Photo exhibition: Have you seen this side of Pakistan?

‘Mein Tau Dekhoonga’ dares to counter Pakistan’s negative image.

KARACHI: A photo exhibition organised by ‘Unique Pakistan’, to promote a positive and ‘soft image’ of Pakistan was held at the Marriott hotel on Saturday.

“Mein tau dekhoonga”, a day-long photography exhibition, was organized today by Unique Pakistan and Tangerine Media at a local hotel. This was the culmination of a photography competition, conducted via Facebook, which invited nationwide photo entries representing a unique and positive aspect of Pakistan, featuring its culture, people, heritage sites and even ‘slice of life’.

Founder and guiding force of Unique Pakistan, Noman Minai told The Express Tribune that he was always passionate about Pakistan and the recent hit song by Strings, titled Mein Tau Dekhoonga further fuelled that patriotic spirit in him, inspiring him to organise this event.

Unique Pakistan is a group of 20 like minded Pakistanis who choose to see the positive side of Pakistan amidst all the negativity surrounding it. They mostly comprise of Institute of Business Management (IoBM) graduates, now working as professionals, with Minai himself working in the banking sector.

Of all the entries received, 135 were shortlisted, from which 45 were chosen to be displayed at the event, including the top three winning entries. The jury consisted of photographer and blogger Danial Shah, Filmmaker and photographer Jibran Jawaid and Zagham Islam of ‘WSSA Photo’ fame.

Top three winners included Murtaza Zafar, Uzair Bin Zafar and Komal Chawla. The best photograph by Murtaza Zafar depicted a truck driver relaxing with his family and in a broader context, the element of collectivism in Pakistani culture. It also highlighted truck art or art on wheels, which is a unique and popular aspect of the country.

The first winner received Cash reward of Rs10,000 by Tangerine Media, while the second winner was specially flown from Islamabad to attend this event. The top three winners received shields and certificates along with Pakistan’s First Business Parable ‘Pukh Theory’ while others received certificates.

Former information minister and renowned media person Javed Jabbar, the Chief Guest,presented the prizes to the winners at a ceremony held to conclude the event. He praised and appreciated the nation branding efforts of the young group of organizers. Various other media personalities, celebrities, corporate professionals and businessmen, also attended the exhibition.

Talking to The Express Tribune, second prize winner Uzair bin Zafar shared his concept behind the photography. He said he took it recently on a trip up north, at a lake called Lulusar Lake, 45 minutes from Naran. Zafar added that the ‘dark’ area in the picture represented the negativity in the country akin to the adage ‘dark clouds hovering over us’, while the patches of light areas in the picture represented the glimmer of hope still left which we shouldn’t lose and that this positivity and optimism will prevail the darkness someday.

Jami Moiz, Assistant Professor at Institute of Business Administration (IBA) told The Express Tribune, “It’s a wonderful idea, asking people to contribute photographs to promote a positive image of Pakistan through them,” adding that the country had a negative connotation attached to it and such events helped in showing the country in a positive light.

Speaking about his favourite pictures, he said he liked one of Fazila Syed’s entries on display, of a simple hut in the northern areas , saying that the photographer’s observation skills were commendable. His other favorite was an Osama Hayat Khan picture showing the word Pakistan painted on the belly of a plane as it took off.