The Pakistan Project

In two weeks, I’ll be travelling to Karachi (Pakistan) for the first time in fifteen years. Many of you know the story: I moved to the United States from Karachi – after living in Islamabad for most of my childhood – in December 1994. Since then, I’ve lived in Arkansas, the Dominican Republic, New York City, and most recently, Northampton in western Mass.

I’m prepared for a significant amount of culture shock. Having not interacted actively with Pakistani people or culture outside of my immediate family, my relationship with my birth country is tenuous at best. What I know of, in the past fifteen years, has been through conversations with my immediate family and the news media.

Pakistan’s precarious position in global politics inspired the documentary project I’ll be undertaking on my upcoming visit. In the past few weeks, I’ve been following news of the military expansion in Afghanistan and increased drone bombings in western Pakistan. Below are links to articles that have weighed heavily on my mind:

How Obama Came to Plan for “Surge” in Afghanistan [NYTimes]
The Demons That Haunt the Pakistanis [NYTimes]
How to Mend Fences with Pakistan [NYTimes]
Obama’s Afghan-Pak Syndrome [Democracy Now]
Pakistan mourns officers, civilians slain in mosque attack [AFP]
Pakistan Told to Ratchet Up Fight Against Taliban Fight [NYTimes]
The War in Pashtunistan [NYTimes]

At the moment, I’m casting a wide net. The rationale behind this is the infancy of the project and the limiting of furthering pre-conceived notions. My methodology is simple: gather as much information as possible via interviews, photographs, video documentation, and site visits. I have contacts in the education, health, and military sectors. However, I welcome any contacts you might be able to share. I will be writing up an information release agreement, which will include an option for contacts to remain anonymous should the project threaten their security in any way. I don’t anticipate this being an issue but want to include this option for those who may be concerned.

Media Credit: Nicole Brinson

This is where I turn to those I know. One doesn’t have to keep up with current events to know the future of Pakistan is relevant to most of our lives. What do you want to know about Pakistan and Pakistanis? What questions would you ask of a wide spectrum of Pakistanis – from those living in the slums of Karachi to those who hold notable posts in the military, from those who are teaching to those who are working in the health sector, from those who were active in the military during its work in Afghanistan in the 1980s to college/university students.

My time and location are somewhat limited. I have two weeks in Karachi and 15 years of family visits to fit in. But I’m committed to this project. I’m fluent in conversational Urdu. My mother will be helping with translation where it might become an issue (due to dialects and translations of written texts if any). My father was a member of the intelligence services of the Pakistan military, serving during the Afghan conflict of the 1980s, and he’ll be directing me to many of his friends and co-workers from that time. He’ll also be travelling more widely within Pakistan and will be conducting some interviews on my behalf.

The ultimate goal of this project is to create a multimedia conversation across the globe and inform my academic thought. Despite being based in a more traditional department in English, I’m committed to cross/multi/interdisciplinary work that privileges a multitude of narratives. Through this documentarian work, I hope to illuminate voices that are often misheard or unheard on the global level.

I appreciate your perspective on this project and look forward to sharing it with you. Please send all comments, questions, and advice to allisoptional[at]gmail[dot]com or comment here.