The arrival of Pakistani television to America is disastrous for Pakistanis who have made the United States their permanent home. Its damaging impact has already come to the fore and naturally its effects will increase with the passage of time. The presence of hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis here is a proof that it is now possible for them to live in the United States physically, while remaining heart and mind in Pakistan. Now America is practically like Pakistan for many of the Pakistanis here.

The problem is that the world in which the American Pakistan live in is full of Pakistani soap operas that focus only on family problems, and under the influence of an illusory India, brought to them by pirated Indian DVD movies, where everyone is dancing all the time, wearing revealing dresses and singing surrounded by dancers. If a person knows nothing about India and watches Indian movies, he would come to believe that Indians know only one thing: how to dance. Similarly, these movies would also make you believe that the Indians are way ahead of others in maintaining their health and beauty.

Now there are three Pakistani television channels being aired in North America, which can be had for $15 per channel per month. Interestingly, these channels don’t offer programs that are related to the United States. The programming is produced in Pakistan for viewers at home, not for Pakistanis living abroad.

Pakistani dignitaries when visiting the United States also encourage Pakistani Americans to stay focused on their homeland by telling them that although they live in the United States, their hearts and souls belong to Pakistan. Amazingly, Pakistani Americans accept this nonsense and give unparalleled praise to these visitors.

After the tragic events of 9/11, many Pakistanis hid in their shells and watching Pakistani soaps helped keep them there; watching shows that dealt only with marriage issues provide Pakistani Americans with an escape from their respective situations. The programming seemed to be meant for them alone. Unfortunately, they seemed not to care that such an attitude makes them self-centered, cuts them off from American society and makes them inactive emotionally and psychologically.

The case of the Pakistani press is even worse. It gives very little attention and space to the United States, where their readers live. There are at least three Pakistani weekly newspapers published in New York. The New York Pakistani press also ignores the problems confronting the Pakistani community. I have one of these newspapers in front of me; the front page has news on the upper half, while advertisements fill the bottom half.

Among the ads is one from Mr. Bukhari of Brighton, England, an “expert” in fighting black magic and repelling evil influences, who guarantees a solution to any worldly problem one might be facing and has the power to “bring back your estranged and annoyed beloved.”

Sixty percent of the news on the front page is about Pakistan. On the upper half of the last page – the lower half is again full of advertisements – 10 out of 13 news items are about Pakistan. As for the editorials, the most important article is on a statement by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, made after he assumed office. Out of the total 15 columns on the editorial pages, just two address some issue in the United States.

The columnists include Abdul Qadir Hassan, Hassan Nisar, Munnu Bhai, Abbas Athar, Attaul Haq Qasmi, Zahoor Awan and Raja Anwer – some whose articles are published without their consent. Not surprisingly, most of the news and opinion columns in the paper were lifted from the Pakistani press back home. This is a typical example of the Pakistani press in the United States.

The new generation of Pakistani Americans cannot read Urdu. Therefore, unless the newspapers here change, they will be out of business one day.

I don’t mean to say that when we immigrate for good to another country, then we should erase all memory of our country of origin. However, with so many of our people here living in a world of their own, they don’t know what is happening around them. They don’t take any interest in the culture, literature or politics of their adoptive homeland.

If some of these people step out of their world of fantasy, most do it as a show of their supposed superiority. They display photographs of U.S. senators or congressmen on their living room walls as a fashion statement. No doubt that there are people within the Pakistani American community who genuinely take an interest in the U.S. politics and society, but they are few in number. I have very rarely seen a Pakistani in a museum, art gallery or a theater. Most unusual is to see a Pakistani family dining in a non-Pakistani restaurant here.

I doubt anyone believes that Pakistanis have an utopian life in the United States, but that’s the general attitude. I’ll end my column now since it’s time for “This wedding cannot be blessed,” the Pakistani soap I watch daily!