The War on Terror: Pakistan, Now or Never

Pakistan is a country of remarkable diversity – large and liberal modern cities as well as remote isolated ancient villages.  It is a country of immense natural beauty, inhabited by a peace-loving people with a deep religious faith.  With India on one border and Afghanistan and Iran on the other, Pakistan is a nuclear nation strategically located in the most volatile region of the world. 

In October 2005, an earthquake hit the Kashmir and North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan.  The quake devastated the region, destroying homes and schools.  More than 80,000 lives were lost.  After living in America for more than 20 years, Samoon Ahmad, MD, a Manhattan physician, was compelled to return to the country of his youth to aid in the earthquake relief efforts.  With his own son safely ensconced in the private-school classrooms of New York City, Dr. Ahmad was heartbroken by the thousands of children left orphaned, homeless, and now without schools to attend.  He began to look at this land of his childhood and ask hard questions:  what becomes of this next generation, with no educational system, and no government support? And what does that mean to the U.S. and the rest of the world?

This documentary follows Dr. Ahmad over the course of 5 years as he makes the difficult journey year after year back to Pakistan, visiting dangerous and remote parts of the country. He documents the frustratingly slow quake recovery, and as a consequence, the expansion of religious extremism into the countryside. Through interviews with teachers and their students, village farmers, lawyers, political activists and government officials, this program takes an intimate look at the varied lives, and viewpoints, of Pakistanis. These individuals share their struggles and opinions:  on the Pakistani government, suicide bombers, the Taliban and other extremist groups, Islam, America and the future of their country. From city to country, they share a fear that with no state resources for education, their children will have nowhere to turn but to the religious extremists who offer schools, support--and a culture of violence. These desperate Pakistanis feel they have no control over their destiny and have left their future to the mercy of Allah.  Through Dr. Ahmad’s lens, we see a complicated nation struggling with the ideals of democracy, juxtaposed to the realities of poverty and devastation.  We see a nation of great political importance and immense potential.  Above all, we see a nation and a people we must pay attention to now, lest other nations be left to the mercy of extremists, holding sway over a nuclear power. 

WAR ON TERROR: PAKISTAN, NOW OR NEVER:

PRODUCED BY: SAMOON AHMAD, M.D., NY INNOVATIVE CONSULTING SERVICES, INC
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Samoon Ahmad, MD

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: CREATIVE STREET MEDIA GROUP

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER/WRITER: Susan Gee

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Samoon Ahmad, MD
EDITOR: Dan Meadows
AUDIO POST PRODUCTION: Steve McQueary

“On the morning of October 8, 2005, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the mountainous area of Kashmir in Pakistan. According to some estimates more than 250,000 people have died, though the official toll is around 80,000. Around 3.5 million people have been left homeless, living in tents, with no relief in sight and nowhere to go.”

The Wrath of God: A Faith Based Survival Paradigm

"A building close to us collapsed, and a lot of children got trapped under the rubble. They were screaming and yelling, calling their parents for help. This went on for three days, and there were no means to rescue them. Eventually, after three days, their voices started to fade away, and they all suffocated to death" - Imtiaz Hussain, Survivor (translated from Urdu to English)

Let me tell you about my grandson, this little kid. He was home that day and was not at the school. The other children who were at the school… so many of them died. Now, this little kid is so scared that even the wind or any noise affects him. He starts crying and running like somebody is after him or trying to catch him. Go see our homes: they are destroyed. We can’t even sleep. We have to take medicine to go to sleep." - Rashidi Bibi, Survivor (translated from Urdu to English)

The Wrath of God: A Faith-Based Survival Paradigm: Natural disasters plagued mankind long before emotional, social, and economic impact was ever studied. Modernity brought with it a range of disasters that extend far beyond those attributable to nature. An individual’s as well as society’s ability to cope with disaster of any type is a function of culture, religion, faith, as well as many other factors.  In and prior to medieval times, clergy, faith healers, and religious leaders played a role in helping victims of disaster. In modern times, developed countries have cultivated response systems that include and are not limited to intervention and aid by federal and local government, fire and police departments, medical personnel, and more recently, mental health professionals. Psychiatrists became invaluable once it was understood that victims of disaster exhibited symptoms for prolonged periods leading to significant deterioration in socio-occupational functioning if they were not evaluated and treated. In Pakistan, there are no mental health relief agencies in place to help these victims of one of the worst disasters of all times. How have these victims survived emotionally, psychologically in the face of the death and destruction they have witnessed and the misery they have experienced firsthand? This presentation explores what one psychiatrist, Dr. Samoon Ahmad, learned from facing the destruction first-hand and talking to the survivors of this horrible tragedy.

THE WRATH OF GOD:

PRODUCED BY: Creative Street Media Group
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Samoon Ahmad, MD
PRODUCER/WRITER: Susan Gee
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Samoon Ahmad, MD
EDITOR: Brian Bousman
AUDIO POST PRODUCTION: Steve McQueary

Thanks to the following individuals: Shahid Ghafoor, MD; Qazi Abdul Qadir; Nisar Ahmad, Driver; and Khalid Hussain, Guide.