The phrase "the past never dies" may seem like a cliché, but it is more than that—it is a stark reality. The past serves as a distant canvas, painted with nostalgia, regrets, and unfulfilled desires. It lingers like the memory of a favorite dessert, half-consumed in the hope of revisiting it, only to find the table cleared before we return. The past often follows us wherever we go, sometimes even preceding us, acting as both a rearview mirror and a visible backdrop for those observing our journey.

Reminiscing, a rare and reflective gift, allows us to introspect and correct our course. It sheds the weight of unnecessary memories, leaving only the radiant and significant moments behind. Nostalgia is an essential part of reminiscence, as it opens the window to the past, triggering sentimental recollections. Sometimes, a simple trigger—a conversation, a dusty object, or an old wound—can bring these memories flooding back, leaving us momentarily lost in time.

While reminiscing is personal, there is another facet of the past that exists in the public realm: reputation. A person's reputation is crafted by the sum of their actions, perceived by those who have crossed their path. This reputation becomes an inseparable shadow, an alter ego, that follows the individual wherever they go. As a person climbs the ladder of prominence, this shadow grows longer, more visible, and more difficult to escape. Reputation can precede an individual, and if left unchecked, it may overtake them, creating a hall of mirrors wherever they go.

This brings us to the role of opinion-makers—political, religious, media figures, and scholars—who have mastered the art of obfuscation, deliberately distorting their true intentions. These figures often conceal their flawed pasts behind catchy slogans and emotive rhetoric, carefully manipulating the hopes and insecurities of the masses. Why do people follow them? It is the allure of leadership, the promise of hope, comfort, and security in an uncertain world. Yet, beneath the surface, many of these leaders are no different from the masses they claim to represent—flawed, manipulative, and self-serving.

In the Subcontinent, this pattern is particularly pronounced, where a swarm of such deceptive figures—whether military or civilian—have led us from one disaster to another. Their ability to exploit the ignorance, insecurity, and poverty of the people has turned the region into a powder keg, ready to explode with the wrong move. This is not our fate, nor a divine decree. We must not allow our future generations to suffer under these corrupt leaders. The time to confront them is now, before it is too late.

We must reclaim our self-respect and dignity, refusing to be treated as commodities or serfs by these swindlers. We cannot let these charlatans continue to control our lives and our nation. It is time to stand up, to cast off these pretenders and restore our honor. Only then can we hope to emerge as a respected nation, free from the shadow of our past mistakes. The past may never die, but we must learn from it, confront it, and shape a future that is not defined by the failures of yesterday.