Pakistan Monument: change of winds?

In the midst of all sorts of negative developments in the country over the past few weeks, this weekend a visit to the National Monument gave me reason to rejoice. The Monument constructed at Shakarparian in Islmabad. The Monument was inaugurated by Musharraf on 23 March. The Monument was designed to be:

signifying strength, unity and dedication of the people of Pakistan into an icon representing an independent and free nation. It was envisaged for the National Monument to serve as a beacon representing the past, present and heralding a bright future for all Pakistanis to whom the Monument will stand dedicated.

More details on the monument:

The monument will comprise of four blossoming flower petals representing the People of Pakistan standing united, shoulder to shoulder, shielding the crescent and star in the space below. The design concept is imbued with simplicity and strength, relaying the vision of standing guard over the Motherland. The inner walls of the petals will be decorated with murals and artwork.

A metallic crescent will be inscribed with sayings of Quaid-i-Azam and poetry of Allama Iqbal ... The theme of the National Monument revolves around creation and development of Pakistan, making it different from other two Museums in the close vicinity i.e. the Heritage and Natural History Museums. It will house exhibits highlighting Iqbal’s Concept of a Muslim State in South Asia, Quaid-i-Azam’s efforts and struggle for the independence of Pakistan and how Pakistan stands today as a forward looking developing state in Asia and the world.

So why am I making this post? Yes, it is a beautifully built monument – but struck me and brought a smile to my face was the symbolism and the lack of typical nationalistic rhetoric in the images and various pieces of quotations and descriptions around. My only regret is that I was unable to capture good photos of those that night. But it is worth noting: the description of the monument relied on the identity of the Pakistani people in their own right – without any comparison or reference to partition. It used terms like “progressive” to describe the thought of Iqbal and vision of Quaid. In short, the main plaque was inspiring without being jingoistic. Yes, I think we have turned a leaf.

Lasting thought, consider this photo:

The inscription below it stated “No nation can rise to height of glory unless your women are side by side with you.” This is somewhat big, because you don’t see such juxtaposition on national monuments. A welcome change!

Overall, the ambience and the message of the monument was very positive and I do believe we are making small strides towards change. More power to that!

Attack on giant Pakistan Buddha

Suspected pro-Taleban militants have tried to blow up an ancient carving of Buddha in north-west Pakistan. The statue, thought to date from the second century BC, sustained only minimal damage in the attack near Manglore in remote Swat district.

The area has seen a rise in attacks on “un-Islamic” targets in recent months.

This is the first such attack in Pakistan and is reminiscent of the Taleban’s 2001 destruction of the giant Buddhas at Bamiyan in Afghanistan.

Dynamite

Officials and witnesses in Swat said armed men arrived in the area on Monday night.

“Militants drilled holes in the rock and filled them with dynamite and blew it up,” provincial archaeology department official Aqleem Khan told Reuters news agency.

“The explosion damaged the upper part of the rock but there was no damage to the image itself.”

And eyewitness, Shahid Khan, told the BBC that because of its location on a steep ridge the statue had been only slightly damaged. It is carved into a 40m (130-foot) high rock.

Local archaeology expert Professor Pervaiz Shaheen told the BBC that the Buddha statue in Swat valley was considered the largest in Asia, after the two Bamiyan Buddhas.

He said it was 2,200 years old. Swat valley is a centre of the ancient Gandhara civilization.

“They constructed similar smaller statues and figurines, dozens of which are still present in the area,” Prof Shaheen said.

Swat has seen increased pro-Taleban activity in recent months, with the re-emergence of militant group Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) under new leader, Maulana Fazlullah.

Last week, militants blew up about 60 music, video and cosmetics stalls at a market in the valley after stall owners ignored warnings to close businesses deemed un-Islamic.

The world watched in shock in March 2001 as Afghanistan’s then rulers destroyed the 6th-Century Bamiyan Buddhas. The Taleban said they were offensive to Islam.

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