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Pakistan — not so ‘dangerous’ after all
Pakistan is much more complex and contradictory than the images people have in mind.
The writer is a Berlin-based deputy editor for reports at the German newspapers Welt and Berliner Morgenpost.
“Pakistan?! Isn’t that too dangerous?” Most of my friends and family reacted in the same way when I told them that I would be going there in the second week of October. And to be honest, I also hesitated when I got the offer to participate in a Pakistan-German media dialogue in Lahore organised by the Heinrich Boll Foundation. But I’ve already been working long enough in the media to know that the images we have in mind of most of the so-called ‘dangerous’ countries are mainly created by a ‘good-news-is-no-news’ principle.
In the end I didn’t hesitate for very long, as I was curious to learn how this image of natural catastrophes, Taliban, suppressed women, military regime and an enmity towards India matched up with the reality. An image which yet was also influenced by a female prime minister long before the Germans were ready to accept a woman as prime minister, by a modern well-educated elite and a great passion for cricket.
So, I arrived at Lahore and the first thing I realised was that yes it may have been dangerous because the city was in the grip of a dengue epidemic. I hadn’t anticipated that I should be afraid of mosquitos.
In the days following, I talked to Pakistani colleagues, politicians and many others who taught me that this country is so much more complex and contradictory than the images I had in mind.
I visited beautiful mosques, Mughal palaces and restored old houses in the Walled City and met a famous designer who revives the great cultural history of the country in her fashion. But I also learnt from a cultural historian, that at public schools this history is hardly taught. “Why?”, I asked. “Because it’s a history we share with India”, was the answer.
I met a Pakistani businessman. He told me in a lowered voice that he is a Hindu and that this is the reason why in his office he is given always the same mug while all his colleagues don’t have ‘private mugs’. “Maybe they believe my religion is infectious,” he laughed. It was no happy laughter.
I saw only few women compared to men in the streets and hardly any of them on their own. As I am used to travelling on my own, I asked myself for the first time if this could be a problem here. Nevertheless I walked through the beautiful Bagh-e-Jinnah Park. But then I discovered the Gymkhana Cricket Ground. Bystanders (only men) were watching from outside a cricket match of young women among whom were players of the national women’s team. They told me that since one year the players have paid contracts (like their male counterparts), that they’re dreaming of winning the World Cup next year and that even women from the tribal areas are playing in their team.
I talked to a young middle-class woman, who told me how she once wore a burqa for a couple of months in order to find out what religion really meant to her. Later on she became a member of the Communist party and an atheist. I know many young people in the West who undergo a similar search for their own identity. But for this woman it could be perilous, especially if the wrong people get hold of passport (she told me she has “no religion” written on it).
I also met a law student who told me how open-minded her parents had brought her up. That she had always been able do what her brothers had done and to choose for her own what she wanted. Her father, a military man, was dead and her two brothers had joined the army. She longed for change, for less influence of the military and more democracy.
Pakistan, as I could read every morning in the newspapers, has a free media with brilliant journalists, who are not only very critical but also courageous. I talked to Pakistani colleagues who investigate, criticise, and their work has an impact but too many have paid with their life for this.
I had many astonishing encounters, enlightening insights and yet only got a glimpse of the larger picture. I came back home and told my friends and family: No, it’s not too dangerous to go to Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2011.
Reader Comments (68)
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Enjoyed the read. What I liked was your easy style of narration and that you refrained from harshly judging us.
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@ Miss Heike madam,
Nice article i really enjoyed reading but please be clear even Hindus Brahmins dont drink
water or juice in same glass either with muslims or even low caste hindus its a shame
i like two things one is good news is no news and second History we just know pakistan
starts from Mohd Bin Qasim and end at Mohd Ali jinnah.
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@Ali Tanoli,:
So if somebody does something wrong, I should do the same? The Brahmans that you are thinking are the Brahmans of the past. I have been to the houses of Indian friends; nobody gave me a separate cup or dish. Get over this myopic version of things.
Also please know that the history of India goes back to several thousand years and did not start with an Arab pirate and ended with a spokesperson of vested interests.
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@Ali Tanoli
Are you bringing India here to justify caste-system in Pakistan? When will you start thinking independently?
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A nice article and I am glad you were safe in Pakistan but the average middle class citizen in any of our cities does not feel safe in any way. I would suggest you see how many problems we have with kidnappings, car jackings, muggings, etc. Improving our law and order situation requires both a strong civilian government and us to be more honest people.
@ Ali Tanoli – sure but our neighbors in India don’t legislate laws that openly discriminate against people of a certain religion while that is quite commonplace in our dear Pakistan. Perhaps if we cared about Shias, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmmadiyas, Parsis, and other minority groups a little more, they’d feel more included and be even more productive members of society.
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Jinnah has quoted an instance when some Hindu leader refused to eat with him even in own plates as they were sharing common floor carpet.
But in the sub-continent Muslims this thing has seeped from Hindu caste system.
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Madam,
I commend you for your bravery.
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Good narration of the part of the overall facts of Pakistani life.
Still I feel that you have not observed or have the experience of real life of Pakistani society. I would suggest you visit KPK and then write something about Pakistan and Pakhtunes. What we Pakistanis feel is all the facts which are shown to the world are distorted by western media as well as our own (western guided) media. I accept that we have problems, but we can settle them if allowed by our western ‘friends’.
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@Ali Tanoli, “Hindus Brahmins dont drink
water or juice in same glass either with muslims or even low caste hindus ”
So are there still Hindu brahmins and Hindu lower castes in Pakistan? Do you interact with them and have Brahmin friends/acquaintances who have refused to share a glass with you or other Muslims. Do Muslims/Ahmadiyyas, Shias/Sunnis share the same glass
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Leave before you find what you refuse to recognize.
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Lets hope our Indian friends dont comment negatively to spoil this beautiful article!
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Go to Baluchistan and learn about hte dangerous part of Pakistan too.
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Sorry to burst the bubble…
This is a very frivolous article. Very frivolous.
You have based your argument on what you saw and not what you should have seen. You haven’t explored anything about this country called Pakistan.
You met one atheist, one Hindu. You should meet hundreds of Hindus who, especially live in villages to find out how they are being systematically converted. You should have met Afghan refugees. You should have met Shias and Ahmadis. You should have met journalists, who have been hounded by the deep state. You should have met poor Pakistanis, who under the tight clutches of Mullahs. You should have met businessmen and manufacturers to learn about how they suffer from inflation, lack of market, lack of power and lack of trained laborers. You should have met educationalists to find out, hwo the education system is going down the drain. You should have met Asma Jehangir to find out the status of women. You should have met army generals and high ranking officers to find out the difference between the lifestyles of these people and the poor. You should have met Mullahs, Taliban and other Ghairat brigade. You should have met the political leaders to find out what kind of people they are. You should have met the Blasphemy law victims. You should have met the victims of ethnic cleansing and target killings.
And if you are lucky, you should have met a few people from ISI.
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@Ali Tanoli,:
“Nice article i really enjoyed reading but please be clear even Hindus Brahmins dont drink
water or juice in same glass either with muslims or even low caste hindus”
This may have been in the case in 1947. It is certainly not the case in 2011. I am an Indian Muslim and I have NEVER experienced this.
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Don’t worry. Germany is also a dangerous country — for foreigners. Both fascism and racism are still rampant there. Should I narrate events?
The Germans have accepted a woman prime minister who is a right wing conservative. Secondly, she was elected against Gerhard Schroeder who was pleading that the Germans should not be hostile to foreigners and that Germany was getting secluded even in Europe owing to its implied racist policies. Do you remember Schroeder’s program (Agenda 2010) to invite foreign skilled workers and do you remember how the Germans dealt with the foreigners (by declaring that the foreigners had rendered the Germans jobless) and what happened to that program? Do you know how many foreigners were forced to leave Germany when Angela Merckel got elected?
You visited Baghe-Jinnah, Lahore, and no one stared at you even. How many foreigners walk through the streets in Berlin without getting stared at. Do you have any idea? The old population of Germans who fought the World War II are still alive and why do they mumble and murmur when they see a foreigner from this part of the world travelling along with them on an Ubhan. Would you like to translate those filthy words here?
If radicalism is the bane of Pakistan, racism is the bane of Germany. What were the meaning of the slogans chanted before and during Angela Markels electoral campaign to make her win elections? The slogans were ‘Schliessen Sie die Rander’ (Close the borders) raised by the National Party of Germany (NPD), ‘Deutsche Aufgaben fur Deutsch (German jobs for Germans) raised by the German People’s Union (DVU) and ‘Kinder statt Indianer’ (Children instead of Indians) raised by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). All of them are now ruling Germany since September 2005. Ms Merkel is from the right-wing CDU. Further, the coalition of the right wing CDU-CSU had ruled over Germany for 16 years (from 1982 to 1998). What this right-wing domination speaks for? If this is not, what otherwise the neo-Nazi phenomenon is? What is the message for Pakistan lied in this prolong spell of right-wing German conservatism? By the way, do you know what is the ‘Triad of Nazism’ and what are its resurrecting dimensions?
In 2003, I also talked to a young middle-class German woman (Ms Gwendolin Muehlinghaus) and she told me that Schroeder had plagued her country with foreigners and that the Germans were committed to oust him and replace with Angela Merckel. That happened in 2005. The prolong spell of Angela speaks loud for the rule of the right wing conservative Germans in Germany. By the way, what are you trying to tell us? Do you think we don’t know about the Germans and the ‘German way’ of thinking propagated by another German lady, Ms Bimba Moewes?
Why does the Heinrich Boll Foundation work in Pakistan but does not like to speak to a Pakistani visiting its office in Berlin (in 2003)? The same is the problem with other German foundations which are very keen to help the Pakistanis in Pakistan but are hateful to a Pakistani visiting their headoffices in Berlin.
Why don’t you ‘long for a change’ and bring Schroeder back who wanted to open Germany and make it liberal? When will you address the problems of your own country?
How is your colleague Ms Silvia Meixner, a reporter of Die Welt/Morgenpost in 2003? She used to deride Pakistan and Pakistani Press. Like you, has she succeeded in overcoming her xenophobia about the Pakistanis and Pakistan? Will you try to convince her as well? I invite her to visit Pakistan.
Given the state of conservatism in Germany and the nature of interactions Germans produce with the foreigners (from this part of the world), it is still dangerous to go to Germany (unless the Germans bring a drastic change in themselves).
If you want to know more about Berlin and Germany, do not forget reading my book ‘Memoir of my stay in Berlin’.Recommend
A great article that is well written and easy to digest
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Nice reading Frau Vowinkel. I wish it was a bit like a typical German workplace, where everyone has his own private coffee mug. Here only rare hindus have it. Another contrast: in Pakistan rabid Islamist minority controls rest of us in a way similar to how larger German society tactfully controls their neo-nazi minority. I wish it was other way round here. I am great admirer of your great society (except that a cricket match has no potential to turn ugly for ordinary foreigners in Pakistan, unlike a football game in a German city which strikes terror in the hearts of south-asians siding in the vicinity).
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@Ali Tanoli,
For that matter some families do not drink water from the same glasses within familiy unless washed again. It is not a brahmin thing!! May be ever considered it is a personal hygiene. Some of the routines over a period of thing taken worst forms and different interpretations. God bless you with your interpretations.
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I really hope this article is not interpreted by people as affirmation of their beliefs that all is well with Pakistan.
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Wrong, Pakistan only shares history with Khalistan and BOK (bharti occupied kashmir) not with the entire country.
Get your facts right!!!!!!!!!!!!
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My company employs 4 Hindus, 7 Christians and 33 Muslims of various sects. 35% are ambitious women. My company treats all members with dignity if their aggregate KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) are positive and their performance is at least 3.5 on a 6 point metric scale. We are based in Karachi and Islamabad. We are young, strong, energetic. Pakistan is changing, we are changing it, and not because of opinionated foreign media, but because of us, and our ambition to beat everyone (even our future generations) in terms of Peak Economic Progress and Romantacized Public Solidarity.Recommend
@Author
A,I also learnt from a cultural historian, that at public schools this history is hardly taught. “Why?”, I asked. “Because it’s a history we share with India”, was the answer.
This must be the standard operating procedure for intellectual integrity and academic inquiry elsewhere too.
B.I met a Pakistani businessman. He told me in a lowered voice that he is a Hindu and that this is the reason why in his office he is given always the same mug while all his colleagues don’t have ‘private mugs’.
A ‘businessman’ by definition is his own boss and does not work in an office with ‘colleagues’. He may have employees, though. Now employees treating the employer as an outcast and getting away with it must also be par for the course.
C.I talked to a young middle-class woman, who told me how she once wore a burqa for a couple of months in order to find out what religion really meant to her. Later on she became a member of the Communist party and an atheist.
Was this lady eager to proclaim her atheism with the locals too. And was she open to disclosure of her identity?
D.Pakistan, as I could read every morning in the newspapers, has a free media with brilliant journalists, who are not only very critical but also courageous.
Did you by any chance sample the journalistic brilliance of stalwarts like Oraya Maqbool Jan, Lucman Mubashir, Zaid Hamid et al. You have to do so to realise how free of the canons of logic and truth these journalists are.
Dear lady, you are not doing Pakistan a favour by citing the above examples as evidence of things that are right with Pakistan.
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A good article. I live in Germany and know how the image of Pakistan has suffered after 9-11 and terrorism. It is not all lost. Pakistan has a democratic government and see women in senior positions and generally, unless you happen to be Ahmadi, people get along far better than in many countries, even compared to India. There the divide between north south, caste, religion and other sects, is greater, hardly anybody mixes with others. Even in Europe when anybody takes over as head of embassy or air India, north Indians say. He is from south (meaning they do not make friends with them) That is not the case with pakistanis. The one major difference in favor of India is that Indians have faith in democracy, pakistanis like the elected governments to go sooner than their mandate.Of course dictators can remain in power for ‘ever’
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A Turk friend of mine visited Islamabad and Lahore. He said after reading all the news I expected to see fear on faces of people – like I’ve seen in Somalia and Sudan – but there is no fear on the faces at all. The only fear that I see is created artificially by government by erecting all those check posts that serve no purpose at all but to terrorize the people.
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Doesn’t Islam says all humans are equal? Did holy prophet shared food and utensils of christians, jews and jahiliya people?
Second, it is completely wrong to say that our history starts with Muhammad bin Qasim. Islam reached India in time of Holy Prophet through Arab traders. They had population in South India and Lanka.
Third, does any other country, including Saudi Arabia, claim that their history start with Islam? Don’t they still believe that the greatest poet is Imru Al Qais and they still take in pride? Didn’t Holy Prophet himself held Hatim Tai (Jahiliya) in great respect and gave special treatment to his progeny? Don’t Egyptians and Turks take pride in their ancient civilizations? Why ONLY US insist that our history begins with Islam?
Are Muslims an imported race or do you think some locals happen to convert to Islam? Did they have some history or some achievements before Islam or not?
We are nothing but conceited and brain washed people. People in self denial. Aren’t we?
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@ All
You all have started criticizing Ali Tanoli for saying that. This has been the case and I believe it is still there as I too have indian friends in low castes and you cannot generalize your few case experiences about the more than one billion population. In the same manner, what has happened to that Pakistani Hindu businessman can not be generalize to whole Pakistan. Here against i have hindu friends in Pakistan both in universities and in offices. Now please can you give us a break? And please learn to appreciate good things as well when you find in Pakistan as you people make even a good thing look bad. That is so cynical.
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@Meekal Ahmed: All she did was visit my country for a few days and wrote a nice article thereafter. Lets not get carried away.
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Nice article!!
I would like to comment on this part:
This is the result of bigoted and intolerant face of Islam presented by radicals. They are repulsing more people away from Islam than attracting them.
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Yes. it is jannat.
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What a powder puff of an article. If she’d strayed from the guided tour, she’d have met the real Pakistanis — those to whom Qadri’s actions are justified and for whom Asia Bibi is a dangerous terrorist. Also, who are these
Pakistan, as I could read every morning in the newspapers, has a free media with brilliant journalists, who are not only very critical but also courageous.
Obviously she can’t read urdu, or she’d never have said this. Looks like she also missed The Nation. She’s probably referring to journalists who are critical of the elected government – there are millions of those. There are probably less than a handful of journalists in all of Pakistan who have the courage to criticize the army.
No, it’s not too dangerous to go to Pakistan.
where angels fear to tread… you get the gist…
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@Heike Vowinkel
Thank you very much for an honest article.
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@ You said it
Pakistan does have free press, including all the bad examples of western press! The Nation is also an example of free press.
.
Being rightwing doesn’t necessarily mean there is no freedom of press. Some Urdu newspapers (not all) & The Nation are more like Fox News in the US.
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Example of free US press & politicians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovugclIWMEk
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@sharifL:
” unless you happen to be Ahmadi, people get along far better than in many countries”..are they not humans..shame on you!! you’ve got no morality to talk abt north indian-south indian things here..we may differences over culture, language etc..we are all Indian’s by heart..so don’t cook up any stories here..
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The writer has expressed what she felt. Let’s not get hyper either way. With Pakistan getting such bad press, I want to thank all those who make a personal judgment to take the risk of visiting this “not dangerous” place.
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How dangerous u wanted it to be??
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@Truth Seeker:
Also pls go to indian side of kashmir and gujrat to see how freely muslims live there.
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@Max,
I have a few Hindu friends here in united states and i know how they treat each other in the mannor of caste sys which exist in india for centuries and i know the values of Democracy in india when Eid EL Azha mean feast of secrifices come and RSS & Shiv
sena peoples roam on the streets of Bombay or any big city to watch muslims not to
cut holy moly cow and also apartment building dont wanna rent even Bollywood muslim
actors forget a common indian muslims and this is a same case here in america with
black peoples to hard to get house in white areas.
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@Iftekhar:
When two cultures meet and coexist, it is natural that one is influenced by prevailing trends in the other.
It is true that Islam in the erstwhile undivided India was influenced by Hinduism. However, it is pertinent to note that the vast majority of Indian and Pakistani Muslims are converts from Hinduism. Therefore, it is natural that some ancient practices and attitudes survived. (Just as several Arab and to a much larger extent Persian tribal customs survived their respective conversion to Islam).
The same trend is seen in Indo-Islamic architecture. Most great buildings built by Muslim rulers in Medieval India have a distinct imprint of the land that they sprung from.
On the other hand, the culture of the Hindu majority also imbibed much of the traditions that came from beyond the Hindu Kush. The concept of purdah, the way people dress, the language and food of the people of northern India reflects a confluence of cultures and traditions.
We ultimately are all inheritors of these traditions, some great and others not so great.
To pretend as if we came riding into the subcontinent on Camels or pack-mules (take ur pick) is disingenuous and self-defeating.
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@ Raj sahab,
I understand what u saying but i have seen in sindh pakistan where hindus peoples lived
for centuries on the Railway station there are two (Matkas) one for hindus and other for muslims. and i know in west its a personal hygeine but in poor india or pakistan its not.
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@Mudy:
Well said.
To disown the Mauryas, the Guptas, and the great civilizations that strode this land, is a testament to our conceit and our foolish notions of history and culture.
I feel that for India and Pakistan and their people to succeed and progress, the two countries should jointly set up a ‘truth and reconciliation commission’. This commission could then provide a historically accurate and unvarnished account of our history and the contentious incidents and profane dogmas that poison our lives.
True reconciliation comes from the knowing the truth, accepting the truth and forgiveness. The starting point however, is knowledge of the truth.
I also feel that the biggest casualty of the partition of India has been the truth. Falsehoods and rancid lies have become woven into the national narratives of both India and Pakistan. (I am a little ignorant about Bangladesh. But, It would be safe to presume that these diseases prevail there as well).
As the good book says: Speak the truth and it shall set you free.
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‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’
Good luck Ms. You will need plenty of it.
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Thanks to Quaid azam he saved us from decrimination of Brahmins atleast we can openlly
eat beef kababs.
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@Ali Tanoli,:
Sir, that’s absolutely true, but, not in this century. As an Indian, I am saying this from my experience. I sit by my brahmin friends and have meat for my dinner. They respect my dietary choice but hold on to their own. Just mutual respect as equals. That’s it.
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I dont understand why u guys dont want to accept true facts of ground what happening in
india why u guys act like shter murkh.
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@ Yuri,
Thank u for sharing your exprience but why indian peoples are so scare or may be so conjoose to say truth of bad side of india unlike us pakistanis.
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@narayana murthy:
She is not denying that Pakistan does have these issues to tackle with, she just shared information about few rays of hope that she witnessed in Pakistan….which you have ignored, perhaps on purpose.And rather than telling others about what they are suppose to do in other countries, why don’t you concentrate on issues faced by poor population in many parts of India and let us consider and think about the future of our nation.Thank you
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@zeya bacha:
What about KPK ? i live in KPK but its not that dangerous !
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Facts:
1. In India, Hinduism is one of the many religions. In Hinduism, there is this issue of caste which states that all the human beings are classified into 4 castes based on their profession. 1. The brahmins, who are the temple priests 2. The Kshatriyas, who are supposed to keep peace in the country, that is the Kings. 3. The Vaishyas or the businessmen, 4. The Shudras, the labour, and others. A person is supposed to be in one of these groups based on their capability and interest but over the time as the children get influenced by their parents, younger generation used to pursue the same profession as their parents. This over thousand years transformed to the present day cast system where ‘the birth’ of a child in a particular family decides which caste he/she is supposed to belong.
There was huge discrimination against the lower caste people, that is the Shudras, but that was long time ago. i.e. before independence. Since then, there have been lot of acts, laws that deal really sctrictly with people who discriminate others. This law is so powerful that , there are amny instances where this alw has been misused against the ‘historically considered superior’ castes.
I feel really sorry to have written about the caste system in a Pakistani news paper since it has nothing to do with this, but based on what I understood from some of the comments I thought its betetr to share this
Also, coincidentally, as I type this, I am sharing my food with a North Indian, a Muslim, a Higher caste guy. I totally do not deny the descrimination, but it is not as much as is being said here. I am froma village in South India and I can say with the same confidence that things have changed.
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Dear @Ali Tanoli your statement is not true. I am a Hindu Indian. I have enjoyed food many times at my muslim friends.
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@Noor
Wonderfully said. Thumbs up.
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@Qaisar Rashid: Well done Qaisar. I am really pleased with your knowledge of German Politics and majority’s view regarding foreigners. German economy is collapsing under Mecal a useless Chancellor indeed. My hearty congrats to you Qaisar; well researched article you have written. ThanksRecommend
I am working in a company in Pakistan, where the expats from across the world visited in recent past, and everybody had almost same comments as the gentle lady has, which is true. Thanks madam
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@Ali Tanoli,:
1) What I have said was from experience and true. Why are you so scared to accept it? May be we Indians are more positive because, we worked hard to make things better and have seen the results to some extent
2) You say Pakistanis fearlessly accept truth? Ok, tell me quickly who won the 1965 war or if your ancestors were Arabs and not Indian Hindus
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@ Yuri,
No body give answer of my question yet i am still waiting all indiano brothers scare to say
any truth about real india and about 1965 war no one won the war america stoped it in the
middle of war and second if my ancestors were Arabs no man my ancestors were Turk
thats what i heard but i dont know neither do i care and if they were Hindus who care in
islam when some body enter his or her back ground is does not matter any more.
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People in Pakistan often mistake that making up wild stories is equivalent to that of fearless reporting. For saying things which does not hurt those in real power, you don’t particularly need courage or freedom.
Free media tells the truth, and does not cook up wild, conspiracy theories. In that sense, the media in Pakistan is not free, it is controlled by Army.
When was the last time you saw a TV channel criticizing the Army ???Recommend
@Ali Tanoli:
Let me help you out with that.
The war was militarily inconclusive; each side held prisoners and some territory belonging to the other. Losses were relatively heavy—on the Pakistani side, twenty aircraft, 200 tanks, and 3,800 troops. Pakistan’s army had been able to withstand Indian pressure, but a continuation of the fighting would only have led to further losses and ultimate defeat for Pakistan. Most Pakistanis, schooled in the belief of their own martial prowess, refused to accept the possibility of their country’s military defeat by “Hindu India” and were, instead, quick to blame their failure to attain their military aims on what they considered to be the ineptitude of Ayub Khan and his government.
Of course, Sir, why not?
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@Malik,
Our Azizi allways critisized the almighty army junta…..
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@bigbiy : ” Do Muslims/Ahmadiyyas, Shias/Sunnis share the same glass?”
YES, WE DO SHARE THE SAME GLASS and being part of one of the above communities and frequently interacting with the other,i can proudly and surely say this that yes we share the same glass
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@Ali Tanoli,:
“I understand what u saying but i have seen in sindh pakistan where hindus peoples lived
for centuries on the Railway station there are two (Matkas) one for hindus and other for muslims.”
SO you are affirming this woman’s statement that in Pakistan, Hindus are discriminated and cannot drink from the same matka as Muslims. You will definitely not find any such thing in India. If you get tea fro a tea vendor in a glass, you do not know whether the person who had tea before you was Hindu or Muslim.
IT is possible that such cultural practices that you described existed in pre-independence India. They certainly do not exist in modern India. Or if they do, neither I or my cousins or family have observed separate matka for Hindus and Muslims anywhere in India.
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@optimist:
“Pakistan does have free press, including all the bad examples of western press! The Nation is also an example of free press.
.
Being rightwing doesn’t necessarily mean there is no freedom of press.”
I agree that being rightwing doesn’t necessarily mean there is no freedom of press. However the other point that had been made was that journalists feel free to criticize politicians but very few have the courage to take on the army.Recommend
@Yuri Kondratyuk:
This is not unique to Pakistan. Almost every country does this.
Witness the ‘Dolchstab’ theory that was prevalent in Germany after Imperial Germany lost the first world war.
Most nations having been brought up on the tripe of their invincibility, martial rhetoric, superior attributes (Esp. bravery) find it difficult to reconcile to the idea of military reverses on account of performance.
In the case of countries like Pakistan, there is the added burden of the belief that its armies are righteous and are in some perverse way, the standard bearers of the most high.
It takes rationality, the absence of rhetoric and a truly egalitarian society to keep away from this trap. Unfortunately neither India nor Pakistan fit the bill on these counts.
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@ ali tanoli – i am a brahmin. I have never ever , not even once, discriminated against anyone from a different caste or religion. Not once. I have never even seen any other brahmin do it. When there are so many people here who’ve told you that they havent faced any such discrimination, why dont u believe it ? Trying to put another country/caste down will not make the wrong in pakistan right.
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@Noor:
Well, we lost to China in 1962 and our history classes don’t put it any other way(you can check this if you want to).
No ‘Dolchstab’ theories there.
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Dear Madam,
Thank you for your kind words. It obviously wasn’t your intention to go into detail about each and every political, social and religious issue here.
If you have read the comments in response to your writing, please ignore them. This e-newspaper caters to a very small English speaking minority which has taken it upon itself to deride anything positive ever written, spoken or thought about Pakistan.
To all those who said Madam Vowinkel has not portrayed the true picture and has done a disservice to this nation (wow!) etc, please understand that SHE KNOWS QUITE WELL WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE HERE!! SHE HAS SIMPLY TRIED TO STATE THAT THERE IS SOME GOOD HERE TOO!!
Sure we have our flaws, but we have good in us too, even though most of the ungrateful comments do not lend credence to my claim.
Again, Madam, thank you.
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Ali Tanoli,
You have followed the Bigg Boss analogy of Dolly Bindra. Say something controversial & then hog the limelight. The comments sections is filled with response & remarks of ‘Ali Tanoli’.
U hv become the start of the comments section :-)
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I didn’t read many of the comments here because I mostly get annoyed by what Pakistanis say about their own country. I live in Lahore and feel quite safe. Except for Dengue of course which I already contracted and got over with because I got too confident and didnt take precautions as I didnt contract it last year. I am glad you went back and told people that its not too dangerous yet I feel that I read more negativity in what you wrote. I am a female from a middle class family. I drive by myself. I shop alone. I walk my dog in the evenings. I will probably work where ever I want to after my undergrad is over. Education changes everything. I studied at private schools. So I was taught a lot of history including the one we share with India. I don’t discriminate between people of different religions. Islam teaches us tolerance and I really don’t understand how its taught any differently anywhere else or why. If some one wears a burqa it doesn’t make her anymore religious than the person who wears jeans. And if some one becomes an atheist its between him/her and God. Misunderstanding Islam is a problem that plagues people the world over. Its not exclusive to Pakistan. Education can change the outlook of people. If our education system changes especially the rote learning and the relics that are called books in our public schools the mindset would change. The minds of some people here are like attics that need cleaning and fresh air. The only thing that will help is education. My parents are not that open minded but more still than most people. I am more open minded than my parents. My children will have a much better education than mine inshAllah and so they will be more even tolerant, easy about change and open minded. Pakistan is a beautiful country with people that just need their right at a good education. As for why women are not seen walking here alone it depends on which part of the city you had been to. It can be linked to education yet again but on a positive note it can be linked to the family system that we have. You cant tell me that in some countries when the shops close and men come out from pubs/bars in the evening a woman can walk safely alone? As far as I know we dont have serial killers here. Our rape and mugging stats are lower. There are less instances of shop lifting and gang shoot outs. I could compare divorce rates, suicide stats, the number of slums with a lot of other countries. I think we are better off than most and less than some. The only thing that is really dangerous is terrorism. We didnt have it ten years ago and we are dealing with it quite successfully if left on our own. Somebody should have told that girl that if the army had less influence the country might have gones to the dogs long ago.
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Lovely read.
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