Behind the Curtain of Oft-Repeated Cliches Lies a Modern Pakistan

Summary

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The Central Savannah River Area and the state of Georgia are fortunate to have a thriving Pakistani-American community, which recently celebrated the 59th Pakistan Independence Day on Aug. 14, organized by the Pakistan American Cultural Association. The many contributions of the Pakistani-Americans in the CSRA have added immensely to the richness and variety of life in Augusta. This community should be proud of the steps taken towards preserving and promoting Pakistani culture here in the CSRA and across America.

For a returning native, Pakistan offers a kaleidoscope of images that defy the West's stereotypes. American audiences are used to seeing Pakistan as poised on the brink of nuclear conflict with India, hosting Taliban "jihadist" militia, with a military- dominated government that has a tenuous hold on its fractious component provinces. Violent riots and screaming, bearded crowds shouting anti-U.S. and anti-Western slogans make their way into evening news broadcasts.

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Extract

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Behind the Curtain of Oft-Repeated Cliches Lies a Modern Pakistan

PAKISTAN OFTEN is depicted as a failed or failing state that is an unreliable ally in America's war against terror - although Pakistan has arrested and or help capture numerous al-Qaida extremists since 9-11. Pakistan also has played a key role in averting the recent British airline terror plot. At the same time, the United States appears to wish that Pakistan's president and army chief, Pervez Musharraf, ...

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