Source: Dawn
TWO young Pakistani men have caught Europe’s eye in recent weeks. The first is 35-year-old Mohamad Usman, who has been charged by French authorities for conspiring with the terrorists who carried out the attacks in Paris in November. He was meant to participate in that carnage but was detained en route to France, possibly from Syria. He is believed to be an explosives expert, and has reportedly worked with Pakistan-based militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The other is 20-something Ghulam Mohammad, the winner of the fourth Jameel Prize, an international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic traditions organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Ghulam Mohammad is the first Pakistani artist to win the award.
Both these men are from our country. Both hail from the generation described as ‘the children of Zia’. Both are seeking to engage with issues of religion and identity. Both offer a unique skill and expertise. Between them, they present the options before Pakistan for the kind of country it wants to be.