Once I was standing on the Young station (Toronto) waiting for the subway, a sophisticated white guy came to me and said hi, so the conversation proceeded. While talking he asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ I said that I’m Canadian. He said, ‘Where are you actually from?’ I replied, ‘The first Islamic nuclear power in the world.’ He thought for a while, suddenly his facial expressions changed and he said, ‘You mean Pakistan.’ I replied in positive. One of the most dangerous places on Earth, a militant state, territory of ‘Talibans’, he said. He further spoke, dude you are fortunate enough to be here and safe. I was quiet for a while. Subway passed by and none of us moved. He was curious to see my response. I took a long breath and said, ‘Dude it is not the case, she is a very beautiful country. We have got freedom and liberty over there. We are not occupied, we are free to do whatever we want to. We have got the best educational opportunities and institutes. We hang out for fun and party but there are some limits as she is an Islamic state. Our capital is just so very beautiful and peaceful. I showed him my facebook profile, the party and fun that I have had with my friends. I also showed him the beautiful view of Islamabad and he was mesmerized to see that. I further added, off course there are some areas which are problematic and the state is trying it’s best to cater up the issue. If one house is on fire, it does not mean that the whole jungle is on fire. International media should highlight the positive aspects side by side instead of just showing the war and terror to create hype.’ He remained silent during all this and at the end he just smiled and said, ‘You are a good demonstrator and I want to visit Islamabad.’ Both of us started to laugh. He really has had said a lot in just one sentence. I said that I would be at the airport to receive you. We did not even notice two more trains had passed by in that span. We were still laughing and I think both of us were quite free that it did not matter to us. We got onto the next ride, exchanged our contact numbers and still we are in contact.
The beautiful view of ‘Islamabad’.
Pakistan is really a very beautiful country. We have gotten everything over here (from natural resources to beautiful places, from sweet fruits to four seasons, from cafe’s to international brands). Just we need to be united and portray the positive image of our country. Our culture and values are just so very rich. Truly speaking, in foreign we are just like tissue paper that can be used and thrown away at any moment. Pakistan is our real identity. Our media should create positive image about Pakistan rather than just showing war and terror to get the ratings. Imagine what international community would get the image of our country after seeing all this. We have got an immense stream of talent and hopefully one day we would be able to tackle this plague of terrorism, corruption and mismanagement. And Pakistan would be one of the most peaceful and beautiful places to live in.
LONG LIVE PAKISTAN!
Muhammad Waqas Gondal.
Lahore School of Economics.
Faces of Pakistan 