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.
The image here doesnot depict the true Pakistan. This is not as per the culture of the country. As for terrorism and extremism, these were something which were nurtured by Zia and America in 1980s with full support given to Jamat-e-GHAIRIslami to form talibans and other extremist groups so that they can fight the communist Soviets. What Zia and Amercia sowed in 1980s is what we r reaping today.
This ad is a fake potrayed Pakistan in in 1960s or 1970s. Firstly non-Pakistanis especially Indians shouldn’t really get involved in this debate like ”Sarosh” above did. Pakistan is just being given a bad name by a gameplan in which mullahism and islamisation gets a bad name and people become modern i.e. lifeless like westerners. We are muslim and Pakistan was made for muslims, only country made in the name of religion back then. This ad is for foreign markets, the truth is wether before Zia or after Zia, both situations were the same. Poverty was always there. Terrorism has been introduced by Musharraf & USA. Tribal areas always lived like they do now, how come there was no terrorism there before? People writing comments above obviously beleive secularism and being western is allowed in Islam. Islam is a very modern and meaningful religion. Suicide bombing and radicalism is introduced by US, they are using Pakistan as frontline again like they did in 80s against Soviet Union. USA has never given Pakistan anything never, always helped India and others around but what Pakistan has done for USA we have never been rewarded. USA fears Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, obviously directly USA can not do anything to Pakistan. Therefore, they use terrorism and other issues an excuse to destabilise Pakistan… Pakistanis living in US especially are just senseless
PAKISTAN ZINDABAD
hi
a simple question to those who are saying that;
1. this image is un islamic
2. if some one is thinking that there is no harm in this image, then that person is not a true muslim and its our obligation to rectify him
should first ask themselves that how good a muslim they are.
ok just ask yourselves, are you 100% muslim, the way our Prophet (PBUH) told us to be.
i bet there is not a single person up there, then why dont you guys first rectify your selves. if some is still saying even after looking himself not a 100% one that he is right and i am wrong then it is very sad.
you people have no rights to impose your believes on me if you are not fullfilling them yourselves and you dont have right to impose them even if you are fullfilling.
if you are not 100% then stop posting comments or arguind any where else.
why dont you guys keep you religion with yourself. why just you people dont let any one the way he wants to be. why there is zero tolerance.
this is not a matter of showing once skin is modern or not but it is a matter of how tolerant we are towards once believes and freedom of action. and that what creats love and harmony. these days there are lot of people who are killing people, and still some are saying that this act is right like sucide bombings and there is bombings in the mosques also in the name of Islam, some people are looting others are smugling, there is corruption every where.
i would preffer to walk naked in front of 10000 people but not doing these (i think former being the bigger sins, because in doing so i am harming others but if i am naked i am responsible for myself as haqoq ALLAH maaf ho jain gay, haqooq ul abad naheen). and the interesting thing is these people will only see my nakedness and will try to cover me up and other sins will remain there in those people and they will keep on doing that. you will not become a muslim by covering me, but try to make yourselves more responsible to yourself.
sorry for bad english, i hope i made my point clear.
live and let live, let me do what i want and i will let you what you wand. peace. khud hafiz
And I’m sick of people acting as if they have any claim to the title ‘Pakistani’ simply by being born here.
Pakistan is what Jinnah and Iqbal primarily envisioned it to be. Iqbal moreso than Jinnah.
People make up their own values and say that’s Pakistan. From all sides. People saying forget the ‘dhari-wallahs’, and other people saying forget the Westerners. But everyone forgets the original side, the one of Pakistan itself.
As far as I’m concerned a Pakistani is a citizen of the vision of Allama Iqbal and Jinnah, and those who helped them in appropriate proportion. The rest of the people are just displaced Indians (that is, after all, exactly what they act like).