Pakistan
The Islamic republic born of partition, the land of the Indus and the Mughals, home to many peoples, shaped by a deep Muslim faith and a rich Sufi heritage, by legendary hospitality, the cup of chai, family and honour, cricket, and the great festivals. The complete guide.
Pakistan is a large country in South Asia, the fifth most populous nation on earth, home to about two hundred and forty million people, lying along the great river Indus between India, Afghanistan, Iran, and the high mountains of the north. To understand it, begin with its founding as a homeland for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, born of the partition of British India in 1947, an Islamic republic whose very reason for being is its faith; with the deep Muslim religion that runs through law, custom, and daily life; with the rich Sufi heritage that gives Pakistani Islam much of its colour, its music, and its devotion; with the many peoples, Punjabis, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Baloch, and others, each with its own language and ways; with the deep bonds of family, the joint household, and the honour that orders society; and with the legendary hospitality, the warm welcome and the endless cups of chai. From these flow the customs that follow: the warm greeting, the shared meal, the great festivals. This guide walks through each in turn.
Overview
Pakistan is a large country in South Asia, stretching from the Arabian Sea in the south to the towering mountains of the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush in the north, where some of the highest peaks on earth, including K2, rise along its borders. Through the heart of the country runs the mighty river Indus, whose valley is the cradle of one of the world's oldest civilisations and the green and fertile heartland of the nation, set amid deserts, plains, and mountains. About two hundred and forty million people live there, the fifth largest population of any country in the world. The capital is Islamabad, a planned modern city in the north, while the largest city is the great port of Karachi, and the cultural heart is the historic city of Lahore.
Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, governed by a prime minister as head of government and a president as head of state, with a powerful military that has played a central role in its history. The country is divided into provinces, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, each with its own people and character. The national language is Urdu, which serves as the common tongue across the nation, though many regional languages are spoken, and English is used in government and education. The great majority of Pakistanis are Muslims, the overwhelming majority of the population, with Sunni in the majority and a significant Shia minority, and small communities of other faiths.
A few deep forces shape life in Pakistan. There is its founding as a homeland for Muslims, born of the partition of 1947. There is the deep Muslim faith that runs through life. There is the rich Sufi heritage of shrines and saints. There are the many peoples and languages. There are the deep bonds of family, honour, and kin. And there is the legendary hospitality. The sections that follow trace these forces and then walk through the customs of daily life.
Born of partition
The deepest fact about Pakistan is the reason for its very existence: it was created in 1947 as a homeland for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, carved out of British India at the moment of independence, in the great event known as the Partition. As British rule over India ended, the subcontinent was divided into two nations, Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, born of the conviction, voiced by the movement that founded it and led by its revered father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Quaid-e-Azam or Great Leader, that the Muslims of India needed a state of their own.
The Partition was one of the largest and most traumatic upheavals in human history. As the border was drawn, many millions of people, Muslims moving to Pakistan, Hindus and Sikhs moving to India, crossed in one of the greatest migrations ever known, and the upheaval was marked by terrible violence and the loss of countless lives. This searing birth, and the long and bitter rivalry with India that followed, including wars and the lasting dispute over the divided region of Kashmir, have shaped Pakistan's history, identity, and outlook ever since. Pakistan was also originally created in two wings, east and west, and the eastern wing broke away in 1971 to become Bangladesh, another defining trauma.
This founding as a Muslim homeland gives Pakistan an identity bound from the very first to Islam, for the nation was created in the name of the faith, and the place of Islam in the state and society has been a central question throughout its history, the country having moved over time toward a more thoroughly Islamic character in its laws and public life. The memory of Partition, the figure of Jinnah, the rivalry with India, and the founding ideal of a Muslim homeland remain at the heart of the national story. To understand Pakistan is to understand its birth from the Partition of 1947, the creation of a homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
Faith in the rhythm of the day
Pakistan is a deeply Muslim country, founded as an Islamic republic, and Islam is woven into the very texture of daily life, law, and identity, for the great majority of Pakistanis, the overwhelming bulk of the population, are Muslims, and the faith shapes the rhythm of ordinary life. The call to prayer sounds five times a day from the minarets of countless mosques across every city and village; the faithful pray; the holy day of Friday gathers the community for the congregational prayer; and the language of everyday speech is filled with the names of God, the constant insha'Allah, God willing, and al-hamdulillah, praise be to God.
Most Pakistani Muslims are Sunni, with a significant Shia minority, and within these are many traditions and schools, from the devotional and Sufi-influenced to the more reformist and orthodox, a religious variety that runs through the country. Islam shapes far more than worship: it underlies the law, the calendar, the customs of dress, food, and conduct, the values of charity, modesty, family, and submission to God, and the institutions of the state, which is constitutionally Islamic. The country grew steadily more conservative in its public religion over recent decades, and faith is a powerful and visible force in society.
Religion is lived with sincerity and deep feeling, woven into the milestones of life, the festivals of the year, and the conduct of daily affairs, and it is a source of identity, meaning, and community for most Pakistanis. The mosque is a centre of community life, the rules of halal food are observed, pork and alcohol are avoided, and the practices of the faith order the days and the years. For a visitor, respect for Islam, its customs, and its sensibilities is essential and deeply appreciated, especially around prayer, the mosque, and the holy month of Ramadan. To understand Pakistan is to understand the central place of Islam, woven into the daily life of the nation it was founded to serve.
The Sufi shrines and the saints
One of the most distinctive and beloved features of Pakistani Islam is its deep Sufi heritage, the mystical tradition of Islam that has shaped the faith across the subcontinent for centuries and gives Pakistani religious life much of its warmth, its colour, its music, and its devotion. Sufism, the inward and mystical path of Islam, seeking the love and nearness of God, was carried into the region by the great Sufi saints and teachers of the medieval centuries, whose preaching and example did much to spread Islam across the land, and whose memory is honoured to this day.
The most visible expression of this heritage is the veneration of the Sufi saints and their shrines, the tombs of the revered holy men that are scattered across Pakistan and that draw great crowds of devotees seeking blessing, healing, and the intercession of the saint. These shrines are places of deep popular devotion, alive with prayer, music, and festivity, especially at the urs, the festivals marking the death anniversaries of the saints, when great gatherings come to celebrate with food, song, and the ecstatic devotional music and dance for which the shrines are famous. This shrine culture, this love of the saints, is a central and beloved thread of popular religion in Pakistan.
From the Sufi tradition flows much of the soul of Pakistani culture: the devotional music called qawwali, the passionate sung poetry of divine love that is one of the glories of the region; the deep tradition of mystical poetry in Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, and other languages, the verses of the great Sufi poets that are loved and sung across the land; and a religious sensibility of love, tolerance, and the longing for God that runs alongside the more orthodox currents of the faith, sometimes in tension with them. For a visitor, the shrines and their music offer a window into the warm, devotional heart of Pakistani Islam. To understand Pakistan is to understand its Sufi heritage, the shrines, the saints, and the music and poetry of divine love.
Many peoples, many tongues
Pakistan is a land of many peoples, a diverse nation gathered from several great ethnic groups, each with its own language, culture, dress, music, and character, and the differences between them are an important feature of the country. The largest group are the Punjabis, of the fertile province of Punjab in the heart of the country, the most numerous people and a dominant presence in national life. In the south, in the province of Sindh along the lower Indus, live the Sindhis, heirs to an ancient culture; in the great city of Karachi live also the Muhajirs, the descendants of the Urdu-speaking Muslims who migrated from India at Partition.
To the northwest, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and along the Afghan border, live the Pashtuns, a proud people with their own strong code of honour and hospitality, their distinctive culture and language; and to the southwest, in the vast and sparsely peopled province of Balochistan, live the Baloch, with their own tribal traditions and tongue. To these are joined many smaller groups, and the peoples of the northern mountains, so that Pakistan is home to a rich variety of cultures and to dozens of languages.
The national language is Urdu, a beautiful and poetic tongue that, though the mother language of only a minority, serves as the common language uniting the nation, learned and spoken across the country alongside the regional languages, and carried by the films, songs, and culture of the nation. Beside Urdu, the great regional languages, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Saraiki, and others, are spoken by their peoples, and English serves in government, law, and education, a legacy of British rule. This diversity of peoples and languages, gathered under the shared faith and the common national language, is a defining feature of Pakistan. To understand Pakistan is to understand its many peoples and languages, the rich variety of cultures bound together in one nation.
Family, honour, and the biraderi
The family lies at the very heart of Pakistani life, the deepest and most important of all bonds, and Pakistani families are large, close, and traditionally extended, with the joint family, in which several generations and the families of brothers live together or close by under one roof or one household, remaining common, especially outside the cities. The extended family is the foundation of society, the first source of love, support, identity, and security, and its bonds carry deep obligations of mutual help and loyalty, so that family members support one another through life as a matter of course, and the elderly are honoured and cared for within the family.
Bound up with the family is the deep value of honour, izzat, the dignity, respect, and good name of a person and, above all, of the family, which all its members must uphold and protect, for the conduct of one reflects on all. The honour of the family, including the modesty and reputation of its women, is a matter of the greatest importance, shaping behaviour, choices, marriage, and public conduct, and the maintaining of izzat is a powerful force in Pakistani social life. Beyond the immediate family stands the biraderi, the wider network of kin and clan, a web of relatives bound by blood and marriage that provides support, identity, and obligation, and that plays a meaningful part in marriage, politics, and social life.
Pakistani society is traditionally patriarchal and hierarchical, with age, seniority, and the male head of the household commanding respect and authority, and the young deferring to their elders. The custom of purdah, the seclusion or veiling of women, the separation of the spheres of men and women, is observed in varying degrees, strong in the traditional and conservative, eased among the urban and educated, where women increasingly study, work, and take part in public and professional life. The individual is understood always within the family and the biraderi, owing loyalty and drawing identity from them. To understand Pakistan is to understand the central place of the extended family, the deep value of honour, and the bonds of the biraderi.
The cup of chai
If any one quality defines the Pakistani people, it is their hospitality, a warmth and generosity toward guests that is legendary and lies at the very heart of the culture. Pakistanis love to host, to welcome, and to feed, and the welcome of a guest, even a stranger, is a deep matter of honour and pride, captured in the cherished idea of mehman nawazi, the honouring of the guest. A guest is treated with the utmost respect and generosity, often given the best the household has, and no effort is spared to make a visitor comfortable and well fed, even at great cost to a family of modest means.
The first and constant gesture of this hospitality is the offering of tea, chai, the national drink that flows through Pakistani life and welcome. Black tea brewed with milk and sugar, sweet and strong, is drunk throughout the day and offered to every guest as the first act of welcome, refused only with care, often accompanied by biscuits, sweets, or snacks, and in the south by the cool yoghurt drink lassi. To share the chai is to enter into the bond of hospitality, and the endless cups of sweet milky tea are woven into every social occasion, every visit, and every gathering. The serving of tea and sweets to a guest is among the most beloved of Pakistani customs.
The hospitality extends to the table and beyond, for a guest in a Pakistani home will be fed generously, pressed to eat and eat again, and treated with a warmth and attentiveness that can be overwhelming, for the giving is a point of honour. To refuse the offered hospitality outright can give offence; the gracious way is to accept warmly, at least the tea. This hospitality flows from deep roots in the values of Islam, the traditions of the region, and a genuine warmth and love of company. For a visitor, to receive Pakistani hospitality graciously, to accept the chai and the welcome, is to meet the warm heart of the culture. To understand Pakistan is to understand its legendary hospitality and the endless cup of chai that carries the welcome.
How greetings honour age
Pakistani greetings are warm, courteous, and important, full of the friendliness and the respect that mark the culture. The universal greeting is the Islamic as-salamu alaikum, peace be upon you, with its reply, used by all and at every meeting, followed among men by a handshake, often warm and lingering, and among friends and relatives by an embrace. Between men and women, especially the more religiously observant, the customs are reserved, and a man should not offer to shake a woman's hand unless she extends hers first, greeting instead with a polite nod or a hand to the heart. The greeting is accompanied by warm inquiries after one's health and family.
Respect for elders runs through the whole manner of greeting and address, and is a cornerstone of Pakistani life. Elders are greeted first and with visible respect, sometimes with a gesture of deference, and the young are expected to show humility, not to contradict or raise their voices to their seniors, and to honour the authority of age. Respectful titles and forms of address are used for elders, for those of higher status, and in formal settings, and courtesy and deference are deeply valued. The whole structure of social interaction is shaped by hierarchy, age, and the respect owed up the generations.
Pakistani conversation is warm, expressive, and full of courtesy, hospitality, and feeling, for Pakistanis are sociable and friendly, quick to welcome and to talk, and the language is rich in blessings, pious phrases, and elaborate politeness. Relationships, trust, and personal connection matter greatly, and time is taken for the warm exchange of greetings and inquiries before turning to business or the matter at hand. For a visitor, the keys are to return the warmth, to greet people properly and at leisure, to show clear and visible respect to elders, to follow the other's lead carefully across the lines of gender, and to value the personal relationship. To understand Pakistan is to understand the warmth of its greetings and the deep respect owed to elders.
Biryani, nihari, and the Pakistani table
Pakistani food is rich, hearty, and full of flavour, one of the great cuisines of South Asia, built on wheat and rice, on meat, lentils, and vegetables, and on a deep and generous use of spices, the chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and garam masala that give the food its warmth and depth. The staples are bread, the flat roti and naan baked fresh and eaten with nearly every meal, and rice, and around them are arrayed the rich curries, kebabs, and dishes for which the cuisine is famed.
The beloved dishes are many. There is biryani, the magnificent dish of spiced rice layered with meat, perhaps the most loved of all, a centrepiece of celebration; nihari, the slow-cooked spiced meat stew, a great favourite especially at breakfast; haleem, the thick porridge of meat, wheat, and lentils; the karahi, meat cooked in a wok-like pan with tomatoes and spices; the chapli kebab of the Pashtuns and the many other kebabs; the whole roasted sajji of Balochistan; and the lentil dishes, the daal, eaten everywhere. For the sweet tooth there is a wealth of rich sweets, the gulab jamun, jalebi, kheer, and ras malai, served at celebrations, and the everyday mithai, the sweets shared as gifts and gestures of goodwill.
The meal is a deeply social and generous occasion, often shared from communal dishes, eaten traditionally with the right hand, using bread to scoop, or with cutlery, and central to hospitality, for to feed a guest abundantly is the deepest Pakistani welcome. By custom, elders begin first, and the guest is served generously and pressed to eat more. Chai follows the meal, and as a Muslim country Pakistan observes halal rules, avoiding pork and alcohol. Each region has its own specialities, and the food varies from the rich meat dishes of the north to the fish and rice of Sindh. For a visitor, to share a Pakistani meal, the biryani and the kebabs, the naan and the chai, is to taste the warmth and generosity of the culture. To understand Pakistan is to understand its rich, spiced, hospitable table.
The nights of Ramadan
The holy month of Ramadan is the great event of the Pakistani year, a month that transforms the whole rhythm and feeling of the nation. Through Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, taking neither food nor drink through the daylight hours, and the days grow quiet and slow while the nights come alive. At sunset the fast is broken with the meal called iftar, often shared in great gatherings of family, friends, and community, the tables laden with special foods, the fruits, the fried snacks like pakoras and samosas, the sweet drinks; and before dawn the pre-fast meal, the sehri, is taken. The whole nation observes the fast, charity flows to the poor, and a deep spirit of faith, family, and community fills the month.
The end of Ramadan brings the first of the two great festivals, Eid-ul-Fitr, the feast of the breaking of the fast, a joyful celebration of several days marked by special prayers, new clothes, family gatherings, feasting, the giving of gifts and money to children, and visits to relatives and friends, with the women adorning their hands with henna and the homes filled with sweets. It is one of the high points of the year, a time of immense happiness, generosity, and reunion. The other great festival is Eid-ul-Azha, the feast of the sacrifice, which falls in the season of the pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son in obedience to God, marked by the sacrifice of an animal, a goat, sheep, or cow, whose meat is shared with family, neighbours, and above all the poor, in a great act of charity, along with prayer and feasting.
These two Eids are the central religious festivals of the Pakistani year, deeply observed and joyfully celebrated across the land, gathering families and communities in worship and festivity. The birthday of the Prophet, too, is marked with devotion and celebration. Beside the religious festivals, the rhythm of the year is filled with the festivals of the saints, the seasonal and regional celebrations, and the national days, and Pakistanis love a celebration, the year rich with gatherings of faith, family, and community. To understand Pakistan is to understand the transforming month of Ramadan and the joyful feasts of the two Eids at the heart of the Muslim year.
Basant, the saints, and the festivals
Beyond the great religious feasts, Pakistan keeps a rich and colourful array of festivals drawn from its many peoples, its seasons, its Sufi devotion, and its national story. Among the most beloved and joyful of the seasonal festivals is Basant, the spring kite festival, especially of Lahore and the Punjab, when the skies fill with countless colourful kites and the people celebrate the coming of spring with kite-flying, music, food, and festivity, a celebration of great gaiety and colour, beloved though at times restricted for reasons of safety.
The festivals of the Sufi saints, the urs, are among the most distinctive of Pakistani celebrations, the great gatherings at the shrines marking the death anniversaries of the revered holy men, when crowds of devotees come to celebrate with prayer, the ecstatic devotional music of qawwali, the spinning dance of the devotees, food, and festivity, in events that blend deep religious devotion with joyful celebration. These shrine festivals are a vivid expression of the popular, Sufi-coloured religion of much of Pakistan, and they draw great crowds across the land.
The national days mark the founding and the story of the nation: Independence Day on the fourteenth of August, celebrating the birth of Pakistan in 1947, marked across the land with flags, ceremonies, and rejoicing; Pakistan Day on the twenty-third of March, commemorating the resolution that called for the nation; and the birthday of the founder, Jinnah. To these are joined the many regional and cultural festivals of the provinces and peoples, the harvest and seasonal celebrations, and the festivals of the smaller faiths and communities, so that the Pakistani year is rich and varied with celebration. For a visitor, the festivals offer a vivid window into the faith, the peoples, and the spirit of Pakistan. To understand Pakistan is to understand its festivals, from the kites of Basant to the shrines of the saints and the days of the nation.
The shalwar kameez
The national dress of Pakistan, worn by both men and women across the country, is the shalwar kameez, the elegant and comfortable combination of the kameez, a long tunic or shirt, and the shalwar, loose baggy trousers gathered at the waist and ankle, a dress practical in the climate, modest, and a proud mark of Pakistani and South Asian identity. It is worn everywhere, in the home, the office, the school, and the street, in plain everyday forms and in fine embroidered and decorated versions for festivals and weddings, and it is the everyday wear of the great majority of Pakistanis.
For women, the shalwar kameez is worn with the dupatta, the long scarf draped over the chest or head, which is an essential part of the dress and a mark of modesty, and women's clothing is often beautifully coloured, embroidered, and adorned, especially for celebrations, when it is completed with bangles, jewellery, and the henna patterns of mehndi on the hands. Modesty is the governing value in women's dress, with the covering of the body and often the head, in varying degrees by region, family, and conviction, from the fully veiled to the uncovered, and many women cover the hair with the dupatta or a scarf.
The many peoples of Pakistan keep their own distinctive regional dress and adornments, worn with pride: the turban and the bright colours of the Punjab; the ajrak, the block-printed cloth, and the embroidered topi cap of Sindh; the pakol, the soft round cap, of the Pashtuns; the rich embroidery of the Baloch. Men in the cities also wear Western shirts and trousers, especially for business, but the shalwar kameez remains the national dress and a symbol of identity. For a visitor, modest dress is expected, especially for women, covering the arms and legs, with a scarf useful for the head, and particular modesty at mosques and shrines. To understand Pakistan is to understand the shalwar kameez, the national dress, and the value of modesty that governs how its people dress.
The turning points of a life
The great milestones of life in Pakistan are marked with deep ceremony, the gathering of the extended family and biraderi, and the rich customs of faith and tradition, and they are among the most joyful and important expressions of the culture. Birth is welcomed with great rejoicing, especially the birth of a son, and the arrival of a child is celebrated by the family with Islamic customs of naming, the whispering of the call to prayer in the newborn's ear, and, for boys, circumcision, amid family gatherings and the sharing of sweets.
The wedding is the supreme celebration, and Pakistani weddings are large, lavish, and joyful affairs that unfold over several days and many ceremonies, gathering the wider family, the biraderi, and a great host of guests in festivity. The celebrations include the mehndi night, when the bride's hands and feet are adorned with intricate henna amid music, dancing, and the singing and drumming of the dholki; the nikah, the Islamic marriage ceremony with its recitation from the Quran and the signing of the contract; the baraat, the groom's wedding procession to claim the bride; and the walima, the feast given by the groom's family to celebrate the union. Marriage is a union of families as much as of individuals, often arranged or guided by the families, and the wedding, with its splendour, its feasting, and its gathering of the kin, is among the most important events of Pakistani life.
Death is marked according to Islamic custom, swiftly and with deep communal support. The body is washed, wrapped in a plain white shroud, and buried, without a coffin and facing Mecca, before sunset on the day of death if possible, in the Muslim way that stresses humility and equality before God. The family receives condolences, the community gathers in mourning and support, the Quran is recited, and remembrance is offered after set days. Through the milestones of life run the enduring threads of Pakistani culture: family, faith, honour, community, and the love of both celebration and shared mourning. To understand Pakistan is to understand these milestones, where family and faith mark the passage of every Pakistani life.
What courtesy asks
Pakistani life is governed by a warm but real sense of courtesy bound to religion, honour, and the respect of elders, and a visitor who understands a few key customs will be warmly received. The most important rules concern the hands and feet, as across the Muslim world: the left hand is considered unclean and is not used for eating, giving, or receiving, all done with the right hand; and the feet are the lowest part of the body, so one does not point the soles of the feet or shoes at another person, nor prop them up toward others. Shoes are removed before entering homes and mosques.
Respect for Islam and its customs is paramount. One should be quiet and respectful around prayer times and mosques, dress and behave modestly, and be sensitive during Ramadan, when eating, drinking, or smoking in public during the daylight fast is inconsiderate and best avoided. Public displays of affection between couples are frowned upon, and the separation and modesty between unrelated men and women should be respected. Modesty in dress and behaviour is always appreciated. A small gift, such as good sweets, chocolates, or flowers, is a kind gesture when visiting a home, given and received with the right hand, but one should never offer alcohol or pork.
Respect for elders, for those of higher status, and for religious feeling runs through all of Pakistani etiquette, as does the deep concern for honour and the avoidance of giving offence or causing embarrassment, which must always be handled with care, criticism given gently and never before others. In manner, warmth, patience, courtesy, and respect are the keys; Pakistanis value good humour, friendliness, hospitality, and respect, and dislike rudeness, arrogance, and public anger. The warm greeting, the gracious acceptance of hospitality, visible respect for elders and for religion, and a modest, courteous manner open every door. To understand Pakistan is to understand its courtesy, the rules of hand and foot, the respect owed to faith, elders, and honour, and the warmth that underlies it all.
Cricket and the national passion
No account of Pakistan is complete without its great national passion: cricket, the sport that, more than any other, unites and excites the nation, loved with a depth and a fervour that is hard to overstate. Cricket is by far the most popular sport in Pakistan, played by children in every street, alley, and open field with whatever bat and ball can be found, followed with devotion on television and radio, and the cause of national celebration and national heartbreak. The fortunes of the national team are a matter of intense feeling for the whole country, and great players are heroes revered across the land.
The passion for cricket reaches its height in the matches against India, the great rival, which are among the most watched and most charged sporting events in the world, gripping both nations and stirring the deepest feelings of pride and rivalry. Pakistan has produced some of the finest cricketers in the history of the game, fast bowlers and batsmen and all-rounders of legendary skill, and the nation's victories, above all its triumph in the World Cup, are cherished moments of national glory. One of the most celebrated of all Pakistani cricketers went on to become the country's prime minister, a measure of the sport's place in national life.
Cricket in Pakistan is far more than a game; it is a unifying passion that crosses the lines of region, language, and class, a source of shared identity, joy, and pride for a diverse nation, and a focus of national feeling in a country that has known much division and difficulty. The street game, the gathered crowds before a television in a match, the celebration of a victory, the despair of a defeat, are part of the texture of Pakistani life. Other sports are played, field hockey long a national strength, and the traditional games of the regions, but cricket reigns supreme. To understand Pakistan is to understand the national passion for cricket, the game that unites and thrills the nation.
Qawwali, poetry, and the arts
Pakistan holds a rich artistic heritage, drawn from its Islamic and Sufi traditions, its many peoples, and the deep cultural inheritance of the subcontinent, and several of its arts are treasured across the world. Greatest of all, perhaps, is the devotional music called qawwali, the passionate, soaring, hypnotic Sufi song of divine love, sung to the rhythm of hand-clapping, harmonium, and drum, which rises to ecstasy at the shrines and concert halls alike, and which gave the world one of its greatest voices in the legendary singer whose qawwali carried Pakistani music across the globe. Beside it stand the classical music of the subcontinent, the ghazal, the sung love poem, and the rich folk music of every region and people.
Poetry holds a place of the deepest honour in Pakistani culture, for the love of poetry, above all in Urdu, runs through the whole society, and the great poets are national heroes, their verses known, quoted, and sung by all. The poetry of love, of mysticism, of philosophy, and of the nation, in Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, and the other languages, is a living and beloved art, recited at gatherings called mushairas, and the national poet, whose verses helped inspire the very idea of Pakistan, is revered above all. The Sufi poetry of divine love, sung at the shrines, is woven into the religious and cultural life of the people.
Pakistan's other arts are rich too: the beautiful tradition of Islamic calligraphy and the miniature painting of Lahore; the splendid handicrafts of the regions, the carpets and textiles, the embroidered cloths, the ajrak of Sindh, the Kashmiri shawls, the pottery, the metalwork and woodwork; the architecture, from the ancient Indus cities and the glorious Mughal mosques, forts, and gardens of Lahore to the modern monuments of the nation; and a lively film and television industry, the dramas beloved across the country and beyond. This rich blend of the religious and the worldly, the classical and the folk, the ancient and the modern, marks all of Pakistani art. To understand Pakistan is to understand its arts, the qawwali, the poetry, the calligraphy, and the deep cultural soul of the nation.
The nation today
Pakistan today is a federal parliamentary republic of about two hundred and forty million people, the fifth most populous nation on earth, a nuclear-armed power and a significant nation in South Asia and the Muslim world, with its capital at Islamabad, its largest city the port of Karachi, and its cultural heart at Lahore. It is governed by a prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, as head of government, and a president, Asif Ali Zardari, as head of state, though the powerful military has long played a central role in national life. The national language is Urdu, the faith of the great majority Islam, and the country was founded as a homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
Modern Pakistan faces serious challenges. It is a young and fast-growing nation, with a large and youthful population, but it has long struggled with political instability, alternating between civilian and military rule and marked by deep divisions; with economic difficulty, including debt, inflation, and the strain of providing for so vast a population; with the threats of militancy and terrorism that have cost it dearly; with the lasting rivalry and disputes with neighbouring India, including over Kashmir; and with the pressures of poverty, energy shortages, and a changing climate, including devastating floods, upon a crowded land. These are the concerns of a great and complex nation working to meet the needs of its huge population.
Through all its modern trials, Pakistan holds firmly to the identity that defines it. It remains the homeland founded for the Muslims of the subcontinent, born of the Partition of 1947; the deep Muslim faith and the rich Sufi heritage still run through its life; the many peoples and languages still make up its rich diversity; the deep bonds of family, honour, and the biraderi still anchor society; the legendary hospitality and the cup of chai still open every door; and the passion for cricket still unites the nation. To know Pakistan is to meet a great and youthful nation of deep faith, warm hospitality, rich culture, and enduring family, the land of the Indus and the Mughals, a homeland built on an idea and bound together by faith, hospitality, and a love of poetry, music, and the game of cricket.