The fourth season of Homeland, an Emmy-winning show, sparked furore among officials in Pakistan for its depiction of the country as being an undemocratic one, allied with terrorists, and in general just a “hellhole,” the New York Post reported.
“Repeated insinuations that an intelligence agency of Pakistan is complicit in protecting the terrorists at the expense of innocent Pakistani civilians is not only absurd, but also an insult to the ultimate sacrifices of the thousands of Pakistani security personnel in the war against terrorism,” a source said.
“Maligning a country that has been a close partner and ally of the US . . . is a disservice not only to the security interests of the US but also to the people of the US,” Pakistan Embassy spokesperson Nadeem Hotiana told The Post.
Further, in regard to the portrayal of Pakistan being undemocratic, a source said, “Our culture embraces Western society. Pakistan believes in the democratic system of voting in our presidents.”
“Pakistanis never embraced the dictators who, in the past, ruled the country because they took over the presidency through violent means,” the source added.
Hotiana, according to The New York Post, said he wished the producers would have “spent more time getting their facts right,” and added, “A little research would have gone a long way.”
A source also said that “Homeland makes it seem [as though] Pakistan has contempt for Americans and its values and principles. That is not true.”
Diplomats were also annoyed with the misrepresentation of the capital, Islamabad, being displayed as a “grimy hellhole and war zone where shootouts and bombs go off with dead bodies scattered around. Nothing is further from the truth,” a source said.
In truth, “Islamabad is a quiet, picturesque city with beautiful mountains and lush greenery,” the source added.
Diplomats complained to the producers of the hit TV show, but to no avail.
They also spoke out against the misrepresentation of Urdu in the show, saying “the [Urdu] accent is far from the local accent”.
“And the connotations of some of the Urdu words that are used are out of place.”