Pakistan is one of those countries that tends to fall victim most often to negative media portrayals. The media usually focuses on showing terrorism, politics and poverty from Pakistan. However, I am using Everyday Pakistan (an Instagram based project) to showcase everyday life in Pakistan through the eyes of local photographers.
A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of Katas Raj Temples, which is located near Chakwal in the Punjab province.
As we have many Indians following the project, I received a curious message from an Indian user who told me that she showed the photo of the Katas Raj Temple to her 85-year-old grandfather and that he wished to speak to me.
She shared her contact number and I promptly called her. She was very happy and connected me to her grandfather. At first, I first started talking in English but eventually switched to Urdu and Punjabi. This former resident of Pakistan’s Punjab shared stories from before 1946, when as a youngster, he used to visit the Katas Raj Temple. He expressed a desire to come visit his hometown in Pakistan. But due to the political situation, it was difficult to procure a visa.
This call that lasted 11 minutes made my day. I had made someone happy across the border with just a photo project. Not only this, when I shared my story about this call on Instagram, I started getting messages from Indian users who congratulated me on my project. Here’s one follower response to that story: “I’m an Indian living in the US and want to let you know how much your account means to me. Getting to see these pictures is like seeing a part of my own body, that I could never have otherwise seen. Thank you.”
However, the path towards peace between India and Pakistan has to commence with bold political vision. Till then, I will keep winning more hearts by showcasing Pakistan.