SBS airs Pakistan documentary

Following yesterday’s assassination of Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, SBS has made a late amendment to its schedule tonight (Friday) to repeat a 2 part documentary Pakistan Zindabad which looks at the country’s political history over the past 60 years.

It will air Part One tonight at 8:30pm and Part Two at 10pm.

Pakistan Zindabad will replace French Beauty which was to have aired at 8:30pm. No News From God moves to 11pm.

Press Release:

Pakistan Zindabad is a historical documentary that combines archive and well-dramatised sequences, along with astonishing locations, to bring a deeper understanding of what is at stake in Pakistan’s new world order. The documentary includes contributions from notable military and political figures, as well as leading specialists in the field,

In 1940, the decision was reached to create Pakistan, a separate state and nation for India’s Muslim population. These days, the Kashmir question remains the unresolved legacy of the 1947 partition of India and the principal obstacle to peace in the region. Since Partition, Pakistan has had difficulty trusting India and, as one US diplomat put it, “Pakistan remains in a state of insecurity.” This explains why the military has ruled the country for 29 of its 60 years.

Pakistan has gone to the polls 30 times since its creation, giving its people ample opportunity to create a democratic and long lasting government. However, General Musharraf has led the country since 1999 and the leaders of key political parties have been forced into exile.

Yet Pakistani society has managed to survive despite widespread corruption, lack of proper education, and lack of public services. Women in urban centres increasingly join the workforce, wear jeans coupled with hijab and have demonstrated against Islamic rules.

Part 2
While there have been periodic episodes of civilian rule in Pakistan, the country has never had continuity in politics. Part 2 of Pakistan Zindabad follows the rise and fall of Pakistan’s various leaders, civilian and military. What’s clear is that Islam is central to Pakistan’s legitimacy but is also a major pawn in the power struggle between the military and political parties.