What do Pakistanis have in common?

[Zyxius]

I'm curious to know what it is the people of Pakistan have in common.

What I mean to say is that we have Muhajirs, Sindhis, Pathans, Balochis, Punjabis, Gujratis, Seraikis, and so many other communities in Pakistan that dont speak the same language and dont really have the same culture...so what is it that we have in common?

Whatever it is that we have in common is likely the thing that unites the people of Pakistan into a country. I would like to know what this is and I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say on this.

Also....lets keep exchanges from other threads out of this...this is supposed to be a separate issue altogether.

 

[Energon]

so what is it that we* have in common?

A Pakistani citizenship (*not sure which citizenship you have).

 

[Myth_buster_1]

I'm curious to know what it is the people of Pakistan have in common.

What I mean to say is that we have Muhajirs, Sindhis, Pathans, Balochis, Punjabis, Gujratis, Seraikis, and so many other communities in Pakistan that dont speak the same language and dont really have the same culture...so what is it that we have in common?

Whatever it is that we have in common is likely the thing that unites the people of Pakistan into a country. I would like to know what this is and I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say on this.

Also....lets keep exchanges from other threads out of this...this is supposed to be a separate issue altogether.

okay like... Islamic republic of Pakistan? does that ring any bells??

 

[Zyxius]

okay like... Islamic republic of Pakistan? does that ring any bells??

You mean that it is Islam that we all have in common?

Energon
A Pakistani citizenship (*not sure which citizenship you have).

You mean other than the green passport....the people of this country have nothing in common with each other?

(and I have a Pakistani passport in addition to two others)

 

[Energon]

You mean that it is Islam that we all have in common?

Not all Pakistanis are Muslim. Besides other religious groups, I imagine Pakistan also has its share of atheists or non conformists who don't categorize themselves as Muslims. So it certainly isn't Islam that is the common thread binding the entire populace of Pakistan.

You mean other than the green passport....the people of this country have nothing in common with each other?

No. Not all Pakistanis have a passport.

I think its going to be very hard to find one particular characteristic that all Pakistanis share exclusively. Of course there are many commonalities, but their magnitudes vary; however if one were to look for the common factor of the highest order, I imagine it would be a Pakistani citizenship.

 

[Zyxius]

Not all Pakistanis are Muslim. Besides other religious groups, I imagine Pakistan also has its share of atheists or non conformists who don't categorize themselves as Muslims.

Actually, 98% of Pakistanis are Muslim.

So it certainly isn't Islam that is the common thread binding the entire populace of Pakistan.

Since 98% of Pakistanis are Muslim....this is the one thing that almost everyone has in common. There may be others...but I am wondering what they are...it isn't language, it isn't culture, or even ethnicity.

No. Not all Pakistanis have a passport.

very true. In fact, most don't.

I think its going to be very hard to find one particular characteristic that all Pakistanis share exclusively.

Well we have identified one that 98% share.

Of course there are many commonalities, but their magnitudes vary; however if one were to look for the common factor of the highest order, I imagine it would be a Pakistani citizenship.

I guess the question, if one were to phrase it differently, is "what makes us Pakistanis?" So I don't think the answer, "that we all have Pakistani citizenship" is valid because it sort of refers to itself. What do you think?

 

[Flintlock]

Islam. Islam is what you have in common.

There's always "Pakistaniat", which should probably be gaining hearts by now, since its been 60+ years since the government began to drill patriotism into young schoolkids.

 

[Energon]

Actually, 98% of Pakistanis are Muslim.

Since 98% of Pakistanis are Muslim....this is the one thing that almost everyone has in common. There may be others...but I am wondering what they are...it isn't language, it isn't culture, or even ethnicity.

That figure does not account for atheists and non-conformist; there are no official stats for this group, which doesn't mean that they do not exist in significant numbers. However I agree that a significant majority of the Pakistani populace identify themselves as Muslims (but not all).

I guess the question, if one were to phrase it differently, is "what makes us Pakistanis?" So I don't think the answer, "that we all have Pakistani citizenship" is valid because it sort of refers to itself. What do you think?

I don't think Islam makes one a Pakistani; reason being that the Islamic faith isn't a characteristic exclusive to someone from Pakistan. IMO what you're looking for is an attribute that connects the people living within the political borders of the nation known as Pakistan. Right now, the citizenship is the best option fulfilling this requirement.

Mind you, I'm not trying to be difficult or malignantly facetious by giving you this answer knowing very well what you're trying to elicit by posing this question. The point I'm trying to make here is that the identity of a nation-state, which is what Pakistan is now, is an ethnocentric Western European concept signifying a societal atom which has been imposed upon the rest of the world where the similar prerequisites didn't exist. So unlike the western European nations of yesteryear who came up with this concept, it is going to be highly unlikely for the rest of the countries around the world to find commonalities among the populace residing within its borders thereby defining a social atom. Pakistan is no exception.

The idea is not to go by "what makes us Pakistani" but rather, what can the Pakistani establishment do now to connect its vast and dissimilar populace who happen to have a large number of differences (other than their citizenship of course ) and build a healthy and self sustaining society. Retrofitting, fabricating or enforcing singular/free standing themes (like religion or political ideology) to "convince" people into homogenizing is usually a bad idea. This process is slow, arduous, dynamic and multi-faceted.

 

[roadrunner]

Why do Pakistanis need anything in common? Isn't diversity a good thing? Would it not be boring if Pakistan was all white, or all brown, or all black, or all Shia, or all Sunni, or all Punjabi, or all Pathan, or all the same views?

 

[Flintlock]

Why do Pakistanis need anything in common? Isn't diversity a good thing? Would it not be boring if Pakistan was all white, or all brown, or all black, or all Shia, or all Sunni, or all Punjabi, or all Pathan, or all the same views?

Diversity is a very new idea. Till around 70 years ago, most countries strived to be as homogeneous as possible in everything - race, architecture, ideas.

Only since the black equality movement in the US, the Indian Independence movement and the end of Apartheid in SA (in chronological order) has the idea of diversity within a society gained acceptance.

Most countries with diverse population tend to ghettoize and work against each other, and this experiment has proved far from successful so far. However, with an increasingly globalized world, we have little choice but to accept diversity as a fact of life.
There are certain advantages, but there are also numerous disadvantages.

 

[roadrunner]

Diversity is a very new idea. Till around 70 years ago, most countries strived to be as homogeneous as possible in everything - race, architecture, ideas.

Only since the black equality movement in the US, the Indian Independence movement and the end of Apartheid in SA (in chronological order) has the idea of diversity within a society gained acceptance.

Most countries with diverse population tend to ghettoize and work against each other, and this experiment has proved far from successful so far. However, with an increasingly globalized world, we have little choice but to accept diversity as a fact of life.
There are certain advantages, but there are also numerous disadvantages.

Seriously, what is wrong with you? You're so blind to all propaganda, I'm wondering whether you really are this gullible and naive, or you're just believing it because you want to believe it, or you believe it because you can't think of any other possibility.

You may say that the black equality movement of the US has done something to address racial harmony to an extent in the US, but in no way put anything Indian into this category. The South Africans also do not belong in this category - they were the last people to end ethnic discrimination in the world.

You should recall that as early as 1947, the African Makrani people had the same rights as a white Pashtun in Pakistan. Just because you read that the US started racial tolerance, does not mean other countries did not have racial harmony since long ago. The west was most probably the last place where racial harmony came into being, and it's still not completely tolerant over race.To put Indians into the category is the height of stupidity.

 

[Flintlock]

Seriously, what is wrong with you? You're so blind to all propaganda, I'm wondering whether you really are this gullible and naive, or you're just believing it because you want to believe it, or you believe it because you can't think of any other possibility.

You may say that the black equality movement of the US has done something to address racial harmony to an extent in the US, but in no way put anything Indian into this category. The South Africans also do not belong in this category - they were the last people to end ethnic discrimination in the world.

You should recall that as early as 1947, the African Makrani people had the same rights as a white Pashtun in Pakistan. Just because you read that the US started racial tolerance, does not mean other countries did not have racial harmony since long ago. The west was most probably the last place where racial harmony came into being, and it's still not completely tolerant over race.To put Indians into the category is the height of stupidity.

Read my post again. It mentions Race, Architecture, Ideas. I"ll be clearer: Race, Religion, Ideology, Opinion, Aesthetics.

"Unity in Diversity", I'll repeat, is mainly a 20th century development. Very few nations in the history of mankind have ever truly managed "unity in diversity". Perhaps none.

 

[Vinod2070]

"Unity in Diversity", I'll repeat, is mainly a 20th century development. Very few nations in the history of mankind have ever truly managed "unity in diversity". Perhaps none.

India seems to be doing pretty well!

 

[Keysersoze]

India seems to be doing pretty well!

Dude did you type that with a straight face? I mean seriously? Have you paid attention to the religious riots and civil strife in your country?

How many separatist movements are there in India again?

Must be different definition of "unity" in Indian dictionaries.

 

[muse]

There's that self congratulatory attitude again - despite evidence caste, ahmadabad, communalism, naxalites -- but stillf make room for triumphal self congratulation -- sure, OK, India is doing great, khush?