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Delusion, denial and ‘Dr’ Liaquat
The not-so-good doctor had the temerity to claim that this was all a trick of editing and dubbing.
The subject line read “Aamir Liaquat Exposed”. To be honest, I was reluctant to click open the link my friend sent. Having just eaten dinner, I was disinclined to see the good ‘doctor’ laid bare. My mind had wandered to far darker thoughts. Instead, when I eventually clicked the link I saw a video of Aamir Liaquat swearing away. A wave of relief and sympathy washed over me. Relief that it wasn’t the exposure I had imagined it to be, and a fleeting sympathy for the TV evangelist. But the sympathy only lasted a nanosecond, mind you.
Most of us have uttered curses that we would not wish to be made public. Locker-room chat that is acceptable with the boys is not something we would want repeated in front of our wives or mothers-in-law. But then again, most of us don’t propagate an air of piety, uttering gaalis whilst talking about verses from the Holy Scriptures. That is the galling hypocrisy of this unedifying incident. What really sticks in the throat is the man’s cynical disregard for the very same people he professes to love and care about. It was particularly odious to see him sniggering as a woman caller sought advice on the sensitive subject of the legality of suicide in the scenario of protecting a woman’s honour. The very same people who gave him his success are the very people his sniggering disrespects.
It’s fine to swear like a lafunga on a motorbike at Seaview. Less so if you have made millions projecting a holiness that has made you managing director of a television channel that broadcasts religious programmes and also a former minister of religious affairs — in effect, a powerful, rich and influential man.
So what does this religious man do when he’s caught being less than godly? Does he throw his hands up, apologise and confess his sins and ask for forgiveness? Hardly. No, the man with no shame instead compounded the mistake by brazenly lying to the people of Pakistan. Yes, the not-so-good doctor had the temerity to claim that this was all a trick of editing and dubbing. It wasn’t him speaking, singing or clapping his hands. He claimed it was a dastardly plot hatched by his former employers in revenge for the popularity of his Ramazan programmes. Carefully ignoring the fact that it was those very same former employers who hastily pulled the video from YouTube soon after the footage emerged. If you believe his assertion about the dubbing and editing you’ll believe anything — or, at least, that Pakistan’s poor cricket performance was dependent upon the colour of their shoes’ soles. Ah. And there lies the problem.
For me, the good ‘doctor’ has exuded as much sincerity as the president exudes incorruptibility. But this view is clearly in the minority. People love him. And after this revelation, they will continue to love and support him. They’ll believe whatever he tells them. Already, we are seeing people calling his show, supporting his falsehoods and consoling him.
This reaction exposes a deeper malaise in Pakistani society. As a people, we seem intrinsically drawn to egotists, narcissists and demagogues. We love the masala, drama and showboating these characters provide. Whether it is a Bhutto, a Zaid Hamid or an Aamir Liaquat, we look to these people for simple answers to complex problems. Preferring their demagoguery and simplistic solutions to the heavy lifting of using our own grey matter.
So we loved it when Bhutto tore up the papers and stormed out of the Security Council at the UN. We find Zaid Hamid irresistible when he’s blaming the Jews and Hindus for all of Pakistan’s ills. We trust Aamir Liaquat’s superstitious claptrap when he blames the Pakistani cricket team’s poor performance on the green colour of the soles of the team’s shoes. Where’s the empirical evidence, ‘Dr’ Liaquat? So it wasn’t due to poor coaching or match-fixing then? But the colour painted by some poor sweatshop kid in China?
Distrustful of reasoning and logic, we mindlessly follow these characters. They enrich themselves at the expense, as well as the naivety and gullibility, of the Pakistani population. My mother and aunts-in-law — good law-abiding people — would regularly unquestioningly regurgitate the nonsense spouted by these charades. Why? It was easier than searching for the truth, or — heaven forbid — thinking for themselves.
The reaction to Aamir Liaquat’s exposure also reveals another problem within the Pakistani society. We are a nation in denial. Even when faced with the truth about these unsavoury characters we are still unable to accept their faults. Like small children, we can’t accept the truth even when it’s staring us in the face. Pakistan can only resolve its problems when it’s able to accept some uncomfortable, unpalatable truths about its society. The supporters of Dr Aamir Liaquat are a manifestation of the fact that this will not happen anytime soon.
The exposure of Aamir Liaquat exposes some of the country’s inherent contradictions and character flaws. My friend, Nadeem Farooq Paracha, often says that the problems with Pakistan aren’t economic, political or social — they’re psychological. He has a point. We have developed a Stockholm syndrome with the egomaniacs on our screens. Falling in love with them rather than contemptuously rejecting them. And when they have been revealed to be phonies, we continue to delude ourselves into believing their bold faced lies. It is time we turned the alim online, off.
There’s an African proverb that states that ‘singing Hallejullah everywhere does not prove piety’. Remember that next time you hear ‘Assalamualekum warehmatullah’ from Hardilazeez Aamir Liaquat Hussain.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2011.
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not sure about the video being fake or real, but I know for sure that Dr. sahab have better acting skills then Amitab Bachan and Shahrukh khan. I saw Dr. sahab five years ago at a iftar party I wanted to tell Dr. sahab then and there that I really enjoy his acting on TV but the huge crowd surronding him did not allow me :(
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May Allah forgive us all for our sins Ameen. We are in no position to point at anyone cause we ourselves are very gunahgaar people. Only who hasn’t done any sin or gunah can point at others. These are Allah’s affairs, I know this much, as much as Aamir achieves in one night, others like you and me can’t achieve in a life time. So JazakAllah o Khair to Aamir for helping me come closer to Allah, and my dues to him is May Allah bless him with all his reheat, and forgives all his sins too Amin. George just be careful when u print such articles cause u make hope go away from lots of crying people in Pakistan. If you want to do good, do it in a constructive way. We all know whats happening and going around. May Allah bless you with Eman and make you a stronger person.Amin regards Noreen
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Indeed! So true whatever you said.. and very well written.
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Excellent.
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Dear George,
I’d seen the clip quite before your superb article… I think what Mr. Liaqat behaved behind the scenes was the outburst of a sick and suppressed mind what is the sample from a big lot at the top now a days almost in ever walk of life in Pakistan. Such outbursts can be seen everywhere in Pakistan. They are all sick minds otherwise I couldn’t find anything funny in question of caller woman about the religious legality of suicide in certain situation. This so-called ‘Dr.’ Liaqat wasn’t synically laughing about the craziness of caller’s question but he was laughing at the ‘situation’ about which the question was asked for. How the hell could anybody dig anything funny out of caller’s question? This is one example of our inflating lot of stupit kind of TV ‘anchors’.
Another example can be found on Youtube where another junky anchor (Nadia Khan) behaved at the height of stupidity between domestic fight of two celebs and aird the recorded fight for which her show was banned for six months. Majority of readers must have seen that clip too. You see? They are all the same sh*t. There’s only difference of degree of their filth and sickness of their minds.
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@Frank:
It takes the proverbial “balls” to come and live in a country like Pakistan and fall in love with it and adopt it.
George deserves as much right to write about this country as any other citizen here!
And the answer to your question is “Yup yup yuppity yup!!”
Kudos George!
“Dr.”Amir Liaquat is to Islam preaching what “Dr.Kevorkian” was to the hippocratic oath!
Maybe he might come to a similar end.
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@Frank:
Its idiotic thinking like yours that has sunk this ship….instead of listening to reason and truth you have chosen to alienate it simply bc the source doesnt fit into your tiny narrow view of credibility. I deeply pity you
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These words are not coming from a Pakistani, because of the exact same reasons that have been stated in the article. We are in denial and oblivious to what is happening around us; defending all ills and not standing up for the morals that we have been brought up with.
Its about time we realized what the situation is and do something about, rather than getting offended over constructive criticism.
It doesn’t matter who it’s coming from, it matters what the message is.
I’m a true blood Pakistani, through and through, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to blindly defend my country whatever the circumstances – look where that got us.
Its about time we accepted criticism and actually got on our feet and took a stand.
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He has a good point, problem i feel is not that he was swearing, it is that he LIED… most of us swear and I am not say that it is right. But at least don’t lie……
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Denial is chosen because its unsavourry…cowardness leads to denial and unrest in our society. If ones notices, Mr amir has been advertising himself extensively on bill boards too, I wonder why? A true and capable person finds reputation and fame him/her self, it doesn’t require promotion!
Another irony, why no one is taking any action??
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To all the patronizing fools who believe that George cannot comment on Pakistan just because he left the country, Please get a reality check. If your life was in danger, you would do the same. Atleast he is still thinking and trying to offer people some geniune, heartfelt insights. Atleast he didnt run off with millions of our hard earned taxpayers money, and then come back to ‘serve’ us like our insolent leaders.
We as a nation need to understand who is honest and upfront, and who is deceitful. Please get over your ‘Pakistani-ness’ or whatever superiority you dig by willingly or unwillingly sticking around and living in Pakistan and stop attacking the wrong people.
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Tbh I never bought his act of piety and sincerity. I always knew he was a fake, just didn’t know he was this fake. Its clear that the young internet savvy population has largely rejected him and his poor attempt at clarification. Many in the older generation who are under his charm will probably not see the light of day and so will the young ones who haven’t had the previlege of enjoying an education where their rational faculties can develop. However, there are several adults, particularly those who have seen him as he moved up the ladder of the religous media rather than coming across him when he had already developed into the final product that he has been for only a few years, who know how much of an opportunist he is.
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Nice observation. Spot on!! well done George. Shame on you Aamir Liaquat…
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He is such a cheat…people must avoid taking his advice in future….
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Excellent..a well written article painting a true picture of the state of Affairs in our country.
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JANG GROUP has history of alluring/tempting staff of their competitors. Mir Khali ur Rehman is founder of this art, one can research on this topic and finds the fact, he did this all his life. Now his successors are giving new height to this art. Great work GEO, nicely plotted, adeptly edited and smartly broadcasted.
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Well what is the point here anyway? Some 307 comments and most of them are the biggest example of stereotype just like our author here.
Mr. George check out Murray Hill in New york where a person can be mother and son in the day and lovers at night and they lie about this harsh reality for the rest of their lives. Isn’t it the biggest example of HYPOCRISY in a very twisted way?
My point is stop being so judgmental about everything without looking at yourself. How many times of a day any single one of you talked to yourself and asked how dirty you are. How many of you don’t curse or don’t do filthy talks? even girls theses days are full of it. I put myself as the biggest example because i am not ignorant.
So what is so hypocritical about Mr. Hussain here? he is not from a `PERFECT’ place. He don’t call himself a Mufti (Religious Scholar). He is just an anchor/ host just like our author here who do/ or used to be in a morning show which had no sense what so ever (Being Judgmental).
The timing of this video is an epic fail for me as the TRP (Target Rating Point) of the channel who released it dropped drastically this Ramadan. So i think you guys can make out what exactly the agenda is.
I will end by saying that in the world today where everything is so full of it, why not just try to listen to something good which might help us without judging that person for a second. Try it, seriously it really helps!
The ‘matter’ really matters! The rest is just a vague reflection of ourselves. Recommend
what he has written is right but if he cares so much about Pakistan then what has he done so far practically other than researching and acting as a celebrity on Pakistani television?? I agree with Frank 100% its not what you say its what you do. and he has done nothing other than finding faults with us.. Geroge sahab we know what the problems are . next time you write a column please tell us the solutions practical ones please.Recommend
@Ahmed Gul
There is absolutely no proof of this video being genuine. The lip movements might match the timing of the words but no one can prove if he is actually saying the exact words.
Will you be kind enough to lay down your ‘standards of evidence’ please. As far as the rest of us are concerned, if someone took the Dr to court, these tapes will be evidence enough to convict him. And that is why Dr sahib has not gone to a court of law himself.
And btw look at yourselves for a change and try to change yourself before pointing fingers at others because when you point 1 finger at someone, you have 3 pointing to yourself
From this I surmise,
A. That you have ‘changed yourself before pointing fingures at others’.Now will you tell me what were you like before you changed yourself.
B. When the Dr declared someone wajibul qatl he was actually declaring himself wajibul qatl three times over- remember the one finger three finger principle.Recommend
The writer has not say any word about the tape which was properly edited from the data of last 6-7 years.
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we need the brains at the top to configure this behavior of the society, but the irony is that can’t see them coming soon…
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dear Jone,
I agree with you problems are psychological.
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an explicit article highlighting the problems at grass root level,in addition to stressing a fact that no “Character Assassination” has been done to Amir Liaqat in the name of religion!!
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we will think for our self when we benefit from thinking our self.
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“We trust Aamir Liaquat’s superstitious claptrap when he blames the Pakistani cricket team’s poor performance on the green colour of the soles of the team’s shoes.” yeah somebody please go and tell him not to ever step on grass and rub his feet on it… it may be considered blasphemy as well.
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George, Assalamalaikum,
The people of South Asia are gullible – we have been this way for a while now – we believed Jinnah, Gandhi and Nehru (and some of us believe the Dalai Lama) – while they themselves didn’t always believe in what they said and did – Pakistan’s borders came about through this naivety – we know we don’t need the border with India or with Afghanistan, but we’ll keep them, because we are scared and let others, our leaders, decide for us – they are scared too, so they let the higher-ups decide (including foreign governments, mainly the American). This fear comes from lack of knowledge.
Knowledge makes compassion, makes wisdom, makes action, makes justice.
in Arabic, the corresponding words are ilm, rahm, adab, amal, adl.
in street lingo, it’s easier: knowing makes feeling makes caring makes doing makes right.
We don’t have the first ingredient for justice – this knowledge is not the technical knowledge imparted in schools colleges and universities, it’s the knowledge a mother gives her child without any blackboard and chalk or computer. This lack of knowledge is not specific to South Asians, americans are also getting fat and people everywhere suffer because we don’t have alot of that knowledge these days.
The solution: we need to get it – while our mothers themselves are victims of this ignorance, the place to get is is the source of knowledge, God. now it gets tricky for some, and easy for others, it’s easy for those who have read the book of god and know the people of God – knowledge is with god and with God’s people – they’re not amongst us anymore, but their records are – I’m talking about a full scale retrieval of Islam at the population level – islam is the solution to the borders to the malaise to the modernity, to the pollution – if we’ll have even a few people, even one person who knows God, things will change. We don’t have that one person as yet. We only need one. The rest will follow. And make americans thinner, and fix our current psychological states. This has happend before in history – it can happen now too – let’s ask for it to happen. And we’ll be better. Let’s ask God for God. God will give us the Islam of the prophets, not the Islam of Pakistan or of Jinnah or anyone else.
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@Frank:
why is it always offensive when someone shows us the mirror, specially when he happens to be white-skinned?
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good article.its nice to know that george is so much sincere with all of pakistanis.its high time for us to amend ourselves and be honest as a nation and as a person.and start accepting our faults.thanx george for making us realize that.
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George,
Extremely well written article! I wonder why people can’t see the real person as a religious leader and keep believing someone who has no ethical values..He is such a fake “Man”. I have personally seen him misbehaving and using abusive language with people.May God protect us from hypocrats.
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@Fah:
George might have left the country, but he can still consider himself Pakistani. There are millions of Pakistanis who live in the diaspora and he just happens to be one of them. In fact, from what I know, his circumstances are more mitigated by factors beyond the normal/usual ones and so his move should not be so judgementally frowned upon. That he embraced Pakistan and felt and feels positively towards is is a wonder in itself and should be appreciated, not berated.
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Very well done George!! You have given us the very much good insight of our country yet again..i agree with NFP that the problems are psychological….besides we, in Pakistan need quick changes like transformation from dictatorship to democracy ,,,i mean a change of face ….its just that aamir liaqat (since his degreees are doubtful) i wont call him a doc…poor guys time was up and he lived it to the best of his abilities very cunningly. I wish to stick a bumper sticker on my car saying …..YOU PAKISTANIS HAVE JUST BEEN HAD BY AAMIR LIAQAT HUSSAIN!!
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excellent review . Accept my thanks
Indeed this poor nation has become an idol worshiper
This mean man by no means can be compared with the Companions of the Holy Prophet or The Holy Prophet for a fraction of a second.
Innalillah for these poor Pakistani mentality.
Thank you again.
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well,honestly i had alot of respect for aamir liaqat ali,but i think now i dont even want to switch to the channel on which we see him live everyday.
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The best part about the video is that his actions and style replicate that of the eunuchs. The faces he makes and the way he swings his head and body are all like he is a true third gender person or …. anyways the guy is famous of disrespecting the ulemas that visit his program. on top of it he doesnt have the guts to admit of apologise.Recommend
Well said, and thanks for taking the time to do so.
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i agree with all points u have raised . Nation is known by the culture,education and mentality of people living inside. but first i would like to tell everyone that i know computers and the video is not a fake one. It was in pieces but the expressions are real even i tried to confirm it with my firend who has worked with him and he told me he is like that.
Now coming to the point which your friend nadeem F paracha said “often says that the problems with Pakistan aren’t economic, political or social — they’re psychological”. Kindly pass my message to him that this nation has no proper education system in place for more than 50 years
what do you expect from ppl….if i were you i would have told him that first provide them education then criticize… he lives in fool paradise where he think evryone is well educated and he is the only one who can bla bla…….common be practical . lets put all our energy in provding good health and educational system to this nation and you will see the results.
geroge after watching the video. i know that i wont be watching his shows again ….so u have one now
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Awesome, I think George should send this to Amir. The guy has a fake degree, a fake character. My personal opinion don’t get worried about such people, Allah is watching and will punish these people accordingly. This is a very nice artice
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Excellent Article. We need to wake up and shun these people. This also applies to the the corrupt politicians who believe “Corruption is their right”. Actually it is our fault because we tolerate them and knowingly bring them back in power by voting for them. I would not be surprised at all to see this man back on air and probably included in the Civil Honors List next year by the President. Recommend
Excellently written .. a clear eye opener to what most people have been and still continue to be blind to
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well written article George.
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“the problems with Pakistan aren’t economic, political or social — they’re psychological.” well said…
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the problems with Pakistan aren’t economic, political or social — they’re psychological. well said…
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@Ali:
see his lips sync. Exactly people you are the psychological problem of Pakistan. Shame on you on finding excuses for Aamir Liaqat.Recommend
Here some people are still finding excuses for Aamir Liaqat.
All such blockheads are exactly the phsycic patients.Recommend
I always had my doubts about Amer Liaqat and not hugely surprised by the videos and the fanfare around them..Recommend
well said …………..
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Well said. You should also publish an Urdu translation of this article as more than 80% of our population would find an article written in English difficult to comprehend.
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I haven’t come across a single such person on fb or in person who ever bought aamir liaquats crap.every where i see and hear people are against him. there is an overwhelming majority of such people..the rest minority of population whom i honestly don’t blame are the illiterate,unaware, innocent people who blindly follow street smart got lucky aamir liaqauat kind of people. or those who enjoy being skeptic….so i don’t agree with George that we are a nation in denial! we are worst than that we are a nation who is well aware and accepts every wrong going on in our society but CHOOSES to do nothing about it. we just TALK and keep sitting.looking at the bigger picture we are the actual hypocrites here the group who is well educated knows everything n yet when its time to cast a vote n let some genuine leader come in power or someone less corrupt we don’t bother take a step out. who are we blaming then?Recommend
Why is everyone behaving as if he killed someone or is morally corrupted. I am not a big fan of Dr. Aamir Liaqut but lets put things straight a – he is an ANCHOR PERSON, i dont remember him claiming to be pious or an islamic scholar. B – have “WE” never used foul language.
All of us need to look at ourselves also and stop trying to find fault in others all the time. All of us have preached stuff that we do not fully follow does that mean we should stop telling someone something good. I dont pray 5 times a day but does that mean i should not tell anyone else to pray ???
Pakistan has bigger issues like terrorism, target killing, high inflation rate so why not focus our energies on something positive. Rather than always focusing on trivials
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@Frank: Yes dear you are alone. If someone tells you your wrongs on your face, he is your best friend….I really like his tone and massage.
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@Talha:
So what you are saying is, since many of us are bad so it’s ok for an Ex-Religious minister be bad as well, and he should not be punished if he is caught because you also do many of the immoral things he does?
What a twisted logic! No wonder we are in a recursive loop of dishonesty moving towards destruction.Recommend
i agree with whatever you wrote! its exactly because of two faced people like the “good” doctor here that we continue to fall into the abyss of darkness! SHAME ON HIM for fooling so many people who truly and sincerely believe him to be a God abiding man! wake up Pakistan its still not too late!
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@Fah:
Just because some one has left the country doesnt mean they dont care and love the place. Lets pls not be kuwain ka maindak!
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Dear George, your article is an eye opener for most of us. I think it is time to get into a discourse over the effects, the media is having on our lives. Being Hippocratic is one of the many evils that we are facing today and media claims to be innocent by saying it shows the true picture of the society. But one should think isn’t the media dictating us to think about issues as they like us to think. The media today is highly profit oriented and tries to give simplistic answers to complex issues. Receiving maximum number of phone calls and messages on live shows are the only criteria for a channel to know about a program’s success. But what about the issue of responsibility towards the society? Our viewers are limited to a set of programs repeated on every channel and the viewers are undergoing a normalizing effect. Values of people are changing and satisfaction of mans lower nature is given more importance. The mentioned program is one of the examples of the effect of media on innocent people. It is time for all of us to analyze the content to what we see and don’t believe to what is shown or said..
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Brilliant piece George!
Can you post your Twitter handle so that I can follow you there?
Thanks,
Best wishes,
Kashif
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Did this clip shock everyone? Some are labeling it as ‘disgusting’, ‘pathetic’, ‘eye opener’ and bla bla bla. And Farooq Piracha concludes that problem with Pakistanis is psychological, not political, economic or social. Wah. I do not agree and do not want to indulge myself in this debate but let me ask one simple question: how many among us would not swear or use the dirtiest language on a given day? 1% or may be less? Hard to speak truth, right? and mind you, this includes all of us, most of our anchorpersons, journalists etc, and still you say that the problem is psychological, not social. Good analysis.
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I’m surprised not with Aamir Liquat exposition, but from the fact that we could not find any single suitable person for this very important and sensitive job and remained dependent on acting of an “actor” for a very very long time.
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i m amazed how pEOplE through stones on someone else,and still say that they are MUSLIMS.
muslim is one who cant harm ne1… NE1 means ne1
We r not supposed to judge anyone with a video which everyone knows could be fake.
neither i m a follower of Dr amir liquat nor MR George(MR JUGDE for whole Pakistan ) but i need to say we should nt be so jugdmental ,
we should consider that we all are human beings and we all commit mistakes,and :@george( by not defending dr AMIR) a molana ,a priest or a religious person should also be considered as a Human being .
blaming someone on a sin which he didnt do is A biggest sin which i think most of us has committed that is the biggest problem in Pakistan ..
dont forward unconfirmed knowledge specially about Pakistani “human beings”
i would love to see an article BY mr GEORGE about the postive efects By ACTual ISlam around the globe or IN PAkistan or ne thing which could highlight some positivities by Some religious muslim scholars..
bulleh shah said
tear down the temples
tear down the mosque
but dont break the hearts of ppl
becz GOD lives in it
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@JD
how many among us would not swear or use the dirtiest language on a given day?
Yes on a given day , in fact on most days, probably all of us would swear. But would all of us also claim on the next day that it is a sophisticated conspiracy, and that those who take the name of the Rasool are incapable of swearing.
And how many of us would find rape and suicide funny? Now this amounts to a certifiable psychological problem.
Hard to speak truth, right?
Yes, as explained above, it is really hard for the Dr to speak the truth, whether about his PhD or his swearing and talking sleaze.
This man does not deserve the pedestal you are trying to hoist him on. Get over it.
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@Shehryar:
only God can help you if u think the tape was fake.
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@mind control: Well, my friend you have rightly answered my questions. This is not about the doctor we are slapping from every possible side, this is about all of us. Keep religion aside. I don’t care what this guy (or many other like him) says as I do not follow him nor do I consider him a scholar, and that is why I am not shocked by this clip. What I am saying is that he is just one of us who is exposed, there are plenty more – most of them would be cursing him on this very page.
Peace! Recommend
Denial, escape or depression overload, whatever it is, its deep down to our roots, its exactly what George referred to, a psychological dilemma within the individuals about what to want and who to love. Lurking around standing in the middle of nowhere, we all so desperately want to cling to some who hasn’t broken our trust. There is no stamina left, nobody has anything to lose anymore, so the best deal turns out to be the idealization leading to idolization. At least there is some false self-respect inside our personal stone walls. The biggest problem in our society is; there is no problem at all when we stand in front of the mirror. Yet our favourite sport is always on: the blame game. Great article George, keep it up.
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well said George.
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George,
I have been seeing videos of Aamir liaquat and following his replies on twitter & FB for a couple of days now. I have seen people’s reaction varying from the angry to the defensive, from confrontational to abusive and predictably as the butt of many jokes in the country. But I am not laughing; I am ashamed!
First point to clear: I am not defending or arguing the fact that what Aamir Liaquat did or does is not extremely hypocritical, nor am I refuting the fact that most of the people prefer to live in denial even if they are staring truth in the face and delude themselves with fantasy and lies. But can you honestly say that it’s a predicament that only Pakistanis find themselves in. Isn’t the whole world, including the people in the first world, prone to the same ignorance syndrome? Have you forgotten how the hypocritical Bill Clinton fell from grace and still wasn’t impeached after being proven to have lied in court about his affair with the aide? Wasn’t that clear grounds for perjury? Ironically the iron-lady, Hilary Clinton, stood beside her Casanova Husband cum President and he left office with highest of the end-term approval ratings for a President of USA. If that’s not delusional what is! And don’t even make me start on the British delusions. Royal Family and their host of scandals are fodder for the world press. The point I want to highlight is people all over the world are the same; they mostly live on what is fed to them, be it truth or lies but mostly lies.
So who is the real culprit? The people who made what Amir Liaqut is today to the people. The ones who promoted a wrongful image of a person while having full knowledge about his hypocrisy. And still go on promoting him. The questions need not be addressed to Amir Liaqut. The questions need to be addressed to the forces behind the false personality that was created and sold to the poor misguided people. Why didn’t the management of Geo question him while he abused the Mullahs or the staff there? Why didn’t they penalize him when he uttered curses while talking about the Holy Scriptures? I won’t blame the personality. I would blame the people who projected him, all the while knowing of his hypocrisy as an Alim and I will continue blaming ARY, who still let him come on air and justify himself; he has worked with them for quite some time now, I am sure they also have some footage to exploit when he leaves them.
As we all know a hypocrite never changes and I am sure he still curses and makes fun of guests and sensitive questions in shows for the channel, but they will hold peace until he leaves and then they can also make fun of our people looking for some answers from these esteemed scholars of the greatest religion in the world. And I would also lay the blame on these scholars, who after knowing about the antics of this pseudo-alim, kept on giving repeat appearances on his show and helped cement his image as a saint amongst the people. Shouldn’t they be upholding the sanctity of Islam and everything it holds holy?
And last of all, where were you when all this was happening? You are a very intelligent man and I am sure that with your journalistic background and your association with GEO, you must have known about this hypocrite for a long time now. Why didn’t you or others in the media industry rip the blinders off people’s eyes and reveal the truth about this menace? And if you think that GEO very conveniently pulled off the video after leaking, then you have forgotten the evils of Internet these days. Being very shrewd players, they made sure it spread like wildfire and would have been downloaded a million times before pulling it off the internet. The media today itself is a menace. Spreading hatred and inciting rage will only result in more angry people wasting time and energy over arguments that both sides won’t even pause to consider. I am sure most of the people commenting on your posts are evangelists writing for GEO, ARY or Mr. Aamir Liaquat himself.
It’s very irresponsible of the media for exploiting religion and emotions of people. Whoever Aamir liaquat is and whatever he does shouldn’t have been made public; it only results in creating a bigger divide and inciting people into arguing and wasting their time in endless debates with no results. Above all, it takes our faith away from all Religious scholars and the teaching they give of our religion. A simple and effective solution would have been a total blacklisting of Aamir liaquat from all media channels many years ago. But would our greedy and power hungry media channels put their morals above money? If this had been a politician, cricketer or Meera for that matter, our media would have quickly jumped on the moral bandwagon. But failed to do so in the greed of high ARPU’s and still continues with their pointless and destructive articles and news all around. This matter should be buried along with Mr. Aamir Laiquat for good and GEO, ARY and the rest of the media should accept their mistakes and apologize to the people of Pakistan.
They should also make sure that if any other Mr. Aamir liaquat exists among them, make sure to pick him and put him to right to avoid another such sorry episode in the future.
If Nadeem Farooq Paracha would have said to me that, problems with Pakistan aren’t economic, political or social — they’re psychological, I would have replied I agree they are Psychological and highly inclined to the Ethical aspect of it. Our powerful media, being the representatives of our people, should respect and keep the best interest of Pakistanis above everything else; moral, ethical, social, psychological or otherwise. Then again, the media should develop some morals and ethics before addressing any other evil in Pakistan. At times hiding or eliminating evil is better than Exposing!
I apologize if I have offended anyone. My intentions are true at heart and hold the best interest for everyone.
Son of soil,
Harris Rasheed.
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Trinity collage Spain did not have any BA/Masters and Doctorate in Islamic studies. http://www.trinityeducation.com
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Well, it is yet to be proved that the phone calls he receives are real calls made by real fans/followers. We can hear Dr. Aamir in the footage making a pun at the reality of Ullemas to whom the phone calls are made in order to get relevant insight into grave religious matters. If having fake Ullemas sitting in the same studio can be made a part of the “show”, why is it not possible to have fake callers reciting from the scripts that were handed over to them for the sake of Dr. Aamir’s face saving game? It is surely too much to assume that the entire Pakistani nation is a blind follower of TV evangelists like Aamir Liaqat Hussain solely on the basis of the phone calls that he receives everyday. As an observer, I see people having sudden disgust for the so called doctor, not merely for the abusing and swearing (which ofcourse was offensive in its own way) but for the dearth of respect and seriousness that was so prominent in his speech while talking to the Ullema offline. We, as Pakistanis, are anything but blind, Mr. Fulton, and need not be reminded by an Anglo-American/ Pure-American (whoever) as to where we are going wrong and for what reason. thank you for your concern.
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Article: Nicely written.
I can only smell sincerity in writers thought.
Lets all stop calling Dr. Aamir as Aamir, because he doesn’t have a doctorate degree (credibility is at stake and he is not budging to comment)
For the callers still calling and with him – u never know they may be fake too … paid to call and scripted to talk.
Hadith is beautiful … explains a lot and makes all the sense.
GeoTv – well what could they have done … they are just a private channel doing their business … and this by no way comes under the pretext of a socially degraded thing in the society we live in.
On part of AL … i am confused … he has a job and he is doing well when it comes to talking about issues … (non controversial ones of course) … and i think he was doing a good job in terms of educating the uneducated. He had a certain class of followers and lets assume for a minute that he is just another person and doing his job. Why should we judge him on how he talks and behaves behind camera? Is that really a matter of concern.
However, one thing was totally un acceptable and that was laughing at the question that lady asked … now thats un professional … :S
Bottom line – he needs to be thrown out of this job!
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Well said! The so called ‘doctor’ is a cheat and a fake to boot!
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George, Ghalid film deekhi hai aap nai ?!
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every single word of george is an eye opening for everyone specially for PAKKIS
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@ayesha:
dear ayesha please calculate the literate and illiterate people in Pakistan.
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Dear George,
Your blog is truly remarkable. It surely addresses our society’s main problem i.e. self denial. Actually the problem with our society is, there is too much to suffer for and just to cut down on the sufferings list, we think of ‘Better denying & staying happy than accepting & being sad’. This doctor’s originality has always been questioned by grown-up critiques but I kind of disagree with you where you take Zahid Hamid’s name in the same lot. I do not know much & can not say much but i think its better not to point our finger at anybody without a solid proof. Rest; everything lies between man & his creator.
In a way our self denial shows we, as a nation, think positively. This is my perception. If we start absorbing a lot of negativity on daily basis (which sure is possible living there), I think half of us would be mentally & physically crippled. So yes, sometimes self denial is a remedy, not a disease.
I hope & pray that my country is soon blessed with ever-green peace & prosperity, Ameen.
Regards,
Saeeda
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The very damning and persistent accusation about this man Liaquat without a single word of doubt about his videos, gives the reader the impression..It’s one sided. and partial.
This article seems to have been written with a lot of anger.
While I only recently heard about this person and maybe there is some truth to the accusations about him or may be not.The question is, who really benefits and gains by all these accusations against him.Whom has Mr Liaqat annoyed and angered?
If his detractors really have something to prove,GO TO THE COURTS. and PROVE IT.
I am not defending this person nor am I accusing him, till it’s proved beyond a reasonable doubt by the courts.
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George,
Very well said. Pakistan was founded by a foreigner (Jinnah) and can only be saved by another foreigner (GF) :-).
I agree with you hundred per cent. We love to believe pirs and all the other men who can play magic tricks and never believe in anything practical. Every Pakistani ‘s dream job is that he never has to show up for a job and he gets a check at home every month. Even the most religious kind would find no conflict in this. This would be considered a special blessing from Allah instead being castigated for earning haram rizeq.
For a society to change it needs to self reflect and change. We have leaders and religious leaders all playing their roles as any actor would do. The only difference actors at least believe in their role while they are playing it. Here the joy is in fooling the public. Amir is just another person with the same values and the same kind of personality embodied by every religious and political leader in Pakistan.
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No one can claim to be perfect, We are Human beings, not angels. As per quotation of Hazrat Ali(A.S), we should see what is being said, not who is saying. The statement of George that “It is time we turned the alim online, off” is meeningfull!. Please think over it.
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thumbs up George,
most of us have this syndrome, we don’t accept things on a right time…..
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Excellent article…… true actual problem of Pakistani people is non availability of correct knowledge & awareness and arer psychological influenced .
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Excellent article…… true actual problem of Pakistani people is non availability of correct knowledge & awareness and are psychological influenced .Recommend
I so agree with everything you wrote..We never try to use our own mind n mostly follow someone so blindly that in end we cannot make decisions for ourselves..We as a country do have to accept some bitter truths as that is the only way we would be able to move forward.Instead of believing in everything Some person says just becuase he or she is famous,powerful or self proclaimed “good muslim” is the downfall of our society.It`s about time we start making decisions ourselves n stop being someone without half a brain.
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Brilliantly written article,this is exactly how i feel.
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very well written thoughts !
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Awesome read!
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Every one talking so much about dr.amir, yes he is severely done bad,but what about the TV channels who allowed him for so many years for ON AIR his programme beside of the fact knowing his character and behavior.Recommend
can we get over it…plz!
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I agree with each single word you said in ur article
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ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
Thankyou George.You have done a great service by exposig this sanctamonious and oleagenous blackguard .Going back a bit,isn’t he the one,who when questioned about his false doctorate by Imran Khan,answered by bringing up Sita White!
t
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George
You and I often disagree on a lot of things you write. This isn’t one of those occasions. The sad part is that there are still those who blindly profess their faith in herr Doctor on the claims that “someone who gets countless to read the durood in every program can’t be wrong”. And these aren’t people in some remote village mind you. They are well educated businessmen who frequent the same circles you might have during your stay in Pakistan. And it is because of these fans that Amir Liaquat continues to survive this and continues to fool the people of Pakistan.
-Aly
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ayesha – you are 100% right.
Bewildered Bilal
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I won’t discuss whether the video was fake or not, but the point is that if Geo TV knew it all along, why didn’t they fired him earlier? What is the point of releasing a video to defame him after he left the channel? So that they could prove themselves right?
Geo TV would go to any extent, would stoop lower than we can think, they did the same with Nadia Khan (I am not supporting her)
Everyone knows his degree is fake, and yet Geo appointed him to host a religious program. I would never ever trust anything that geo tells, even if they claimed the copy right later, they knew that their job was done and everyone had seen and shared the video all across the internet. You uploaded the video for crying out loud, and then you come to claim the so called copyrights.
Get a life GEO, Life is much more than spreading one-sided aman ki aasha!Recommend
Wonderful article! Excellent diagnosis of psychological state of Pakistani people as well. You would’ve noticed that Dr. Liaquat blamed “Dushmanan e Khatm e Nabuwwat” for the “fake” video. I mean, come on …. how does this have anything to do with the enemies of Islam? This is very typical of Pakistani demagogues as well to totally mislead public into believing something absurd and using their emotions for personal interest.Such rotten display of character by Dr. Liaquat.
It’s so funny to see some of the comments above like “a true Muslim can never do anything like this and therefore the video is fake” – biggest assumption being Mr. Liaquat a true and devout Muslim.
It’s vital to write about this kind of incidents because our nation rides on emotions and you never know they’ll wake up to some enlightenment through something insensible like this. Very well done!!Recommend
@Ali Akbar Khan….Mosad and CIA….OH MY GOD…when are we going to wake up and stop blaming others for our problems. We all know that the video was real. I was not at all surprised though…religious evangelists are the same all over the world. Be it Amir Liaqat or the child rapist Christian priests.
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@Frank:
Yes you are alone – honestly speaking you are showing the sickness which George has rightly pointed out to, in our society. The Pakistani people have a lot more negative and inhuman characters than George has mentioned. What do u mean by “mind ur own business”? Everyone has the right to give their opinion and speak of their minds. If u think George is english and has no right to speak about the country he lives in and the people he lives among (his choice but not a very good one though) then u should think twice and take ur words back because u r rather a racist and u don’t seem to be aware of the fact that millions of ur pakistanis are living in the west etc.
Dr. Amir Liaqat was a fraud, drama and he is a fraud and will remain the same. George article, sadly though but wouldn’t help much because the people – illiterates or partially literate will never read this and learn a lesson.
This country will continue to suffer, unfortunately because even the literates don’t seem to realise that they are contributing to the problems the society face, by supporting characters like, Dr Amir liaqat husain, his brother (search on youtube the videos of that bigger drama), Zaid Hamid and not to mention the so called danishwars/writers like, Irfan siddiqui & Ataul-haq Qasmi-supporting Nawaz sharif, Nazir Naji – and so on. come on guys open ur eyes – its going to be too late otherwise, for all of us. accept the truth and play a part to rectify it NOW. Recommend
@Mrs Noreen Bilgrami:
Did u not have any other way of finding the truth and getting closer to Allah?. I appreciate that u have come closer to Allah and Allah give u strength but I disagree with you, we must not avoid pointing our fingers to others if we think they are sickening the society and playing with people’s emotions. We do not need to be sin less for doing a little good. I feel sorry for u for appraising such a big drama baaz and characterless person – God bless you. We know that he is a drama and I am shocked to see an educated person favoring such a dark and double faced person. If u want to know more about his character, please write an e-mail and I will reply in detail – its not nice to mention everything here. Such people are called islam sellers – they use religion for their personal and wordly gains, fame, power, money etc. Please do not preach to others to follow these characters. He does not earn anything good in any night- I am sure, don’t be so ignorant for God sake.
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@ayesha: Very well said Ayesha. Anyone who is a bit of mind (working one) wouldn’t get trapped by these characters but you will be surprised by finding some of the educated (probably half literate or mal-educated) who are still supporting this man. Pakistan has too much of the unimaginable stuff in the society and it will be unfair to just call them nation in denial or psychopaths – these terminologies can’t define the extent of mess we are in. We will have to get rid of the corrupts (of all sorts , not just govt) before its too late, by bringing in power the people who can fulfill the definition of a leader. cheers
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George you highlighted one really grave problem people of this country are facing, that is the Blind-Faith! Whether it is politics or religion we have narrowed our minds so much that when we try to break the walls we have built around us we hesitate! its time for us to decide whether to continue strengthening these walls or to put some effort to break them! Need of time is a FREE MIND!!!!
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@Shehryar:
I don’t think the editing is obvious at all (and I’m sure many would agree with me)… in fact what’s more obvious is the fact that he’s using a string of disgusting swear words with not a shred of shame left! The Tv channel you talk about may be very good at editing such things as voice and words, but I’m sure not even the world’s most brilliant computers can “edit” your facial expressions so convincingly!Recommend
George i just wish that he should be brought to justice for trying to make fool of his country men time and again……he would have been a lesser evil had he confessed and would have come clean.
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i am surprised to see Aamir liaqiat’s video where he is adressing like a mufti and saying only those r not rafeeq of prohphet peace be up on him who helped him in night ……..is he a judje on what prophet did and him rafeeq helped him……..just think for a while the mentality behind him ……………..pls curse him a few time as well foe his mentality Recommend
@Frank:
Would it help if same comments were made by a Muslim sounding person, living in Pakistan? Facts, I would imagine, should be facts no matter who brought them to light. I hope you are familiar with the expression, “Do not kill the messenger.”
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GEO tv is equally responsible of maligning islam by keeping this culprit with them even after knowing this attitude by that street smart lafanga…….
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George, you are talking to the wrong audience here. Creatures like Amir Liaqat are parasites who prey on illiterate souls most of who cant even write their name in Urdu lest read an English article. His followers do not have access to internet and if by any chance they get to see his juggling and antics then it is thrown off as a Hindu-Zionist propaganda. Excellently written but I am afraid that this would just be filed away in archives and the great Doctor would keep his deceiving games for many years to come. This is a nation diagnosed with a fatal cancerous tumor and no one at this stage has the time or the dedication to take the patient for a high dosage of Chemotherapy.
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I agree that those clips are real, and his language was highly inappropriate, but what on earth were people expecting him to be? An angel? Just because a person preaches about Islam, that doesn’t necessarily make him/her pious. People in Pakistan tend to have very rigid expectations of the people that they start to idolize, and they forget that the people whom they adore are after all …human. I am not his fan, but over the years, I have watched his shows during Ramadan, and I have never seen him proclaim that he was sinless. It is us, who want people to be absolutely pure and devoid of anything wrong, and when reality sets in, we are just too immature to handle it. The exploiters of this situation do realize that common psyche of Pakistanis: high expectations of virtuosity. We all have different faces in different places; at home, at work, with friends, we all tend to be different, and can’t be the same throughout, and the same goes for Dr. Amir Liaquat.
I also can’t help noticing that no one has anything to say for the people who exposed him. Islam only allows exposure of another person’s sins if he/she is harming others or usurping other people’ rights. In fact, Islam prohibits slander or any unnecessary exposure of other people’s misdeeds, even in the form of gossiping or backbiting. I don’t understand what success did the group or organization achieve by exposing what he used to say off air. My question is: if that particular organization was so bent on revealing the truth, why didn’t this happen before he joined ARY? Why weren’t these videos clips “leaked” whilst he was still on Geo? One plus one equals two: does that ring a bell? The answer is that his show is hugely successful nowadays, but some organizations just can’t see others doing better than them.
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okay fine we believe upon u……….. but what abt all the murder cases in which aamir is involved????????
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@mind control:
Shooting the messenger are we?
Or burying the head in the sand!
Or Emperor’s (Liaquat) new cloths are truly dazzling?
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@saba:
It is matter of FAITH.
In fight between FAITH and FACT; Faith always wins.
“Doctor” Liaqut’s spiritually sick “patients” have absolute faith in the voodoo he practices.
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@SaiyidaTasmeera:
“There’s a sucker born every minute.” P T Barnum (Allegedly)
Times have changed. Now it is “There’s a boatload of suckers borne every minute.”
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@Shehryar:
Just how can you edit those clapping signs and fist movements?? I am still doubtful if such technology exists.
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“FAKE VEDIO”…..people who say this make me more disgusted than actually watching this video.When are we going to wake up and stand against these hypocrites.When is ARY going to kick him out of the channel too?
And shame on all the mullahs who are laughing with him in this video.His future is probably as a second rated play back singer in some failed pakistani film where he can at least fullfill his love for singing or may be acting.
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In response to the 6th comment down by Fah: you can take George out of Pakistan, but you can’t take the Pakistan out of George. For sure when you live in another country for 8 or so years, you must have a little piece of that place in your heart.
Very well written piece.
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One must admit though that he is quite talented and no one should be surprised if he is the one thumbing his nose at Pakistanis as Hanuman (or Rawan) in Bollywood production of Ramayan and laughing his way to the bank!
Like any astute businessman, he must be looking for the “Openings.”
Who knows!!!
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@faizan akram:
Ah..so touching :(
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Truth .. Nothing but the truth … Thats what I like
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A news flash from “The Daily Cosmos”
“Lucifer resigns, declares mission accomplished after viewing “Dr.” Liaquat’s video.”
“Radio Cosmos” reports:
“Lucifer’s resignation involuntary, he is being replaced by a Doctor who specializes in deviousness and demonology.”
Situation quite cloudy, awaiting further details.
Will update as soon as further details emerge.
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the biggest problem with us Pakistanis is that we very easily ge blackmailed in the name of Islam. These hypocrites emotionally arouse the people and the public very easily gets carried away. We do not use our minds and do not struggle ourselves to find the answers to problems and revert to, an easier and supposedly safer way, these fake scholars . Islam is basically a very easy religion which has been made difficult by this maulvi culture..
This character, ‘Dr. Liaqat’, should be condemned because he is an evil.Recommend
Seconding Sajawal Javaid
What he said was a hundred percent correct and I salute this man for caring enough about Pakistan to express his opinions and concern in the way he did.
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@Frank:
You just may be. It is a blog…his own opinion. If you disagree with it, write a rebuttal. And this Englishman has pinpointed a vital flaw in our nation’s psyche. Instead of crucifying him for his nationality, understand that he thinks of himself as part of our nation. He points out the flaw for our improvement.
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@Fah:
I am surprised u pointed this out. It seems like some ppl believe that if your life is in trouble, you stick to your ground until a bullet is passed through your brain to have the rest of the people remember you in symphathy. George made the right decision in leaving and has all the right to atleast himself WE. Many of us leave and never look back, here you see a person not just looking back but trying to knock some sense in us pakistani’s and in return we as usual try to create and manifest differences. Well done Fah
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George has explained this pakistani culture of ours in a very polite yet descriptive way. we as a nation must think what we are doing . Supporting a person who has violated Quran , disrespected a caller, and four guests in different programmes is more shocking and sad than the Dr s own sin. I agree with georges point of view that our society in general has a malaise which must be sorted out first if Pakistan has any chance of making a comeback as a nation in this century .
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@Fah: lol Seriously? You’re gonna call out one man, of the million others globally, for leaving Pakistan for his own sanity and future? I’m sure you, yourself, living in Doha still call yourself Pakistani or wherever you’re from… Just because we are forced to make time-appropriate life choices doesn’t dissociate us from our roots. Shame on you and many others who think that way. But I guess I’m being too harsh on you. I’m sure many others share your sentiment about George’s departure from Pakistan after 9 years.
FYI though – It was Pakistan who failed and denied this man (along with MANY of us Pakistanis) the right to dream about a hopeful, stable, corruption-free, liberal Pakistan.
Well, said, George. Couldn’t have written this more objectively. It’s all in the facts. Facts, Pakistan. Facts.
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We’ve known about the good doctor’s hyporcrisy for a while now. The kind of womanly colored clothes he used to wear in the National Assembly during Musharraf’s years and then come on television in condemnation of men dressed as women is proof of that.
While I do believe editing and dubbing software have reached their zenith, it is hard for me to comprehend his ‘halleluja-istic’ dances, singing along on an Indian tune with a mullah sitting next to him, abusing on air, or even insulting the ‘Maulana sahib’ for terming a legitimate question about suicide being permitted to save a woman’s honor as ‘delicate’ can be termed as post-production masterclass. For if that were the case, the next Special Effects Oscar must go to whoever has a beef with the good doctor.
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A beautifully written article sir. I agree with you 100%. Please do ignore some people who hold the color of your skin or your origins rather than logic as a means to disagree with your analysis.
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Read this as well:
http://www.aamirliaquat.com/entries/Show/88-Must
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He is a ‘tamashbeen; So called doctor with a fake degree.He should be prosecuted
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The problems are much deeper than what we would like to believe. I know from the people I meet that the “dear doctor” has lost a vast majority of his followers after this tape and has been widely disgraced but then, there still are many who suffer from the ‘Stockholm syndrome’. But sadly, you cant completely blame the captive for his/her condition, developed during the captivity of over 64 years.
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@Frank: Sorry but yes you are alone in your offense of the above.
@GF: Not that I have ever paid much attention to the concerned person except for fleeting glances on random TV’s, I did see the video and to be honest was not really surprised. No eyebrows were raised here. This sort of street language is used by many and not a day goes by when I do not hear such profanity on the streets of Pakistan. The animated, theatrical mannerisms of this person convinced me there was more than meets the eye and hence he remained banished from the TV’s within my walls. If I want to know anything about my own religion, I can pick up the Book and read about it myself instead of relying on the testimony and guidance of some self touted scholar. I am more than capable of drawing my own conclusions rather than to continue seeking guidance about my own religion from someone with questionable authority on the same. Yes Pakistani people are gullible, living in a constant state of denial and will get offended at the drop of a hat, as proved by ‘Frank’ above. Getting offended is the norm in Pakistan. As a matter of fact “I hope you will not get offended” is a common phrase used in Pakistan (in Urdu of course) before one person addresses another which led me to ask myself whether we Pakistani’s are so insecure and riddled with complexities that we’re ready to take offence over anything that does not glorify us? Sadly it seems so and its even more ironic that it needed a non-Pakistani to point that out because I doubt any Pakistani would go to such lengths as to air these opinions in a publication. At the same time, I would also say that Pakistan has got to be the most diverse nation on this planet because you are witness to constant conflicting identities and ethnicity’s. Pakistan is not about one nation, one people, one language and the reason for that is self explanatory. The day Pakistani people start trusting their own wisdom and judgement and cease to rely on and crave the words and guidance of self appointed touts in the position of power and influence, including but not limited to a media that thrives on sensationalism, that is when you will see peace, progress, prosperity and development. We need to think for ourselves and not let others think for us.
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@Frank
By using the term “englishman” to identify the writer and by telling him to mind his own business, you have actually given a fair example of the denial and lack of ability to take criticism from any outside indivisual. If we can pay close ot a 100K for a plane ticket to go see the beautifully developed western cities of the world, the least we can do is have the guts to appreciate a few sensible observations from them.
@Ali Akbar Khan
Oh Please!!!! You epitomize the “blame the world for all my ills” attitiude that has led us into this!!!Recommend
Well all is fine but why Bhutto sir, i guess everybody knows here why he tore the papers in security council, he was the only brave man in the Pakistan history to stand in front of the western Politicians, he was the brainchild behind the OIC and our Nuclear Program, I respect him but not the current Peoples Party.
And for Bangladesh Please do search the Bangladesh Partition Movements you will find quite many of them one major was ‘Mukti bahini’ which was funded by India.
They too wanted not be a part of Pakistan sir, we only gave them a reason.
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George, you have spotted our nation’s problems in the few years that you lived here. Alas, we could not, spending our whole lives in this country. Well done, way to go, we love you……….
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Well done George! And apologies for the racist comments by some Pakistanis who cannot see past their blinkered racist, hyper-nationalist, uber-Islamist, nutty conspiricist views…
I pray that Pakistanis wake up to reality fast
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@Fah: and others who blatantly point out who has left the country and who hasnt!.. Any body and everybody with reasources will leave the country to save thier own and thier family’s lives. To live normally for once without being scared of getting blown up all the time. Most of all may I remind all those against immigration that the Prophet ( PBUH) left his hometown as well to save his life as well as his followers. In my view, it is also a sunnah. Kindly let those who are studying (another form of jihad) and those who chose to leave the country in search of employment or safety for thier family, keep a link with the country!
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Great article! A society can only develop when there are critics like you to point out it’s weaknesses.
I just don’t understand what is this man still doing on television. Preparing to lead another bunch of blind followers astray? Honestly, HE is the one who looks like one of the followers of the ‘Dajjal’ he keeps warning us about on his shows.
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you can find any logic for the thing u like!
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@Fah:
I’m Pakistani & we Pakistanis are not used to being treated politely, really, and we don’t generally take care about being polite and not being rough. That’s why we don’t find this obvious… using a “we” tone is a polite way of delivering a message. Using “you” tone is sometimes rude. So using “we” is not an issue. Don’t mean offence at all.
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@Mrs Noreen Bilgrami:
I would like to say something with respect:
“Only who hasn’t done any sin or gunah can point at others.”… If we follow this as a rule, there won’t be anyone to point out some realities that we generally skip. If one is sinful, should he not get up and spread about the political leaders’ corruption so that people could bring better leaders for their country? Sometimes we need a wakeup call (from whoever it is) to get out of our small world & realize the truth. By our small world, I mean we start believing in things that are presented to us and we accept them without any research.
“…cause u make hope go away from lots of crying people in Pakistan.”… The problem is it’s a false hope, and false hope is actually denial. People need to know the truth so that they realize that “eeman” is not something to be thrown away to some man (aalim, religious scholar, wali-u-Allah).
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a sad reality of our society!
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One thing that we all have ignored that this fraudster Aamir Liaquat has also insulted highly esteemed Muslim Scholars, Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab in this video.Let us stand against him and boycott his shows.
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Sir, I support what you just said, but I don’t think that people will continue to support him. At least not those who have seen him XPOSED. the callers who are calling him n consoling him are phoney, i think.
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George has hit the nail on the head but I don’t agree with his notion about Zaid Hamid. Zaid gets carried away sometimes but we can’t be ‘in denial’ of certain truths he has been pointing at….it is very very wrong to keep Zaid Hamid in the same bracket as Aamir Liaquat….Aamir Liaquat is a phony & the way he conducted a program in a graveyard on 15th Shabaan last month with his audience all around & full lights on was sufficient to tell anyone about his credibility (plus his many other antics over the last few years)….
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George,u have done a superb job n in a long time i reallly enjoyed reading an article. Mr Doctor had always looked and sounded fake,n a few people i personally know who have attended his shows have actually witnessed such behaviour… I salute you for writing such a daring ariticle.
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salam Mr. george… my english is not very good so pardon me because there will be mistakes… just want to say that PAKISTAN does not has a psychological problem as far as reaction to aamir liaqat issue is concerned.. look at the %age of people who immediately expressed their hatred for him because of that video.. i was the only one among my university fellows who doubted that video, same reaction i observe in the people living near my home…. so based on that i say we know our standards of character based on our religion and if anyone does not follow them he is never appreciated WHOEVER HE MIGHT BE…. the real problem is believing the media propaganda without analyzing it fairly , and WESTERN people have this psychological problem at much higher level than PAKISTANIS e.g WE ARE GOING TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE IN IRAQ BECAUSE IRAQ HAS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION SAID THE TERRORIST REGIME OF USA AND THEIR PEOPLE NEVER ASKED THEM DOES USA NOT HAVE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WE HAVE ALREADY TRIED THEM ON HEROSHIMA , NAGASAKI, etc… on the contrary when US ‘s slave MUSHARRAF in PAKISTAN decided to help USA against innocent AFGHANS general public never supported his actions except only a few coward ones who thought saving yourself is better than saving morality.. and they forgot that people die but morality lives …
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Why people made him God and then started hating him . he is just a human being like everyone.
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Very nicely stated. The Paki ppl are so far from there religion that they don’t even know it. In Islam it is said that verify anything you hear before recommunicating it further, but not a single person does that. Like George said, not every person who says salams is a good guy. (but now don’t look at secularism for answeres, that would be stupid too)
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Why do I find that the best human beings are the ones that don’t preach religion? Actions speak louder than words and the people who lead good lives are the ones who don’t talk about it…
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@Ali Akbar Khan: mr khan please dont live in fools paradise. Face the reality. See the true faces of your so called scholars.
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446 Comments!
Hit hei, Hit hei!
( M i late?)
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whenever we see a person doing something good in this country a propaganda follows….and one thing more whatever the video shows us is really edited bcoz in studio he wasn’t alone i mean where the audience were in a video??? if he was uttering those words no one was there to stop him at all?????Recommend
@aicha:
Actually I think this guy is not doing all this for directing the people the right way but it is for a different purpose… He has very well judged what the people in this region like and emotionally influenced with i-e speaking softly with some good collection of influential words on sharia’t related topics. His instinct personality is something different but he is giving people what they like to see and listen. By this he gained accelerated fame and off-course good earning. There are many more doing the alike thing. The important point here again is that we need to think about a number of children(our country’s future) devoid of getting education. Education is the thing that develops rational thinking in human and also better understanding. We the educated people don’t beg in front of others b’coz we have confidence on our selves and self respect. Actually beggars know nothing about this thing. This is the answer to “how we can eradicate poverty”. I really feel extremely bad when I see a number of children wandering on roads with sunken eyes and malnourished physique, in a country full of natural resources, Our beloved Pakistan. Here three things are important and will mean a lot:
1- Playing our role for the education
2- We need to try to be better on our own first and
3- Discourage any kind of corruption that we happen to see or listen.
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@D: I did not find this article offensive in the least. In fact, I liked it. Here’s a guy who is not Pakistani by birth. He visited the country and chose to be there. He isn’t the first person to leave Pakistan and he won’t be the last either. Everybody comes to the land which they associate with at some point in their familial history. It could be recent or it could be centuries ago. What makes a difference to me is whether a person “owns” the land, and I think from the article it is clear that the author does. Also, like another poster said recounting a tradition of Ali (raziallah anhu), look at what is being said, rather than who is saying it.
It takes great confidence in one’s own self to be able to take criticism and try to learn from it. It is a very small person and a very arrogant person who thinks that he deserves no criticism.
To fix a problem, first one must realize and accept that there is a problem.
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George, I was very saddened by your goodbye to Pakistan and it had disheartened me to read your previous article on that topic. Even though this article of yours talks about the flaws of Pakistani society, I do sense some ray of hope in this article as compared to the previous one. It is heart warming when you talk about Pakistanis as “we”.
I have also become a staunch follower of Dr. Atta ur Rehman, as his article “The Way Forward” talks about the reconstruction of Pakistan. The root cause for the problem that you identified in the Pakistani Society is that of education.
As responsible civilians, I dont think we can just be at comfort by blaming the government and doing nothing ourselves. For this reconstruction, every person should use his maximum level of influence to bring about a positive change.
In this era of pessimism, I would suggest people of read the book “Islands of hope: Recollections of Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan” (http://www.vanguardbooks.com/browse.php?isbn=9789694025421&subject=), which really provides the spirit and vision to the people for a positive change.
To conclude this, I think in order to make things happen, our souls should be set on fire and we must struggle hard to find our long lost values and culture.
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Brilliant article George! This is exactly the problem with Pakistan and its people, a nation in denial thanks to people like Zaid Hamid and ‘Dr’ Amir Liaqat. People of subcontinent are known in the World unfortunately for their slave mentality and finding a scapegoat for their problems :(
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