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<\/p>\nI\u2019ve been asked to share my opinion on this topic before, but apparently, it took a war to finally push me to put pen to paper. Sometimes, even my procrastination needs a little artillery fire to get moving.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s in times of crisis that I\u2019m reminded just how peculiar my homeland truly is. Pakistan is a funny place, and Pakistanis are an even funnier bunch. We only seem to get our act together when there\u2019s no hope left; when it\u2019s David versus Goliath. For those unfamiliar, that\u2019s the story of a young shepherd boy who defeats a giant in battle. And just to be clear, in this analogy, Pakistan is the shepherd, not the giant.<\/p>\n
For example, I can\u2019t get 20 Mbps internet in my home in Islamabad, but somehow, we\u2019re capable of complex cyberattacks on a superpower with a seven-trillion-dollar economy. A superpower, just FYI, that happens to be one of the IT hubs of the world.<\/p>\n
Where the entire world shuts down social media in times of war, Pakistan opens it up! Only in Pakistan is \u2018X\u2019 (formerly Twitter) \u201cFor Emergencies Only.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the rest of the world would flee for their lives at the sight of a missile crashing onto an airbase, Pakistanis flock there in minutes to make videos, not only to warn our enemies but to taunt them.<\/p>\n
Only in a place as crazy as Pakistan does a man on a 125cc motorbike try to nick an Israeli military-grade drone because he thinks it would be funny. Like I said, Pakistanis are a funny people.<\/p>\n
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In a crisis, our secret weapon, often used against one another, comes out in full force. The Pakistani internet troll is perhaps our second deterrent. How can you beat a man who will force you to see the lighter side of life? It\u2019s impossible to instill fear in a society that somehow finds humor in chaos. It\u2019s the old adage of laughing in the face of danger, just on steroids.<\/p>\n
When the world assumes we couldn\u2019t be more divided, we somehow unite. The Baloch, Pathan, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Gilgiti all become one.<\/p>\n
The political Game of Thrones takes a back seat, and everyone comes together in a sort of unison that makes their rivalry seem like one big prank to begin with. Perhaps we can\u2019t be our true selves without an enemy at the gates.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s military seems to share our values, a military accused of being out of touch with the modern world, often seen as overreaching, and seemingly losing the battle of narrative on every front. Yet, as soon as the danger is imminent and the threat is real, they always seem to rise. Their capabilities on the battlefield have perhaps never been in question. But to show restraint, to show composure, to win the battle for narrative, I sometimes wonder if they also need Goliath to truly shine.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the so-called fickle media, those who exist only to fuel the fire of hate, those who we\u2019ve been told cannot compete with the powerhouse across the border. Free speech is dead in Pakistan. Or so we were told? Perhaps journalism isn\u2019t dead. Perhaps the media needs Goliath to shine as well.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve come to realize that perhaps there\u2019s a reason the term \u2018Two Nation Theory\u2019 was coined, a perspective I hadn\u2019t considered before. Two nations that can\u2019t survive together but perhaps can\u2019t survive without one another. War is a zero-sum game, not something any sane mind would ever propagate. We all mourn the losses on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n
But perhaps there\u2019s a different way to fuel the rivalry, a non-invasive and non-aggressive way to get each other going.<\/p>\n