Land Of Beauty, Land Of Pain: Seeking The Soul Of Pakistan

by Matthew Vaughan

"So what is Pakistan like?"

This is the question most commonly faced by Matthew Vaughan who has been living in Pakistan for eight years. Pakistan is a complex country with a predominantly negative media image - and yet there is a positive side of life in Pakistan which is rarely written about. In this, his second book on Pakistan, Matthew Vaughan travels across the country from Chitral to Karachi meeting the people and visiting the places which make Pakistan what it is: a land which is beguiling, hospitable, challenging, heartbreaking, kind, painful, and beautiful. From drug addicts in Peshawar to the abandoned Sikh gurdwara of Kot Fateh Khan, from the Buddhist ruins of Taxila to the Afghan refugees of Islamabad, these stories of his experiences shed a new light on Pakistan, a country which is frequently in the news and yet only infrequently given the respect it undoubtedly deserves.

What is Pakistan like? This is his answer.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2018

Reviews

[Ismail Qureshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

MATTHEW VAUGHAN sums up his impression of Pakistan in these words:
"Pakistan is a complex place, a place full of contradictions, a place in which incredible beauty and searing pain exist side by side. Pakistan can be both turbulent and peaceful, kind and cruel, honest and deceitful, full of potential and yet, at times, heartbreakingly painful."

He asks the question: "Who is representative of the soul of Pakistan?" Then, he answers it:
"It is a complex place defying simple explanations, but my family's overriding impression of eight years of life in Pakistan is one of hospitality, generosity and kindness!"

Trying to visualize the future of Pakistan, the author sees lots of hurdles. He says:
"It is difficult to see a bright future for the county when terrorists run amok in schools or temples or when television pundits whip up hatred for minority groups and nobody dares to contradict them."

Does the author see a potential for success?
His answer is a firm yes.

"However, there are challenges to be faced," he adds.
"Corruption will have to be eradicated, peaceful relationship will have to be established with the countries surrounding Pakistan, and the mistrust which has built up between Pakistan and West over the years will have to be cured, with honesty, transparency and partnership."

Is it possible?
The author's answer is:
"None of this will be easy, but all of it is possible given the strength and tenacity of Pakistan and its people."

MATTHEW VAUGHAN invites the international community to visit Pakistan, and see the beauty of its people, it's culture, its heritage, and its landscape.
In fact most of the book is a travelogue.
He traveled through the length of Pakistan, from Hindukush mountains in the north to Arabian sea in the south, and gives an accurate account of the people and places that he visited.
Notable points are:

CHITRAL
A mountainous region of stunning beauty inhabited by simple, peaceful, and honest people. It deserves to be a great tourist attraction comparable or better than similar places in India or Nepal. Sadly, few foreign tourists visit it, thanks to a negative image of the country!

While in Chitral, the author enjoyed watching a game of Buzkashi. He describes it as Rugby played on horseback, using a goat's corpse instead of a ball.

Chitral trip is incomplete without visiting Kalash.
KALASH is an ancient pagan tribe, with an interesting way of life; they bury their dead in open graves. Kalash women wear colorful dresses and bead jewelry. Their festivals are marked with exotic group dances. It is a fast vanishing tribe because of the pressures of modernity. The author describes it in some detail.

HISTORY AND HERITAGE
The area now Pakistan, especially the provinces of KP and Punjab, was the gateway of the invaders from Central Asia. Each invading group left its monuments and relics. This offers a rich heritage that may be explored by those interested in history.
In fact, the origin of Kalsh tribe is linked by some to Alexander the Great's army, some of whom settled in Chitral.
Buddhist stupas and carvings in Northern Pakistan, Lahore fort built by invading Moguls, and Rohtas fort built by Ahmed Shah Abdali as a security outpost, are some of the examples.
Sindh club in Karachi has many relics of the British rule.

With partition of India in 1947, most Sikhs migrated leaving behind a large number of their holy places. Each of these deserted gurudawaras has a story to tell about the past.

Welfare institutions helping drug addicts in Peshawar, and mentally ill in Lahore, are described in some detail.

THE author is mostly kind to Pakistan, but there is a tiny bit of lampooning when he describes the lazy civil servants, and the electricity thiefs.

[Michael Chow · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, broadly speaking, there are two kinds of writers giving an account of foreign places. One is like Collin Thubron (the author of The Lost Heart of Asia) who takes the places he visited as subjects for analysis from his own western perspective and ideology – cool, analytical and to certain extent arrogant, showing off his intellectual superiority. The other is like the author of this book. He and his family lived in Pakistan for eight years, treating the country as his home and trying to understand the souls of local people with an open heart and humility. He honestly tells what he experienced, both positive and negative, without prejudice. Sprinkled throughout the book are anecdotes about the hospitality and generosity of Pakistani people, which is also in line with what I heard from people who personally visited the country. The author also interviewed some NGO foreigners moving to the country to serve local communities. It is always good know there are kind-hearted people out there in our world, given our media is full of news of conflicts and disappointment.

I wish I will visit Pakistan one day. Surely I will.

[A Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful insight into Pakistani life & culture