Adil Najam
Today is the 4th of July. Independence Day in USA.
Since about half of the readers of ATP live in the USA (I assume most are Pakistani-Americans), I thought it was appropriate to put in something to deal with the 4th-of-July theme, but in a Pakistani context.
US-Pakistan relations stand today at a critical juncture and are at a defining moment (see Hussain Haqqani’s commentary on this). ATP has written about this ‘falling out of love’ between USA and Pakistan and we plan to do so again soon.
Meanwhile, however, I have for you this really interesting photograph–the back of a traditionally painted Pakistani truck that was painted and displayed first at the 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Picture originally uploaded by guy_incognito on Flickr.com.
P.S. By the way, this picture will be featured on the cover of my forthcoming book, September 2006, on Pakistanis in America… more on that later, also.
P.P.S. Just wanted to add that the 4th of July is also my son’s birthday. This is not a personal blog, but the reason I thought this was worth a mention is that that his name is MUSA… yes, M-USA… neither the ‘USA’ in his name nor the 4th of July birthday were planned, but I find the coincidence rather amusing!
Aren’t you and this blog a little too Umreeka-friendly?
Barkhurdhaar Musa koe saalgirah kee bahoth, bahoth mubaraakbaadh aur du’ain.
Love the picture!
As for “Umreeqa friendly”? Er…The man lives in the Umreeqa, bhai! I’d guess that makes him have to think about Umreeqa at least a few times a day whether he likes it or not. And I don’t think he’s too fida-e-Umreeqa; take a look at what his sarkaree webpage lists as his Publications:
http://fletcher.tufts.edu/faculty/najam/publicatio ns.asp
The last link on that page, for example, I don’t think, is what Umreeqa Bahadur would like him to say. And the percentage of other things he’s involved in (both judging from that page and the fact that he is the one that started this blog, for example) that are related to another country, where he neither lives nor which has his dana-paani and rozee-rotee nowadays, I’d say he’s pretty attached to that one, too.
Hainjee?
Amusing pic, Haqqani’s article is great. Congrats on Musa’s birthday :)