Pakistan - Land of the Pure

Professor Mahan Mirza from the department of Religious Studies gave a presentation on Pakistan in order to raise awareness and understanding of its history and contemporary issues. As it is regarded as a tumultuous hotspot for media attention, the 35 minute talk was aimed at clearing misconceptions and drawing parallels between Pakistan and the United States.

Professor Mirza jokingly pointed out that the United States and Pakistan are not all too different from each other. What was most attention grabbing was the astounding geographical beauty and diversity of their slender country. It borders India at the foot of the Himalaya Mountains, yet it also enjoys arid deserts and sub-tropic coasts. While there were many similarities with the United States, Pakistan seems to have far more in common with post colonial African countries where there is unstable cyclical exchange of power between democracy and military rule.

The political history of Pakistan is fairly complex: Muslims settled in the region circa 711 AD, the Mughal Dynasty controlled the region from 1526 to 1857, and Pakistan and India gained their independence from the British Empire in 1947. Ultimately, Pakistan became a sovern nation upon the penning of its original constitution in 1956. It was later followed by two addition constitutions, whereby the struggle of whether sovernty should belong to God or be delegated to the people was decided.

The demographics of Pakistan’s 170 million people include 45 per cent Punjabis, 13 per cent Pathas, and 17 per cent Sindhis. The predominant religion is the Muslim faith (80 per cent Sunni and 15 percent Shi’ite). Also, its population is fairly young and influenceable – half are under the age of 30 – and is ready for change. All share strong anti-American sentiment.

Therefore, it is clearly no wonder why the focus of western media is on the political instability of a nation whose primary focus is accruing military power and is also the home of Al Qaida – not to mention it became a nuclear power in 1990. Its defense paradigm is a result of having to defend long mountainous borders with Afghanistan, India, Iran, and China. To date, it has amassed the seventh largest military in the world, yet it is also one of the poorest countries. In all, it appears that Pakistan might very well be the most dangerous nation in the world. If not, it certainly is one of the most beautiful.