{"id":915,"date":"2025-05-17T16:59:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T11:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/perspective\/?p=915"},"modified":"2025-05-17T19:07:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T14:07:44","slug":"why-do-they-still-see-us-as-terrorists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/perspective\/why-do-they-still-see-us-as-terrorists\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do They Still See Us as Terrorists?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Ranveer, also known as \u2018BeerBiceps\u2019 from India, held up a picture of Osama Bin Laden and stated that he was eventually arrested and killed in Pakistan. What that has to do with a war fifteen years later between India and Pakistan<\/a> is beyond me. In fact, Shehzad Ghias quite rightly remarked that it must be this kind of nonsense that earned Ranveer the label of a drunk man with biceps. (I\u2019m paraphrasing a little. Apologies, Shehzad. Lol.)<\/p>\n

However, it did get me thinking.<\/p>\n

The killing of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad happened during my freshman year in London. I remember being so unaware that I had no idea what had taken place. I casually walked down to the dorms, where every foreign student started asking me if I knew where Bin Laden was, how far he lived from my house, and whether I would ever return to Pakistan. It was probably the lowest moment in our country\u2019s recent history. According to our friend \u2018BeerBiceps,\u2019 it is still a valid reason for war, even fifteen years later.<\/p>\n

In one of those same conversations, a German friend of mine jokingly called me a terrorist. My patriotic Pakistani self could not handle such an insult, so I retaliated with a jibe about World War II. She then said something, almost casually, that I will never forget:<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore Bin Laden, I just thought you were all cab drivers anyway.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Was that the real issue? Not the two decades of being labeled a terrorist, but rather what we represented to the world even before that. Germany had Hitler. Yet people seem to forget all about it quite quickly when a country has both a history and, more importantly, a future.<\/p>\n

My Colombian friends in China would always be reminded of Pablo Escobar. Is that simply because Colombia has nothing else the world finds memorable?<\/p>\n

I recently watched a phenomenal television show called \u201cSay Nothing,\u201d about the IRA and their failed attempts to free Ireland. That apparently makes them terrorists. One man\u2019s freedom fighter is another man\u2019s terrorist.<\/p>\n

So if Mandela had failed, would he have died a terrorist? Malcolm X as well? Where is the line, and how does one define it, except through the old saying that history is written by the victors?<\/p>\n

In that same Piers Morgan interview, Piers and our Indian guests argued that a new chapter begins the day someone becomes Prime Minister. It is odd, is it not? You cannot get a job with an internationally recognized criminal record, or even a visa, yet you can run a country. Not once or twice, but three times.<\/p>\n

Let us not even begin to discuss the horrors of the RAW-backed Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, or India\u2019s Kulbhushan Jadhav and the now-infamous massacre on the Samjhauta Express. India, we are told, exports technology, leadership, and philosophy. Apparently, terrorism is just a side hustle. Weekend gig? Historical revisionism.<\/p>\n

The terrorist label does not seem tied to time served, like a prison sentence. It is about giving people a new memory. Because for many, it is either Bin Laden or a taxi. Even the Taliban appear to be flourishing now that they have discovered their lithium reserves.<\/p>\n

And by the way, Bin Laden was from Saudi Arabia, and they remain one of the closest allies of the United States. He was born in Riyadh, which is now a major destination for global investment. Apparently, all sins are forgiven if your GDP has enough zeroes.<\/p>\n

Can terrorism only be acknowledged when the poor attack the rich?<\/p>\n

India claimed that the recent attacks in Kashmir were carried out by Pakistani terrorists. Pakistan made a similar accusation just months earlier regarding the Jaffer Express hijacking. Both countries denied involvement, and neither presented credible evidence. So why does the larger economy have the right to retaliate?<\/p>\n

Yes, I understand our complex history and even our present when it comes to religious extremism. I am sure the three of you still reading are thinking about the long list of mistakes we have made. I am not disputing them. I just wonder why the weaker our economy gets, the stronger our label becomes.<\/p>\n

Terrorism has declined in recent years, but the label continues to grow.<\/p>\n

We won\u2019t win the so-called war on terror simply by eliminating extremism. We will win it when we change our brand, change our image, and give the world something else to remember us by!<\/p>\n

And no, unfortunately, our taxi driver stereotype will not be enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Ranveer, also known as \u2018BeerBiceps\u2019 from India, held up a picture of Osama […]<\/p>\n

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