Understanding Pakistan

On April 29 I attended a CSU Chico international forum called “Understanding Pakistan” and presented by Mahan Mirza, who works in the Chico department of religious studies. Mirza started the presentation by asking “What is the 1^st thing that comes to mind when you think of Pakistan?” Mirza then pointed out that many people view Pakistan from what they see on the news, which usually does not put Pakistan in a very flattering light. Mirza then showed a cover of Newsweek which read “Most Dangerous Nation in the World Isn’t Iraq it’s Pakistan” Mirza stated that he hoped by the end of his presentation people would hopefully have a different perception of Pakistan.

Mirza divided his presentation into three main topics demographics/geography, histoy/politics, and current events. Mirza explained that 170 million people live in Pakistan. The area of Pakistan is twice as large as California but not as large as Texas. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad and the national language is Urdu. Mirza explained that 95% of the population is Muslim, 80% Sunni and 15% Shi’ite. Mirza gave a brief religious background on Muslims saying that they have been in India since 711, which he quickly added that “Being in India since 711 has nothing to do with the store.”

Pakistan gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan means “Land of the Pure.” Mirza attempted to explain the different political parties but said they are “extremely confusing.” Leadership in Pakistan has switched back and forth between military to civilian since Pakistan gained independence. Mirza pointed out that Pakistan has occasionally gotten a lot of heat for having “family politics,” but then compared Pakistan to the United States stating that we also have “family politics,” showing examples of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

I thought Mirza’s presentation was extremely informative. I do have to agree that many people, including myself, only have a one sided view of Pakistan and that is the view of what the media shows us which is almost always negative. I really enjoyed Mirza’s presentation, I thought it gave people an opportunity to see a different side of Pakistan.