Pakistanies- Terrorists or Terror stricken!

Pakistan- the word itself means the land of pure; home to around 165,900,000 people belonging to various religions, cast & creed. However the majority that is 95% of the total population is said to be Muslims. The world today perceives Pakistan as a country of terrorists or religious extremists. Being a Pakistani & a Muslim, this tag is not just offensive for me but in fact totally biased.

All around the people protest concerning the basic rights for humans & even animals. Nonetheless when it comes to Pakistan or anything regarding Muslims, people forget that we too are human beings with basic rights. I feel that authoritative people today have become so narcissistic that they have become ignorant of what does on in the countries tagged as the third world. They are happy playing with their latest gadgets & enjoying the luxuries of life. Every day, newspapers globally are highlighted with crimes, terrorist acts, war news etc. It is now a normal occurrence, suicide bombings take place around the world, revenge killing is occurring everywhere, then why is it that the ones related to Muslims are the ones most emphasized by one & all?

It is the astonishing how the perceptions change when you compare such biasness. Among many reasons the media hype is one that is giving boost to such incongruities. The way Pakistan is showcased to the international world in terms of media; be it print or electronic, is completely subjective. Suicide attacks & terrorism acts are being carried out throughout the world, how come only the ones related to Muslims or Pakistanis are highlighted most?

Muslims are shows as Fundamentalists, Extremists and Terrorists through media, ignoring the fact that the terrorism is not the cause of some religion; in fact it is the result of suffering and misery, existing throughout the world.

It's great to see that the significant human effort augmented by billions of dollars invested in Pakistan's IT infrastructure and skill-development are bearing tangible fruit. There are several areas where Pakistan is leading the pack already, and others where it is threatening to.

1. Pakistan is the most connected country in South Asia, with the highest teledensity

2. Pakistan's communications costs are lower than any other country in the region

3. Pakistan has the world's largest biometric database (NADRA); this system (not the data) is now being provided to allied countries

4. Pakistan has the world's largest WiMAX network

5. Pakistan has one of the world's most aggressive Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) rollouts

6. Pakistan has one of the highest rates of cellular connectivity growth in the world (According to PTA 2007's report the rate of growth in Pakistan's mobile sector is fourth highest in the world)

7. Pakistan was the winner of the 2007 GSM industry association award

8. The US is importing UAVs designed and built in Pakistan to protect America's borders

9. With WLL (CDMA), WiMAX, GSM and FTTH, Pakistan is pretty much leading the pack in terms of diversity and breadth of connectivity

10. According to Gartner, Pakistan is a "first category" offshoring location; this ranking has grown by leaps and bounds

11. Pakistani companies won several awards at Asia's APICTA startup/innovation conference and were considered the most "interesting" and cutting edge in Asia

12. The world's youngest Microsoft Certified Professional is a Pakistani and so if the world's youngest Cisco CCNA professional

13. Pakistani students excelled in MIT's global software talent competition

14. Citations of Pakistani scientific publications are rising sharply

15. Over two dozen Pakistani scientists are working on the Large Hadron Collider; the grandest experiment in the history of Physics

The social biasness is not just reserved for attitudes, in fact it is affecting our country in a major way both economically and emotionally. Being avid cricket fans, the ICC recently changed the locations of the world cup matches scheduled initially to be in Pakistan stating that the incoming teams would be prone to the terrorists. However they failed to comprehend the fact that last cricket world cup witnessed the tragic murder of our team coach Bob Woolmer in Jamaica. Why are the killers still a mystery till today? Why wasn't the world cup matches cancelled or postponed for the danger faced by other teams at that moment?

The recent visit of the Srilankan team faced an unfortunate attack, however a Pakistani driver risked his own life to save the entire Srilankan team. It is pleasant to note that they duly acknowledged the driver Mehar Khalil as well as his family. Furthermore they stated later on, that the team will always be willing to visit Pakistan next time.

Pakistani Government has always co operated in the War of terror along with America, playing her due part in wiping off the extremists from specific reasons. Currently the Pakistan army is conducting a program in Swat to release the Taliban hold. Such groups are spoiling the image of Pakistan & Islam in the world's eyes. Tourism has suffered a decline thanks to such extremist activities. The so beautiful valley of Swat and many other areas in the northern region have been destroyed completely. Afghanistan is in shambles suffering through war and attacks. Now Drone attacks are being conducted in Waziristan even on residential areas and schools resulting in innumerable casualties and inducing fear and psychological problems in young children.

Who should be considered the terrorist now?

Islam is a peace loving religion that condemns such cruelty and power play in any way. But due to multiple reasons this fact is being overshadowed. We all are bearing the terrorist acts, living in our own country. When Benazir Bhutto was murdered on December 27' 07, I got stuck in the after math riots in a popular shopping area along with my younger cousins. How we got home next morning and whatever we witnessed on our way is something we can never forget as long as we live.

Suicide bombings have become a frequent occurrence here in Pakistan, be it Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad; no city is safe from these terror attacks. People are bearing the loss of their loved ones unexpectedly anytime in any place. My sister's classmate & his cousin lost their lives in the Nishtar Park bomb blasts 3 years back. The shock and anger the young students faced on losing their old friend was heart wrenching. Everyone is suffering the after math of US attacks on Afghanistan and other such areas. Now the extremist groups are targeting common people, police, army disregarding no one at all.

What does the future hold for a country like Pakistan? Are we suffering being Pakistanis or paying the price of being Muslims? Islam the religion that preaches rights for everyone, be it men, women, Muslims or anti Muslims does not encourage terrorism in any way at all. Advancing countries like USA claim to provide equal rights for every individual, then why are they holding Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in custody without proven evidence? She has been harassed and tortured both physically and psychologically to no limit. Its not just the political issue of women harassment, a recent shocking news of strip searching an innocent young women was in the headlines. Furthermore we can not ignore the Pakistani students who were taken in custody for mere doubts that they were involved in terror act plans. The boys faced humiliation globally and turns out they were not guilty of such illegal and unethical acts.

What does this prove?

I do not want to blame any one, its easy to see that terror acts occur everywhere. An appropriate strategy should be designed to counter such issues. We are not terrorists but simple human beings suffering emotional and economical turmoil. What would be the future of our next generation? This is the question that haunts us all..

Such articles and profanities are giving rise to instil misunderstandings in the reader's mind. These people are against world peace thats why want to create an alliance against suffering nations. They forget the number of Muslims and Pakistanis who die around the world in terror acts. How can one forget the innocent people who lost their lives in the Twin Tower attack in America? There were not people belonging to a single religion or region. It was a commonly distressing moment for everyone in the world. What relationship can be superior and meaningful than humanity? For that no religion counts, no nationality counts, its humans and basic moral values that are most significant for achieving world peace.

People who get to know my country cannot help realizing the true nature of the citizens and their humility. George Fulton a Britist journalist who came to Pakistan to learn about our customs and traditions. He has acquired a Pakistani nationality, married a Pakistani woman Kiran and has been settled in Pakistan for the last few years now. He holds high respect for Pakistanis and Muslims and is fast gaining expertise Urdu at present.

Or consider Merrilly Seillan daughter of the French Naval Commander and Consul General of France in Karachi, Pierre Seillan; who enjoys visiting Karachi so much that she even invited her friend Helene Decourcelle this year to visit Karachi with her. In an interview with a local magazine she admits of having a penchant for spicy foods and the colorful clothes and jewelery that she sees here. She stated her observation that, " Here even the poor people are happy. They are so welcoming, greeting you with warmth and kindness."

It is indeed a pleasant feeling to hear positive notions about my country from tourists and viisiting entities as this truly represents the people of Pakistan in summation.