Have you ever tried searching Google for images of Pakistan? You’ll be
hard-pressed to find any pictures that depict the progressive and modern
aspects of our country. Try typing ‘Pakistan progress’, ‘Pakistan modern’ or
‘Pakistan cafes’ in the search bar, and chances are there will be no results.
But if you just type in the word Pakistan, you’ll be flooded by a collection of
frightening pictures (excluding some seductive shots of ‘Miss Pakistan’): kids
holding guns, bomb blasts and violence will inundate your computer screen.
When will the world see Pakistan from all angles – the good, the bad and
everything else in between?
Two recent encounters suggest that the only way we can get people to
expand their vision of Pakistan is by experiencing it firsthand…
I’m at Rumors, the underground club of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad.
The walls are quilted, the lights are dim and the music is getting louder as
some foreign journalists try to unwind.
I’m talking to a British journalist I've never met before who explains
that he’s permanently stationed in Afghanistan.
‘How do you like being in Islamabad, then?’ I ask him.
He has a thoughtful expression on his face and is suddenly overcome by
the urge to reveal a thought: ‘You know… Pakistan really isn’t marketed
properly. This place is really nice. It’s clean, you’ve got café’s and places
to relax, you can walk on the streets with ease,’ he points out. ‘But people
out there don’t know that,’ he adds, metaphorically pointing behind him.
‘Yes, that’s true. People think Pakistan is full of bearded men who run
around brandishing swords,’ I respond a little emotionally.
‘Yeah,’ he muses. ‘I’d like to be back – the people are so damn nice
here.’
Another time, another place:
I’m sitting in an empty restaurant interviewing Ethan Casey, author of
‘Alive and Well in Pakistan: A Human Journey in a Dangerous Time’. It’s almost
like a two-way interview since he’s recording our interview and is prone to
digressing. Casey has traveled to both India and Pakistan several times and
compares the two as follows:
Coming across the border was a kind of of relief: India’s a pretty
intense place. [When I arrived here] it was in the back of my mind that people
in India were saying be careful [in Pakistan]. And yes, I would say I do think
twice before I walk on the streets. But people [here] have been helpful.
When we crossed the Wagah border, I was waiting for one of my old
students to come collect me, but I couldn’t see him there. These couple of guys
inside a [nearby] shop said, ‘What do you need?’ Then, this old timer with a
turban said, ‘Oh, you use my phone.’
This is a difference between India and Pakistan. My first reaction was
to say, ‘how much does this cost?’ But he asked, ‘what number do you want to
call?’ And I asked again, ‘how much does it cost?’ Then he [got] really annoyed
and repeated, ‘what number do you want to call?’ He was so insulted when I
asked about money! Afterwards, I asked if I could give him anything. ‘No, no,
no, you are our guest,’ he said. I’ve experienced so much of that in Pakistan
for 15 years – and that’s a big reason why I keep coming back.’
BY Nosheen Abbas
