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I’ve been questioned several times about things like “why don’t you wear a hijab if you’re from Pakistan” or “how do your parents allow you to wear western attire if you’re from a Muslim country like Pakistan. “Aren’t you supposed to wear those black clothes” or “How do you know English if you’re from Pakistan?” and most surprisingly “There’s *inserts name of any other cuisine other than curry* in Pakistan?”. I’m bombarded with so many of these and other such questions on an everyday basis and it is surprising how clueless people are about Pakistan or how limited their knowledge is about my country.
To most people in this world, Pakistan is basically just corruption, messy politics, terrorism, and a bunch of Muslims. We live in a world where media dominates the reputation of almost everything. And in my experience, the most disappointing fact is how Pakistani media never fails to highlight the negative things about Pakistan.
Four years of living in abroad, one thing I’ve learned is that no country is perfect. There are negative aspects to every country but that doesn’t make the country bad. It doesn’t change people’s perspectives on the country and that’s because they aren’t as highlighted and negatively advertised in the world media. Pakistan is a country way beyond what it’s known for in the media. Here are just the basics that are actually never that talked about.
Came into existence in 1947, Pakistan actually means “Land of the Pure”. To all the sports lovers out there, take a look at where your soccer balls are being manufactured, chances are Pakistan. Sialkot, a small town in Pakistan, produces more than 50%-70% of the worlds soccer balls, used in world-recognized events such as the FIFA World Cup and sold internationally to companies like Adidas.
“If you’re from Pakistan, how do you know English?”
Most schools in Pakistan start teaching English as soon as ages 4. Privileged schools run a Cambridge British Curriculum enabling students to succeed in every educational system internationally. We’ve succeeded as far as being position holders in world known universities and getting admitted into IV League schools on scholarships. Internationally, there are Doctors, Engineering’s, and skilled workers who are Pakistanis yet it’s still assumed our professions only go as far as labour work. In fact, the world’s youngest certified Microsoft experts, Arfa Karim and Babar Iqbal are both from Pakistan and achieved this title at the age of just 9 and the youngest Civil Judge in the world, Muhammad Ilyas, is also Pakistani.
“Isn’t there just deserts and forests?”
Uh… no. As far as desserts go, Tharparkar Desert is the only fertile desert in the world and it’s in Pakistan. And as far as forests go, Changa Manga, the worlds largest and oldest man-made forest is in Lahore, Pakistan, built on an area of approx 12,423 acres. But we also have the world’s largest irrigation system, second tallest mountain in the world K2, world’s largest deep sea port Gwadar Port, the world’s second largest salt mine, one of the world’s longest glaciers, and the highest paved international road in the world, the Karakoram Highway connecting China and Pakistan (8th wonder of the world btw), the world’s highest polo ground, the largest earth filled dam in the world, the world’s largest ambulance network and lastly, we are the only Muslim nuclear country in the world. So no, Pakistan is not deserts and forests.
“Aren’t there just Muslims in Pakistan”
There are two colours in our flag, green and white. The green represents the Muslim population of our country and the white represents all other religions and cultures – The minorities. Yes, we are a Muslim country but all other cultures present amongst us are treated with heartwarming respect and are welcomed. They are our teachers, our peers, our friends and their cultures and religions are highly respected. They are given the same rights and the same privileges as any other citizen living in the country.
We are known for our hospitality and welcoming nature. Be it Eid, Diwali, Holi, or Christmas, all occasions are happily celebrated unitedly and with great respect. More than 60 languages are spoken in the country but Urdu and English are the official languages. (PS we have the 6th largest population in the world)
A messy political system and people’s views on a country doesn’t define a country’s worth. What the media advertises is not always 100% accurate and it is most definitely not everything there is about a country. Every country in this world is way beyond what is being advertised on media and being communicated within society so don’t limit your opinions to what’s being telecasted on the news only. Today, many citizens of Pakistan leave their beloved country for education, a change in the standard of living, jobs, and a variety of other reasons.
But regardless of living in a different country, we miss every little thing about our country from the noise of the traffic on the roads to the amazing street food. From the beautiful beaches to the puddles on the roads after the rain. From load-shedding to growing up playing the most creative games on the streets. From baraf pani to chuppan chuppai. Halwa puri for breakfast and Burns Road for lunch. It’s the little things we miss. Our love for Pakistan never dies and our hope for a better Pakistan forever lives in our hearts because there’s no other place like Pakistan in this world.
