The spokesperson for the Pakistan Army has spoken strongly against the popular American Showtime series ‘Homeland’ whose latest season depicts Pakistan in a CIA-centred thriller.
The shuttlecock Afghan burqa, as it can be referred to, is usually a bright blue (but it comes in many shades, depending on the woman's choice). Rarely will you see it in black. The style of burqa that is commonly made in black in Pakistan is more sheath like with a flap. You'll see it more in cities like Karachi.
In one episode from an earlier season, Brody kneels by a lake and raises his hands in prayer. He must have been praying to the Sun god because as far as I know, a Muslim doesn't pray like that. These are the easy parts any show should get right. It's all on YouTube, for cryin' out loud.
The director-general for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asim Bajwa, spoke at the defence think-tank, the Royal United Services Institute, in London on Thursday. He was addressing diplomats, defence analysts and heads of think-tanks.
Pakistani news channel Geo TV and its sister news publication, The News, reported Friday morning that Bajwa was answering a question when his opinion emerged:
“The Homeland series was nothing but slanderous and insulting to Pakistan[is] who are a great diverse nation and have rendered great sacrifices for peace and welfare of the world. An emotional General Bajwa said that he had personally lifted dead bodies of his comrades who had sacrificed their lives battling extremists.”
They quoted him as saying: “What was shown in Homeland has pained me personally and it has pained all of us as a nation as what was shown is not what we are. The Homeland series was a big lie because it failed to show real Pakistan, it showed Pakistan as if it were part of Afghanistan. It harmed relations between people and it (Homeland) went out of its way to harm Pakistan and its image.”
Bajwa’s comments came at a time when the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was in the UK for a three-day visit. He had meetings at 10 Downing with Prime Minister David Cameron and National Security Advisor Sir Kim Darroch. He visited the military academy at Sandhurst. On his trip he has spoken widely about Pakistan’s strategy on tackling terrorism.
The ISPR has been increasing portraying a ‘softer’ image of itself. It is on Twitter at @ISPR_Official. Bajwa is active too with the handle @AsimBajwaISPR and 663k followers. On Jan 14, Bajwa tweeted about Gen Raheel Sharif’s meeting at 10 Downing: “COAS raised issue of Action vs proscribed organizations, anti Pak elements operating from Outside Pakistan & measures to choke terror financing”.
The London visit comes right after the army chief met Secretary John Kerry. Bajwa tweeted: “Secy #Kerry in #GHQ: Lauded Pak's commitment to fight terrorism, appreciated Pak Army's achievements in Op ZarbeAzb.”
Their UK visit comes a month after Pakistan’s worst terrorist attack on an army public school in Peshawar where 141 people, including 132 children, were slaughtered on December 16 in an eight-hour killing spree. Bajwa’s ISPR released a musical tribute to honour their lives.
Pakistani news channel Geo TV and its sister news publication, The News, reported Friday morning that Bajwa was answering a question when his opinion emerged:
“The Homeland series was nothing but slanderous and insulting to Pakistan[is] who are a great diverse nation and have rendered great sacrifices for peace and welfare of the world. An emotional General Bajwa said that he had personally lifted dead bodies of his comrades who had sacrificed their lives battling extremists.”
They quoted him as saying: “What was shown in Homeland has pained me personally and it has pained all of us as a nation as what was shown is not what we are. The Homeland series was a big lie because it failed to show real Pakistan, it showed Pakistan as if it were part of Afghanistan. It harmed relations between people and it (Homeland) went out of its way to harm Pakistan and its image.”
Bajwa’s comments came at a time when the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was in the UK for a three-day visit. He had meetings at 10 Downing with Prime Minister David Cameron and National Security Advisor Sir Kim Darroch. He visited the military academy at Sandhurst. On his trip he has spoken widely about Pakistan’s strategy on tackling terrorism.
The ISPR has been increasing portraying a ‘softer’ image of itself. It is on Twitter at @ISPR_Official. Bajwa is active too with the handle @AsimBajwaISPR and 663k followers. On Jan 14, Bajwa tweeted about Gen Raheel Sharif’s meeting at 10 Downing: “COAS raised issue of Action vs proscribed organizations, anti Pak elements operating from Outside Pakistan & measures to choke terror financing”.
The London visit comes right after the army chief met Secretary John Kerry. Bajwa tweeted: “Secy #Kerry in #GHQ: Lauded Pak's commitment to fight terrorism, appreciated Pak Army's achievements in Op ZarbeAzb.”Their UK visit comes a month after Pakistan’s worst terrorist attack on an army public school in Peshawar where 141 people, including 132 children, were slaughtered on December 16 in an eight-hour killing spree. Bajwa’s ISPR released a musical tribute to honour their lives.
Mixed reaction
Homeland has been a popular series in Pakistan. While Showtime does not air here, people acquire the series mostly by downloading it. Reaction has been mixed, but not absolute as Bajwa indicated. Take this opinion from Zein Basravi, a Pakistani who works at Al Jazeera in Doha as news editor and has reported from Pakistan: "Homeland is highly entertaining and highly offensive at the same time, which is sort of what its like to be Pakistani. But it's also done a good job of holding a mirror up to some of the ugliest attributes of America and Pakistan and their messed up relationship. In any case, it's just a TV show and shouldn't influence global discourse. But if I were going to take offense at anything, perhaps the most offensive thing about it was that someone was able to order a fresh orange juice at the Islamabad airport. The biggest slap in the face for all Pakistanis is portraying the islamabad airport as a nice place."
Homeland has been a popular series in Pakistan. While Showtime does not air here, people acquire the series mostly by downloading it. Reaction has been mixed, but not absolute as Bajwa indicated. Take this opinion from Zein Basravi, a Pakistani who works at Al Jazeera in Doha as news editor and has reported from Pakistan: "Homeland is highly entertaining and highly offensive at the same time, which is sort of what its like to be Pakistani. But it's also done a good job of holding a mirror up to some of the ugliest attributes of America and Pakistan and their messed up relationship. In any case, it's just a TV show and shouldn't influence global discourse. But if I were going to take offense at anything, perhaps the most offensive thing about it was that someone was able to order a fresh orange juice at the Islamabad airport. The biggest slap in the face for all Pakistanis is portraying the islamabad airport as a nice place."
Of course, there are Pakistani viewers who are tired of certain depictions of Pakistan, such as the ones shown in Homeland. Writer Bina Shah, who is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and the author of 'A Season For Martyrs', wrote: "[W]e in Pakistan long to be seen with a vision that at least approaches the truth". She wrote a nuanced opinion piece on why she waited with anticipation and trepidation for the latest season. "We look to see if we come across to you as monsters, and then to see what our new, monstrous face looks like. Again and again, we see a refracted, distorted image of our homeland staring back at us. We know we have monsters among us, but this isn’t what we look like to ourselves."
Thus it is easy to understand, at least from this part of the world, why viewers are unhappy with the way Pakistan has been shown.
There are also viewers who understand that it would have been impossible for the team to actually shoot in Pakistan, on location, in say, Peshawar. There are viewers who see the show as entertainment, which is what a television show format aims to offer. There are viewers who understand that Pakistan fascinates the ‘West’ because of its shared terrorism problem.
There are also viewers, like Basravi, who laugh off the discrepancies and put it down to ‘American’ or the producers’ and makers’ ignorance. The poster, for example, showing Carrie in a red shawl against a sea of black burqas made me laugh - but I thought it was the good use of sexy stark colour contrasts and design.
Thus it is easy to understand, at least from this part of the world, why viewers are unhappy with the way Pakistan has been shown.
There are also viewers who understand that it would have been impossible for the team to actually shoot in Pakistan, on location, in say, Peshawar. There are viewers who see the show as entertainment, which is what a television show format aims to offer. There are viewers who understand that Pakistan fascinates the ‘West’ because of its shared terrorism problem.
There are also viewers, like Basravi, who laugh off the discrepancies and put it down to ‘American’ or the producers’ and makers’ ignorance. The poster, for example, showing Carrie in a red shawl against a sea of black burqas made me laugh - but I thought it was the good use of sexy stark colour contrasts and design.
The shuttlecock Afghan burqa, as it can be referred to, is usually a bright blue (but it comes in many shades, depending on the woman's choice). Rarely will you see it in black. The style of burqa that is commonly made in black in Pakistan is more sheath like with a flap. You'll see it more in cities like Karachi.In one episode from an earlier season, Brody kneels by a lake and raises his hands in prayer. He must have been praying to the Sun god because as far as I know, a Muslim doesn't pray like that. These are the easy parts any show should get right. It's all on YouTube, for cryin' out loud.
No comments:
Post a Comment