ON 6 August 2026 Pakistan launched “Naqoosh-e-Watan”, the nation’s first-ever National Cultural Narrative, in a bid to preserve the country’s rich cultural heritage and promote national unity. The event was organized by the National Heritage and Culture Division through the Centre of Excellence for National Cohesion & Outreach, Lok Virsa, Islamabad. The author of this piece was one of the guests of the event. He was dazzled to watch vibrant cultural performance at the stage. The event truly reflected the cultural and civilizational potentials of Pakistan. The first objective of the Naqoosh-e-Watan National Cultural Narrative is very instructive arguing “Strengthen Pakistan’s national identity by fostering ownership and appreciation of its diverse and ancient cultural heritage, while promoting national unity and integrated multiculturalism.”

Luckily, Pakistan is blessed with ancient cultural heritage and multiculturalism. The above-mentioned areas would promote cultural economy, civilizational potentials embarking on to soft power projection, job opportunities and countering violent extremism through culture. Mortimer Wheeler in his classical book entitled “Five Thousand Years of Pakistan” articulates that the Gandhara Civilization and Indus Civilization are the genuine pride of Pakistan. The questions remain: Why has Pakistan despite being an epicentre of civilizations not fully utilized its genuine pride? What modus operandi could be implemented to get maximum dividends from the country’s civilizational potential? It is important to align Naqoosh-e-Watan with the civilizational debate.

Interestingly, Pakistan in........

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