Freedom In Pakistan - Adnan Saleem (Batch of '17)

Eventually we moved to our biggest set, which was the temple of a secret religious sect on whom we had stumbled during the course of our adventures. Bilal had wanted to cast a local actor in the part of the High Priest but still he hadn't found one. The problem with all the actors so far was that they looked too modern and sophisticated. What he wanted, he told me, was the natural look of someone who had spent a hard life in the mountains and showed it. The scenes we were shooting took place in the Himalayan Mountains, which are very beautiful but would be very rough to live in.

I had been an actor for about ten years now and had learned the art of acting with perfectionism. But even I had problems working with the new crew. The film I was working in this time was ''TRUE FREEDOM IN PAKISTAN'' and mainly focused on the freedom of religion and worship in Pakistan, hence the need for a High Priest. Pakistan, being a democratic country gave people true freedom i.e. freedom of speech, of movement, of worship and so on, provided they did not encroach upon the rights and beliefs of someone and were not detrimental to others. And that’s what this film was all about.

One morning we were all on the set very early for a ''dawn-shoot'', and as we all sat there waiting in the cold half-light for the sun to peek over the horizon, a little old local man came strolling by, carrying a little bag and a long shepherd's crook. He looked to be about a hundred years old, with a face that his years and the sun had dried to parchment.
''Who is that old man?'' Bilal yelled to one of his assistants
''He's the night watchman and he's just going home,'' came the reply.

''Stop him! I want to talk to him!'' Bilal shouted back. He went for a walk with the little old man and the interpreter, and came back a few minutes later to announce that we had found the High Priest, and he was right on the button. The old man was perfect for this part because he possessed two qualities that many of us lose early in the so called civilized world – innocence and dignity.

His innocence almost became his undoing as well. After four days of shooting it became obvious that the old man was really exhausted. When asked what was wrong, he told the interpreter that he was not getting any sleep because as well as working on the film all day, he was being the night watchman all night. No one had thought to tell him that he did not have to do both things any more, and out of a sense of loyalty to his post he had carried on with it. And that’s exactly the kind of affection of people of Pakistan towards their work and country that Bilal had intended to show through his film, which was beautifully achieved – according to me – with the help of that old man.

 Although the film wasn’t a big hit but that was clearly not the intention of the director (i.e. Bilal). He wanted to motivate people to be proud of such a blessed country in which they had actual freedom. Naturally the idea of freedom comes from countries who claim to be democratic like Pakistan. So even in a country which is democratic and claims to grant freedom to all its citizens, the question arises: Are the citizens of Pakistan truly free? What is it to be truly free in Pakistan? Anyone who saw the film with interest would have gotten the answers to these questions.

In Pakistan, there is of course freedom of speech. A man is allowed to say anything he likes, provided he does not encroach upon the rights of someone else. In other words the 'freedom of speech' is freedom up to a point, you have to be responsible for what you speak.

Freedom of religion is also allowed in Pakistan. The film showed that there seems to be no great dispute over this except that sometimes a person's strong beliefs may threaten the general good. We have certain religions whose members say that they acknowledge no power except that of GOD, and so refuse to obey the laws of the country. So we have the same thing staring at us: Freedom of worship yes, but if detrimental to others, no.
So, either in the film or in real life, what indeed is true freedom in Pakistan? Well, to me it is that I am free to be myself or do anything, as long as I respect the rights of others. Conversely, no one is so free that he can encroach on my rights. In this sense I am free, because my state protects me. I believe that for a happy life this is the freedom I need most which can only be provided to me by beloved country Pakistan and I am willing to sacrifice other kinds of freedoms for it.

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