For decades Pakistan has lived inside narratives shaped by others. Foreign media ecosystems, regional information campaigns and geopolitical interests have often defined how Pakistan is perceived internationally.
As a result, the country’s history, society and strategic choices have frequently been interpreted through external filters rather than through a balanced understanding grounded in its own context. With the global media landscape undergoing rapid transformation, Pakistan has reached a moment in which it must reclaim ownership of its story and speak with confidence and clarity.
The Cost of Borrowed Narratives
When a nation does not articulate its own story, others define it. Pakistan has paid this price repeatedly. Some of the most sensitive episodes in national history including the separation of East Pakistan in 1971 are still widely understood through external viewpoints rather than through Pakistan’s own scholarly and historical framing. This has created a long standing narrative imbalance and allowed competing actors to occupy the information space.
At the same time, countries that invested in strategic storytelling transformed their global reputations. Türkiye rebuilt its cultural confidence through historical dramas that shaped public memory and influenced global audiences, while South Korea cultivated one of the most powerful creative industries in the world. Pakistan possesses a much deeper historical and civilizational foundation, yet remains unable to project its narrative with similar coherence.
A Civilizational Story Waiting to Be Told
Pakistan stands on centuries of cultural and intellectual depth stretching from the ancient Indus Valley to the enduring legacy of Sufi thought and from the refined aesthetics of the Mughal period to the political awakening of South Asian Muslims. This rich heritage remains largely absent from modern filmmaking and media.
The stories of individuals who shaped Muslim consciousness such as Sir Syed Ahmad Khan or the philosophical imagination of Allama Iqbal are seldom portrayed on screen. Similarly, the political and moral leadership of figures like Fatima Jinnah and Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan has yet to receive the thoughtful cinematic representation it deserves.
National achievements in diplomacy, defence, technology and scientific advancement also remain underexplored. These stories, presented with nuance and integrity, could offer the world a more complete understanding of Pakistan’s journey and identity.
Cinema as a Strategic Asset
In the contemporary world storytelling has become an essential instrument of influence. It shapes perceptions, establishes cultural presence and strengthens national confidence. Pakistan’s cinema can play a central role in building a new narrative grounded in clarity and dignity.
Historical epics that portray the complexity of coexistence and governance in South Asian Muslim history can help reshape popular understanding. Thoughtfully crafted geopolitical dramas inspired by Pakistan’s diplomatic struggles, strategic crises and intelligence challenges can contribute to a more accurate representation of the nation’s policy environment.
Equally important is the potential to create original fantasy worlds rooted in Pakistani mythology, folklore and Sufi symbolism. These genres can be developed with authenticity and cultural depth, without relying on external templates.
Rebuilding National Confidence
Cinema and storytelling do more than entertain. They create emotional continuity, shape collective imagination and help nations understand themselves. Pakistan’s youth has grown up consuming foreign narratives, often with limited representation of their own identity.
A strong national storytelling framework can rebuild cultural confidence, reduce polarization and reconnect younger generations with a heritage that is both diverse and inspiring. A country that cannot imagine itself struggles to define its future. Storytelling offers a path toward collective confidence and national coherence.
The Economics of Soft Power
Countries that invested in cultural industries have reaped economic as well as reputational benefits. Türkiye and South Korea provide clear examples of how drama, film and digital content can evolve into major export sectors.
Pakistan has the capacity to build a sustainable creative economy by establishing national film funds, strengthening screenwriting and filmmaking education and supporting studios that produce culturally grounded content.
Investment in local digital platforms can further ensure that Pakistani narratives reach domestic and international audiences without dependence on foreign gatekeepers. Such initiatives would generate employment, create cultural value and contribute to economic development.
Balanced Co Productions without Dependency
International partnerships can help expand technical capability and global reach, but they must not override narrative independence. Collaborations with Western networks including respected platforms like the BBC provide useful experience yet often come with editorial perspectives shaped outside Pakistan. A more balanced approach is possible.
Partnerships with Türkiye offer shared civilizational aesthetics and experience in historical storytelling. Financing from the Gulf can support creative industries without imposing cultural direction. Central Asian countries provide natural narrative harmony rooted in shared historical memory. Pakistan can benefit from these collaborations while maintaining full control over its own storytelling.
Pakistan Must Tell its Own Story
Pakistan does not suffer from a shortage of stories. It suffers from a shortage of ownership. If Pakistan does not define its own identity others will continue to shape it. If Pakistan does not reclaim its narratives borrowed ones will fill the vacuum. If Pakistan does not invest in storytelling now the next generation will grow up seeing their homeland primarily through external interpretations.
This is the moment for Pakistan to speak in its own voice with confidence, intelligence and creativity. Pakistan must enter the global arena not as the subject of someone else’s story but as a sovereign storyteller capable of defining its own place in the world.
