Rediscovering Pakistan’s heart and soul Print E-mail
Sunday, 27 November 2011 16:24
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By Taher Khan

 

When someone says, “Pakistan is a strong nation” they are normally talking about all the wrong things. Pakistan’s strength is not its army, its bombs, the value of the resources beneath its soil, or even the talent of its people. Pakistan’s greatest strength is the idea that lies behind it.

 

 

The men and women who struggled for Pakistan saw it as a way of breathing new life into Muslim civilisation and acting as a force for good in the world. They didn’t see Pakistan as a traditional nation state with borders encasing people of similar ethnicities. They saw Pakistan as a crucible that would allow the subcontinent’s Muslims to build on the best of their civilisation and share it with the world.

 

As a coalition of media professionals, the founders of the Azme Alishan campaign are keenly aware how important ideas are in a nation where 65 percent of the population is under 30 years of age. We were also aware that it is Pakistan’s young who will define the future of our country. Confident that the ongoing popularity of Iqbal’s (http://www.allamaiqbal.com/) ideas and Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faiz_Ahmad_Faiz) couplets proves the ideas of our founding fathers still run deep, the campaign was launched in 2010 with the aim of giving young people the opportunity to define what being Pakistani should mean.

 

Since our launch in Lahore on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Pakistan resolution, Azme Alishan carried out activities that brought young Pakistanis together in a way that made them think about their identity as Pakistanis. Unlike a political campaign, we weren’t convincing people of a particular point of view. Instead, we are helping young Pakistanis reconnect and rediscover the idea at the heart of the country.

 

In two years, Azme Alishan has brought thousands of young Pakistanis together to celebrate the achievements of the country’s many unsung heroes, called on them to make a pledge for Pakistan, and inspired millions by giving talented young musicians the chance to use their creativity to uplift the country. Our activities provide a platform to young people to turn the founding principles of Pakistan into a vision for our present and their future. By highlighting what is good about Pakistan, the campaign has shown young Pakistanis that the original idea behind our country still exists. By celebrating the everyday people who affirm the principle of Pakistan with their lives, we aim to show young Pakistanis that there is a greater vision to aspire to.

 

Azme Alishan was launched in the UK on the back of a popular documentary (http://www.azmealishan.com/HomeFromHome/) we produced following three British Pakistanis on a visit to Pakistan. Our aim was to introduce a different side of Pakistan to Britain through the UK’s own British Pakistani community. As Pakistanis, we imagined that British Pakistanis were essentially Pakistanis living in Britain. Instead, we found that second and third generation British Pakistanis had carved a unique space for themselves in Britain, combining the best of their British and Pakistani heritage.  Beneath the differences, we found the similarities on which the campaign was built.

 

British Pakistanis had come to the UK to build a better tomorrow for their families. The same spirit that fuelled the desire for a strong, proud Pakistan fired the men and women who helped Britain get back on its feet after WWII. In the UK, British Pakistanis demonstrate the best qualities of Pakistan; the generosity of spirit that builds communities, the tenacity that builds businesses in testing times and a stubborn refusal to take life too seriously.

 

Humza Arshad, aka Badman, is a great example of the Pakistani spirit. The Pakistani element of Humza’s comedy is not limited to his jokes about rolling-pin wielding mothers, or persistent attempts to marry him off. Instead, it lies in the call for tolerance, acceptance and duty to friends, family and wider society that is embedded in each of his hugely popular Youtube episodes.

 

The campaign is sponsoring Humza’s tour because we want as many people as possible to see that the spirit of Pakistan can and is flourishing in Britain. The success of British Pakistanis in the UK resonates back in Pakistan. When Pakistanis see the virtues they value being hailed in Britain, it cuts through misrepresentations or preconceptions and reminds us of the ideals our country first aspired to.

 

Pakistan started life as an idea, an aspiration, a way of living in the world. This fundamental idea remains with millions inside and outside Pakistan. Azme Alishan is fortunate that we don’t have to tell people about the “real Pakistan” because we can draw on so many inspiring people who demonstrate it with their everyday actions

 

Following on from the comedy tour, Azme Alishan will be putting on a music tour bringing together Pakistani, and British Pakistani performers. Through comedy, music, film or any other method of expression, our aim is to show Pakistanis and the rest of the world the courage, tenacity and generosity of spirit that will build the better tomorrow so many are hoping for.

 

Taher Khan is the chairman of Interflow Group, one of Pakistan’s largest media organisations, and patron of the Azme Alishan campaign

 

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