While we all lay silent in our unflagging denial of anything positive related to Pakistan, some aberrant young minds are busy rediscovering the real Pakistan and bringing its ethereal beauty out for the world to see.
With increasing numbers of contributors joining the placeless group of social media activists, the contribution of Pakistanis to the global society is being brought to the limelight, one article and one video at a time. As the momentum builds, new stories are shaping up. These stories of hope and resilience are slowly defying the popular image of Pakistan, painted by a clandestine propagandist elite through a global media onslaught over the last many years. As the stories start circling around the world, the candor of the new narrative has started to break the ear-numbing silence of boundless despondency that had plagued the courage of the silent majority for decades.
Part of this movement is the Pakistani diaspora living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). For the first time in many years, professionals, entrepreneurs, politicians and students are all coming together to claim their rightful status in the Canadian society by expressing their will to be an active player in the socio-economic system of the country. Through this transformative endeavour, these enterprising individuals are bringing all caucuses of a divided community together to create synergies.
Under the leadership of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Toronto, a small group of individuals representing their own sub-communities have started to form an umbrella group with a single-minded focus - to collaborate with each other to project a positive image of Pakistanis in Canada and around the world. The idea is to create a self-sustaining structure of synergistic alliance that would bring out the best in each organization and individual. The umbrella group will help achieve a strategic convergence to ensure that the efforts of individuals and organizations of Pakistani origin are directed towards achieving that overarching goal.
The need for such an alliance in GTA is obvious. If you ask Pakistanis about the role of the Pakistani community in the progress of Canada, few would be able to relate an example. Yet there are quite a few disparate groups working toward that same end, operating in silos and seldom communicating with each other.
With a collaborative game plan ensuring a strategic convergence, these organizations will now be strengthening each other while keeping their focus on their unique areas of strength. This will help identify experts in various fields from different organizations who could then leverage the power of the Internet to project a progressive and forward-looking image of Pakistanis not only in Canada but around the world.
Journalists and bloggers, videographers and event managers, professionals and businesspersons, educationists and politicians will all be working towards a common goal while having clear understanding of the efforts of other groups and individuals. Bringing out inspiring success stories of resilience and grit will inspire more such stories and in time serve to dilute the negative press about Pakistan in the world media.
Once this effort has taken its roots, a rising Pakistani community in the GTA will spread its influence to entire Canada, inspiring similar initiatives in the south, and eventually across the Atlantic. Negative reporting about Pakistan will be countered by positive stories every day to show the detractors the real face of Pakistan.
As it has happened so many times in human history, a change initiated outside of a country envelopes the larger community of residents and non-residents to eventually create a positive influence and perception the world over. Over the next few years, a Rising Pakistan will be born outside of the geographic bounds of Pakistan and engulf the world to restore the true identity of Pakistan and Pakistanis everywhere else.
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