I am averse to the ratings and rankings that characterize the junk-journalism of our times. Much like the embedded style of reporting such a view remains partial and often ignorant of the nuances and layers of subtext that are almost unachievable in the pop-view of the world.
Readers might question this apparent paradox as on the one hand I am making my top-five list and on the other I am also being critical. Well, well, this is kosher from a South Asian perspective as we remain a mythical-modern bundle of contradictions.
The real reason for me to ‘submit’ my top 5 is the inquiring spirit of Mayank Austen Soofi whom I don’t know and have never met but who originally asked me to do so for his blog. But I am quite empathetic to his efforts at understanding Pakistan. At least he ventures into the ‘other’ territory and unlike the mainstream media and writers, does not view Pakistan as a threatening collage of burqa clad women, terrorism and gun toting radicals. Even if my young friend employs a cliched format in this series, it is better than ‘high writing’ churning more cliches!
So, here are my top five reasons for loving Pakistan. Maybe ATP readers will add their own reasons to this list.
The Civilization
Pakistan is not a recent figment but a continuation of 5000 years of history: quite sheepishly, I admit, that I am an adherent of the view held by many historians that the Indus valley and the Indus man were always somewhat distinct from their brethren across the Indus. I do not wish to venture into this debate but I am proud as an inheritor of Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Mehrgarh (not strictly in this order) and this makes me feel rooted and connected to my soil as well as ancient human civilizations and cultures.
It also makes me happy that no matter how much the present-day media hysteria about Pakistan (and “natives” in general) diminishes my country and region, nothing can take away this heritage and high points of my ancestral culture. Pakistan is not just Indus civilization – it is a hybrid cultural ethos: the Greek, Gandhara, the central Asian, Persian, Aryan and the Islamic influences merge into this river and define my soul – how can I not be proud of this?
The People
I simply love the Pakistani people – they are resilient, diverse and most entrepreneurial. They have survived calamities, famines, upheavals, injustices and exploitation and yet, by and large, retain a sense of humour. I am not naieve to say that they are totally free of the various bondages of history but they display remarkable entrepreneurial and creative potential. Most of them are “real” and rooted and yet not averse to modernity.
There is an urban revolution taking place in parts of Punjab and Sindh and the drivers are neither the state nor external donors but the people themselves. The private sector has even contributed to build an airport. There is an ugly side as well: the absence or predatory activities of the state (e.g. Karachi) has also provided a breeding ground for mafias but this is not a unique Pakistani phenomenon. From Los Angeles to Jakarata, such groups operate within the folds of urbanization.
I am proud of my people who have proved themselves in all spheres and countries – whether it is Professor Abdus Salam, the Nobel Laureate or Shazia Sikander, the miniaturist of international fame or Mukhtaran Mai who has proved her mettle in giving a tough time to forces of oppression.
The Spirituality
There is inordinate focus on Pakistani madrassahs, the pro-Taliban groups and the violent jihadis. How representative are these groups? Only Pakistanis know that such groups are marginal to the mainstream attachment to and practice of religion. The rural folk are still steeped in Sufi worldview and many versions of Islam exist within the same neighborhood. Of course there is manipulated curse of sectarian violence but that mercifully is not embedded despite the attempts of big external players and the octopus-like state agencies.
Ordinary Pakistanis, such as me, value their Islamic beliefs, are God fearing and follow what is essentially a continuation of the centuries old traditions of spirituality that survives in the folk idiom, in the kaafis of Bulleh Shah, and in the verses of Bhitai and Rahman Baba. Our proverbs, day-to-day beliefs are all mixed and laced with history, oral tradition, Sufi lore and of course Islamic simplicity. It is another matter that there are individuals who want to hijack this thread and impose their nonsense on us – but we as a people have resisted that and shall continue to do so. After all we inherited the confluence of ancient religions and practices.
Pakistan is where Buddha taught and Taxila shined, and where Nanak preached and the great saints – Usman Hajweri, Fariduddin Ganj Shakar, Bhitai and Sarmast – brought people into the fold of Islam. Despite the revisionist, constructed history by extremists in India, the sword had little to do with Islam’s rise in this region.
The Natural Beauty
Well the spirituality of my homeland is not just restricted to the intangible belief systems. It also reflects in the splendors of Mother Nature. From the pristine peaks in the north to the mangroves of the Indus delta, Pakistan blends climates, geographies, terrains in its melting pot. Within hours of leaving an arid zone, one enters into a fertile delta. And again a few more hours put you right in front of otherworldly mountains. The deserts of Cholistan radiate the moonlight and the surreal wildernesses of Balochistan are nothing but metaphors of spiritual beauty.
Where else can I experience the aroma of wet earth when the baked earth cracks up to embrace every droplet and where else can one find a Jamun tree with a Koel calling the gods? An everlasting impression on my being shall remain the majestic sunrise at the Fairy Meadows amid the Karakorams and the melting gold of Nanga Parbat peak. I love this country’s rivers, streams and the fields where farmers testify their existence with each stroke, each touch of earth. I cherish trees that are not just trees but signify Buddha’s seat or the ones in graveyards nourishing the seasonal blossoms.
The Cuisine
Yes, I love the aromas and myriad scents of Thai cooking, the subtlety of the French and Lebanese or the Turkish dishes but nothing compares to the Pakistani cuisine. Forget the high sounding stuff; ghar ka khana (homemade food) no matter which strata are you from is difficult to find elsewhere.
Whether it is a simple Tandoor ki Roti with Achaar or Palak (in the Punjab) or the intricate Biryani with ingredients and spices of all hues, the food is out of this world. In my house, we were used to at least ten different rice dishes (steamed white rice/ saada/ green peas/ vegetable/ channa/ choliya/ potato Pilau), three types of Biryanis (Sindhi, Hyderabadi, Dilli or just our cook’s hybridized Punjabi version), and my grandmother’s recipe of Lambi Khichdee. The list continues.
In the Northern areas, there are Chinese-Pakistani concoctions, in the North West Frontier there is meat in its most tender and purest form. In Balochistan there is Sajji, meat grilled in earthenware at low heat until all the juices have transformed the steaks into a magic delight. And, the fruits and the sweets -the mangoes that come in dozens of varieties and colors, melons of different sizes, the pomegranates and the wild berries that still grow despite the pollution everywhere!
How could I not love this eclectic cuisine?
And Finally . . .
The sum-total of all five: I love Pakistan as this is my identity – immutable and irreversible. Simple.
Raza Rumi blogs at Jahane Rumi.
One common feature of some comments was that many people had not read the introduction where I had set the context for this post. This was written for a blog that was asking various Pakistanis to contribute their personal reasons for loving Pakistan. Hence I came up with my list….
Therefore, this is purely a personal piece and has no academic, literary or historical pretensions!
A few clarifications for Rohit and Tina:
The view that the present day Pakistan *is based on the “Indus region”, distinct from other parts of India*, has been elaborated by several historians and perhaps its latest exposition was from Aitzaz Ahsan’s book called the Indus Saga wherein he argues that the  “Indus region, comprising the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent (now Pakistan, has always had its distinct identity-… In the last five thousand years this region has been a part of India politically for only five hundred years.” This is obviously a provocative view but it has been concluded with some degree of academic rigour and research. I am not a complete subscriber of this theory, however. I just wanted to highlight that we are INHERITORS - not DESCENDANTS (as Faraz said above) please – of this great, oldest civilization. Therefore, we have been around and the world should know about it; and our current miseries and position in the world is but a phase in the current of history.
There was not a single reference to race in my post. There is no single race in Pakistan anyway and everyone including a school-child knows about that. And where did the Aryan superiority comment came in from. And the Aryan/white complex was nowhere alluded. I maintain that we are a mixed stock with myriad influences and racial inter-mingling and this is why Pakistan is a very interesting and fascinating country.
On the spirituality, I maintain that madrassas in Pakistan are not representative of Islam practiced by its majority. In any case, a recent report states that madrassas account “for less than 1 percent of all enrollment in the country and there is no evidence of a dramatic increase in recent years” and their proponets have never bagged more than 11 percent of votes even in the most favourable times. Since the 9th century, it was the Sufis from Central Asia who made India their abode and through love and preaching of tolerance converted many local people to Islam. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of the ‘heroes’ cited by one commentator such as Mahmood Ghaznavi who attacked India 17 times and always returned to his homeland. Many Sindhis will also narrate an alternative view of Mohammad Bin Qasim.
I think the influence of Pakistani textbooks and their simplistic construct of history is here to be blamed. All I am saying is that there is no ONE version of history and ‘Pakistaniat” – it is diverse and complex and let us respect that and as far as possible celebrate it. Al Gazzali was a great thinker but I am not sure how his influence can be localized to Indo-Pakistan. If anyone, it was Ibne Arabi and his philosophy of Wahdat-ul Wajood provided an impetus to spread of Sufism in the region!
The prevalent shrine culture is a corrupted, jagir-ised form of Sufism and of course it can neither be condoned nor glamourised and I am not sure if my post was making such a point. However, there is a psychological  function of shrines and this has been noted and researched by many anthropologists. I was talking about the culture of tolerance and love of fellow human beings that was, and is, our ancient heritage; and its distortions notwithstanding, survives even today. I respect other people’s point of view but will stick to mine.
Finally, about the style of writing – pasand apnee apnee, khayal apna apna, as the verse goes. I will not venture in responding at that level, lest I post my other pieces published elsewhere to prove my credentials!
Thanks to Owais and Adil for their encouragement and posting this piece.
Let me conclude that our present is inextricably linked to our past and this cannot be denied without denying a collective part of ourselves.
To “loveâ€
It was amusing to browse through comments made as response to Mr. Raza Rumi’s beloved 5 things about Pakistan which he had originally written for my blog-site Pakistan Paindabad. I was particularly enchanted by the disapproval of a reader who seemed to be anguished by “the most pretentious/immature pieces of not-good writing” that he had the misfortune to “read in quite some time.” The poor gentleman obviously needs a scholarship in understanding the nuances of what stuff fine writing is made of!
However, let me add my bit to further increase the discomfort of Mr. Rumi. I always feel ‘excited” after reading his undiluted praise of Pakistani cuisine. (Yes, I have read this many times…very elegantly written…fine instance of simple and unpretentious writing!). Mr. Rumi has very cleverly disguised the unpalatable aspects of his country’s culinary styles. My opinion about the food there is quite different.
Every time I travel to Pakistan, I could not fail to notice the regrettable existence of so many people with pot-bellies! While eating (both in homes and hotels), I was shocked to see the amount of ghee, oil, fried stuff used in the dishes. There seems to be a lack of moderation in the way the food is cooked and eaten. Besides, vegetarian cooking leaves much to be desired. I’m sorry if my judgment is too sweeping but in Pakistan I could not find a simple, unadorned, arhal daal – perhaps the easiest dish to make in the world.
But other than my reservations about the cuisine, I completely agree with Mr. Rumi in all the other things. Pakistan is a fantastic country. While I have no patience for blind patriotism, I would have considered myself lucky if I were born a Pakistani. I love this country.
Atif Abdul-Rahman on subject of spirituality: “Since when we had the philosophy of worshipping shrines?….a new religion evolved from Islam whose Gods are at Data Darbar and Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazhars and music its sole mode of worship”.
Atif: It is called “Shrine Culture”. Some here at ATP do promote that. A sort of “easy islam”. Lots of singing, wild dancing and chicken biryani.
Dear Tina: (Not knowing you personally and only from your writings, one could deduce that you are a lady of Pakistani origin with extensive world wide traveling experience and Tina is your real name). You have brought race issue in to this discussion even though it was not the intent of the original post. Pakistan is not a race-based country. It is a geographical entity. Even though not all Pakistanis (in the historical sense) initially originated from this land, being a cross road Pakistan has received its people from many lands near or far. Therefore Pakistanis, collectively, have a broad and mixed racial background. But it matters little what our racial background is. We are all Pakistani. All in one and one in all. Taking false pride in our perceived racial background will not take us far. Only hard work for our country will.