Adil Najam
PIA print advertisement from the 1960s (Originally uploaded by PakPositive.com which is a blog that highlights the positives aspects of Pakistan).
Let me continue with the ‘Image Pakistan’ theme in choosing the picture for today. I find this advert for PIA absolutely fascinating; both for what it says about how PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) saw itself and how it saw Pakistan (or wanted Pakistan to be seen).
Was this the reality of Pakistan before theso-called ‘darhi wallahs’ took center stage? Or was this ‘image’ of Pakistan as much out-of-sync with the reality of what was Pakistan then, as the image of the bearded-gun-totting-bomb- throwing-jihadi-Pakistani is today?
Speaking of ‘image’ and ‘brand’ the Association of Pakistani Professionals (AOPP) has recently launched an initiative on the subject and held a thoughtful and thought-provoking event on he subject in New York on June 3. I was asked to moderate part of the program, and found the discussion to be mature, reasoned and reasonable–something we should have more of.
Please amend: “Sharraty Logoon Key Leay Sazza Ka Makool Intezaam Hay. Yahan bhee Whaan Bhee”….Allah Subhana Wa Tallah
Azhar Latif
26.06.07
NAB, I agree with you a 100%. Speaking about Islam or making Islam your main point of reference – as it should be for all Muslims – is enough in these days of “enlightened moderation” to be branded a “Mullah”. May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala save Pakistan from the curse of westoxification…
Wowwww, thats amazing. People talk about tolerance without having it for others. Isn’t it quite odd?
I was reading a few comments above “Ohhh Pak was so tolerant then that women could wear a tank top and nothing happened, and now these bomb-throwing stupid Mullas…”
Hmm.. not allowing a women to wear a bikini and dress provocatively is intolerance, illiteracy and rigidness but calling a person following the True Religion a MULLA(which itself is a derogatory term), bomb-thrower and terrorist is tolerance!!! I am not a extremist but would prefer to be called a fundamentalist or extremist rather than a wanna-be Western moderate.
one last thing…………its soo sad tht everyone above and 90 percent of the pakistanis apparently everyones religion gets threatened by a female in a tank top…..how fast are our belives…..once again i can only say i wish our older generation cud hav produced men who wud see women not as a product like so many said after looking at tis ad i mean look at the concept but all the ppl here can see is the lady in the tank top……sumwhere in every pakistani esp men lives a rigid maulvi only on women issues unless we change tht thinkin we are way far frm achieving anything
Ohhhh mu God i m amazed to see this advertisment for those who r thinking tis is sum sort of FAHASHI kindly try to open up ur minds and see how much innovative we were back then and if u cant understand tht simply switch on ur tvs and try watchen sum pakistani ads after which one can stop purchasin the product then buying it……being a moderate youngster,a pakistani and a gurl i wish i was born in that old Pakistan then tis one where either one has to keep proving he is a muslim or ppl are so close minded tht tey cant difrentiate between exploitation and innovation…..kunda is ok,not paying tax is fine but anything tht can bring betterment esp the topic of women here we have our very own ISLAM….i wish we cud be a better society and our older generation cuds have made better decisions