Shameless PTV!
As obvious from the name, this serial is allegedly about “happenings” during the making of Pakistan. I’ve been watching it for the last two to three days and I can’t explain in words how brutally PTV HOME has crushed my feelings, and I’m sure same would be the feelings of every individual who has a heart which beats for Pakistan!
The saddest thing about this series is that in all the stories so far have focused only on “Hindu families” and the problems they had to face. I don’t deny the fact that many Hindus lost their lives as well, many innocent children and girls were killed but I oppose strongly the way PTV is trying to create a negative image of Muslims, negative feelings about the creation of Pakistan.
I wouldn’t mind if the message that came across from these programs was that although both Hindu and Muslim lives were lost, we are still lucky to have Pakistan and everyone should be an equal citizen now. Unfortunately this is not the case, and on the pretext of sympathizing with minorities this series is only telling us that the whole thing about 1947 was a futile loss of life. The inevitable conclusion which is driven home by these programs is that for the sake of Islam, so many lives of non-Muslims were lost and it would have been better if the demand for Pakistan wasn’t made in the first place.
Freedom of expression must be respected and it would have been quite another thing if this program was aired by some private channel at any other time in the year – or released on DVD. Yet, this is being promoted on a daily basis in the week before the Independence Day by the official television channel of the nation. In other words this is an attempt to subvert the meaning of independence and to nullify the very meaning of Pakistan.
The timing of this program is a bit intriguing as well: why is this program being aired so soon after the "tragedy of Gojra" which in itself is being suspected to be a conspiracy for disrupting the unity of Pakistan?
The younger generation which hasn’t even finished schooling is already very successful targets of Indian satellite channels and programs. At this time at least our media should come forward and perform its duty honestly, but instead it is trying to move our hearts away from Pakistan. Shameless and irresponsible behavior, I must say!
In the last night’s story, Hindu women were shown jumping in the wells and rivers to save their honor and to protect their chastity from Muslim hoodlums – I dare question if the drama has taken a balanced view of the realities of those times. Nor can it be said that this lopsided view of things has been presented in order to foster goodwill among the present day Hindus and Muslims living in Pakistan – even a child can see that this is not the way to foster nice feelings and I hope that the producers of this series will at least not try to insult our intelligence by taking that plea!
Is PTV manipulating these facts to gain the love from Indian government and media?
This will provoke countless Muslims in Pakistan and elsewhere to remember the other victims whom the producers of this series seem to erase from our memories: innocent Muslim girls who, in much greater numbers, filled the wells by jumping into them to save their honor and respect; infants who were thrown in air in front of their mothers and collected on spears; those countless Muslims who had to die because they moved their tongue for Pakistan. Is it too much to expect from PTV that they would show difficulties we had to face when our ancestors were shifting to Pakistan from India? (“Difficulty” is in fact a very little word for the hardships they had to suffer).
I request you all to please take a step against this series of PTV, write letters to newspapers and let this series be stopped NOW! I think that the nation is within its rights to demand an unconditional apology from PTV and the writers, directors and producers of this series.
I request PTV’s directors, managers and producers to please not to waste the efforts and the sacrifices of our ancestors. Not at least in front them: some people who took part in Pakistan movement are still alive, please respect them, respect Pakistan and Love Pakistan.
