NIDDERAU, GERMANY: I am not surprised that Pakistan’s popularity has hit a new low as pointed out by your editorial “Popularity ranking” (May 27). Surely, this should be no surprise to any Pakistan-watcher from abroad. Some would say that we have a functioning democracy, many of our women have reached top positions in different fields and we seem to be getting along fine with one another. So, why are we not liked? All this is not wrong, but one important factor spoils it all — intolerance when it comes to religion.
In the BBC survey that the editorial mentions, Germany was on top of the list of most popular counties. I live in Germany and would like to add a few words about the reasons for the country’s popularity. The Germans are scared to be blamed for anything because of Germany’s recent past involving the Holocaust. In times of war, in Afghanistan for example, the Germans hardly cared what happened to their own soldiers, but are intensely worried about what their troops do to others. While the military brass in the US, Britain and France usually have to justify their own heavy casualties, the biggest scandal in Germany revolves around a botched air strike called in by a German colonel that left scores of Afghan civilians dead. Other nations consider this a form of self-abuse — the Germans love to flagellate themselves. So, publicly feeling guilty about your past is a good step forward when it comes to improving your reputation in the international community of nations.
Sharif Lone
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2013.
