What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Pakistan?” Nothing good I presume. Some think that it is just one small Asian country among the 196 total countries in the world. Others think that it is a country in which there is a war going on and that all the people living there are poor and possibly refugees. These conceptions of Pakistan are not entirely true; the media has played a huge role in affecting people’s opinions of my home country. How has the image of Pakistan come to this since becoming an independent state in 1947? The news on TV, the internet, and in newspapers and other forms of media, show only 10% of what is happening in the country. When foreigners see these news pieces, I am not surprised that they believe Pakistan to be a terrorist state. However, in the summer of 2015, Brandon, the American photographer and blogger who started the famous facebook page known as “Humans of New York,” came to Pakistan. Brandon was welcomed with warm hands and seized the opportunity to expand his work beyond New York City. Pakistanis that were aware of who Brandon were hopeful as they read each story he published about ordinary people from different areas in Pakistan. He went to big cities as well as small villages; he tried to cover it all. His stories left an impact on the world. The country that was once seen as a terrorist state or a country at war has started to appear as a place with ordinary people just like the rest of the world; people with lives and hardships just like other human beings throughout the world. People saw what Pakistan actually is and not just what the big news companies report. Brandon brought people from all over the world to bat for a single cause by advertising through his posts for the “Bonded Labour Liberation Front” and raising about $2,336,008 USD for the cause. The amount was raised within a span of 27 days – a remarkable achievement by any stretch of the imagination. But, at the same time a question begs to be answered: How come it took a foreigner to change the image of Pakistan? How come it was not someone like Abdul Sattar Edhi or an organization like Shaukat Khanum that managed to change the image? The answer: media. In comparison to Abdul Sattar Edhi or even Shaukat Khanum, both of which are very famous internationally, Humans of New York has an incredible amount of media coverage. Humans of New York was all over the news in Pakistan when people got to know that Brandon was there, which demonstrates just how much power and support he had to effect change.Although I truly appreciate and respect Brandon for finding the time and resources to come to Pakistan and shed a new light on the country -- and specifically for helping some of its people through fundraising -- I feel that other humanitarians also deserve to be credited. Abdul Sattar Edhi has served people all around the world for most of his life. His work includes, but is not limited to, putting up cradles for orphans and abandoned infants, running ambulances, and developing mortuaries and old homes. He is 87-years-old now, and he still continues to serve with the help of his Edhi Foundation, which is one of the largest non-profit social welfare organizations in the world. Abdul Sattar Edhi has received awards like the “Nishaan-e-Imtiaz” from the government of Pakistan for his service, but that is as far as his recognition has gone. Why? Because our own media is not powerful enough in comparison to an overseas journalist from New York. In the end, it all comes down to the effects of power and the consequences of unequal opportunity.Although Brandon’s humanitarian efforts to make the world a more aware and better place should be applauded, it would be better if the media showed all aspects of the news and not just what they want to show. There is a lot more to Pakistan than meets the eye, and Brandon himself reached the same conclusion during his journey within Pakistan. In his final note on Pakistan, he said: “The world is never notified about the 99.99% of the time that you are a completely normal, productive, law-abiding citizen. The world only learns about you when things go wrong. Now imagine what the world would think of you.” He then sums it up as follows: “Those are the types of stories that expose corruption, stop genocide, and alert the world to emerging threats. It’s right for those stories to be told. But when those stories are all that we hear, it’s so easy to imagine a world that’s far scarier than it really is. You lose sight of the 99.99% of the world that’s not scary at all.” (HumansOfNewYork) The global media needs to leave half-truths behind, and instead expand its focus on the bigger picture for a better future for all of us.

REFERENCES "HumansOfNewYork." Humans of New York. Web. 12 Sept. 2015. "National Awards." National Awards. Web. 12 Sept. 2015. FOLLOW-UP LINKShttp://edhi.org/about-us/founder-profile - The website of Abdul Sattar Edhi’s Organization.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/01/pakistan-charity-abdul-sattar-edhi-foundation-karachi - An article regarding Abdul Sattar Edhi’s work and various views on it.

This article was written by Zeerak Fayiz. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Zeerak Fayiz