The Pakistani intelligence agency ISI is shown as a devious, double-dealing entity whose fostering of terrorist groups costs American lives, including from the bombing of the US embassy in Islamabad that results in the rupturing of ties between the two countries. But in Pakistani eyes, repeated insinuations that an intelligence agency of Pakistan is complicit in protecting the terrorists at the expense of innocent Pakistani civilians is not only absurd, but also an insult to the ultimate sacrifices of the thousands of Pakistani security personnel in the war against terrorism. In reality though, US officials have directly accused Pakistan of fostering terror groups, a policy that has been well-chronicled and well-established over the years, just as Pakistans constant denial of facts has led to it being dubbed Denialistan. In fact, hundreds of reader comments in response to reports of Pakistani protests on the serial ridiculed the country, pointing out that Osama bin Laden was found hiding there. Even Pakistans own liberal, progressive commentators are shaming the countrys establishment for its unending spin of conspiracy theories and self-deception. Surveys and polls have also shown that contrary to Hotianis assertion that Pakistanis embrace American values, they are virulently anti-American. The Post said Pakistan officials in the US binge-watched the popular serial, whose impact and fall out was reported in this paper last week. They took particular objection to the portrayal of Pakistani capital as a grimy hellhole and war zone where shootouts and bombs go off with dead bodies scattered around, maintaining that Islamabad is a quiet, picturesque city with beautiful mountains and lush greenery. They also had problems with the accents of actors speaking Urdu. While the series was largely shot in Cape Town, South Africa, it did show Islamabad with its wide boulevards and green cover. But it also based episodes on the many terrorist incidents in Islamabad, including the Marriott Hotel bombing and attacks in nearby Rawalpindi. In one episode, the CIA chief refers to Pakistan as a s...hole, and says it is not even a country, but a f....ing acronym. timesofindia.indiatimes/world/us/Shown-as-hellhole-in-US-TV-series-Pakistan-fumes/articleshow/45671035.cms
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:54:04 +0000