IT was only a matter of time before they discovered the true Pakistani — over and above the circumstances we have constantly had to tackle, with a smile on our face. Someone has recently been to Pakistan at the perfect moment — when we were all in the right mood — to record that we are, after all, a happy people. Not just happy but the happiest amongst all our neighbours, says the report, issued by an organisation no less than the United Nations — even if it’s a finding which some Pakistanis may accept with reluctance. And not out of modesty, but because of the cynicism, sustained by the general grimness of the situation, that prevails. There is plenty of space between rank 75, which Pakistan occupies, and the rungs some of our closest neighbours stand on. China is placed at 86; Iran 106; Bangladesh 115; followed by Sri Lanka at 116; and Afghanistan at rank 145. And wait a second … many of us will be happy to know that, India, the neighbour we compare everything with, lags well behind at a depressing 133.

This is a huge gap, and, indeed, it is time for media managers in the government to cash in on this UN declaration and claim credit for cultivating this positivism. Also, we are now in for all kinds of speculation and sceptical analyses of the surprise Pakistani showing on the UN index, as well as some boasts about our real selves, and how badly understood we often are, how negatively projected. The pleasant news comes just when the calls for painting Pakistan in positive colours were getting louder and louder. The argument will be that the UN recognition proves to the world, to the doomsday-prone media, and, most importantly, to the Pakistanis themselves, that it is possible to show this country in a positive light. Seriously, there is no reason for us to not celebrate our latest UN billing. No reason for us to not look for more positive stories within.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018