And so here I was, in the US for what is my first real time with interacting with people (as opposed to Mickey Mouse) and discussing issues that plague so many of our communities, when I got this email with the subject of “Take Back Pakistan” - And though I was eager to plug it in my spam folder without really paying too much attention to it, I’m glad I actually made the effort to read it. While I wait for the battery of my laptop to die out, I’m going to make a quick attempt at jumpstarting an entry on this forum, and want to voice out what I think -

I’m hardly a patriot. I grew up studying European and American history and culture so it wasn’t until recently that I could actually identify who some of the people were in the black and white photographs that I sometimes see in the newspapers and online. I do, however, sit through the painful exposure to a confused identities and mixed culture all around me on a daily basis.

There are many things wrong with us. There are many things wrong with the way our government runs itself. There are so many things wrong with so many things, I’ve joined the clan of people who stopped counting a few decades ago. And then I find myself in the US with the opportunity to talk about the few rights that we have at home. I’m in the US on a 2-month fellowship to go around America, meet with people and help to establish links with Pakistan - help point people’s vision in the direction of Pakistan…

So the question is - with all the wrong things that are happening, who the heck would want to promote Pakistan? The answer is simple. It’s us. This generation. If we don’t do something now, we won’t have much of a country to live in. Okay - So Pakistan hasn’t given its citizens much in return - but then its citizens have used that as an excuse and driven us into the ground. When does the vicious, childish cycle end? I say we put an end to it now.

While the bigger questions such as our raison d’etre and existence make thinkers around the planet engage in discussion that brings history and culture to life, there is a more important question that intrigues me.

Our identities are our visual and sensory barcode amongst the array of humanity. Traits specific to our upbringing and cultures have found themselves evolving who we are. However, what is our identity? What defines who we are? Is it the tangible artifacts such as a flag or a national anthem or is it the common belief in a supreme being and links to a type of lifestyle? In the creation and acknowledgment of a national identity, the idea that there be more commonalities than differences amongst the people, seems to play an important and natural component.

It can be argued that while there exist so many diverse cultures across the earth’s massive landmass, the fact that their histories have evolved from the same point of origin, defies the struggle for self-determination. Looking at the real estate around the world, will give the onlooker a good idea as to whose efforts have been initiated by which individual. When names such as “John Hancock” and “Trump” and “Sears” become avid descriptions for landmarks, man’s overwhelming desire to make his “claim to fame” be known publicly screams painful desperation for self preservation.

In considering the possibility that the amount of philanthropic work that is initiated around the world, one cannot overlook the strong link individuals maintain with the desire to be remembered. The entire concept of “Corporate Social Responsibility” is all about giving back to a society when it will make an indirect impact to the stock value of a company.

People fight for freedom of a group of people from oppression, leaders that sit far from the frontline, strategizing policy and diplomacy, also do so in the name of preservation.

Where does this desperate need for individual identity come from and how come we aren’t more human and global in our approach? One can’t recall where the Dutch Nun who found her calling in the slums of Calcutta, splashed her name around the walls and parks of the city in exchange for her services.

Back in early 1940’s, when Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the eventual founder of Pakistan, was struggling to realize his dream of a land for the Muslim population in India, the thought that he would be one of the first and few to be the leader who negotiated a land for his people, must have crossed his mind. But the fact that the ideology of the country is based on religion and the cultural heritage that we share with India is so far from the ideology, provides the basis of an extremely confused identity that has evolved over time. Read more »

Back in November of 2005, The News published a series of articles on the good things about Pakistan that we tend to forget in the midst of our everyday lives. What I have done is reproduced each of the articles so that we can start looking at the reasons to be Proud Pakistanis.

The many good things
There is too much negativity that the public discourse to which we are all contributors. This negativity is not always warranted, and there is something to be said for the inherent value of a positive attitude
By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

For virtually all Pakistanis, on this Eid holiday, the one unequivocally ‘good’ thing that stands out about Pakistan is the overwhelming response of ordinary people to the catastrophe of October 8. Many have suggested that the large-heartedness and dedication that has been on show after the earthquake are unprecedented, that never before have Pakistanis displayed such unity of purpose and a collective ideal. This is even more significant given that in recent years the notion of the collective good has been conspicuous by its absence from our public sphere. Maybe, just maybe, the adversity of millions could trigger a turnaround in our public ethos.

The relief effort has not just been about giving, it has also been about questioning one’s own indulgences and excesses. In years past, Ramzan has been marked by shopping sprees and food hoarding. This time, this unbecoming feature of public life has been substantially curtailed, again because of a conscious and collective decision of ordinary people to cut back and not because it has been demanded by any central authority that claims the moral high ground.

Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to start off this piece by mentioning the tremendous spirit with which survivors of the earthquake have confronted the tragedy. The world has recognised that the earthquake truly did hurt the most vulnerable communities in the entire country, and that the chances that many of them will simply not receive the aid and assistance they need and deserve are high. That so many of those whose lives have been shattered are able to continue trying, and even smiling from time to time, is a testament to all that is good about the human condition.

Read more »

Back in November of 2005, The News published a series of articles on the good things about Pakistan that we tend to forget in the midst of our everyday lives. What I have done is reproduced each of the articles so that we can start looking at the reasons to be Proud Pakistanis.

Proud to be here
Optimism and defiance and roots are three important words that bind Pakistanis to Pakistan
By Adnan Rehmat

There are many things about Pakistan that make it my home, where my heart is. And — warts and all — the love of my life. No amount of compensation or temptation — and over the years I have had many — will tear me away from it. There are many reasons that make me proud of Pakistan.

Here are only ten.

The conscientious voter

Four spells of military dictatorships of virtually every kind — from the brutal to the benign — have failed to brainwash millions of voters who refuse to be fooled or to surrender their conscience when it came to choosing the political manifesto that appeals to them. They exercised their maiden right of adult franchise with gusto in 1970 — 23 years after the country’s founding — and elected a left-of-centre party despite the facade of a religious identity. Ever since, they have repeatedly defied the military-controlled establishment’s versions of manufactured democracy by voting always for parties that are forward looking. Electoral rigging and manipulation may give another picture — the first past the pole system, which does not always put parties with most votes in power — but count the votes and you see the conscientious voter has always pitched for a hopeful tomorrow, not an obscurantist yesterday. The Pakistan People’s Party may not have been allowed to form a government but they certainly got the largest number of votes in the last election. And coupled with the Pakistan Muslim League-N, they were given a public mandate to govern the country by voters who know what they wanted.

The indomitable woman

The average Pakistani woman is born with the potential to suffer indignities that no one should — from child marriage to gang-rape and from being given away as settlement of disputes between men to being killed in the name of the honour of their men. She cooks for the household but more often than not gets the smallest portions and is usually the last to eat. She is likely to not being guaranteed a decent education and is taught since birth to be submissive, unquestioning and repentant. And yet she dares to defy. The likes of Mukhtaran Mai, Dr Shazia Khalid and Sonia Naz not only decide to fight against a system stacked against them, they fight a willing battle that puts the men to shame for they fight a just cause.

The optimistic youth

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