“I want people to leave the theater with a greater understanding of the rich cultural heritage of Pakistan. "Song of Lahore" moves beyond headlines and stereotypes and shows that a vast majority of Pakistanis are not perpetrators of religious violence - they are victims of it. The beautiful cultural heritage of the region belies its image in the West as monolithically religious, intolerant, and violent.” PeopleWantShowsBeautifulMovingSongUnderstandingReligiousRichGreaterViolenceTheaterVictimMajorityWestViolentRegionsHeritageStereotypePakistanHeadlinesPerpetratorsCultural HeritageLahore Author:Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“Well, I do write on political and social issues and the idea that one shouldn't - or the idea that we should censor ourselves - doesn't really work for me because it would be doing the government's job for them. And I'm not interested in doing that. I think what we need very much in Pakistan is to be able to discuss the corruption and the violence that really colours most of our life here.” ThinkingNeedsShouldWritingWellsIdeasGovernmentWould BeAbleJobsPoliticalSocialIssuesOur LivesViolenceCorruptionColourNot InterestedPakistanSocial Issues Author:Fatima Bhutto
“The plan was always to come to America, because Pakistan's a scary place. They don't have religious freedom. It's very poor, and there's a lot of violence and corruption.” AmericaReligiousPoorViolencePlansCorruptionScaryPakistanReligious Freedom Author:Kumail Nanjiani
“Look at the violence in Pakistan and the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan: the more troops we put in the more violent Pakistan becomes.” LooksViolenceViolentAfghanistanTroopsPakistanTroops In Afghanistan Author:Michael Hastings
“My mother was a tremendous woman. I was just cleaning up old trunks and I found a book with her notes written during the war years, in the 1940s. She was studying in Lahore, which became Pakistan. She was writing about how women alone could bring peace to the world, that the men with all their greed and egos were creating all these tensions and violence. I always knew she was a feminist, ahead of her time.” MenWorldWritingYearsBookWarMotherFoundStudyViolenceWrittenHe ManEgoCreatingNotesGreedFeministTensionPakistanCleaningTrunksCleaning UpLahore Author:Vandana Shiva
“There really still is a deep wound, you know, in the collective psyche of Pakistan. And the violence has left enormous human and emotional and psychic damage. That's not going to go away. But that said, I think I'm cautiously optimistic that we're looking at a better future.” ThinkingKnowsHumansSaidStillsLeftViolenceEmotionalWoundsEnormousOptimisticDamageCollectivesGoing AwayPsychicsPakistanBetter FutureDeep Wounds Author:Mohsin Hamid
“First of all, let me give my comments on the blasphemy law. This law was introduced by the military dictator General Ziaul Haq. No one demanded the blasphemy law in Pakistan. But he wanted to give protection to his undemocratic rule, dictatorship, by using religion. So Pakistan came into being in 1947, and from 1947 until 1986 no case against any minorities was registered under the protection of the blasphemy law. Nobody from minorities was killed and no act of violence happened [against them].” GivingFirstsWantedLawCasesViolenceHappenedMilitaryLet MeProtectionMinoritiesCommentDictatorshipDictatorPakistanBlasphemyActs Of Violence Author:Shahbaz Bhatti
“I'm far from believing that we've solved the problem of violence in the 20th century and that's why I'm not discouraged that we still have the Biafras and the Northern Irelands and the East Pakistans and, for that matter, violence in American or Canadian cities.” BelieveStillsMatterProblemCitiesViolenceCenturyEastIreland20th CenturyPakistanDiscouragedNorthern Ireland Author:Pierre Trudeau
“When you think of how much violence, how much blood... how much has been destroyed to create the great nations, America, Australia, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium - even India, Pakistan. Having destroyed so much to make them, we must have nuclear weapons to protect them - and climate change to hold up their way of life... a two-pronged annihilation project.” ThinkingWayHas BeensTwoAmericaNationsViolenceBloodProtectProjectsWeaponsIndiaClimateClimate ChangeNuclearDestroyedFranceGermanyBritainAustraliaNuclear WeaponsPakistanAnnihilationBelgiumGreat NationsIndia Pakistan Author:Arundhati Roy