Pakistan Through My Eyes

Pakistan Through My Eyes

(satpara lake- Skardu Pakistan)

A lot is said about Pakistan in the international media these days. Analysts talk about how Pakistan is a  terrorist or a rogue state. They fear that with the rising extremism in Pakistan coupled with her nuclear arms the country poses a serious threat to the safety of the world. The world however I believe has forgotten that Pakistan is a nation of 20 billion people and not all of whom are terrorists. This essay does not counter the arguments presented on all the things wrong about Pakistan, but is a small effort to highlight a few good things about Pakistan.

Pakistan is a very diverse nation. There are about 100 different languages spoken in Pakistan with many different cultures throughout each of our provinces. The food the clothing the lifestyle of the people of Pakistan varies significantly throughout the country. The diversity of this nation is not only restricted to its people. Pakistan has 4 seasons making its suitable for many types of tourism, her beautiful lush green valleys in the spring, her 814 Km long coastline in the summers and her majestic ski slopes in the winter are a mecca for local tourists and there is no reason why they cannot be the same for international tourists. There are few countries in the world with so much diversity in its temperatures, but in Pakistan one can find temperatures from 50 centigrade to -50 centigrade. The natural beauty of Pakistan’s mountains, desserts and coast are second to none. Of the 14 eight thousanders i.e. peaks greater than 8000m, 5 are in Pakistan including K-2 the second highest peak in the world.

Like all nations Pakistan too has produced some exceptional individuals but the media never focuses on them. Dr. Abdul Salam the first and only Pakistani to win a Noble prize for his work in electroweak interaction which is the unified description of strong force and weak force which are 2 of the 4 fundamental interactions in nature. He was a brilliant scientist respected across the globe and was a proud Pakistani. Abdul Sattar Edhi perhaps the greatest philanthropist and humanitarian of our time to this day, the Edhi Foundation continues to grow it is the largest welfare organization in Pakistan. The Edhi Foundation has rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants. It also runs over three hundred and thirty welfare centers in rural and urban Pakistan which operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for abandoned women and children and clinics for the mentally handicapped.Edhi himself is a very modest man who lives in a small two bedroom apartment in Karachi Edhi is someone that all human beings no matter what their nationality or religion can be proud of as he selflessly serves humanity. Arfa Karim a Pakistani student in 2004 became the youngest Microsoft certified professional at the age of nine. She was invited by Bill Gates himself to visit the headquarters of Microsoft. She was such an asset that when she was suffering from cardiac failure in 2012 Bill Gates personally told her doctor to take all necessary measures, this shows how much of an asset she was unfortunately she is no longer with us.

Pakistan has abundant natural resources. The province of Balochistan is very rich in minerals and fossil fuels. There are reserves of natural gas and oil. The north has proven reserves of precious gems such as rubies and emeralds. The Balochistan plateau has proven reserves of gold and copper. The world has its eyes set on Gwadar due to its deep and warm water ports which have the capacity to serve central Asia China and Russia. If we could focus more on these perhaps one day Pakistan will be an investor’s paradise instead of being a terrorist paradise.

Now with this article I do not suggest that there are no problems in Pakistan but we are trying to solve those problems and if only the world knew what Pakistan and Pakistanis are worth than perhaps everyone will do their effort to solve the problems of Pakistan. We want the people of our country to finsih the negativity about our country and after that we will create the awareness internationally. We are the nation of the fastest century, we are a nation of passion. I do not ask you to consider us as the best nation in the world, but I ask you to see us in a way we deserve. With respect and honour.

By Rafil Zulqarnain
Section J

Lahore School of Economics