On this day, 13th January : The US offers Pak a 2 year plan to counter Soviet threat in Afghanistan

[MenInG]

The beginning of the end for Pakistan? Or was it Pakistan's good fortune?

 

[Savak]

The beginning of the end for Pakistan? Or was it Pakistan's good fortune?

Not good for Pakistan at all. By bringing in Afghan refugees into Pakistan, we allowed them to inhabit places like Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi. Most other countries don't let refugees within a few miles from the border and these refugees should have been asked to stay in camps. We allowed them to bring in drugs, narcotics, this led to the Klashelnikov culture in Pakistani society and allowed guns, weapons and ammunition to fall into the wrong hands. President Zia then totally destroyed the Pakistani Cinema, film industry with his religious policies.

Overall Pakistan in the 60's and 70's was a vastly different country from Pakistan in the 80's and 90's. Funny part is that it took the Musharraf era to reverse the policies of the Zia era where Musharraf allowed so many cable tv channels, news channels to proliferate, allowed the fashion, arts and cinema industry to flourish and now we are seeing a revival and youngsters are now trying their luck in pursuing showbiz as a career.

 

[MenInG]

I recall being in Pak at that time and thinking wow we are friends with US again and we will get prosperous again.