Bingo. I think you hit it hammer on the head there. The idea of Pakistan as has been taught and recieved is one dimentional, diffuse, lacks clarity, is not cogent or coherant, full of contradictions and falls apart at the slightest intellectual scrutiny.
Read @Nilgiri post. Sometimes it takes a outsider to see the problem that you can't see from the inside. I can see it because having been educated in Britain it affords me a unique outlook on the country of my origin. My ideas slowly evolved from when I was young. My dad is and was a man who loved debating about everything but mostly Pakistan. This whole idea of Muslim nation and Pakistan not mashing together came out of a fierce debate I had in my teens with my dad who I stumped because he could not reply to my reasoning - just to clarify my dad was a lawyer and not to get easily cornered but I cornered him on this to the point where he changed the subject.
At least most of us have lived on the Indus together for thousands of years or more. But 99% of Americans are migrants from dozen, after dozen countries and most only moved there in last 200 years. Yet the identity of Americans is rock solid. Despite the fact that nothing really in America is indigenous to the land. The people are not, the language is not, the culture is not, the food mistly is not, the architecvture is mostly not. But the idea of America even if it is so ridicalous like "freedom" imputing that rest of the world is in prison is strong. ditto Canada. What a fcukin maple leaf is their identity. A leaf for gawds sakes. Oh and a line as straight as ruler as a border between them and USA. And Queen as head of state.
Quite simply, nobody knew who Pakistan was. At best it was another eastern mudhole or ally against the commies. In the 80’s you had the despicable era of Zai ul haq whose images of men being whipped publicity and the Afghan Jihad further solidified the first meme.
You need to see a shrink because you are thinking too much.So my family have come back from holiday in Rome, Italy. I could not go because of some business demands. In Rome after few days they yearned for Pakistani food. So they found a nice place which served good, simple Pakistani food. The restaurent owner was incredibly nice and gave personal service once he found out they were of Pakistani origin. So no complaints there.
The guy was about mid 40s and had migrated from Eminabad, Pakistan about 5 years before. So he had done good for himself. From nothing he had worked hard and now ran a small restaurent eve if the inside decor was gaudy and heap. The food though was good.
To recap this he was over the moon to see fellow Pakistanis even if they were from UK. He asked them where they were from in Pakistan etc. Being in his mid 40s he was born at least 25 years after Pakistan became independant from British rule. To sum up he was a full product of Pakistan and had only left as migrant 5 years before. He had never been anywhere else then his native Pakistan and Italy. Below is his card for his restaurent.
Notice he has decided to brand and sell his restaurent as "Indian" and just as after thought added "Pakistan". No Indian ever on mother earth would add "Pakistan" on anything. Yet a 'pucca' Pakistani is branding himself as Indian. This is sad and tragic. Pakistan now is a elderly country and one of senior members at UN. Most UN countries came about in 1950s, 1060s, 1970s. UAE is from 1970s. Singapore is from 1960s. Yet after 70 years this guy has a weak sense of identity or conflicted indentity that he needs to prefix his identity with "Indian". This exposes something terrible and deep malaise in the very notion of being Pakistan and identity as a nation.
Is there any hope for us out of this befuddled idea off who we are?
Tell further what you ate there, why are you reluctant telling about eggs of Brazilian frogs fired in fat of tortoisesSome Pakistani places like this exist in NYC, but a lot of them don't. Funny story, I once went to a taco place being run by Chinese people.
