Today my husband and I were discussing the ever increasing and seemingly never ending issues with Pakistan. To be honest while so much seems to have gone wrong with Pakistan on the face media, life hasn't change that much in many ways. For example, I've lived in at least three different cities in Pakistan over my lifetime and all those neighbourhoods are either the same or more developed. I see more brands on our high streets and more international fastfood chains across all cities. I see more people in my generation than in my dad's plunging for entrepreneurship and creating jobs for others too, than taking the comfort route to enslavement in private and public institutions. More children around me are now pursuing studies abroad than they did in the generation above us. This means today's Pakistan is more exposed, educated, experienced and well informed about their situation and perhaps the solutions to improve it.
People are waking up to the real meaning of democracy and power of sincere leadership. Many who were earlier complacent are now feeling their patience is being evoked and are on the edge of taking action in some way or the other to raise their voice against injustice and corruption. I noticed this in our street TV shows where media goes out to hear the voice of simple 'shop keepers' , 'cobblers' , 'farmers' etc. and they sound more educated and informed than many learned people.
More, not less, females are enrolling in schools. More, not less, high achievers are making it to Harvard and corporate jobs in the international market. More, not less, parents are realising that their daughters too are equal to their sons and deserve the same level of education and moral support to flourish. More females are now pilots and policewomen than 10 years ago. I'm not going to dig in the figures because these are obvious and available for verification any where on the internet or reports by development and research organisations.
Today's Pakistani generation is less worried about social status, the big dream home, the expensive car than their parents. They are more puzzled about ideological issues, national issues, religious and political issues because they were born in an era when there was utmost mismanagement and confusion around these issues.
In my entire friends circle, the children are more accomplished and aware, in terms of education, self -actualisation and careers than our parents generation.
So why is it that the media portrays us to be 'deteriorating' whereas we are clearly not deteriorating, at least not as a Nation! Yes our political leadership has deteriorated but a if a bunch of incompetents (to put it extremely politely) are running the country, that doesn't really represent its whole population. In a country like India or Pakistan, it is but obvious that the cream of the nation is going to be every where but in Politics. And perhaps the worst of its population has no choice but to be in Politics.
So this leads us to think, are we really that bad or is it a matter of zooming in a little and turning the camera left and right to get a better view of what this country called 'Pakistan' is all about. Perhaps the only need is to 're-launch Brand Pakistan' and to fix its perception in the eyes of its audience with a better sample size and slightly better information made available.
My husband and I have taken this as a personal patriotic initiative to gather all patriotic marketing gurus of Pakistan to conceive the best manner to 're-launch brand Pakistan'.
Done great work for dairies and soaps so far - about time we use our creative heads for a bigger 'product'.
I loved the 'polite' way in which this was written!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, despite the governments efforts to drown the country, we've got a lot of people who have achieved a lot more than the country has lost.