Pakistan’s Bollywood Problem

Pakistani Nationalism Vs Bollywood

The battle between those who believe in globalization and those who stand against it has been going on for several years.

The country of Pakistan is in an intensely complex situation due to globalization. Having fought 3 wars with archrival India and growing up to see their country at war with it many Pakistanis are still vary about Indian influence and goods in their markets. However at the same time Indian influence is growing worldwide and Islamabad has definitely not been left out from this new development. Indian goods seem to be flooding Pakistani markets. Indian textiles seem to be in fashion amongst Pakistan’s elite while Indian poultry, fruits, vegetables and other edible items are now available in the country as well.

Indian goods may be making their way into Pakistan but the largest representative of growing Indian influence in Pakistan would be Bollywood and the positive response a large section of the population has given to it.

Bollywood’s effect on Pakistani Music

Undoubtedly Bollywood’s influence is continually growing across the World. With the huge success of Slumdog Millionaire the Indian Movie Industry and along with the music industry that supports it has crossed another threshold. The movie has received 10 Academy Awards at the Oscars. Whether it was merely hyped up and deserved all these awards or not the fact is that Bollywood is gaining exposure Worldwide.

If Bollywood is now accumulating fame in far off USA and Canada it is definitely having a major impact on its immediate neighbour Pakistan a country which shares with it a common language. While Nationalists and traditionalists are exceedingly infuriated with the influence it has on Pakistani society large sections of the population especially amongst the youth seem to be either oblivious or purposely ignorant over its effects on the Pakistani Music Industry and on an already crippled Movie Industry.

In Pakistan the effect of Bollywood can be seen everywhere. Though the influence of Pakistani Nationalism has not diminished completely and Bollywood is still seen negatively by a very large section of the population the effect it has on much of the younger generation in Pakistan is clear. Conversations between youth and college students often focus on new Indian songs and movies or discuss the affluent lives of actors and actresses. Pakistani girls idolize Katrina Kaif, Karina Kapoor and other actresses and equally admire actors like Shahrukh Khan. Many of them have very minimal knowledge of the Pakistani Music Industry since Bollywood has become a complementary market for them. This trend is further represented by the shrinkage in the sales of Pakistani CD’s and Cassettes.

Many segments in society don’t see this as a problem at all and simply claim that people shouldn’t be told what to do and cannot be directed. They simply feel that the entire topic is pointless claiming that Pakistanis simply should not over concern themselves with such affairs. They claim that just like Lollywood, Pakistani music simply is not good enough or really useless and the Indian music is likely to “inspire the Pakistanis” into making something for the local population

No doubt Pakistani bands, artists and film-makers may need to create something better suited for the local population but are Pakistanis willing to give their own countrymen a chance at all? How is it that a song by the same singer gains immense recognition when it features in a Bollywood Movie while no one even knows about it when it is released in Pakistan? Didn’t Adnan Sami feel that his talents were ignored and disrespected by Pakistani Society initially? Did he not skyrocket to fame when he made his debut in India? The same is true with Atif Aslam. To gain an audience and fanfare these artists have to cross the border and have limited opportunities in Pakistan.

The Nationalist Belief: Is banning the solution?

Several Pakistani Nationalists believe that a complete ban on Indian music and movies in Pakistan is the solution for the losses suffered by the Pakistani music and movie industries. This movement is gaining steam and a petition is being signed all over Pakistan demanding such a ban as well. Some of those signing this petition are so passionate about the ban that they have planted stickers on their cars demanding an end to its influence. The fact that they are supported by the studies of local market analysts also motivates them to demand a complete ban on Bollywood. One such media analyst is Mahmood Agha.

Mahmood Agha is a critic of Indian media influence and penetration in Pakistani society continually argues that if Pakistanis stop giving excess attention to Bollywood and instead direct this attention to the Pakistani Music Industry they can inject 25 Million Rupees into the Nation. Despite this many people continue to claim that only some of these funds go outside the country as only local intermediaries benefit due to the wide scale of the copying of Indian music. However the fact that the sales of Indian audio CD’s and cassettes (copyright infringed or not) are gaining steam while the sales of their Pakistani counterparts are declining heavily at the same time seems to support the analysis of Mahmood Agha. At the same time CD’s and Cassettes are often imported from India to be sold in Pakistan for Millions of Rupees is a glaring fact in the face of Pakistani Society.

However in Pakistan all questions and solutions to our problems begin with “What is our government doing to power our Entertainment Industry” and end there. In any case several senators have been arguing for a ban in assembly as well but mostly for their own political gains or to take pot shots at another party. Therefore there is no such major movement against the Indian Medias influence in Pakistan.

Counterarguments: Is a complete ban possible?

First of all this is not possible because this is not a Dictatorship and neither is Pakistan gifted with a Nationalist government. With shady individuals who would readily sell National Interest for their own interests carrying the flag of so called “freedom” there’s no point in even trying.

Any such move will be met with stark opposition locally as Bollywood is already well ingrained in Pakistani minds. Unfortunately the reality in Pakistan is that Bollywood dominates every corner and every mind especially amongst girls and women. The fact is that once an audience is gained it cannot be banned as the entire industry is firmly ingrained in local minds.

Furthermore in reality banning is not in any way a viable solution. Any ban will in turn be met by a similar ban on Pakistani music in India and will spoil improving ties between the Nations. This added with media sensationalism and mass nationalism on both sides will ensure hardships for Pakistani artists who seek their fortunes in India which has so far been willing to give Pakistanis a chance in Bollywood despite them being Pakistani.

It is also very well known that laws are extremely difficult to implement in our country. Even if Indian music is banned until there is a constant demand for Indian music the Pakistani industry will continue suffering. Unfortunately Pakistanis are lions of number 2 methods. Piracy already takes place in Pakistan at every nook and corner but it will become an even more lucrative trade if Bollywood is banned. If there are people in the country that want a certain good there is no way of stopping them from attaining it in the first place.

The role of the government is deplorable here. If it was well known that Bollywood would have an impact on our Entertainment Industry we should never have let it penetrate so deep into Pakistani society in the first place. After all isn’t it the duty of the government to promote National Interest first? Since Bollywood is here and within Pakistani minds there is no point in trying to ban it.

Clash of Ideologies

As far as the question goes from the individual standpoint each one of us needs to decide whether we are willing to put personal interest first at the cost of National Interest or are we going to make some sacrifices for National Interest. Certain people value their freedom above all else and believe no one has the right to tell them what to do.

From the Nationalist viewpoint it’s completely a different matter since Personal interest is expected to be National Interest and love for the Nation is the only thing to be held above everything else. As such each decision is expected to be made keeping in mind whether Pakistan would benefit or suffer.

When there are people in the Nation with such opposite lines of thinking it clearly calls for an explosive mix and the situation though not as volatile as some other religious identity issues the Nation faces the situation is representative of the struggle of two warring ideologies in Pakistan.

I remember meeting a Nationalist friend who had a very interesting story to relate. He very proudly boasted that he had slapped an individual for listening to Indian music and dancing to it in the Mazaar E Quaid. “Next time I see this sort of thing I will slap his mother who didn’t teach him to respect Pakistan” he exclaimed proudly under an outburst of verbal abuse. I tried to explain to him what he had done was wrong but my conversation didn’t bear fruit.

“The Quaid was responsible for the formation of the country.” He argued “His respect is the most important aspect in Pakistani society. I don’t care what these traitors do but they don’t do it in places of National Heritage and where we Nationalists come to pay our respects” He continued. “I love my country and I will die for it.”

I could say nothing more and shut my mouth as there was no point arguing because when a Left Wing Nationalist says he can die for his country he means it. Yet the lack of respect shown for National monuments is indeed a cause of concern. The only thing is there are more logical ways for dealing with such behaviour. Many Nationalists don’t seem to understand that.

Interestingly if we are expecting better from those who call themselves “liberals” it’s unfortunate that they don’t seem to be any less fanatical in their approach. When I related this to one of my new Pakistani friends from College his exact comment was “if someone would slap me for doing what I want I would actually kill him.”

Solutions Anybody?

Liberal or Nationalist it is evident that the government needs to invest very heavily on promoting Pakistani talent and ensuring that Pakistani people support their own industries, companies and artists before they head towards others as that will result in the money being circulated within Pakistan rather than going abroad. The same is the case with music.

While Nationalism in Pakistan is definitely on the rise for it to be utilized in a proper manner Nationalists need direction. People within Pakistan need to understand how their actions affect their country as a whole. It is the duty of the government, intellectuals, academics, philosophers and artists to promote Pakistani Nationalism and raise awareness over how our actions may affect the country. We do not need blind Nationalism that has no direction but Nationalism that seeks to find solutions by first looking at our own pattern of living and starting to work for our country from ourselves.

Until Bollywood remains embedded in the minds of Pakistanis and until there is no real sense of responsibility to improve our society and put Pakistani interests first no major change can begin to occur. To make the Pakistani Music Industry stronger Pakistanis have to take charge.

Can Pakistanis Strenthen their Music Industry?

Why are Pakistani artists and bands so eager to perform in India?

Adnan Sami. One of the greatest singers Pakistan has produced is living in India. Unfortunately one of his most famous comments is “I’m as Indian as anyone. I’ve been here for 10 years. Mumbai is my home. The procedure to acquire an official citizenship is still on. And I don’t want to jump the line. Or jeopardize it in any way”

This was in 2008 and was the third time Adnan Sami applied for Indian citizenship. When Adnan went to USA for concerts it was common knowledge that Pakistanis all around were complaining that he never displays patriotism for Pakistan or any love for the country oftentimes to get that citizenship. The same Adnan Sami was seen covering for help from the same Pakistan he readily abandoned when he received death threats in Mumbai post 26/11. This was while his application for Indian citizenship was still being processed.

But the question is can we blame Adnan Sami for trying to get Indian citizenship in the first place? What have we as Pakistanis given Adnan Sami for making music for Pakistan and bringing a good name to it and its music industry? Has he received a larger welcome in Pakistan or in India?

Guess?

An Unfortunate Phenomenon

A common and unfortunate phenomenon exists in Pakistan where whenever Pakistanis are questioned if they like Pakistani music they simply say Pakistan doesn’t have any good music. Even if it is true answering this very question naturally does require knowledge about the Pakistani music industry. When these same people are asked about the various bands and artists in Pakistani it often turns out that most of them don’t even know a quarter of the bands and artists in the market out there.

“They need excuses to ignore their own music industry now. It may be true India produces better music depending on the choice of the person but in every country the government and people support their own artists and bands. In Pakistan both don’t care. In turn if the bands and artists will feel unwelcome in their own Nation or feel there is simply no demand for them there they will just go elsewhere. It’s a business after all. If we don’t get recognition, fame or money from your time and effort then you will turn to a market where we will be more openly accepted” says analyst Mehmood Agha. “In any case it’s the duty of the government to promote the local music scene. In US, UK and Canada albums from local artists cost less than foreign albums. Unfortunately in Pakistan’s case when Pakistani albums are much more expensive than their infringed Indian counterparts what sort of message does that give to the Pakistani public?”

A band or artists ticket to fame: Bollywood

It’s only natural that most bands and artists have seen a skyrocketing of their career when they have gone to India and performed there or when they have used their songs in Indian movies. Before that many of them were unknown even by the Pakistanis. Amir Jamal’s song Kaho Na Kaho brought him the fame he needed however virtually no one knew about the album in the Pakistani market but everyone heard the song in Mahesh Bhatt’s film Murder. Even now many Pakistanis may know the song due to its link to the Bollywood movie but will not know the singer. Najam Shiraz had a single in the same movie.

Atif Aslam is one the greatest representatives of this trend. He has also done several concerts across India while his songs have been featured in Indian movies. He has introduced Tere Bin in the movie Bas Ek Pal, Juda Ho Ke Bhi in the movie Kalyug and Pehli Nazar in the movie race. His latest venture consists of two songs in the movie Ajab Prem Ki Ajab Kahani. Jal, Call and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan have also done concerts and have even produced some of their videos in India.

It’s definitely not a bad thing that Pakistani artists are featuring their songs in Bollywood as it proves that Indians don’t want to close their doors on artists from Pakistan just because they are Pakistani. However the very fact that Pakistani artists and bands need to go there to make a real impact on the music industry is the pressing issue as it proves that in Pakistan there are few ways of ensuring the proper promotion of an artist or bands song.

Do we have anyone to blame?

To put it bluntly the Pakistani fans of these bands and artists never really are willing to admit the fact that there still are people in Pakistan who simply don’t care about anything Pakistani. Several of these hardcore Pakistani music enthusiasts still believe the reason Pakistani artists feel more welcome in India has to do with relative size of audiences there as it is a larger country and Pakistan is a smaller country with fewer people.

True or not channels that conduct any effort to promote local bands and artists are not getting as much viewership compared to the channels promoting Indian music. According to the 2008 consumer viewership trends show that all the Pakistani Music channels put together don’t get as much viewership as B4U Music in Pakistan. On the other hand Pakistani music enthusiasts actually complain when artists and bands from the country take up ventures in India and claim they are running after the dollars but the problem lies within the population itself.

Adnan a model and guitarist from Karachi make’s an effort to explain this phenomenon and the problems that artists and bands face today. “One of the reasons artists in Pakistan don’t get as much promotion may be that Pakistan has a very weak film industry which is needed to support the artists. Also let’s face it people do like sensationalism. They want to watch women shed their clothes even if they will never admit it. This is also the reason for the growth of Bollywood and Indian artists amongst other factors such as better direction.”

However there are people who refute this claim “Well they have Bollywood so what? That doesn’t mean that the Music industry can’t operate without a movie industry at all. After all we don’t see American artists dependent on Hollywood or Arabs dependent on Arabic movies. I think the issue is simply there isn’t enough powerful Pakistani media willing to promote the local music scene.” counter’s Maras a student at NED. “The foreign music scene has taken preference over our own music scene. Many songs that come up are really good but even the channels that used to play the videos of upcoming artists have stopped doing so. ARY Music and Aag have all switched to different medians of entertainment instead. We can’t blame them because the public isn’t willing to give our own artists a chance which is sad because these same artists shoot to fame when they launch their songs in Bollywood Movies”

Both claims stand true but not only the general public but also Pakistan’s media is responsible for taking part in “killing off” Pakistani talent as they want to play simply what the majority wants to listen. They are not willing to invest on trying to create a new trend or inspiring the youth of Pakistan.

Needless to say the non-operational government has no significant role here at all and has itself brought Indian music, Bollywood and English music to our homes without providing any sort of assistance to improve the local entertainment industry. Freedom in what we do is no doubt valuable to all of us and many of us may listen to English and Indian music but it shouldn’t cost in terms of Pakistani interests.

What can we do?

All that is left for Pakistanis is that they themselves start seeing it as a responsibility to support their own bands and artists and at least ensure that they stay updated about them even if they don’t truly admire Pakistani music.

We, the general population need to encourage the good artists instead of trying our level best to find something wrong and particularly focusing on how useless most Pakistani musicians are in order to ignore them. No doubt the problems need to be addressed but we are as much a part of the problem.

This at least can be a start to the revitalization of our music industry. We should remember that not only our artists and bands make up the music industry but also the audience. We Pakistanis may have great bands and artists but until we make these bands and artists feel at home in our own country they will continue seeing the Pakistani music industry as a secondary one and will find the Indian market more lucrative. Only Pakistanis can strengthen their Music Industry. We can’t expect any helping hand here.

A befitting response to Nadeem F Paracha

A Befitting Response to Nadeem F Paracha.

While the Pakistani Nation is cursed with the presence of terrorists and murderers who want to impose their mindset on to others and enforce their twisted understanding of Islam on us by the sword we are also cursed with the presence of people who have an interest in purposely putting Pakistan down.

Any reference to a foreign link to the militants for them means the person is a conspiracy theorist and it matters little what proof the person has to give. Do the Indians deliberate so much when they are told that our government is spreading terrorism within their borders? The fact is several people who pose as neo liberals have an interest in isolating and destroying Pakistan.

True religion should be a personal matter and so should the beliefs of the person. However hatred for the murderous Taliban and Al Qaeda has now reached such a fever pitch that these unfortunate individuals would do nothing rather than hate them and slander people who would claim there is more to these thugs and murderers than just this.

It is not understandable why they would rather believe what USA says as true or India says than their own countries version of events? Our Army Chief, Rehman Malik and Shah Mahmood Quraishi themselves have made claims about Talibans link to Indian intelligence. Do we see the Indians deliberating so much when told that all their problems stem from Pakistan?

It may be true that the media has a major role in bringing forward the problems and the issues of the Nation which is necessary because by accepting our issues we can address them. However on the other hand the media also has a role in defaming and destroying the morale of the Nation and ignoring certain aspects of a situation to paint a picture the it prefers to show to the public. We all know that in the 1980’s we made a mistake by supporting the Taliban but who was supporting Zia at that time? If it was a mistake to interfere in Afghanistan then was it not a mistake to do so now? True we should never have let terrorists breed in our country in the first place but are we the only ones to blame and will we keep taking the blame for being used by superpowers and being pushed around on ourselves?

A person who regrettably represents a very Anti Pakistani line of thinking is Nadeem F Paracha. It may be true that religion must be kept separate from the state. No one denies this but the madness that is becoming a norm in his articles putting the blame on the country is unfortunate. This is a link to his latest article:

http://blog.dawn.com/2009/11/12/a-nation-of-sleepwalkers/

I went through the article and thought a response was necessary. This is my befitting response to madmen like these who represent neo liberal facism and contribute to the media campaign against Pakistan that is now becoming a headache for the nation when we already on one hand have murderers such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

The Response

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Nadeem what should we do? Commit suicide? How should we display our anger at the Taliban? Tear our hair and scream?

To speak the truth if we had the choice we would tear the Taliban apart, torture them in the streets and hang their bodies in the street corners for the murder and brutality they have brought to our land. These creatures are unworthy of life.

But the fact is there is terrorism on both sides. While they represent murder and suicide bombing you represent another form of bigotism spawned from hatred for the murder these animals have brought to our land.

Basically we are being locked up into a little box where we are simply supposed to believe the stand the international media takes and say no more as anything other than it is classified as a “conspiracy theory” even if our own military claims that RAW has a role in destabilising the Nation why should we believe it? Only the Indians have the right to believe that ISI is infiltrating terrorists and Mumbai terrorists were from Pakistan. We don’t have this right do we?

The question is did the CIA not pump 15 billion dollars in order to form the taliban and used them for their own interests to see a soviet defeat. Haven’t many Taliban commanders been released from US prisons and guantanamo bay only to come and massacre Pakistani civilians. Where did muslim khan spokesperson of ttp live? From where did the taliban gain so much money to spend $ 800 billion on weaponry and bomb making. Do you know how much money is required to procure material and make even a 2 kg bomb while the Taliban is using up to 2000 kilograms of explosives in blasts. Every talibani foot soldier is paid about $200 every month while a policeman is paid $80. Was’nt this article published in dawn itself? A suicide bombers family is paid $20000 while a policeman’s family is paid $6000 for his death.

I am sorry to say we refuse to be blinded in hatred that we stop thinking completely. Our theories are based on evidence we have been researching for years. I am also sorry that I don’t feel it is sensible to blame ISI for everything. ISI and the military have been used. In fact the entire nation has been used and & abandoned in the past. This is a repeat of the 1980’s.

As for the people celebrating these articles I don’t have much to say. Conduct some research of your own. We take responsibility for too much.

Neo liberal terrorism is becoming as much a problem as are the Taliban. Hate the Taliban for their brutality yes but don’t be so blind that we just can’t come to believe that they can’t be supported by anyone else. After all the CIA did form them and use them against the Soviets just like they used Pakistan as a puppet country to fight the soviets and Afghanistan as a battleground where 4 million civilians died in the same Afghan-Soviet war.

GEO and Dawn are unlikely to give us a place on their channels and our voice is being silenced purposely. We don’t just open our mouths to shoot off without any proof or understanding of the situation. The articles we write are the work of several years of research.

If loving our country and standing in defence of our Nation is a crime I am a very proud criminal. Thank you Paracha.

Havi

Supreme Leader.

Pakistan Nationalist Association.

Are we not hypocrites when it comes to Pakistani Media?

Are we not hypocrites when it comes to Pakistani Media?

It was a normal Wednesday afternoon in Karachi and unlike our other days in Pakistan when there was always something to do there was very little to do that day. I had just taken off from my internship early and had decided to spend some time with my friends before heading home back to Defence.

So while everyone was sitting bored in the drawing room talking about stuff that barely concerned us it was decided that we’d check out what was on the television. While we were flying across the channels trying to find something useful that we could watch we came upon Play TV. We watched the channel for about 10 minutes but we stayed on the channel for this time only because I complained that I was going to Dubai and wouldn’t be able to see these music videos there. Unfortunately no one had any interest in any of these channels. First we watched a song called Sitara by Mizmaar. The discussion turned to how the Pakistani music could not compete with Indian music and was simply “useless.”

The next song however had a significant impact on a rather sinful lot of people. Dumbstruck, I gaped in alarm as a song by Sahar known as Bheega Mausam turned a rather unspiritual group of young people into religious zealots complaining that Pakistani musicians had “no shame”. I could barely find anything wrong with the song considering the fact that only a few minutes ago everyone was drooling on about Pamela Anderson and Salma Hayek.

Excuse to change the channel or not just 5 minutes later we were watching B4U music on the 24 inch tv screen where a group of women were dancing in a club sporting something that was close to a bikini with short skirts and a top that leaves little to the imagination.  No member of our group either male or female had any qualms watching and the air was filled with appreciation about the way Kareena Kapoor danced and her “sweet relationship” with Shahid Kapoor. Since we had women amongst us the discussion inevitably veered on to Shahid Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Katrina Kaifs eyes, makeup and jewellery… that’s when I took my leave and said I’d be taking a bus and going home as people at my defence home would be waiting for me.

In any case being perplexed by this phenomenon I raised the point several times with my friends. One person seemed to have a very bizarre clarification of the behaviour that pervades our society. Unfortunately his explanation made me lose faith in the entire population of Pakistan when it came to supporting our own artists and music industry. His explanation for not listening to Pakistani music was “We all love girls dancing around and all that stuff but no one’s going to say it. That’s why we watch the Bollywood videos. But we are in a religious society. We can’t say that in public now can we? This isn’t Canada obviously”

I was completely dumbstruck by this explanation and I understood that the reference to Canada naturally was more about my being a student there for some time even though it had no connection to what I had just questioned. It also proved that there were certain bigots who believed that spending 6-9 months outside the country simply for the benefit of the Nation meant you weren’t a Pakistani which sufficiently managed to annoy me. This isn’t Canada simply meant to ask me “why would you actually care?”

But unfortunately this is just one example of the hypocrisy that pervades Pakistani society today. People are looking for reasons to ignore their own people and music industry. Other examples are even more extreme.

I had with the help of some backers once funded and hosted an event for Pakistani youth. I was sitting on the table discussing the penetration of Indian media in Pakistani society and its negative consequences with some of my friends. In that time a girl keen to introduce herself came up and soon joined our conversation. She agreed with most of what was being said and to conclude the conversation said she never watched Indian movies or their songs and disliked Bollywood because Pakistani movies and musicians were better

The reason she had come to our Pro Pakistani table was because she wanted favours from me. One was to get her on the stage as a model using my links with Yaseen Modelling Limited and the other was that she wanted to sing on stage. Bold girl you might say but unfortunately she didn’t really have the striking looks we associate with models. In any case we managed to become friends and I gave her the stage in my next event to sing and she did have a fine voice.

Then later on I noticed that she was going to watch a Bollywood movie and saw her with her friends discussing Indian movies. Gajini was the name of the movie she was discussing and when I questioned some of her friends if she just started watching they pointed out that this girl watched every Bollywood movie that came out. At that point I broke the friendship. When she called me the next time I told her I would have equally been her friend if she hadn’t lied to me and that also just in the hope of getting a few favours. I said our friendship could have lasted longer had she not had the impulse to lie. I told her I had Indian friends and many of my Pakistani friends did watch Indian movies and I never told them not to do so.

No doubt the fact that Nationalists were all across the table may have impacted her and made her want to fit in but that doesn’t mean one has to give up what he or she believes in?

The reason I broke my friendship is obviously not that she watched Indian movies but because of the fact that she lied and thought those lies would help her get a few favours and develop friendship with a person who could help her with her future career. This is sadly the way people see Pakistani Nationalists.

Can we blame the TV channels and artists for the videos we see today?

I have always been a believer of media freedom in all its forms and believe that everyone should be free to not just think but also watch or hear what he or she wants. But what surprises me is the hypocrisy prevalent in some sections of Pakistani society. The use of a fake display of piety as an excuse to avoid Pakistani videos and in other cases lies and putting another person down to present oneself as patriotic have become a useful way to avoid everything Pakistani and putting the game on one who questions the hypocrisy.

When on one hand people in Pakistan are often heard saying that Pakistani television is unwatchable these days as Pakistani channels are not portraying “our culture” the same people feel no shame watching Bollywood and English movies.

The question is don’t they simply ignore the fact that they themselves watch Indian movies and listen to Indian music. Don’t many of them watch English movies? What culture does all that show? In Pakistan Star Plus has the second highest viewership than any other channel. B4U music has a higher viewership in Pakistan than the total viewership of Pakistani Music channels combined!

Despite these channels having fewer restrictions on what type of “culture” they can show are they not being watched? Won’t artists be more inclined to produce videos that the general population seeks to watch?

Producing songs and music is a business after all. Would an artist keep producing videos that are completely ignored by the general public, neither give him fame and don’t even cover the massive production costs involved for one video? It is natural that several channels have changed the way they operate and today’s dramas and music videos by Pakistani artists have accommodated according to what Pakistanis are only too keen to watch on Indian channels.

Today the unfortunate phenomenon with Pakistani people is that we are seeking excuses to ignore our own industries. Nations are built when there are citizens within them willing to support their own people, industries and economy rather than trying to find all sorts of excuses to avoid them.

Being Pakistani is not simply about raising a flag on our roofs on the 14^th of August. Neither is it about supporting our team in cricket matches. Those aspects are definitely part of it but that does not even cover half the picture. Until all of us Pakistanis resolve to change their attitudes and bring forward a society that cares starting with ourselves things in Pakistan will continue the way they are. As Pakistanis we must remember that this land is our responsibility and no one will fix it except us.

The growing agitation of Pakistanis against USA

A recent survey conducted by Pew Global Attitudes (a project of a research center in Washington) in Pakistan has proven that the 64% of the people of Pakistan despise the USA and see it as one of the greatest threats to Pakistan. On the other hand only about 9% believe that the US can ever be Pakistan’s allies. However 70% of the Pakistanis who were questioned are absolutely against the Taliban and seek their utter elimination. Another survey conducted for the international broadcaster Al Jazeera by Gallup Pakistan found that 59 percent of Pakistanis felt the greatest threat to the country was the United States rather than the Taliban.

As the report suggests Pakistanis despise the USA but do not side with the Taliban or Al Qaeda. Generally Pakistanis view them unfavourably but they see both of them as two sides of the same coin.

Unfortunately the Americans cannot come to understand why Pakistanis see them as their foremost enemy rather than the terrorists. On the other hand Pakistanis feel they have been constantly betrayed despite seeing the Americans as allies. They believe they have been used to accomplish USA’s strategic goals and interests in the region and then abandoned.

A look at history

The Taliban were formed, supported and funded by the USA in the 1980’s in order to drive away the Soviets from Afghanistan and offset the defeat they suffered to the Communists in the Vietnam War. According to newly opened CIA files USA wanted the Soviets to intervene in Afghanistan and aid was being transferred to Anti communist elements since July 1979 which was before the Soviets had officially invaded.

Pakistan was not always keen to join the war and did so upon USA’s insistence. Sources even claim that Zia Ul Haq did not want to get involved in the war but many promises of opening up military and economic assistance were offered to President Zia by American diplomats for joining the war. This and the promise of a long lasting relationship with the USA convinced Pakistanis.

However by directly interfering in neighbouring Afghanistan on the behest of American urging Pakistan suffered over 120 incidents of terrorism which killed many citizens. One such bombing was the Islamabad depot bombings were blamed on Najibullah’s government. USA suffered no losses as they had no troops on the ground and were too far away from the region.

Not surprisingly when the war was over Pakistan was not needed and the country was abandoned. In 1990 military and economic ties were cut off with Pakistan under the Presler Amendment which required proof that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear weapon.

Unfortunately the fact that America itself has one of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the World and is the only Nation to have used them is ignored when talking about the nuclear aspirations of other Nations.

Pakistan’s Nuclear Tests

India conducted its first surprise nuclear test in 1974 known as the “Smiling Buddha.” USA turned a blind eye to the first test but India’s second test in 1998 which followed a similar test by Pakistan almost immediately received international condemnation. Initially sanctions were imposed on both India and Pakistan.

However after a few months the sanctions on India were removed while those on Pakistan remained. Certain military sanctions specially relating to nuclear technology continue till today however no such sanctions are being imposed on India. The differential treatment annoys Pakistanis as India has 10 times Pakistan’s population and is much larger than Pakistan. The military as well is larger than Pakistan’s own.

Furthermore Pakistanis can also not understand why USA signed a nuclear deal with India but is not willing to sign the exact same deal with Islamabad which has sent clear signals that it wants a peaceful nuclear deal with the USA for power generation purposes. Pakistan is facing crippling power shortages that are affecting the daily life of its citizens. In major cities people have to make do without 4-8 hours of electricity in a day.

The relationship today

Americans believe that the aid they are giving Pakistan in the War on Terror is more than enough and is a message to Pakistan to forget the past and move on. However what they don’t seem to understand is that the losses of Pakistan in the WOT have crossed $35.5 Billion in damages to Pakistan (These figures are from January 2009 and the figure may now be more than 48 Billion). The aid does not compensate Pakistan for the losses given that $11 Billion is not even a quarter of this figure.

To aggravate things further much of the aid given to Pakistan has still not been delivered and much of it will be eaten up by the administrative costs of the USA.

In addition the Americans have expressed no sympathy for the 8000 Pakistani civilians and 2000 soldiers killed in a highly unpopular war but have always pushed Pakistan to do more as if it were their colony.

Many Pakistanis as a result believe that USA is supporting terrorism in their country. The fact that the US has released several Taliban commanders from its custody such as Abdullah Mehsud who have attacked Pakistani Nationals soon after their release has further supported this belief. The latest addition to the long list of such commanders is Mehdi-Mohammed Ghazali who was captured in Pakistan recently and is a Swedish National released from Guantanamo Bay.

The American media has a way of aggravating the situation and pouring salt to the fresh wounds of the Nation. The baseless suggestion that Pakistani nukes may fall in the hands of terrorists only fuels rage and in turn is seen as a scheme to take possession of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. On the other hand the constant campaigns of accusations aimed at Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency the ISI and the military are seen as an attempt to isolate and destroy the military and ISI so that it cannot stop CIA’s designs in the region.

When it is stated that Pakistan is not serious in the War on Terror despite the death of thousands of its own people it also fuels Anti Americanism. The Pakistanis have now become even more suspicious of the USA because of these media campaigns.

Due to the American policies towards Pakistan in the past and those that still continue today many Pakistanis simply see the terrorist organizations as American agents. For the majority of Pakistanis the USA and Taliban are basically two sides of the same coin.

Can US-Pakistani ties ever develop?

The very attitude of the USA towards Pakistan leaves lingering resentment and rage amongst Pakistanis. It does nothing but make terrorist organizations more powerful.

Where yesterday only a section of the population believed no productive ties could ever develop between Pakistan and USA today this phenomenon is noticeable even amongst the moderates as they see the USA as their sworn enemy.

USA’s foreign policy is based on egotism and to protect their self interest the Americans are willing to cross any limit. For Pakistan it is the moment to take a tougher stance with the USA and design a policy that is in turn beneficial to the Nation.

Most Pakistanis are already suggesting that either the Pakistanis take a tougher stance towards the USA and demand to be treated with the respect they deserve or withdraw from the War completely declaring themselves neutral to both the USA and the Afghan Taliban.

Whatever the case it is high time for Pakistan to present itself on an equal footing as the USA otherwise it will continue to be taken for granted and will be used and abandoned as has been the case in the past. Pakistan cannot have a relationship with the USA where Pakistan’s sovereignty itself is lost. After all Pakistan is not a colony but an Independent Nation.

Women in the Pakistani Rock Music Scene

A month ago while I was looking out for new Pakistani bands and artists I managed to stumble upon a song called Moray Saiyan from a female Punjabi singer known as Abeer Hashmi. It was a rock song and as I listened to it a few times I realised it was one of the very few rock songs I had heard from female Pakistani artists. The last one I had heard was Uljhan from Maha which was more of a tribute to evanescence. The track ‘I try’ sung by Arooj Aftab was also one of the better rock tracks I had heard from a female artist. In all there were only 6 female artists I knew about who had any interest in rock music.

In any case being passionate about rock music and of course about everything Pakistani I wasn’t able to bear not having the tracks and videos launched by Abeer. So I went on an all out search for Abeer Hashmi’s songs and videos. In my search I uncovered 2 more music videos from the same artist. One was Boliyan a good groovy dance track but since I was particularly expecting her to be solely concerned with rock music I was disappointed. Lagdi Na Ankh was also a catchy track though the video was senseless to say the least and if it wasn’t for a woman then no one would even bother to look at it for a minute let alone the full length of 4 minutes and 14 painful seconds.

Although I was disappointed in my search for female artists with affinity to rock music, on the positive side I did find out that Abeer is a very versatile and bold artist and as a result developed a liking for her music.

However this little search for me turned out to be the starting point of a larger more major search for such artists.

Is Rock Music a rising trend amongst the female artists?

Although many female artists have tried to position themselves as rock artists when they first introduced themselves they have ended up being much closer to the Pop Scene rather than to the Rock Scene. This was the case with Schaz’s debut album Jalan which was once much awaited as a rock album but turned out to have little to do with Rock music. Fariha Pervaiz also tried to position herself as a rock artist at certain times but failed. Instead she just switched to genres that were generally more welcomed by Pakistani Society. As a result there is no female artist in the Pakistani mainstream solely concerned with Rock music. The closest would be Arooj Aftab who is currently based in Boston but even she isn’t solely concerned with Rock.

It is quite evident however that outside Pakistan there are a number of Pakistani women who are practicing Rock music. “I feel in Pakistan there simply isn’t enough demand for Rock music. We have Aaroh, EP and Call,. These bands got attention but not as much as they should. No one really listens to them except a section of the younger population. Most just listen to foreign music” says Amna Hayat who is part of a Norwegian-Pakistani Heavy Metal band known as Rooh.

In Toronto, Sana, a 21 year old is the lead guitarist of the English band “Retribution”. She is the only Pakistani in the band and the only woman. She believes that she has more opportunity in Canada “The thing is in Canada I have more opportunities as a woman than I would in Pakistan. Especially if as a woman you want to do something that’s morally unacceptable in society.” Sana says “I wouldn’t really think of trying to go for a rock band back in Pakistan but I would like to start a Pakistani band here with other Pakistani students at my college.”

But the supporting vocalist for the Nationalist band Soch who identifies herself as Rasha tells a different story “The society may see it negatively but so what? Frankly we don’t care. We’re here to leave a legacy and we have as much opportunity in Pakistan as we do here. The only thing is we have to start standing up for what we believe in and Pakistanis need to support their own artists. Not just use Indian or English music as an excuse to ignore them. Listen to other music as well. But don’t ignore your artists saying they all play bad music and don’t try to discourage them.”

Many people in Pakistan feel the same way. It’s the 21^st century and bands like EP, Aaroh, Mizraab, Call, Akash, Roxen and many others still in the underground scene have given Rock lovers a great treat. The younger generation believes if some women love Rock Music they should simply follow where their hearts lie and give a new voice to Nation.

Regardless if they are Rock artists or not it is still something to be admired that these girls have the courage to go against the norms of society and decide their own path in life. It isn’t easy to start a band or be a part of the music industry considering the way society in Pakistan perceives it. For most girls in Pakistani Society it’s an almost unthinkable feat to start a band or start a career in singing.

However some of these girls still turn towards the music industry despite limited media for the promotion of upcoming Pakistani musicians and the negatively affect Bollywood has on the Pakistani Music Industry.

Many people in Pakistan see this as a positive change and hope to see more Rock Music from female artists.

Copyright around the World

Is it worthwhile trying to stop it?

Piracy across the World

Piracy is often referred to as one of the greatest problems for Producers, Artists, Musicians and Record Companies alike. Copyright costs the Music Industry a huge amount of money each year.

In the UK a total of 7.2 Million people engage in violating UK’s copyright laws which will cost the UK music sector an estimated £200m in 2009. This will bring the total cost between the years 2007 and 2012 according to research conducted by Jupiter Research to £1.2bn. In the USA with about 30 Million people involved in illegal file sharing copyright violation costs the U.S. economy $58.0 billion in total output and $16.3 billion in earnings.

As a result in Western societies several Record Companies, Production Companies, Artists, Bands and other organizations that generally profit from the sale of digital media are involved in a major campaign against copyright infringement.

Companies such as EMI, Sony, Warner, and Universal have all filed major lawsuits over the years against peer to peer and other file sharing websites. After a long period of time and after a huge amount of money has been wasted several such ventures involved in illegal file sharing have even been brought down or settled while many lawsuits continue to drag on. In some cases even ISP’s have been sued for not filtering sites that share music and movies and taking action against people who download files over the internet.

A sane Voice

Criticism for Copyright Laws

Despite such a heavy handed campaign against copyright in these societies the question that is being raised currently is whether it is even worthwhile to try and stop copyright infringement in the first place.

Costs Involved: The Government can spend huge amounts of funds trying to stop copyright infringement without any chance of success or they can utilize the same funds for something more significant such as healthcare and education. Studies show despite the efforts of Governments, Record Companies and other Anti-Piracy Organizations, people have always found new ways to bypass copyright laws and found ways to continue sharing software.

Negative Coverage for the Music Industry: Piracy is not hurting the Music Industry as much as the loss of goodwill caused amongst consumers, and the negative coverage the Record Companies get when they spend Millions on lawsuits. Lawsuits have been filed on over 30000 people for violating copyright and many people maintain they have not violated copyright laws. These lawsuits include those filed on a 12 year old girl and a dead woman. Despite this there are no results to show Piracy is decreasing but each year studies continue to show that it is rising. On the other hand these lawsuits cause the same music lovers who buy their records to loose trust in these companies as they believe they turn trivial issues into major ones.

Difficult to know when infringement has occurred: Another issue is that in many cases it is often impossible to know when a breach of copyright has occurred. Although Record Companies can sue Websites or organizations that share copyrighted material (and such cases are specially picking up momentum over the internet) it is often impossible to find out who has been downloading software over the internet. This information can only be provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) which generally doesn’t monitor every IP address or always takes action against people involved in file sharing unless they choke up too much bandwidth.

Impossible to stop and prove in court that copyright has occurred: Breaking copyright laws can also be as simple as borrowing a CD from a friend and ripping the tracks on your own Computer without a cost at all or burning a CD for a friend or for sale to friends and associates at lower prices than the Record Companies sells it. In such cases it is impossible to know a violation of Copyright has taken place in the first place. Enforcing Copyright Laws are also difficult because it is often impossible to prove in a court of law that a person is responsible for illegally downloading copyrighted material from the internet or sharing it through other means.

Too many people involved: Given that over 140 Million people across the World engage in downloading movies, music or other software over the internet the question is how many of these people can be punished for copyright infringement? If there was a small group of people trading material over the net such an effort might even be worthwhile but with over 140 Million people involved in such activities it is impossible to punish each and every person for defying the law which often varies from Country to Country.

Infringement keeps a balance in society and promotes emerging talent: It is also debatable whether Copyright Infringement is actually beneficial to emerging artists in the Music Industry. This may be so because sites that share Music provide coverage and promotion to these artists and to events that would otherwise escape people’s attention. They also provide songs from the Artists for people to sample. Such coverage is beneficial, necessary and cheaper for the emerging artists that lack resources or the money to promote themselves and their music. As a result such file sharing may keep the playing field balanced by keeping the established Artists, Musicians and Powerful Record Companies in check. After all it does not make sense for the Powerful Companies to continue getting powerful and profitable while emerging talent is completely ignored.

Famous amongst people who can’t afford to buy albums and movies: File download is very famous among the Lower Middle Class or Upper Working Class because they generally cannot afford to spend so much money on entertainment. As a result Copyright infringement helps the lower rungs of society that need to fit in to the needs of society and be accepted as equals. No one wants to be cut off from the World. Therefore copyright violations help in bridging the gap between the rich and poor music and movie lovers.

What Now?

Whether for better or for worse the question of Enforcing Copyright has now come to the point where people ask whether there is any point trying to do so as violations only continue to increase even though more pressure is being put to stop piracy.

Spending money on something as trivial as Music Piracy seems senseless when there many people in the World are dying from hunger and war and many people are living a life of immense poverty even in the Developed Nations.

Instead of spending Millions of Dollars on lawsuits many of which don’t even reach a logical conclusion to prevent something that is in many cases benefiting the community; it makes more sense for Recording Companies to help the community and show goodwill to the people that buy their records because the best way to combat piracy is by promoting goodwill and not by isolating Music enthusiasts.

Looks like we’re going to see E.P again

The “Battle of the Bands” days

Everyone waited tensely as most of the lights flickered off on the stage casting an eerie glow to the set. Silence, as the crowd waited nervously for any sign of movement on the stage. A girl with pierced lips, dark lipstick and dressed completely in black stared at the stage not willing to remove her eyes from it in case she would miss something in the blink of an eye. A teenager about 17 years old with spiked hair donning a black leather jacket barely suitable for Karachi’s heat and sporting a red armband extending from his forearms to his biceps waited along the side of the stage for any movement.

As time lingered on there was movement in the darkness which ending the long wait. Suddenly the crowd roared with approval as the band members of EP slowly took their positions. The quietness gave way to shouts, roars, screams, hoots and whistles. Then abruptly the guitars picked up. The people recognized the song at once and cheered even louder and the noise level reached its pitch. As the dazzled audience watched, EP started rocking Karachi with Kahan Hai Tu. The crowd sprung into motion and teenagers banged their heads in unison, sung along and many people danced at the front of the stage.

Those were the good old days when we used to see EP performing at the battle of the bands. EP did reach the final with Aaroh but did not win the battle of the bands. Nonetheless they gained an audience of over 4000 hardcore loyalists and thousands of admirers for their music across Pakistan and abroad. Several Pakistanis still believe that never in the history of their country has such a great rock band existed or made such an impact on Rock Music.

When questioned the younger audience of Rock Lovers without any thought vote EP as the best rock band in Pakistan. For them even Junoon never had so much influence on Rock Music as did EP. For them Junoon signalled a musical revolution for the previous generation. For this generation the revolution is Entity Paradigm.

Perhaps this was exactly the reason these same people were so hurt when EP claimed it had disbanded in 2007 after a long period of inactivity. It felt as if all Rock Music itself in Pakistan had been dealt a severe blow. With the end of the Linkin Park of Pakistan the same individuals who were known to be their diehard fans were forced to go to rock concerts of other bands and to gigs by underground bands but wherever they went in Pakistan they could never find any band or artist that had the same feel or produced the same rock mixed with rap vibes and ever came close to Entity Paradigm.

Hope Rekindled

Today 6 years have passed since the battle of the bands and the launch of EP’s first album Irtiqa, an album revered by all Rock Lovers in Pakistan. Over 2 painstaking years have passed since EP’s announced its break up.

After all these years of searching for a band that could take EP’s place the hopes and aspirations of fans have been revived again. EP had announced its official comeback early in March 2009 with a concert in LUMS though it is still not widely known by the general population that the band has returned.

EP also rocked Karachi at Ramada Hotel on 1^st May where they introduced their new song shor macha. If that isn’t something for EP lovers to bite on for the time being the band is also claiming that their latest album TBA is set to hit the market in December 2009.

Currently EP has a different line up than it did before it announced its break up. Since Sajjad Khan and Xulfi have left EP the band now consists of Fawad Afzal Khan on vocals, Ahmed Ali Butt on supporting vocals and keyboards, Salman Albert on lead guitars, Waqar Khan on drums and Hassan Khalid on Rhythm Guitars.

Unquestionably when after such a long time a band that is so deeply admired by a segment of the population returns it definitely creates a bang amongst its enthusiasts and EP addicts are preparing to get rocked. Since EP has returned after such a long time new expectations have arisen and we hope that EP will not let its followers down. Not at least this time.

A Crackdown on Pakistani Media Sharing Websites?

Are Record Companies sponsoring it the Gainers or the Losers?

To increase profits by cutting down on the inevitable costs related to the breakage of Copyright Laws certain Record Companies in Pakistan have taken up an almost barbarous campaign to stamp out the sharing of Pakistani media completely.

Fire Records (Owned by Geo Tv) has asked FIA to launch a major crackdown on Pakistani Music Websites. 3 directors from the www.mag4you.com website have even been arrested by FIA and the server confiscated. Such heavy handed action has been taken in the blind hope that somehow the coverage of this event would instill fear in people involved in sharing Fire’s videos and audios and somehow there and then result in an end to all their problems.

Difficult to Implement

Unfortunately the Record Companies don’t seem to understand that they are going after a lost cause. It is like a snake going after its own tail. If you arrest one person for breaking copyright laws by sharing media there is always another to pop up sharing the very same media (and newer ones) again.

A CD can be ripped or burned and passed on to a friend or a family member while people share music on Msn messenger and messages by passing along tracks that they enjoy every day. Such minor breaches of copyright occur every minute across the World but are almost impossible to trace and stop.

Copyright infringement laws are too difficult to implement. More so in a Country like Pakistan where laws are made but are never followed. How many times have we seen people drive right past a red signal light? Or how many times have we seen them choking up traffic and endangering their lives by going the opposite way on a one way road? Or how many times have we seen people stealing electricity in order to fulfill their household electricity needs?

Insignificant compared to other issues

Copyright seems like something extremely insignificant when it is compared to the more major problems in the country such as rampant corruption, a terrible law and order situation, terrorism, lack of educational and healthcare infrastructure and of course the massive scale of poverty that has still not been addressed.

In this case the FIA and the Police seem more like criminals if they go after something as petty as copyright violation when such major problems exist out there.

Albums not available outside Pakistan

Several people that download copied albums or music do it because they have no other place to hear the tracks or get the music videos and other media they need. This is specially the case for many Pakistanis who live abroad but want to know everything going on in their country and wish to support it in every way possible.

Most of the records are not readily available outside Pakistan and it is impossible to find albums by artists that have failed to get much attention from a media that increasingly looks towards Indian material rather than trying to promote or stabilize their own music industry.

Loss of Consumer Confidence

Furthermore a loss of consumer confidence is caused by such a major crackdown. Not only do the consumers lose trust in the Record Company but oftentimes even artists display anguish at the closing of sites promoting them.

For example before I went to Pakistan I copied Faysal Abbas Awan’s Udasiyaan from a friend so that I could listen to it for the time I remained in Canada. Later about 2 months ago when I went to Pakistan I bought over 40 Pakistani Cd’s, Cassetes and Movies which included the Udasiyaan CD as well which I had copied from my friend.

Why did I buy it when I already had it? :

1)    Because I wanted to support the Artist and Record Company and I felt it was my duty as a Pakistani to do so.

2)    Because I had the money to do so and I felt it was being spent on a noble cause supporting my people.

Now if Royal Record’s would have called me a “thief” for borrowing the CD and ripping it onto my PC would I still have bought the Album out of respect for Royal Records?

No. And the same stands for any other Record Company.

Harsh action is detrimental to the promotion of new artists and talent

Just for the record 8 of the CD’s I bought on this trip belonged to Fire Records. Some of these CD’s included Zeb Alam’s Sapnay, Shahzaman’s Dhoom Tana, Jalan by Schaz and Amir Jamals Heartbeat.) These artists already have very limited marketing and just to make the point clear many Pakistani’s unfortunately haven’t heard of these artists.

Regrettably the role of Record Companies here has been counter productive not only for the artists and emerging talent but for itself as well. Instead of encouraging websites promoting these artists Fire Records has demanded the FIA, an agency with much more important work, to punish the websites just because they happen to be involved in sharing some media that they have rights over. As a result the action hurts the very Pakistani Music Industry that Fire Records is a part of.

These websites specially mean a lot to overseas Pakistanis as they are their only source of information while they are outside Pakistan. Already aching with the pain of being distant from their Nation for them it is as if their very lifeline has been taken.

What Should Record Labels Do?

Whatever the soothsayers in these companies might say about copyright infringement it is a problem that will always remain because there will always be someone willing to share files using any method. There are just too many people already sharing or willing to share their music using any median they can. It is impossible to simply implement a ban on copyright infringement particularly in Pakistan and it is a waste of money for Aag and GEO as well.

What Record Companies could invest on to increase consumption of their material and in turn increase their profits is invest on increasing Pakistani Nationalism amongst the youth of Pakistan. They should also materialize on the Nationalist sentiment that already exists among such youth as Nationalists are by far the largest market for their products.

They should also look to try and cause a shift in demand from Indian music to Pakistani music because by far the craze for Indian media is affecting the Pakistani Music Industry. Spending funds to better promote Pakistani artists can definitely help.

However the solution for Record Labels is definitely not to spend their resources on a problem that will always exist by cracking down on free media sharing and disillusion the very people that buy their Audio CD’s and Cassettes. The solution is to build such a warm bond with them that they feel guilt when they do it and a sense of responsibility towards society.

As far as websites that promote Pakistani content are concerned it is no use to bother with them and shut them down because Pakistani Music currently needs recognition and they play a major part in this filling up the promotion gap. Shutting them down will not only be detrimental but closing down one site will also make no difference as there will always be others to fill the gap.

The harsh reality is copyright infringement simply can’t be stopped and is a reality that needs to be accepted.

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I write this for the benefit of the Pakistani Music Industry and as a die hard Pakistani Music Fan.

Pakistan’s 62nd Independence Day

A reminder of our responsibility

Under the visionary leadership of Quaid E Azam, Mohammed Ali Jinnah Pakistan came into being on 14 August 1947. For the creation of this Nation countless lives were lost and people from both sides were slaughtered in great numbers in pre partition riots. Many of those moving to Pakistan lost what little possessions they had in the process and sacrificed their links to the places they had lived in for years. Despite these difficulties these people were all willing to risk so much only to ensure that they lived free of the discrimination and the absolute in acceptance of the Indians and British to accept them as equal citizens with equal rights in their own land.

Pakistan was created by our forefathers to ensure that they and their future generations would be able to live with honour and dignity, free to practice (or not practice) their faith without anyone imposing their will on them. They understood that Pakistan was the only solution to the mistreatment they suffered in India. They rose up to fulfill the dream of an independent Pakistan and the Pakistani cause gave us all something to fight for, something to live and die for and finally with the blood of thousands it gave us a land to cherish and love.

However creating a land to call our own was just a beginning because with the very formation of this land comes a huge liability. With Pakistan formed it is our duty to protect the honour of this Nation and develop it into one of the Greatest in the World. Today we Pakistanis have a huge burden on our shoulders. It is our foremost duty to safeguard the interests of Pakistan and work in every way we can to ensure the unity and prosperity of our people and Nation.

Unfortunately at that time we were in search of a Nation but today Pakistan is in search of its people. Those people who were willing to make any sacrifice for Pakistan. People who made every decision based on the effect it would have on Pakistan.

What we lack today is the iron will or the resolve to serve this Nation to the best of our capabilities like we did in those days. No one is willing to understand that every single action that we take has a direct effect on Pakistan and Pakistani interest has been replaced unfortunately by self interest. This is especially evident in the government and other public institutions where corruption dominates life.

The flame that burned within the hearts of those who gave us this sacred land which today we call our home should not die out within our hearts because the task of building Pakistan is not complete. We cannot abandon our Nation and our identity for egotism.

Our independence day is not just about hoisting a flag on our rooftops and finding cause to celebrate. It is about reflecting on what effect our actions are having on our country, thinking how best we can serve our Nation and doing everything we can in this regard.

We must remember that every action we take can have a positive or negative effect on Pakistan. Even if each one of us supports the education of one Pakistani child it can have a major positive impact on our country. On the other hand even something viewed as small such as throwing rubbish in the streets can have an impact on our country.

Let the 62^nd Independence Day of our motherland be a reminder to all of us of our responsibility to this Sacred Land. Let us be reminded that without Pakistan we are nothing and let us integrate this Nation within our very blood and work to make it the Greatest in the World.

Let us promise that whatever we do we will keep Pakistan in mind and will work with dedication towards the glory of this country and do nothing that hurts our Nation. Let us first promise that we will not use means such as bribery, fraud and corruption and sell our National interests for our own benefits. Let us then promise to put our Nation before ourselves because if Pakistan benefits we benefit.

Finally let us promise to find and eliminate all elements involved in any Anti Pakistani actions that hurt our people such as corruption, crime and terrorism and not elect leaders that support any of the three because Pakistan is our responsibility.

Pakistan Always Zindabad!!!