M

strong>March 25, Online

Pakistan is better known for bombs and militant compounds than opulent estates. A few enterprising Pakistanis hope to alter that perception with the launch of a local version of the well-known celebrity magazine Hello!.

They plan to profile Pakistan’s rich and famous: the dashing cricket players, voluptuous Bollywood stars and powerful politicians who dominate conversation in the country’s ritziest private clubs and lowliest tea stalls. They also hope to discover musicians, fashion designers and other new talents who have yet to become household names.

Your comments:

As Pakistan is daily terrified by Taliban threats, I don’t think it is possible to change the face of Pakistan in a short time.

I have worked in Pakistan and traveled around the country from Karachi in the south, Lahore in the north east to Islamabad/Rawalpindi in the north west.

With most Pakistanis I met, it was difficult to determine whether they were pro al-Qaeda/Taliban or not.

Many young Indonesian al-Qaeda recruits have also used Pakistan as a bridge to training grounds in Afghanistan.

The founder of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan would be very disappointed if he could see what happened to Pakistan today.

There are more Muslims in India than in all of Pakistan but those Muslims living in India enjoy more freedom of speech and thought than their brothers and sisters in Pakistan.

In 1985, I started to implement telecom projects in Pakistan combined with other projects I had in Middle Eastern countries but Pakistan gave me the most difficulties in running projects.

So I was very happy when I terminated my duty in 1988.My impression is that Pakistan is not ready to adopt the free democratic systems of other countries. Military coups and political assassinations have been very common in Pakistan.

In Lahore, my time there was very interesting. I saw no young girls visiting restaurants alone.

Once there were two young girls sitting in a Chinese restaurant but they spoke English.

They wore western dress; I believe they came from the UK or another country in Europe to visit relatives in Lahore.

Anyhow, I salute the Hello! publisher. It will meet a tough market, but if no one begins to do something, what will change?

Widya Utama
Bergen, Norway