Picture of the Day: Imagining Pakistan

Posted on June 12, 2006
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Photo of the Day, Society
167 Comments
Total Views: 98605

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?


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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.

167 responses to “Picture of the Day: Imagining Pakistan”

  1. HarOON says:

    I wonder what would happen if PIA used this ad today?

  2. ashok prasad says:

    my family wa from lahore hence the interest.when Pakistani mags came the greater family’s way we were delighted.

  3. Rana Dilawar says:

    Hi everybody
    I need PTV Commercial Hussain Ki Lawn if anybody have it please send me or contact me Thanks

  4. Shaban Malik says:

    It’s pretty much the same guys that are running the show today. The day PPP and its ilk took over the reins of Pakistan after those fateful dark days of December 1971, Pakistan has been headed downhill ever since.

  5. Majid says:

    This is just beautiful. Unimaginable how rational we were. I born in 81, whenevery i happen to see the culture of 60’s and 70’s and whenever i meet with people who were young in that era , it mesmerizes me. Can anybody let me know who is responsible for such a fast degradation of everything in Pakistan?

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