Safia Haleem - Pakistan--Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

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This book is also available as an e-book: eISBN: 978-1-85733-678-8

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First published in Great Britain

by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd

59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8446 2441

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Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler

Cover image and on : Traditional dancer from the Cholistan Desert, Pakistan.

Fotolia.com

The photograph on is reproduced by permission of the author.

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Images on the following pages reproduced under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2: under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license Mamoon Mengal.

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SAFIA HALEEM was born and grew up in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, and graduated from Peshawar University with an M.A. in English Literature. She worked as a teacher trainer in all the main cities of Pakistan before winning a British Council scholarship to study in Scotland. After gaining a postgraduate degree in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh, she returned to Pakistan and coauthored the book Visuals for the Language Classroom. In 1987 she moved to London and joined the BBC. Her work as a journalist has taken her to India, Iran, China, Afghanistan, and all over Pakistan. In 2004, she was project director for the BBC World Service Trust in Afghanistan. Safia is an established writer in Pashto, her first language, and has published several novels and short stories in the language. She is also developing educational material for the Afghan Medical Association, whose voluntary work benefits people on both sides of the AfghanPakistan border.

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The publishers would like to thank CultureSmart!Consulting for its help in researching and developing the concept for this series.

CultureSmart!Consulting creates tailor-made seminars and consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public-sector, and individual needs. Whether delivering courses on multicultural team building in the USA, preparing Chinese engineers for a posting in Europe, training call-center staff in India, or raising the awareness of police forces to the needs of diverse ethnic communities, it provides essential, practical, and powerful skills worldwide to an increasingly international workforce.

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CultureSmart!Consulting and CultureSmart! guides have both contributed to and featured regularly in the weekly travel program Fast Track on BBC World TV.

Pakistan extends along both sides of the Indus River, from its source in the snowcapped Himalayas south through green valleys, fertile plains, and arid deserts to its mouth on the Arabian Sea. The ancient Indus civilization is a reference point in the timeline of human development, and down the ages the river has sustained communities, provided communication, and given shape to the country. The historical movements of people over several centuries from Central and South Asia into Pakistan have given it a unique character, which can be seen in its rich and diverse culture, languages, literature, food, dress, and folklore. Geography gives it strategic importance, but has brought conflict to its borders and has caused much destruction through earthquakes.

Twenty-first-century Pakistan is synonymous with political turmoil, and is regarded by some as a breeding ground of terrorism and corruption. Half the country is struggling to survive a war against an unseen enemy, and the rest is coping with natural disasters, corrupt officials, and a struggle for power between the army and the feudal landlords. It has been seen in the West as a failed state, yet the people have proven to be remarkably resilient, with some significant national achievements to their credit.

Pakistan has the eighth-largest standing army in the world and is the only Muslim-majority nation to possess nuclear weapons, but very few know that it is also the land of two unique schools of art. Pakistans national cricket team has lurched between match-fixing scandals, bitter rivalry, and shocking defeats, but its blind cricket team has won two World Cup championships. In a country where the disabled have few facilities, this is a typical Pakistani success story.

This complex nation consists of various ethnic groups, each with its own cultures and subcultures, but which are unified by the common values of hospitality, honor, and respect for elders. Strong family ties and respect for human feelings are at the core of Pakistani society. The differences in language have never been a cause of political instability. That the country has been able to hold together is mainly due to the strength of its workforce and family ties.

Pakistan has extremes of wealth and poverty. It has some of the most modern buildings and facilities, even in small towns, and is considered a shoppers paradise by many; others call it a nation of food lovers. For most people, though, daily life is full of difficulties, yet everyone knows how to cope with crises. Creative, tough, and adaptable, Pakistanis are among the most self-reliant people in the world, bouncing back after major catastrophes.

This book takes you behind the headlines and introduces you to some of the countrys little-known traditions. It describes the vitally important cultural and historical background, and shows you how Pakistanis live today. Youll discover a passionate, enterprising, and remarkable people. Strip away your preconceptions and show an interest, and you will be rewarded many times over.