After decades of bad press, the representation of Pakistan has become tainted internationally. The country is more often than not depicted as a breeding ground for terrorism. With the passage of time, this has allowed negative perceptions to take root in the mindset of people around the world.
After decades of bad press, the representation of Pakistan has become tainted internationally. The country is more often than not depicted as a breeding ground for terrorism. With the passage of time, this has allowed negative perceptions to take root in the mindset of people around the world. A survey conducted by the Asian Affairs Journal [1] Weblog asked a number of diplomats what came to mind when they heard the word “Pakistan”. The responders, overall, mentioned five words: weapons, terrorism, security, Islam, and the Taliban. The media is indeed a powerful medium that can etch in people’s minds lasting impressions.
The recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the decade-old blasphemy case of Asia Bibi [2] led to a confrontation and protests organized by an extremist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), paralyzing the country for three days. This might be yet another episode that portrays the country in bad light. However, the newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation in a speech, in which he reemphasized the Islamic basis of Pakistani legislation, underlining that no law in the country could supersede the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Similarly, he maintained that the sentiments of the extremist groups were neither a measure of success, nor a source of legitimacy for the court rulings.
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