakistan Youth A to Z what i found apart from their lavishly & well written vision statements on their websites & facebook groups they did not have any long terms goals or atleast short term aims. But what one thing concerned me why did they have an army of supporters, members, volunteers , patrons and why were we numerically smaller in number although we had the best of everything which i finally understood after Sobia  said those golden words ‘ Deakho Mobisher others might have quantity but we are quality’ that was the focal point i released yes the members we have may not be a size of an army but we don’t let any tom, dick& harry in, we have the best of the best of the best.

During the course i met with our great team  although i don’t like to point out names but would like to mention the over achievers who i am proud to have worked with are Saba her dedication to FLP has no limits period and Anthony whose patriotism even surpasses mine at times. In Islamabad who ive at times joked about as our very own IDP Abdul Basit who has spent day in & day out to providing relief to our brothers & sisters affected from the Swat conflict. Hira who has bared my tantrums of what is Lahore chapter doing yet working hard to help always, Zeeshan whom when I asked for help on my Turkey trip calmly replied ‘Anything for a fellow FLP’, Zareen who helped in writing press releases for the events we did & Sobia who groomed me into understanding the potential of FLP & taking time off to call me all the way from Geneva.

When i see our members achieving what they have done in their specific fields i began to charisma my dream , that finally i have found the patriots i was looking for all along,  the jetlags to attend FLP meetings & meet members in Islamabad, Karachi , Lahore & back to Dubai were all worth it. Our achievements so far are noting compared to what we are all going to achieve in our specific fields of work to our overall achievement towards creating the Future Leaders of Pakistan. 

Reminds me of something someone wise once said ‘InshAllah together we will achieve this fascinating destiny that this world will look towards Pakistan to see how great nations rise, how great nations prevail. InshAllah there is the brightest of future for Pakistan be part of it there is dignity and glory enough for all’

Pakistan Zindabad