UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, ATTOCK CAMPUS

SUBMITTED BY: BIBI ALINA WAJID

SUBMITTED TO: MA'AM SADIA

STUDENT ID: bsf1900617

SUBJECT: LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND IDENTITY

TOPIC: PAKISTANI CULTURE AND LANGUAGES

DEPARTMENT: BS_ENGLISH 4TH SEMESTER

Pakistani culture is very diverse:
Thanks to its historical, geographical and ethnic diversity, Pakistan’s culture is a melting pot of Indian,
Persian, Afghan, Central Asian, South Asian and Western Asian influences. There are over 15 major
ethnic groups in Pakistan, which differ in physical features, historical bloodlines, customs, dress, food
and music. Some of these include Punjabis, Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns, Kashmiris, Hazaras, Makranis and
Baltis, coming from regions as close to home as the Indus Valley or as far as Africa or Tibet. Other than
ancient ethnic elements, the religious influence of Islam has also strongly shaped Pakistani culture since
it first came to the region in AD 700

PAKISTANI PROVIDENCES AND THEIR LIFE STYLE, CULTURE AND CUSTOMS:

Life Style:
Basically life style depicts the living standards of people and their surroundings. Pakistan has total four
provinces and all the provinces have different living style. They speak different languages, wear different
dresses according to their culture and also the variety of food makes distinguishes them from others
i.e Punjabi people are know for spicy food while Sindhi doesn’t prefer spicy food. Thus cultural effects
can be seen in their life styles.

Pakistan’s provinces and their life styles:

Below are the Pakistan’s provinces and their life styles:

Sindhi Lifestyle:

Like the people of Punjab speaks Punjabi mostly, Sindhi speaks Sindhi language that is an ancient,
traditional language and is spoken in most parts of the Pakistan.The people of Sindh wear Sindhi dresses
i.e loose Kameez and the Shalwar and love to eat Sindhi food-low spices.

In typical Sindhi weddings, the food Is mostly Sindhi Mutton,curry, Palak, Channa daal, Dilpasand Curry.
Sindhi people are very keen and fond of work, their handicrafts have a unique and different style.

Sindhi culture can be seen in sindhi tablos and shows.Sports that are famous in sindhi culture
includes Malakhiro, Kodi, Wanjh Wati etc. Similarly Sindhi music is unique i.e Sufi music is usually
performed at shrines. Folk lores of sindh also had a great importance. Sindhi poetry like the poetry
of Shah Abdul latif bhattai,Sheikh ayaz,Ustaad bhikhari,Sachal Sarmost is very famous in Pakistan.

People of Sindh love to wear Sindhi toppi(cap), that is the most eminent feature of sindh culture. Its city
Karachi, its food also had a great demand worldwide. The Sindh’s people are quite hardworking,
hospitable, open minded and peaceful in their nature, even though in Sindhi temples, images of Sri
rama and Sri Krishna (Hindu’s God) is placed.

Punjabi Lifestyle:

Punjab is also the province of Pakistan and also renowned in the world. Its name is itself shows its
meaning that is Punj (means five) and Aab (means water/river), punjab is the province in which five
rivers flow namely River Sindh, River Ravi, River Sutlej, River Jehlum, and River Chenaab. Its land is
considered to be the land of five rivers.

Punjabi culture is the culture of punjabi people that has been known as the richest and the oldest
culture in the world history. The people live in Punjab have different cast like some of which are Rajput,
Gujjar, Syed, Sheikh, Arai etc. The main site of Indus valley civilization in Punjab was the city of Harrapa.

The language that people of Punjab speak, is called Punjabi. It is the regional language. Punjabi is
referered to people who come from the areas of Punjab. Punjabi language has its originating source
in Sanskrit Punjab has always been land of great Saints and Fighters. Music of Punjab is becoming
famous all over the world specially the Bhangra – the most eminent feature of culture.

Punjabi are very hardworking, love to hear music and dance which you can see in their Bhangra beats
that is becoming famous day by day. Weather of Punjab is very moderate,which shows a mild nature of
their behaviour. The people are also very religious and fashionable the same. Hence Punjab is famous
for its food also that people from all over the world are crazy for Punjabi food and like come to Pakistan
gain and again.Punjab is also famous for its crockery,and also for its numerous ancient buildings .

Baluchistan lifestyle:

Baluchistan is the largest province of Pakistan with respect to geographical boundaries, approximately
48% of Pakistan area is covered by this province. Baluchistan’s people and things are called as Balochi.
Balochi culture is primarily tribal and conservative.

Balochi dry fruits are very famous all over the world. Their special food item Sajji is liked and loved by a
lot. They also eat roasted lamb sand mutton.

Their dress code is very special i.e Shalwar Qameez and Turbun. Women like to
wear Frocks and Shalwar.Their jewellery is made of metal which has a great attraction for them.

Balochi leather work has gained much popularity in the world. Now shoes, sandles, prayers mats,
matting for stone shelter are getting popular. Most of the women do embroidery on clothes. Balochi
culture is also rich in poetry and literature.

Khayber-Pakhtoon-Khuwah Life style:

North Western Frontire of Pakistan (NWFP) was the former name of Khayber-Pakhtoon-Khuwah. It was
named as NWFP by the British administration during the colonial period as this was the last frontier of
the British Empire.
The mighty river Indus that starts from Himalayas and flows down through Pakistan up to the Ariban Sea
is natural boarder of KPK with the Punjab province.

It is divided in to seven divisions and tribal areas know as FATA (Federal Administered Tribal Areas). If
you have not been to KPK and wonder what it is going to be like, close your eyes and think about a
haven on earth; a piece of land surrounded by high gorgeous mountains with snow clad peaks decorated
by mother nature with wonderful pine forest and orchards of apples, apricots, peaches, plums and
oranges at the foothills.

You will find the most beautiful lakes of the world situated in these mountains like the Saif-ul-Malook a
legendry lack in the Hazara division, the Maho Dand in Swat and the Dude patsar lake to name a few.
There are glaciers and unique variety of Trout fish in the Swat area. Running down from these
mountains are rivers and streams to the plains to make the land rich and fertile for all types of
agriculture.

It is also known as the Switzerland of Pakistan because of its beauty.

The people of KPK are very hospitable, loving, caring and brave. They are known for their love and
respect to their guests. The main language is Pushto other languages like Hindko, Kohistani etc are also
spoken in KPK.

More over the Pukhtoon society has always given great protection and respect to their females. In
return the female has given all the respect to their males. The mother, sisters and wife take care of the
house hold and children. And no one expects any financial support from the female. The head of a
family who is always a male takes care of the family’s needs of cloths, food and education etc.

Kashmiri lifestyle:

The culture of Kashmir is a blend of multiple customs and came from Northern India, Northern Pakistan
and the Chinese territory of Aksai Chin. The state enjoys the presence of mix religions and that’s why
Kashmir is famous for its cultural heritage. It amalgamates Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist people
who make Kashmir more beautiful by adopting their own culture that has brought many changes in their
living style.

The Kashmiri population in an ethno-linguistic group that can be compared with an Indo-Greek with
their racial structure of the Kashmiris. The native of Kashmiri people lives in Pakistan, Upper Punjab and
Potohar where they organize a group and live together. Although, Kashmiri people live in different parts
of India they are mainly gathered in the Valley of Kashmir, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban thasils of Jammu
Division. Their language is highly influenced by the Sanskrit language and mostly spoken by Kashmiri
Muslims and Kashmiri Hindus. However, you can find variation in language when you will travel to
different parts of Kashmir. Their writing script consists of Arabic style.

According to the sources, Wazwan and their culture is highly influenced by Central Asian and Persian
culture. Their dance, music, cuisine, carpet weaving and Koshur Sufiana forms a significant part of
Kashmiri identity. Kashmiri culture is mainly followed by people living in Kashmir valley and Dodab of the
Chenab region. The valley is known for the fine arts including traditional boats and houseboats,
handicrafts and poetry.

Kashmir has some mouth-watering cuisine in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The popular
dishes of meat are Kashmiri Kebag, Rogan Josh, Yakhni, Pasanda, Syun Alu and Mehta Keema. All the
non-vegetarian lovers will have a lot to choose from. Some of the famous vegetarian dishes include Hak,
Rajmah, Zarda, Tursh, Shree Pulao, Nadeir Yakhaen, and Ladyar Tsaman. These dishes are prepared with
fresh vegetables with paneer to give an interesting taste to the cuisine.

If you are dessert lover then you must try sevaiyaan, phirni and barfi among others which would make
you fall in love with these sweets. Guest in Kashmir is welcomed with hot sheer tea and Kahwah which
you have never tasted before. Kashmiri Pulao is also a famous dish worldwide which is prepared in
almost every home at regular intervals. A large number of Kashmiri people also love hak or karam sag
which is mostly made during winter to keep themselves protected from chilled
The costume of Kashmiri people is very colorful and attractive. The majority of people wear traditional
costume and women attire themselves with gorgeous jewelry like nose ring, bangles, earrings, necklaces
and lose salwar kamiz which make them comfortable during the hot season. Whereas, men dress
themselves in kurta pajama, shalwars, gurabi and skullcaps. Pheran is kind of overcoat wore by Kashmiri
people during winter which is decorated with colorful patches and embroidery work.

Most of the costumes of Kashmiri people are loose gown and it just varies in quality of fabric according
to the weather. Most of the men wear headgear and women wear a skullcap. Most of the women cover
their head and shoulders from strangers and elders as a matter of respect. The Kashmiri costume truly
indicates their culture and lifestyle. It also shows that India is still following their cultural values.

A large number of festivals are celebrated by Kashmiri people with full joy and enthusiasm. Besides a
panoramic view of the landscape, J & K is a home to rich cultural heritage and it is easily reflected by the
festival celebration by the Kashmiri people. Some of the popular festivals are Baishakhi, Lohri, Eid-ul-
Fitr, Hemis festival, Tulip Festival, Shikara Festival, Gurez Festival, Sindu Darshan and Domoche. A large
number of people gather during the festive season and enjoy these auspicious days with lots of
enthusiasm.

Traditional dance, participation in painting, multi-cuisine and shops of handicrafts are an integral part of
these festivals. Numerous fairs like Bahu Mela, Jhiri Mela and Craft Mela are also organized on some
auspicious days where Kashmiri Culture is highlighted by those people. Kashmir is one of the best places
where you can see rich heritage and culture along with its beauty.

This is ultimate culture of Pakistan that depicts the norms, values and culture of its different areas. It is
the blessed country of the world that enjoy all four weathers, land, water, moderate atmosphere and
everything, and Pakistani utilize these things very wisely and enjoy it. It is the best country to live in.

Languages of Pakistan:
Pakistan is home to many dozens of languages spoken as first languages. Five languages have more than
10 million speakers each Pakistan punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki and Urdu. Almost all of Pakistan's
languages belong to the Indo-Iranian group of the Indo-European language family.

Pakistan's national language is Urdu. It is also proposed to be the co-official languages along with
English.

The country also has several regional languages,

Punjabi, Saraiki, Pashto, Sindhu, Balochi, Gujari, Kashmiri, Hindko, Brahui, Shina, Balti, Khowar, Dhakti, H
aryanvi, Marwari, Wakhi and Burushaski .Four of these are provincial language – Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi
and Balochi.

Statistics:
Census history of major languages

2017 1998 1981 1961 1951

Rank Language
census census census census census

1 Punjabi 38.78% 44.15% 48.17% 56.39% 57.08%

2 Pashto 18.24% 16.42% 13.35% 8.47% 8.16%

3 Sindhi 14.57% 14.1% 12.7% 12.59% 12.85%

4 Saraiki 12.19% 10.53% 9.54%

5 Urdu 7.08% 7.57% 7.60% 7.57% 7.05%

6 Balochi 3.02% 3.57% 3.02% 2.49% 3.04%

7 Others 6.12% 4.66% 5.62% 12.49% 11.82%

 Saraiki was included with Punjabi in the 1951 and 1961 censuses.

National language:

Urdu (‫ )اردو‬is the national language, lingua franca and one of two official languages of Pakistan (the
other currently being English). Although only about 7% of Pakistanis speak it as their first language, it is
widely spoken and understood as a second language by the vast majority of Pakistanis and is being
adopted increasingly as a first language by urbanized Pakistanis. It was introduced as the lingua franca
upon the capitulation and annexation of Sindh (1843) and Punjab (1849) replacing Persian.

It is widely used, both formally and informally, for personal letters as well as public literature, in the
literary sphere and in the popular media. It is a required subject of study in all primary and secondary
schools. It is the first language of most Muhajirs (muslims who fled from different parts of India after
independence of Pakistan in 1947) and Biharis (coming from East Pakistan around the time of the 1971
Bangladeshi Liberation war), who form nearly 8% of Pakistan's population, and is an acquired second
language for the rest. As Pakistan's national language, Urdu has been promoted to promote national
unity. It is written with a modified form of the Perso-Arabic alphabet—usually in Nastaliq script.

Provicinal languages:

Punjabi:

Punjabi (‫ )پنجابی‬is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan. It is spoken as a first language by
almost 39% of Pakistanis, mostly in Punjab. It is the 11th most widely spoken language in India, and the
third most-spoken native language in the Indian subconitent. In Canada, it is the fifth most-spoken
native language. It has a significant presence in the UAE, US, the UK, Austrila, New Zealand, Italy, and
the Netherlands.
Although Punjabi was the majority language in West Pakistan when Pakistan was created in 1947, and
Bengali the majority in East Pakistan and Pakistan as a whole, English and Urdu were chosen as the
official languages. The selection of Urdu was due to its association with South Asian Muslim nationalism
and because the leaders of the new nation wanted a unifying national language instead of promoting
one ethnic group's language over another. Article 251 of the Constitution of Pakistan declares that these
two languages would be the only official languages at the national level, while provincial governments
would be allowed to make provisions for the use of other languages. Eventually, Punjabi was granted
status as a provincial language in Punjab Province.

Punjabi language is spoken roughly in area between Islamabad and Delhi. The standard Punjabi variety
the Majhi dialect is from the Lahore, Sialkot, Gujrwalna and Sheikupura districts and it is written in
Shahmukhi. The speakers of Saraiki and Hindko have previously been included in the Punjabi totals.

Pashto:

Pashto (‫ )پښتو‬is spoken as a first language by more than 18% of Pakistanis, mainly in KPK,
including Tribal areas of Pakistan formerly FATA and in northern Balochistan as well as in
ethnic Pashtun communities in the cities of Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore. Karachi is one of
the most Pashto speaking cities in the world. Pashto is also widely spoken in neighboring Afghanistan
where it has official language status.

There are three major dialect patterns within which the various individual dialects may be classified;
these are Pakhto, which is the Northern (Peshawar) variety, and the softer Pashto spoken in the
southern areas such as in Quetta. Khushal khan khattak (1613–1689) and Rahman Baba (1633–1708)
were famous poets in the Pashto language. In the last part of 20th century, Pakhto or Pashto has
produced some great poets like Ghani khan, Khatir Afridi and Amir Hamza shinwari. They are not
included in the overall percentage.

Balochi:

Balochi (‫ )بلوچی‬is spoken as a first language by about 3% of Pakistanis, mostly in Balochistan province.
Rakshani is the major dialect group in terms of numbers. Sarhaddi is a sub-dialect of Rakshani. Other
sub-dialects are Kalati (Qalati), Chagai-Kharani and Panjguri. Eastern Hill Balochi or Northern Balochi is
very different from the rest

Sindhi:

The Sindhi language (‫ )سنڌي‬is spoken as a first language by almost 15% of Pakistanis,
mostly in Sindh province, parts of Balochistan, Southern Punjab and Balochistan. It has
a rich literature and is taught in schools. Sindhi is spoken by over 53.4 million
people in Pakistan and some 5.8 million in India as well as some 2.6 million in other
parts of the world. It is the official language of Sindh province and is one of the
scheduled languages officially recognized by the federal government in India. It is
widely spoken in the Lasbela District of Balochistan (where the Lasi tribe speaks a dialect
of Sindhi), many areas of the Naseerabad, Rahim yar Khan Dera Ghazi Khan and districts in
Sindh and Jafarabad districts of Balochistan, and by the Sindhi diaspora abroad.
Sindhi language has six major dialects: Sireli,Vicholi, Lori, Thari, Lasi and Kachhi. It is
written in the Arabic script with several additional letters to accommodate special
sounds.

The largest Sindhi-speaking cities are Karachi,

Hyderabad,Sukkur,Shikarpur,Dadu,Jacobabad,Larkana and Nawabshah.

Sub-provincial regional languages:

Saraiki:

Saraiki (Sarā'īkī, also spelt Siraiki, or less often Seraiki) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Lahnda group,
spoken in the south-western half of the province of Punjab. Saraiki is to a high degree mutually
intelligible with Standard Punjabi and shares with it a large portion of its vocabulary and morphology. At
the same time in its phonology it is radically different (particularly in the lack of tones, the preservation
of the voiced aspirates and the development of implosive consonants), and has important grammatical
features in common with the Sindhi language spoken to the south. Saraiki is the first language of about
20 million people in Pakistan, its territory ranges across southern Punjab, parts of southern KPK, and
some border regions of northern Sindh and eastern Balochistan.

Gujari:

Gujari also known as Gojri (ગુજરી, गुजरी, ‫ )ُگوَج ری‬is a variety of Indo-Aryan spoken by the Gujars and
other tribes including Bakarwals residing in all the provinces of Pakistan, and Azad Kashmir.

Brahui:

Brahui (‫ )براھوی‬is a Dravidian language of central and east-central Balochistan. The language has been
influenced by neighboring Balochi and to a lesser extent by Sindhi and Pashto. 1% of the Pakistani
population has Brahui as their first language.

Shina:

Shina (‫( )شینا‬also known as Tshina) is a Dardic language spoken by a plurality of people in Gilgit-
Baltistan of Pakistan. The valleys in which it is spoken include,
Astore Chilas, Dareil, Tangeer, Gilgit, Ghizer, and a few parts of Khoistan. It is also spoken in
the Gurez, Drass, Kargil, Karkit Badgam and Ladakh valleys of Kashmir. There were 321,000 speakers of
Gilgiti Shina in 1981. The current estimate is nearly 600,000 people.

Kashmiri:

Kashmiri (‫ )كأُش ر‬is a Dardic language spoken in Azad Kashmir, about 124,000 speakers (or 2% of the
Azad Kashmir population).