Adil Najam
There was a time when PanAm was the biggest and most fascinating international airline in the world. That has changed quite some time back. And so, it seems, has Pakistan. The subject of this fascinating promotional documentary made by PanAm in the 1960s.
Given the Japanese narration, it seems that PanAm was trying to lure Japanese tourists to Pakistan. Right there, an interesting notion.
I do know that Karachi was a major stop in PanAm’s long-haul flights and I assume this is related to that. Although it does seem that the documentary is focusing on much more than just Karachi. So much in the video is so different from what now is. But so much is also so much the same.
I find the footage absolutely fascinating at so many different levels, even though I cannot understand the narration. Maybe a Japanese speaking reader can help us get a gist of what is being said?
VERY INTERESTING
A nice exercise would be to think about what has changed and what has not?
@Saadia and @NaanHaleem
Maybe its not the mullah crowd nor the Dubai crowd that is the problem. Maybe it is the hollier than thou attitude exhibited in BOTH of your comments where everyone seems to be the thekedar of truth and has a monoply on what is right and wrong for everyone!
To Naam Haleem and alike who say:
“….With almost the same as a routine day’s expense and a couple of hours flight, the members of YOUR COMMUNITY very frequently enjoy your fantasy world in Dubai. Then why do you want to run the rest of the society into rapist culture?”
Listen to yourself…if things were good in Pakistan, instead of going to Dubai, people would have come to Pakistan, I dont think your mullah infested single sell brain can imagine how much money/jobs/opportunities/prosperity tourism would have created. I know you must be thinking that tourism only brings naked/rapist culture…I am not going to waste my time explaining how wrong you are.
Oh one more thing Naan Haleeem, while I go enjoy myself in Dubai, you take your miserable self to masjid or wherever YOUR COMMUNITY goes thinking you are doing Allah a huge favor and oooopppss one of your own buddies show up to blow himself up to hurt YOUR OWN COMMUNITY. Keep living in denial and fool yourself by thinking you will go to heaven and get your virgin…poor virgin, I wonder what have virgins done to deserve you…I guess just as life is not fair…life after death is not fair either for some…..now dont ya tell me that I would be turned into a virgin to pay for my sins in the world…. arrghh your twisted brain is probably thinking worst!
Well, it is very interesting. But I wonder why everyone is convinced those were better times. In some ways maybe they were. In other ways, the past always looks more fascinating. But the fact is that in the 60s the poor were poorer and also more controlled by the rich. It was a haven for the rich and there really was no middle class. While in many ways things have gone down but in many economic ways that was a really depressing time, even more than today. (I say all this having lived through the 60s; I was 27 years old in 1960)
I always wished I could be transported back in time to see how Pakistan was like when my parents were kids. Thank you for fulfilling that wish – may Allah keep you and all of us happy, Ameen.