Introduction:
The name Pakistan means "land of the pure" in Urdu and Persian. It
alludes to the word (pak) meaning "pure" in Persian and Pashto. The
suffix (-stan) is a Persian suffix meaning the place of.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a country located in South Asia, came into
being on 14th August 1947. Being 1947, it was merged with India and was known
as ‘Bar e Sagheer Pak o Hind’. Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. The
traditional conflict with India has led to several military confrontations,
with wars fought in 1947, 1965, and 1971. Geographically, Pakistan covers the
area from Himalaya (mountain name) down to the Arabian Sea. India, China,
Afghanistan and Iran are the neighbor countries of Pakistan.
Urdu
is the national language of Pakistan. Pakistan has five provinces named as
‘Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit Baltistan’.
Northern areas are the most beautiful places in Pakistan. Some of the facts
about Pakistan have been mentioned here.
1.
Pakistani Cultures:
Our
beautiful country Pakistan has a unique and rich culture that upholds
conventions and traditions. Pakistani culture is rich in a variety of dresses;
these dresses are very colorful and prominent and give attractive look during
national fairs and festivals.
Pakistan's
culture is very diverse. There are 15 major ethnic groups in Pakistan, which
differ not only in their culture but also in many different aspects. Especially
five provinces of Pakistan have unique cultures. Like Pathan culture (Culture
of people living in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa), Punjab Culture (Culture of people
living in Punjab), Sindh culture (Culture of people living in Sindh), Baloch
culture (Culture of people living in Balochistan), Gilgit Baltistan culture
(Culture of people living in Gilgit). These cultures are uniquely different
from each other in different aspects like historical bloodlines, customs,
dress, food, and music. Pathans have been noted as fierce fighters, and throughout
history, they have offered strong resistance to invaders. Most of them wear a
Chitrali cap. According to the population, Punjab is the biggest province of
Pakistan with 56% of the total population of the country.
Link:https://theculturetrip.com/asia/pakistan/articles/13-things-you-should-know-about-pakistani-culture/
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| Pakistan's Culture |
2.
Sports in Pakistan:
Pakistani
people are great lovers of games and sports. A variety of Sports is being
played in Pakistan but cricket seems to be the most popular sport in Pakistan.
Pakistan also has won the cricket world cup 1992 in the supervision of team
Captain Imran Khan (currently, president of Pakistan) and ICC World Twenty20 as
well as being runner-ups in the cricket world cup 1999. Games such as soccer,
tennis, badminton, hockey and table tennis are some of the other famous games
played in Pakistan. Pakistan has produced great sportsmanship in the past.
Pakistan
as a Winner;
- 1992 Cricket World Cup Winner
- 2009 T20 World Cup Winner
- Three gold medals at the Olympics in Field Hockey.
- Hockey Champions Trophy winners (1978, 1980, 1994).
Pakistani
Top Athletes;
- Imran Khan (cricket)
- Javed Miandad (cricket)
- Waseem Akram (cricket)
- Carla Khan (squash)
- Jahangir Khan (squash)
- Arshad Khan (hockey)
3.
Peshawar; The city of flower:
Peshawar
is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located near
the eastern end of historical Khyber Pass, close to the border with
Afghanistan. Peshawar is one of the most ancient cities. It existed as a small
village in the 5th century BCE. It is also a cultural and economic hub of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The city is famous for its food and tourism as it is one of
the oldest city of Pakistan with recorded history dates back to 539 BC.
99%
of the people live in Peshawar are Pathan. The Pashto language is spoken in
Peshawar. Peshawar is also known for its hospitality. The people are very
hospitable. Because of a lot of flowers, Peshawar was known as ‘The city of
flowers’. However, as terrorist attacks often occur, therefore Peshawar is now
called ‘city of war’, ’city of Bombing’. Due to the recent attack on Army
Public School, Peshawar in December 2014, it was considered as the center for
terrorists. People in Peshawar believe that the city will have a lot of flowers
and many tourists from all over the world visit to enjoy good and old townscape
and Pashtun culture again in the near future.
Islamia
College, Peshawar Museum, Muhabat Khan Mosque, Bala Hisar Fort, Jamrud Fort,
Qissa Khwani Bazar, The Cunningham Clock Tower and Chowk Yadgar are some of the
most famous historical places in Peshawar. Qissa Khawa bazar is the oldest of
all these. It was a strange concoction of architectural and cultural influences
of different eras. Like everywhere else in Pakistan, little efforts have been made
to preserve the heritage here. Storytellers are gone leaving behind just the
stories of their storytelling.
Link:https://www.britannica.com/place/Peshawar https://www.wefindyougo.com/best-tourist-places-in-peshawar-pakistan/
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| Islamia College Peshawar |
4.
Islamabad; the Capital:
Peaceful,
quiet, calm, green; these describe the essential makeup of Islamabad, the
capital city of Pakistan. Islamabad is located in the northwest of the country
on Potohar Plateau. The whole population of Islamabad consists of people from
different religions. Sects and provinces. As compared to the other cities of
Pakistan, the weather mostly remains normal due to the mountains located in
Islamabad capital territory. Before Islamabad, Karachi (Capital of Sindh
Province) was the capital of Pakistan. In order to replace it, Islamabad was
built in 1960. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are two close cities with separation by
a road, therefore these are called twin cities. As it is the seat of government
in Pakistan, the city by default is a focal point of excellent security and law
and order facilities.
Margalla
Hills, Shah Faisal Mosque, F9 Park, Rawal Dam, Daman Koh, Shikar Panyan, Monal,
and Lake View Park are some of the beautiful places of Islamabad which attract
the tourists from all over the world. Finally, I would like to specially
mention Centaurus Mall which is one of the big trade centers in Islamabad.
Link:https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293960-Islamabad_Islamabad_Capital_Territory-Vacations.html https://aroundpakistan.com/top-ten-attractive-must-visit-places-in-islamabad/
5.
Languages in Pakistan:
Urdu
is the national language of Pakistan. It is the world's first language spoken
by nearly 70 million people and as a second language by more than 100 million
people, predominantly in Pakistan and India. Other than Urdu, the native
languages spoken in Pakistan are Pashto, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Gilgiti,
Gujrati, Saraiki, Hindko, etc.
Pashto
and Hindko are spoken in Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa, Punjabi and Saraiki are spoken
in Punjab, Sindhi and in some parts Saraiki is spoken in Sindh, Gilgit is
spoken is Gilgit Baltistan. Arabic, Persian, and English are some of the
minority languages spoken in Pakistan.
6.
Lahore; the Heart of Pakistan:
It
is the second-largest city in Pakistan. Lahore is the capital of Punjab. It is
also one of the old city of Pakistan having an ancient history of Iranians,
Mongols, and Firangi. Lahore has always been a seat of learning and knowledge
having ‘The University of Punjab’, which is the oldest university in Pakistan.
It includes engineering universities i.e UET Lahore, medical college’s i.e
Edwards Medical College, business platforms, software houses, and other
educational institutes.
One
of the most famous architectures of the city is known as the Lahore Fort which
was built during Mughal Rule by Akbar the Great. The architecture, beautiful
history and the mixed culture of the city make it a dynamic and vibrant city,
one not to miss a visit to if given the chance.
Some
of the historical places include Lahore Fort, Badshahi Mosque (Where poet of
East Dr. Allama Iqbal is buried; 21st April 1938), Minar-e-Pakistan (Where
Pakistan Resolution was passed on 23rd March 1940).
Because
of its unique culture due to history, it is known as ‘The Heart of Pakistan’.
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| Minar e Pakistan |
7.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan:
Dr.
Abdul Qadeer Khan is known as the national hero of Pakistan. He was born on 1st
April 1936 in India. He is one of the key figures in the Pakistan Nuclear
Weapons program. In 1974, Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto met him
and encouraged him to do everything whatever he can do for Pakistan to be the
atomic power. In 1975, Dr. Abdul Qadeer stole drawings of centrifuges and
assembled a list of mainly European suppliers where parts could be procured. In
December 1975, he left Netherland for Pakistan and brought his blueprint copies
and suppliers list to Pakistan. Thus, he is the originator of the Pakistan
Atomic Bomb. He has his own laboratory named ‘Khan Research Laboratory (KRL)’
in Pakistan.
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| Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan |
8.
Religion in Pakistan:
Pakistan
is an Islamic country located in South Asia. 97% of Pakistani are Muslim while
the remaining 3% include Hindu, Christians, etc. Out of these 97% Muslims, 77%
are Sunni Muslims and 20% are Shia Muslims. Pakistan is the world’s second-most
populous Muslim-Majority after Iran with 97% of the Muslim population.
Here
is the chart of the Pakistan population according to religious beliefs and
freedom in Pakistan.
Link:https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-and-freedoms-in-pakistan.html https://www.uh.edu/~sriaz/religion/index.html
9.
Noble Prizes in Pakistan:
Just two people from Pakistan have won the noble prizes.
a.
Malala Yousafzai for peace in 2014;
She
defeated Taliban in Swat, Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to
receive an education. Though she was by one of the Talib in the head but she
survived and went on to receive the noble prize.
b.
Dr. Abdus Salam for Physics in 1979;
Because
of his contribution to the theory of unified weak and electromagnetic
interaction between elementary particles and the prediction of the weak neutral
current.
10.
Parachinar Gallery:
The
old name of Parachinar is “Totkai”. Parachinar is one of the most beautiful
places in the Federal Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and capital of district
Kurram surrounded by Afghan areas on three sides. It is located in the
north-east of Pakistan. Afghanistan province Nangarhar is in the north-east of
Parachinar. The popularity of Parachinar increases due to the Tora Bora and Koh
e Sufaid of Afghanistan.
District
Kurram (Parachinar) is leading all districts in FATA in the field of education.
Due to the government’s lack of attention, the whole districts and cities,
including Parachinar, are deprived of various facilities. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
approved a medical college at Parachinar, which General Ziaul Haq later moved
to Abbottabad. A cadet college has been established in the subdivision of
district South Waziristan but even though district Kurram has a significant
position in the educational field, Cadet College has still not been
established.
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| Parachinar City in Winter |
The
people of district Kurram are very friendly and hospitable. They feel happy by
inviting friends to their home and visit the different beautiful places in
Parachinar. The ‘Kurrami rice’ is extremely delicious and cooked often once a
day in the homes. Various dry fruits of Parachinar are very famous. Similarly,
Parachinar is known for its peanuts in Pakistan.
Author: AAMIR ABBAS
Email: aamirsea110@gmail.com
Email: aamirsea110@gmail.com
PIEAS, Islamabad
