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11 things Pakistanis are great at
By Omar R Quraishi
Published: April 4, 2015
Ranging from hospitality to 'Jugaar', Pakistanis make everyone proud with their habits. PHOTO: AFP
1. Hospitality
In Pakistan, a guest is, in fact, the master of the house and given special treatment. Foreigners who come to Pakistan swear by the hospitality they receive and are bowled over when people they’ve never invite them over for a meal. Taken to an extreme though, this hospitality can be a weakness, explaining why so many foreign militants have found a home in Pakistan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
2. Jugaar
There is no real English equivalent for this word and perhaps the closest that comes to its meaning is improvisation. In Pakistan, ‘jugaar’ could means anything from having your brand new iPhone unlocked to the plumber/electrician/mechanic doing something that their counterparts in the west would not even think about, and all at a very affordable price.
PHOTO COURTESY: I WRITE A LOT
3. Conspiracy theories
Pakistanis, by and large, love conspiracy theories and can come up with one for just about anything imaginable. Of course, the most popular of these involve a combination of India, America and Israel and their respective intelligence agencies.
STOCK IMAGE
4. Music
Pakistan is a powerhouse in music, which is odd given that its neighbour has a thriving film industry, with the assumption being that this would at least, over time, improve the quality of music as well. Pakistan, currently, has too many bands and musicians to mention in this brief space — and its music is now increasingly gaining fans all across the world.
PHOTO: PUBLICITY
5. Not following traffic rules
You just need to step out on the road of any major city in Pakistan to see this play out over and over in front of your eyes.
PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS
6. Blaming everyone else but themselves
This applies not only to geopolitics where Pakistan is always considered a victim of scheming India/America but to just about anything. Those who do this usually lack the rather basic — and helpful — ability to look inwards and analyse and admit their own mistakes. Of course, on the very important issue of fighting militancy, this tendency can have a particularly pernicious effect because it serves to ignore the state’s own faults and culpability.
PHOTO: REUTERS
7. Jumping queues
This happens most at banks and airports. In the case of the latter, it’s almost as if those cutting the line to move forward think that the plane will leave early now that they have boarded. In general, there is a culture which does not look down upon doing such a thing and hence, most people find nothing wrong with such social behaviour.
PHOTO: ONLINE
By Omar R Quraishi
Published: April 4, 2015
Ranging from hospitality to 'Jugaar', Pakistanis make everyone proud with their habits. PHOTO: AFP
1. Hospitality
In Pakistan, a guest is, in fact, the master of the house and given special treatment. Foreigners who come to Pakistan swear by the hospitality they receive and are bowled over when people they’ve never invite them over for a meal. Taken to an extreme though, this hospitality can be a weakness, explaining why so many foreign militants have found a home in Pakistan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
2. Jugaar
There is no real English equivalent for this word and perhaps the closest that comes to its meaning is improvisation. In Pakistan, ‘jugaar’ could means anything from having your brand new iPhone unlocked to the plumber/electrician/mechanic doing something that their counterparts in the west would not even think about, and all at a very affordable price.
PHOTO COURTESY: I WRITE A LOT
3. Conspiracy theories
Pakistanis, by and large, love conspiracy theories and can come up with one for just about anything imaginable. Of course, the most popular of these involve a combination of India, America and Israel and their respective intelligence agencies.
STOCK IMAGE
4. Music
Pakistan is a powerhouse in music, which is odd given that its neighbour has a thriving film industry, with the assumption being that this would at least, over time, improve the quality of music as well. Pakistan, currently, has too many bands and musicians to mention in this brief space — and its music is now increasingly gaining fans all across the world.
PHOTO: PUBLICITY
5. Not following traffic rules
You just need to step out on the road of any major city in Pakistan to see this play out over and over in front of your eyes.
PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS
6. Blaming everyone else but themselves
This applies not only to geopolitics where Pakistan is always considered a victim of scheming India/America but to just about anything. Those who do this usually lack the rather basic — and helpful — ability to look inwards and analyse and admit their own mistakes. Of course, on the very important issue of fighting militancy, this tendency can have a particularly pernicious effect because it serves to ignore the state’s own faults and culpability.
PHOTO: REUTERS
7. Jumping queues
This happens most at banks and airports. In the case of the latter, it’s almost as if those cutting the line to move forward think that the plane will leave early now that they have boarded. In general, there is a culture which does not look down upon doing such a thing and hence, most people find nothing wrong with such social behaviour.
PHOTO: ONLINE