Faisal Shahzad: Made in Pakistan?

After Pakistan was labelled ‘the world’s most dangerous country’ by Newsweek magazine, one set of Pakistani filmmakers decided to respond by making a documentary called ‘Made In Pakistan’. The aim: show the world a slice of Pakistani society that people, particularly in the west, don’t typically see.

So for the headline below to appear on a Washington DC commuter paper leaves us wondering: what does it mean to be ‘made in Pakistan’? More poignantly, in light of what happened in Times Square what does it mean to be made in Pakistan and moulded in America?

As one popular Pakistani blog site CHUP states:

Faisal Shahzad may be a Pakistani-American, but he was not only “Made in Pakistan.” Yes, Pakistan is plagued with a vast number of issues. We have an undeniable terror problem. But the right solution in this case is to have both countries – the U.S. and Pakistan – look inward at their own societies and take responsibility for the issues at hand

The Pakistani Taliban has reportedly denied training Faisal Shahzad while government officials state there are links between the 30 year old and militant training networks.

Whether this is a ‘one-off, lone-wolf’ as initially suggested, or a more sinister link to a wider network, it is fundamentally disturbing for the social fabric of Pakistan and America. When there is a terrorist attack, attempted or successful, particularly in Europe or the US, most Pakistanis living abroad and in Pakistan just sit and hope that there is no link to Pakistan.

Yet time and time again there is. In the same week that Pakistan was in the headlines first for a terrorist who tried to blow up a bomb in Times Square it is also in the headlines for a terrorist who succeeded in murdering dozens of innocent men, women and children in Mumbai and today convicted of ‘waging war against India’ and sentenced to death.

Frankly, the first thought that ran through my mind was: ‘not again’. I imagine it did for many New Yorkers too.

Photo by Expressnightout.com

The views expressed by the author are personal.