Swimmer Lianna Swan, Pride Of England And Pakistan

June 27, 2019,

Discussions that focus on a country with arguably the world’s sixth largest military in terms of active personnel, from it’s economy to politics, safety and the rights of women, a word that consistently describes mighty Pakistan is……troubled.

Oddly enough, just as you are about to permanently write Pakistan off of your adventure and forward thinking list, new headlines emerge that may pinch you to pause and reflect upon how this physically beautiful country, like most large civilizations, is, well, complicated.

Okay, strike that. Complex.

Here are two examples that give hope of progression.

As reported on August 1, 2018, according to Human Rights Watch (hrw.org), “Pakistan’s chief justice has nominated Justice Tahira Safdar as chief justice of the Balochistan High Court. If confirmed, she will become the first woman in Pakistan ever to hold this office.

Pakistan remains the only country in South Asia to have never had a woman Supreme Court judge, a reflection of the country’s failure to address gender imbalance in the legal profession.”

Human Rights Watch is a non-profit, non-governmental human rights organization made up of roughly 400 staff members around the globe. Its staff consists of human rights professionals including country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.

In terms of equality for women in Pakistan, this is clearly a step in the right direction.

These is still hope for an improved future.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”… Martin Luther King, Jr.

Another talented and skilled female from Pakistan making the news and gaining global attention is the Olympic Swimmer, Lianna Catherine Swan.

Ms. Swan is a British–Pakistani swimmer who holds seven Pakistani national records.

She specializes in the breaststroke.

In July-August of 2014, she represented Pakistan at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Lianna also represented Pakistan in 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati, India. Lianna represented Pakistan in Rio Olympics 2016 in Women’s 50m freestyle.

Ms. Swan won 9 gold and 3 silver medals during the National Championships held in June 2014. This qualified her for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Like Olympic competition, her life has expanded the globe.

Her foundation in the pool in based upon swimming for Loughborough College.

Loughborough College is a general further education college located in Leicestershire, England which offers a range of courses including further education, higher education, apprenticeships and professional qualifications. The school has over 11,000 students and over 725 staff.

She is a dual national of both the United Kingdom and Pakistan. Our star began swimming over six years ago when she moved to Dubai of the United Arab Emirates.

Lianni was born in Bahrain to a Pakistani mother and a British father.

Bahrain is a nation comprising more than 30 islands in the Arabian Gulf which has been at the center of major trade routes since antiquity.

That kind of lifestyle creates incredible choices and options.

Lianna explained her decision in choosing to officially compete for Pakistan. She expressed that she would get a lot more out of being part of the Pakistan team because there’s a lot more people trying for the British team.

The British team is really prestigious as well, but being able to swim for any country, is an achievement. She thinks that when she first started swimming for Pakistan, that was the turning point of her career.

We sense watching Lianna impress the world gives young girls in Pakistan a hope for the future that greater opportunities will open up for them as well.

As reported on August 12, 2016 at brandsynario.com, “Pakistan might have the least number of athletes in its squad competing at Rio Olympics 2016, in fact only seven who qualified either via continental quota or wild-card entry. But 19-year-old Lianna Catherine Swan is surely a surprise package in the Pakistani camp, who is swimming her way through Rio Olympics 2016.”

Which now brings us to a question that many have about Pakistan.

Who and what is Pakistan? Except for news reports about terrorism, there is substantially more to this complex country than most know.

To understand this complexity, let’s walk back in time.

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212,742,631 people.

India is the second most populated country in the world with nearly a fifth of the world’s population.

Pakistan is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam.

The name Pakistan literally means “land of the pure” in Urdu and Persian.

The territory that now constitutes Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures, including the Mehrgarh of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization, and was later home to kingdoms ruled by people of different faiths and cultures, including Hindus, Indo-Greeks, Muslims, Turco-Mongols, Afghans, and Sikhs.

The area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander III of Macedon, the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Gupta Empire, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Afghan Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire (partially), and, most recently, the British Empire.

Now the brief history lesson comes into closer focus.

When the British ruled the Indian subcontinent there was no such thing as India and Pakistan.

There was one pathway of territory that extended from Afghanistan to Burma that the British called ‘Hindoostan,” British India, or simply the Raj.

When Independence came in 1947 it was accompanied by Partition.

Partition split Hindoostan into two countries India and Pakistan.

Today, in the minds of many, the differences between India and Pakistan still have the power to tear South Asia apart.

The next two differences are really important.

fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, pexels.com Brett Sayles photo credit

India was conceived as a secular democracy by the National Congress lead by such leaders as Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. It was meant to guarantee all the people on the South Asian subcontinent political and religious freedom.

Pakistan on the other hand was the brainchild of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and other Muslim Congress leaders. As independence talks progressed with the British in the inter-war years, the British convinced Jinnah and the others that Muslims would become second-class citizens in a predominantly Hindu India and therefore needed their own state to be truly free.

As you might guess, given that both countries possess nuclear weapons, history can catch up to all of us in the present fairly quickly.

Some have the view of both countries as impoverished third world societies. Like many civilizations, while some of that might be true, it doesn’t negate their ability to affect the world through technology.

On June 19, 2018, timesofindia.indiatimes.com reported Pakistan now has 140-150 nuclear warheads as compared to 130-140 for India.

When we often quote the global leader in travel, Lonely Planet, the subject matter typically turns to wonderful hotels, foodie fun and excursions into unforgettable travel experiences.

As of August 4, 2018, the global travelers at Lonely Planet displayed this warning on their website. “Because of ongoing security problems in Pakistan, foreign governments advise against all travel, or all but essential travel, to many parts of the country. Your travel insurance may be invalid if you ignore this advice. Because of the risk of political violence, foreign visitors are required to travel with an armed escort in some areas. Seek up-to-date information on the security situation in areas you plan to visit before travelling to Pakistan.”

With armed groups targeting everyone from the government to mountaineers, visitor numbers to Pakistan have slowed to a trickle, which is a shame, as this remains one of Asia’s most fascinating destinations.”

Yes Pakistan, a very old civilization, is a place of great wonder, fascination and concern.