For quite a long time, we have sat silently. When abroad, we have become accustomed to getting peculiar looks when stating our origins. Some of us have become apologists. Some of us have become rebels, fighting a virtual war to tell people that our country is not one of extremists. Both approaches have not done much good.
Yes, Pakistan has faced an incredibly challenging few years. With the end of military rule, the blossoming of democracy, countless attacks of terrorism, and foreign intervention in the shape of drone attacks; we have somehow survived the onslaught. Despite the enthusiasm which certain foreign nationalists have for calling Pakistan a failed state, the reality is far from it. Despite so much turmoil, our economy has somehow managed to stay float and even thrive at times.
As citizens took to the streets this 14th August, proudly wearing green and white, and holding the flag of the country high, there was an electric element in the air which had been missing for a very long time. Last year, Lahore and Islamabad were being shut down by the government in order to stop any advocates of the Inquilab or Tahir-ul-Qadri’s party in Islamabad. For too many years, there had been too many long marches and revolutionary agenda which harnessed the independence day as a platform to launch from. There were no containers blocking Islamabad this August. There were no cries for Naya Pakistan or Azadi march but just one united front for Pakistan…Our Pakistan.
There was something to truly celebrate. Call me an optimist but then you would have to call the good people working at the Economist and Forbes overly optimistic. Pakistan, ladies and gentlemen, is recovering immensely well. There are signs everywhere and all you have to do is look.
Open up Twitter or your favorite social media platform and you will discover outraged Pakistanis passionately talking about the Katchi Abadis in I11 and the child abuse scandal in Kasur. A few weeks ago, the dilemma of the Pindi boys came into light, as people criticized Centaurus for being hell-bound on keeping certain classes of society out of their mall.
The fact that people are discussing things like these, instead of the latest bomb attack or drone attack in FATA, shows that we are beginning to focus on Pakistan. We are beginning to focus on our own problems which have become a priority ever since our bigger problems have ended. We have our armed forces to thank for their amazing work in carrying out military operations in northern regions of our country. We can finally focus on repairing, instead of destroying.
According to the Economist, there are more of popular food franchises in Pakistan than all of Central Africa. The amount of foreign investment in Pakistan is increasing exponentially. Speaking of food, Ayesha Mumtaz roams the streets of Punjab and is working on establishing much needed standards for the food industry. The government is also starting to show signs of improvement as organizations like Pakistan Railways beats their set targets and the national GDP is seeing the highest GDP growth rates in recent years.
And then there are other industries which are showing an impressive amount of development in a very short amount of time. It started with WAAR, and now there are a dozen Pakistani movies coming out this year. At one point, there were more Lollywood movies showing than Bollywood and Hollywood movies. This growth has a direct effect on other complementary industries like the music and cinematography industry.
Speaking of music, start ups like Patari, Savaree, TurrLahore, and EatOye are strengthening Lahore’s repute for being the national hub for start ups. Platforms like the LUMS Incubation Center and Plan9 are emerging to support the increasing number of students who are being empowered by turning their business ideas into real businesses. Each start up showcases it’s products at an increasing number of conferences and conventions which happen every year.
While we’re on the topic of conventions, the Lahore Literary Festival had an attendance of tens of thousands of people. With speakers from all across the world, it was truly incredible to see that such a massive event about literature, of all things, could be supported by a country like Pakistan. While this may surprise of foreigners, there were Pakistanis who were confused by the large turnout.
And last but not least, Pakistan just went through one of the most amazing PR experiences ever. Brandon Stanton, armed with fourteen million followers, came to this country and showed the rest of the world what Pakistan really was. He highlighted the scenic beauty of Hunza, the energy of Karachi, and the colors of Lahore. He showed that we too, are just like the rest of the world. I am not going to bore you with the details but Brandon Stanton did something which I am not sure he intended to do. He helped make sure that we no longer sat silently. He showed the world that Pakistan is not an extremist terror sponsor, with burqa clad women being told what to do by their husbands. Thank you Brandon for coming to our country. We are forever indebted to the amount of kindness which your page has helped our country get. As your Pakistan tour ends, you have left your mark on our people. A man’s life has now been upturned for the better as the community you have built got him a tractor. Similarly, a woman in Lahore has found support because of your work. Thank you so much!
I will not end this with the cliched Pakistan Zindabad. Pakistan doesn’t need me to say that. It doesn’t need money from the IMF. It doesn’t need strategic injections of millions of dollars from it’s Saudi friends. It needs determination. It needs the citizens to remain steadfast. As the country continues to recover, one thing needs to be made clear that we are not a failed state, contrary to popular belief. Let’s hope that Pakistan does become the The Asian Turnaround story as Forbes speculated.
