I am putting up links to a documentary produced by VideoNation, The Nation magazine’s online video feature. The documentary is made by Sam Graham-Felsen, James Jacoby & Ali Sethi. Ali Sethi happens to be Najam Sethi (Editor Friday Times and Daily Times) and Jugnu Mohsin’s (Editor Friday Times) son.
The comment on the Nation’s website, next to the video, states:
As mounting instability in Pakistan challenges the authority of President Pervez Musharraf, VideoNation correspondents Sam Graham-Felsen, James Jacoby and Ali Sethi travel to Lahore to assess the troubled nation’s future through the eyes of students at both the progressive National College of Arts and Punjab University, where Islamic extremists hold sway.
It’s an interesting concept as the video shows the intersection from where two roads branch out. One goes to NCA and the other to Punjab University and it draws comparisons between the two. It focusses a lot on the fact that two institutions, literally facing each other, have such differently composed student bodies (one liberal, the other conservative) and that reflects on the wider political problems that the country faces and the two extremes that are developing.
Unfortunately, it is nothing more than a coincident combined with the fact that arts is not the kind of subject that those students coming from rural parts of Pakistan or religious backgrounds are particularly inclined towards. It is still not considered a ‘real’ man’s subject. The day arts becomes more acceptable to the religiopolitical parties they will start ruling the NCA as well. Not because they are greater in numbers, but because they have a louder voice. Anyway, watch the documentary and make up your own mind.
Part I
Part II
Wow! The new SS squads of JI. My comments may be a bit blunt but let me pen them off anyway.
These guys are specail breed of Muslims who are facing forward but looking backward, trapped in old history. By and large they are “pussy centric” - their entire practice of faith revolves around maintaining virginity of their sisters and daughters and chastity of mothers and wives. At the same time each one of them acts like predatory alpha male.
Islam has become hostage to gender practices only and nothing is done to cure other social ills. Undoing this evil will take long time but without assistance of law it will not be possible.
Nation as a whole has to make a decision about its own fate. Obviously, if people do not decide for themselves, someone will.
What kind of wisdom can the nation expect from matriculate generals?
Anwar, that is a great comment. It seems as long as the reformers, like Mush claims to be, are too scared to take on these thugs, they will use fear and intimidation to compensate for their, uh, other problems.
These guys care more about a woman showing her forearm than if she starves to death!
ALI SETHI…WELL DONE!WE NEED MORE DOCUMENTARIES LIKE THIS….