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Future founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on the April 1946 cover of TIME. He is shown in the midst of a geopolitical struggle in British India.
Cover of a press release sent to newspapers on the first Independence Day of Pakistan in 1948.
A 1950 promotional card displaying new uniforms of the air hostesses of Pakistan’s first airline, Orient Airways.
The original bottle of Pakistan’s first soft-drink brand, Pakola. It was launched on Pakistan’s third Independence Day in 1950.
1950 launch poster of the country’s first 5-star hotel, The Metropole, in Karachi. The hotel was inaugurated by the Shah of Iran, thus the (Romanised) Persian copy.
An ad announcing the introduction of traffic signals in Pakistan. They were first introduced in Karachi in the 1950s.
The diary page on which poet Hafeez Jalandhari penned the country’s national anthem. The music for the anthem was composed by Ahmad G. Chagla in 1949. The words were written in 1952 and adopted by the government in 1954.
List of holidays in Pakistan in 1953. Many of these are not holidays anymore.
Pakistan Tobacco Company’s launch ad for the Three Castles cigarette brand in the 1950s. The ad uses a quote from fictional Spanish romantic and libertine Don Juan in the copy.
A 1956 handbill of Pakistan’s first ‘beauty cream’ brand, Tibet Snow. The pack and bottle design of the cream have remained exactly the same ever since.
Fast bowler Fazal Mahmood was the first Pakistani cricketer to be used as a model by a commercial brand. He appeared in a Brylcreem ad in 1955.
Cover of the pamphlet Iqbal Aur Mullah authored by Islamic scholar Dr. K. A. Hakeem in 1953. The pamphlet differentiated between the ‘progressive faith’ of poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal and the ‘dogmatic’ and ‘retrogressive’ faith of the clerics. The pamphlet was distributed by the Pakistan military during its action against rioters during the 1953 anti-Ahmadiyya movement on Punjab.
A 1955 promotional picture of an air hostess of the Pakistan International Airline (PIA). PIA was launched in 1955 after the government nationalised Orient Airways.
A 1956 ad of Pakistani soft-drink brand, Rogers. Rogers was owned by a Zoroastrian family and was most famous for its lemon drink and soda water. The brand folded in the early 1980s.
Poster of 1956 Hollywood film, Bhowani Junction. The film was mostly shot in Lahore.
Cover of the famous 1957 Urdu novel Khuda Ki Basti by Shaukat Siddique. The novel depicts life of crime, economic exploitation and social strife in the refugee camps of Karachi which had turned into shanty towns.
1959 cover of LIFE magazine showing US President Eisenhower travelling on a horse carriage with Pakistani president, Ayub Khan, on the streets of Karachi.
Article in an Ohio magazine on Pakistan’s squad at the 1959 Olympic Games in Australia.
Egyptian belly dancing comes to Karachi in 1960.
A 1962 Pakistan tourist brochure.
A 1962 East Pakistan tourism brochure for the jungles of Sunderban.
A 1964 Johnnie Walker ad in a Pakistani newspaper.
Front page of Dawn during the 1965 Pakistan-India War. The war ended in a stalemate.
1966 promotional picture of the new uniforms of PIA’s air hostesses. The new uniform was designed by the famous French fashion designer, Pierre Cardin.
A 1966 tourism poster for Lahore.
An ad highlighting the Ayub regime’s Decade of Progress. The economy and industrialisation witnessed rapid growth between 1958 and 1968. But, paradoxically, the growth also created wide gaps between classes. Ayub resigned in 1969.
An American cloth brand called Karachi.
A 1968 coaster of Pakistan’s beer brand, Murree.
A newspaper feature in a Karachi tabloid on a 1971 pop festival in Karachi.
Pakistan president, Yahya Khan, and Indian PM, Indira Gandhi, during the 1971 civil war in East Pakistan and subsequent war between Pakistan and India. East Pakistan broke away to become Bangladesh.
A 1972 pack of Pakistani cigarette brand K-2. K-2 was known as a working-class cigarette brand. It was upgraded in the 1980s and phased out in the 2000s.
An election poster showing ZA Bhutto as the Salauddin of Asia. Bhutto’s socialist PPP came to power in December 1971.
One of the first copies of the 1973 Constitution.
National ID cards were introduced in Pakistan in 1973. The first ID card made was of PM Bhutto.
A page from a 1973 tourism book on Karachi’s nightlife and list of the city’s nightclubs.
A PIA ad welcoming the many Muslim heads of states who arrived in Lahore to attend the 1974 Muslim Summit.
A 1973 poster in New York publicising a Pakistani classical dance performance.
Urdu poster of 1973’s horror film, The Exorcist. The film was a huge hit in Pakistani cinemas.
A 1971 ad of Intercontinental Hotels in Pakistan.
Ad of the famous Pakistani concentrated fruit drink brand Rooh Afza, which claimed that westerners loved the drink too.
A 1975 ad urging Pakistanis to know their country’s rich heritage.
Shop-board of a hashish store (International Hashish House) in Pakistan’s Dir District in 1976.
1977 promotional image of the new uniform of PIA hostesses.
A 1977 poster in Europe of the visiting Pakistani Sufi qawaali group, the Sabri Brothers.
A January 1977 cover of a magazine showing leaders of the right-wing anti-Bhutto electoral alliance, the PNA. Bhutto was toppled in a reactionary military coup in July 1977.
1978 stamps that were issued to mark the centenary of Karachi’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
February 1978 cover of The Herald.
Promotional poster of Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan’s first album, Disco Deewane. The album was released in 1980.
In 1980, international tennis star Ilie Nastase visited Pakistan to play a series of matches with Pakistani tennis champion, Saeed Meer.
A 1981 poster to attract recruits to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Such posters were mostly printed in the US and distributed in Pakistan.
Stamps which were issued to celebrate Pakistan’s Hockey World Cup win in 1982. This was Pakistan’s third hockey world title.
List of the 31 international flights arriving at the Karachi Airport on 26 October, 1982. Such lists were published daily.
A 1982 Indian Airlines ad announcing the addition of extra flights between Bombay and Karachi.
1986 promotional image of the new uniform of PIA air hostesses.
Label of a 1987 Pink Floyd t-shirt made in Pakistan.
A Coke poster for the 1987 Cricket World Cup which was held jointly by Pakistan and India.
August, 1988. Zia dies in a crash. Sabotage was suspected.
A 1989 newspaper report on a suit filed against a pop concert/show on PTV.
A 1988 promo picture of Pakistani pop band, the Vital Signs. The band became the leading pop act of the country across the 1990s.
A Servis Shoes ad featuring the new international squash champion, Jahansher Khan. He replaced fellow Pakistani, Jahangir Khan, from the top slot.
Introductory brochure of the 1990 Hockey World Cup which was hosted by Pakistan.
A magazine cover showing Pakistan’s first woman Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, with her son Bilawal in 1990.
Front page of Dawn the morning after Pakistan won its first Cricket World Cup in 1992.
Logo of the 1996 Cricket World Cup which was jointly held by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Poster of the 1998 film on the life of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
A 2001 poster of Saudi militant, Osama Bin Laden, which was illegally printed and sold in Peshawar.
2004 promotional picture of PIA’s new uniforms.
Cover of the September 2007 National Geographic. The magazine carried a detailed story on the rise of extremist violence in the country.
A 2015 sticker of Zarb-e-Azab – Pakistan military’s operation against extremists.
Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.com. He is also the author of two books on the social history of Pakistan, End of the Past and The Pakistan Anti-Hero.
He tweets @NadeemfParacha
The views expressed by this writer and commenters below do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Comments (202) Closed
All sham.
Good One....
Unfortunately we lost all the glory we had, pre 80 era i think was best for Pakistan, in 1982 31 airlines were operating from Karachi now may be 10 only... We are trending downwards in every aspect !
Excellent, reminds one of the good, tolerant, and liberal golden gone by days of Pakistan.
AWESOME as usual by NFP!!
blast from the past , thank you nadeem
Wonderful NFP. What a wonderful country. Sad that we are ruining it.
When I see moderate and progressive things happened in county's history, it takes reader to an era forever gone, and yet when dark events of history come up, it makes feel disgusting.
As always. Simply Wow. A beautiful recap.
In 1953 holiday list, festivals like Holi, Basant and Baisakhi were there. Do you still have holiday on these festivals ? If not it will tell you the shift in mindset.
Wonderful pictures. Thank you NFP
Its seems that Pakistan of before 1970 was more Progressive open minded , fashionable, liberal , women empowerment then today Pakistan
Excellent, we should hold an exhibition to recall the glorious Pakistan
Hats off to NFP. He is superb as always. It is something like treasure that needs to preserved.
Thank God its a better country now.....
Very Interesting. Thank You.
Really Amazing !!!
Simply awsome!
Dear Paracha thanks for reminding old golden days of our nation
I remember few of those. Unfortunately, I belong to that generation which saw all the decline since 90's. And it hurts, hurts lot.
NFP, you rock. What a great blog. Something I can share with my children who never lived in Pakistan, friends who only know about troubles in Pakistan, foreigners who have only seen the bad picture of Pakistan, Pakistanis and especially our airline PIA. I am not sad at all because I believe in Pakistan. It will bounce back - take my word. We all have to play our positive role though. God Bless Pakistan (Pakistan Zinda Bad)
Excellent reminder of our great history. We were a wonderful nation but degraded both economically and morally by persistent bad governance by successive governments. In present era, we are suffering from the acute shortage of an indigenous and charismatic leader who can build the character of this nation again.
A pictorial of "End of the past", Stop reminiscing, it hurts when we are going down the hill. Unfortunately I am NFP's contemporary and it hurts when he refreshes the golden memories. Although, I am presenting his recent books to those who had enjoyed the life in Karachi till Bushra Zaidi's event........
Inshallah good time will come again
Inshallah good time will come again Good job of collecting this stuff
Great past. i feel proud.
wow!
Bhowani junction is still consider a very important work of 1950s cinema!
Pakistan Alhamdulillah has continued its journey towards a better future and a stronger Pakistan. Development in all the fields, slow but forward, under difficult circumstances. God Almighty has given Pakistan a very unique geographical location and is the connection between continents through its land. May God protect and safeguard our country and its people and give our country more strength and advancement in the defense of our motherland.
Very interesting and beautiful. What a great and liberal nation Pakistan had been!! It was generally held in India that PIA was a far better airline than its Indian counterparts. Whatever happened to that progressive country of Pakistan? It will rise again and reach great heights. I too like the drink rooh afsa, it is reinvigorating. Some bakeries sell"Karachi biscuits" even in the extreme south of India and they come in different varieties.
@Dunch you must be kidding. My dear we have lost our glory as a nation on the world stage and it's can't be good.
the last one sums up the whole story
One of the best pictures is the 1986 promotional image of PIA air hostesses', with 5 ravishing hostesses pictured in salwar kameez. The picture depicts a much more liberal and moderate times the country has seen. I still feel that the salwar kameez is the best dress for south asians, and can be the dress of the 21st century if branded appropriately.
Excellent; but I have objection on one statement i.e. "The war ended in a stalemate."
Paracha Saab... you rock as always. We can now only look at these pictures and recall our splendid past. Now you must come up with another similar article showing pictures from Zia era until today with all negative activities and spread of religious extremism so that our younger generation could understand what we used to be and what have we become.
A beautiful start of Pakistan. Gen Zia ruined that all.
@Iqbal: Extremely good suggestion. Younger generation needs to be enlighten about our real past.
Wonderful images. The decline pretty much started in late 70s.
The collection of the pieces from the past lead me into the lost years and reminded me of how we have reached here. the past is glorious indeed but the present is ...................hoping for the future to be one like the past.
Great article
Great work.
Awesome, Pakistan is a paradise and will be a paradise we just need a honest leadership like our father of nation.
InshaAllah, for Pakistan, brightest and Sunshiny decades are ahead for many Thousands of Years to come !!!!!!!
Interesting to note the publicity and celebration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral's centenary in 1978. Would such celebration of cathedral be plausible in present day's Pakistan?
Can you folks not recreate the 70's? We in India are trying Zia's Hindu version. At some time in the future we can learn from you how to go back and reclaim Indias tolerant culture
Loved it
Analyzing with sequence of the pictures from 1947 to 2016, I found that Pakistan was way more enlightened and moderate country until, Zia's period, he came and pushed the fake Islamization propaganda and we are falling deep in it since then, the whole stature of the country changed after that period.
Interesting. Until nearly 1970, it all looked modern and prosperous. Transformation of PIA uniform is used well to depict the changes. Generally, we need to move forward in the times but for Pakistan, it might be a good idea to rollback to (say) 1960.
excellent collection. zinda bad Pakistan
Past looks great!
Great collection
I've met NFP twice. He is an extremely down-to-earth but charismatic person. Soft-spoken but very witty. But what I liked the most about him was that he is a walking-talking encyclopedia of Pakistan's social and political history. A great teacher.
its a struggle same like early 20th century to right , right on rise in west even now.
Pakistan is no different
The tragedy is we lost prosperity and dignity all in the name of .....
the more we are tented ........the more we are corrupt and lost.
with those logos and stands we could have a standing in the world , people could have lesson to us
we just tempted to short cuts /oil/ aid/ then borrowed our labours to oligarchic, find out we are in middle of nowhere we are just no body in the world
while other such as Korea/Singapor/ Malaysia have sorted out things
All good pictures ! But I like "Benazir Bhutto, with her son Bilawal cover photo" . Too emotional, deep and moving Picture .
Are you sure The Intercontinental Advertisement was dated 1974 ? Then how come DACCA is shown in it .
NFP as always, stole the show. Outstanding, eye-catching, bright, attractive and historic narration of the history of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan since day one through vivid pictures, impressive posters and fancy papers.
A great journey down memory lane. Those for sure were good old days.
How does the future look like? Even greater, to say the least.
Pakistan Zindabaad, land and people of Pakistan, Paeendabaad.
Beautiful nostalgic article; invokes old sentimental memories; great coverage of a variety of walks of life in Pakistan over time. Mr. Paracha made a great choice of primarily focusing on the pictures using just minimal text to provide the context. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Very much enjoyed it Sir. Thank you Nadeem Paracha.
Great job!
these photos shows that how we have ruined our country :(
An excellent rewinds of memory, the nostalgic silent music
the article should be pre and post Zia
There are not much photos between 2007 to 2015?
Also- clearly PIA uniform of 1966 was by far the best!
Speak to every educated Indian who has been around for 3 or more decades and they will acknowledge that Pakistan was ahead till the 80s. But they could also see that the foundations were weak and the leadership was narrow minded with militaristic ambition that superseded social engineering. And with the passing of the generation that was mainly educated under the British the Pakistans faultlines have come home to roost. Focus on a modern education and you will see miracles happen to your country and to countries around you.
National Geographic magazine had good foresight on downslide of this country
NFP, Thank you for reminding us of our rich history. We can always hope to get those glorious days back.
although it made us emotional knowing we were great and we were respected once upon a time but still THANK YOU for beautiful memories We had everything but Jamhooriat and now we have nothing but Jamhooriat
Well documented. Just one small correction. Karachi was a British brand and not an American brand.
Great choice of images that show how Pakistan progressed through the years. The images show our rich history and how we were a prospering nation. Unfortunately, all of this is "history". PIA is a complete failure and the laughing stock of all airline, Pakistan hockey has been ruined, cricket is out of the door, we are a terrorist hub and the list can go on and on...
Beautiful history. Trouble started with nationalization of many institutions in 1970s that lead to down fall and migration of many wealthy business families. 1980s Zia's radicalization or coming of US war was the last nail in the coffin. When so many talented smart people leave the country then naturally its taken over by corrupt and incompetent ones. The results are obvious.
@Chishti it is not just that event, the real downfall of Karachi as well as the whole Pakistan is exponential growth in population and overwhelming wave of extremism.
what a beautiful history and look what has been done to this country. Ruined it.
NS is missing!!!
Well done , I really like that.
I have long observed that the rise of religious extremism was directly tied to Bhutto. Here's more evidence of that.
@Atiqullah Probably you are a teenager.This means a lot to other Pakistanis who have lived through the history of the Nation. Well done Mr.Nadeem Paracha.
well done Nadeem F. Paracha sb.
If not for religious extremism and proxy wars, Pakistan would be within top 5 economies in Asia, looked very cool pre-80 era, jabardast!
AWESOME----BEAUTIFUL HISTORY TO BE REMEMBERED
Love you Pakistan.
Well done, mate. Keep diggin'. There is gold in the reservoir of history, especially Pakistan history. Loved it.
Nice to see the glory days of pre 80's Pakistan. Things turned south with Bhutto and nose dived during Zia's islamization of this country of hard working people.
@Atiqullah You probably wasn't there to have witnessed the Pakistan of Pre 80's. That's why you think it is a sham. Sorry for your limited thinking.
Till now I was knowing Rooh Afja is Indian Brand
Excellent article. Thanks for sharing nostalgic photos. This is what we were and that is what we are ORIGINALLY. We want our Pakistan back. A moderate, liberal, enlightened Pakistan. That was Quaid-e-Azam Pakistan. Not the one what we have now. I agree with all the comments, that from Zia, who was originally a fundamentalist and was promoting a particular version of Islam, ruined the whole country. See what was sowed that time, we are getting the fruits of the same. Still its not late. Lets take a new start, lets bring back the original Pakistan. I would like to highlight here one more event when Pakistan's first and the last English movie, "Beyond the last Mountain" was released in 1976, written and directed by Jawaid Jabbar. The Urdu version was "Musafir". That reflected the culture what we were carrying with us. A decent, modern, enlightened and tolerant culture.
Excellent job Paracha Sahib.. Thanks for taking time to entertain us in such a lovely way.. I am fond of looking back through the old pictures. Other than the more important things .. I was just wondering how many times PIA changed their Air Hostess's uniform.
@vasudevan Thanks a lot for good wishes. In core we are a tolerant and liberal nation. The religious parties have never done well in our national elections. However the Afghanistan wars have really taken a great toll on our country since 1979. May this curse end soon and together we make the best subcontinent on the globe!
Looks like past years were happy than present.
Made my Day Nadeem sahib. We were on the right track up until 1979. I am optimistic that we will be back on track soon.
Excellent..
seeing this makes me wonder, what happened to our beautiful country
Mr paracha thanks for sharing these pictures Those days were Golden days in our History After 1995 Pakistan became MESS,,,
Excellent work - thanks
Life ups and downs. No reason to loose faith
First picture above , of Qaid e Azam on time magazine cover in 1946. In the map , All of Kashmir is shown as part of Pakistan. This is a year before Pakistan and India got their independence from the British empire. I rest my case.
Kia Baat Hai! It made me Nostalgic!
If you keep on publishing these stories, may be some of the new generation can see, that violence is not the answer
@VM LOL no one gets 23 holidays a year now a days ;), something has to give
@Nawaz I hope so but wishing is not enough.
Another Brilliant piece by NFP indeed!!! Picture spesks a thousand words and the reader can read a lot by just looking at the pictures in this article. Obviously Pakistan and especially Karachi were at the pinnacle of a liberal, accepting, tolerant and humane society. The City of Lights is now thrown into the dark ages by Zia and his successors. We have almost lost a Great nation founded by Great leaders!
Thanks.... a lot of nostalgia
keep up the good work sir
great work NFP. As always! Good run down of the good old days of Pakistan ... after the last poster, Pakistan started going down the drain and the black era of Pakistan started!
Pakistan was so modern and westernized and now ...
@Simba;
'Would such celebration of cathedral be plausible in present day's Pakistan?'
Yes it would.
My favorite funniest --- "A 1981 poster to attract recruits to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Such posters were mostly printed in the US and distributed in Pakistan."
@Chandra Very true! Well said
It's fantastic stuff lots of nostalgia for my generation who have seen a different Pakistan
What a road down memory lane, Thank you DAWN and Mr. Paracha for a wonderful and sad, but history indeed.
@Leftwhinge Definitely Pakistan was more liberal and Modern till 80's. They have color TV s, clubs, Pop music, lavish restaurants etc. in 70s itself. People are broad minded, and I feel there is a lot of influence of western countries and this is my opinion after going through the photos. in fact, Pakistan started slipping down after 90 s. Though there is a development, it is not on par with other Asian countries. Definitely something went wrong of late and hope they will bounce back and dominate South Asian countries again.
pictures from past, even if this happens in future, Pakistan will be great country
We will shine again Inshallah
Good days are behind.
As always, a very interesting article by Nadeem Paracha. Hopefully Pakistan will rediscover its vibrant, colourful, open and lively not-so-distant past. There is still so much potential. With regard to the national anthem, however, the music was actually composed by Tolly Fonseca of the Goan Catholic community, who felt that the country would not accept this kind of a contribution from a member of the Christian community, and very humbly allowed his good friend Ahmad Chagla to take the credit.
Excellent/ superb history. Pakistan zindabad
a good post... enjoyed to go through all! :)
78 appears to be the turning point
@Rashid Agreed but For my city, that event was the trigger
Your last 70 years is pretty unremarkable . There is no achievement to show off except designer clothes of air hostesses.Nothing to showcase in science and technology. Osama effect looms large on the Pakistans downfall. Guys you got to pull your socks up.
"February 1978 cover of The Herald" sums up the downward turn. Pakistan has spiraled down after that era and doesn't seem likely that it will be on recovery path in near future.
really good collection, very interesting and informative, keep it up.
Really enjoyed , i am not pakistani , but indian , and i really enjoyed going through pictures . i must say , pakistan was shapiing up very well in early 80's , somehow it got misdirected . i hope india & pakistan join hand and work towards progression and success
Great,romantic and emotional flashback of a comparitivlty tolerant, stable and pakistan.
Thanks Nadeem bro, it's very interesting and amazing. I shared this with all my friends. It's sad to see what our beautiful country has become now. Corrupt politicians have looted everything.
A very good collection of Pakistan through ages. While seeing these pictures, I was lost in my memories. One way of gauging Pakistan's relations with other countries can be seen from one advertisement of civil aviation department of 1982 which shows 31 foreign airlines used to operate at Karachi airport. Now, you can count on fingers, perhaps four or five. It is not a progress since 1982.
Outstanding.
Thank you for sharing historical memories of Pakistan, GOD Bless
Beautiful
Good times of Pakistan, this should be played on mainstream TV to remind us of who we were and ensure the broken spirit of our nation is restored to its former glory.
Nadeem, no one can skin a cat better than you in so many different ways.
Wow just Wow pakistan was normal till 80s. what happen ?
Paracha, look how we are transformed. Sometimes it is hard to believe, how we were and how we are. Silence is forced on us, we became hypocrites.
Interesting and informative pictorial review of the history. Sad that we have lost liberalism and spiraled down after 1978
Dear friends! If consciousness is dead !we say an alive nation dead! Everyone here is waiting for someone else to come and solve the problems A successful businessman first should become the best labour himself.. Instead of going out for strikes and holding flags for hours which is of no use.. We should hold the broom and start cleaning the streets first.. At least we will have the result.. in hours.
A fantastic read! Thank you for this
Forgotten memoirs! Things were so beautiful in those beautiful days. Memories to cherish.
@Ahsan Very true I agree with you 100 percent
Fascinating! Thanks!
What a history. I remember the first ID card was issued to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto but never saw it. Thanks for finding such historical pieces.
It is a sad commentary on Pakistan's leadership after the demise of Jinnah. Extremism and Islamisation of the society have taken Pakistan back in history with violence and terrorism. It is downhill all the way over the past four decades. How will it all end is the question.
I was eight years old when the country was partitioned. I have been a witness to the slow decline of the Pakistan society having been a witness over the past seven decades.
Nothing is changed, pakistan is always the same.
I remember the first ID card in Pakistan but never saw it. Thanks for showing that to us. We will miss and missing the man who gave us so much. His book ' If I am assassinated' should be part of our history and political syllabus.
Pictorial history of the country showing the decline.
@SSH that's true..read Wikipedia and other neutral sources ..u will get to know about the truth..far away from official version..
What was a glorious past ana was appreciable, but where we stand currently in the globle map. As i belong with aviation field so i would like to shsre my expression about PIAC which is known as a Nationa Flag Carrier, if we compare 70's & 80's era with current situation of PIA, the difference is only the sincerity and the loyality of the hi-ops specially.
We love to live in the past and feel great about it, what about the present and what about whats going to come in the future...
What a powerful article. I am from India and am in awe of pre- 70s pakistan. My dad always used to say that Pakistan was ahead of India till late 70's - early 80's and now I can clearly see why. Also i am overwhelmed to see that early Pakistan had holidays on Holi, Dusshera, Diwali etc. It is clear that our shared heritage was valued much more then than it is now. I still believe that the common Pakistani is still a liberal at heart and hope and pray to almighty that a country with such a glorious past restores sanity and some of the key principles of its founding fathers. Love from across the border
My Pakistan has an outstanding history as well as bright future
Nadeem you rock! Thankyou, this was most engaging.
Wonderful.. Full of knowledge.. Very interesting
Simply superb. Thanks to NFP. He is my favourite columnist.
@Ahsan but who is still continuing zia,s policies ??? Of course govts after zia and people of pakistan , support and bear all this rubbish still going on.we can,t escape our responsibilities just putting everthing on zia,s shoulders
Beautiful nation. Sad to see it regress over the years through the manipulation of religion for personal gain by certain politicians
Fascinating
I am having a Nostalgic attack !!
Great collection of memories of our country, Pakistan.
In some parts, if one looks deeply it is a mirror of the timeline showing: "How an upcoming country destined for HEIGHTS on the back of its Creativity, Tolerance and Talent took a unknown turn around 1980 whose after effects have encroached us slowly".
On the lighter side: "To turn the ship around we need some PAKOLA again"
The nation and its all aspirations have all been dragged through the mud ....irretrievable.
Great reminiscence!!!!
Now back to reality... bijli nahi hai... pani nahi a raha...
What a brilliant start and stuck in the deep muck confronting the adage that good start if half done
Nostalgic. But frankly This was required to tell the country men that this was a great country started falling in the eighties.. Situation has come to this pass that history tour is required to jack up the sagging spirits.
Greetings from Dubai...This is nothing short of a masterpiece. To put together something like this, requires imagination, research and a lot of effort. Nadeem, may I suggest that add more to it while the momentum is on and have it in the form of a coffee table book. That would be the best gift one can give on Pakistan's 70th birthday, which is around the corner. A collector's item!
Suggested price Rs 2000.
Excellent work by Nadeem sb. One correction. In the list of 31 international flights of Karachi airport, the date in Urdu is 1986 and not 1982.
@Tee agree my friend. Best wishes as always from across the border
Its a good effort to cover Pakistan past history in pictures but one thing I want to remind that there should be one picture in concern with First Islamic Nuclear Power on 28th May, 1998. It was a best historic day in the history of Pak and in world also.
It is sad to see what Pakistan has come too, it was once a great country tolerant to all communities, I lived in Saddar Karachi and have a lot of memories of this great city, too bad the city has been taken over by bad people.
Excellent memories of past. Thx for sharing.
I cannot imagine now that we lived in such a beautiful country!!!! Thanks to the corrupt politicians who have collectively destroyed such a wonderful country
@SSH You are right. Should have been "Pakistan defeated I much more powerful enemy"
Excellent reminders' of historical moments of Pakistani.
Excelent effort
@SIMBA I agree 100 %
Excellent article- hard to believe we the same country, downturn started in eighties, now we are in a pathetic and hopeless situation.
Great work. I am from India, and a great admirer of people of Pakistan. Let me tell you we love you all, and are proud of our combined heritage. I have several friends from Pakistan. I visited Lahore, my parents native city, during the cricket series between our two countries in 2004. Hospitality of all Pakistanis was amazing. No wonder it said " Jinne Lahore nahin wekhya oh jammya nai" a line I heard so many times from my father. Let us join hands are progress together with love and friendship.
"A 1981 poster to attract recruits to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Such posters were mostly printed in the US and distributed in Pakistan."
above says it all....
@Ramana Adivishnu May be Panamagate in 90's
After having gone through the journey in photos, my eyes are full of tears. What we were to what we are now. Its a complete downfall in every department. We lost our pride as a nation. But i hope that we will bring our good time back. This is our motherland, and we need to keep her head high inshaallah
beautiful collection .... i truely hope that some day very soon our nations are again in good terms with each other.... we are not that different :-)
Pakistan has been going downhill since the seventies. Major bilk of minorities have all left Pakistan. No one wants to go back to Pakistan and for what. Get rid of fundermentalism.
I really enjoyed this walk through the events some I remember because of my parents conversations and the 80's I remember because I grew up in 80's lovely it was sad and happy at the same time
Images tell the sad story of Pakistan
Pakistan seems to be good and happy like other countries long back. Its sad that Politicians screwed up after.
Interesting.
Interesting.
Excellent work.Could you e-mail me all this at the given e-mail address.(hafeezleo@gmail.com).
Inspite of all these, Pakistan was very safe, clean, friendly, and beautiful. The bad days started when Zia took over the country. Many educated youngsters, businessmen, families and others said good bye to their birth place with heavy heart and left, never to return. I was born, brought up, educated and married in Karachi. Finally I was the last amongst my friend to leave lPakistan in 1973.
Thank you Sir Nadeem F. Paracha for sharing historical events of country in pictures.
Rooh Afza was formulated in India and is manufactured today both in Pakistan and India,though it is not that popular in india.
Whatta pleasure to watch this collection. Very amusing !
@Saif Zulfiqar
You left in 1973 as indicated in your post. Zia took over power on 05 Jul 1977. So, how could he be the reason for your leaving Pakistan?
These pictures reflect when and how our nation became polarized. Thanks NFP.
@Don, Zia was not my reason to leave, but he was the reason,
Interesting Pakistan was a more open and tolerant society and hence a better place for all.
Behtareeeeeeeeeeennn
Wow: golden memories. Pakistan was really amazing. Harmony, honesty, patience...everything was there in Pakistan.
It was really interesting to see history of neighbors. Sometimes I wonder if we will ever live like good neighbors and have chances of peace in Pakistan
A good refreshing journey. Must be shown on media with proper commentary.
Pakistan's Urooj O Zawal is very well summarize in this article.
Thanks a lot for this article. It was a wonderful glimpse into the long, glorious yet tormented legacy of our bold and beautiful neighbour. Here in India, we are also fighting tyranny, bigotry and religious fundamentalism which is corroding the society. We are together in this struggle. One day we will unitedly defeat all hate and win back love, peace and justice. Till that day, extending a heartfelt warm love for all of you in Pakistan...from the sibling country India.
A great collection and a very good chronological display. Reminds me of the glorious days in the beautiful city of Karachi. I wonder if it can ever be the same again.
Great article! One correction - the language in the cigarette advert is French, not Spanish!
amazing facts
Being a follower of socio-political history of this subcontinent, i haven't come across such wonderful compilation of a country's legacy. I agree with most of the commentators here about Pakistan's transformation from a liberal & progressive nation to an ultra orthodox country ... I guess turning point was participation in Afghanistan to fight Russians ...
Just amazing,love it,thanks Nadeem Paracha.
@banojyotsna Lahiri I totally agree ...