The Differences Between Pakistanis and Indians

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Abstract: Generally speaking, Pakistanis and Indians, Pakistan and India are different in: genetics, overall genetic composition, religion, culture, rituals, linguistics, diet, ethnicity, governance, pre-history, civilization, race, complexion, geography, topography, philosophy, script, cuisine, music, entertainment, perception, soico-politics and economies.

CIVILIZATION
South Asia is made up of many regions, cultures, languages, nations and civilizations.  Since rivers can sustain clusters of large populations, early man formed the first civilizations around rivers.  Examples include: Huang He (Yangtze River), Mesapotamia (Euphrates/Tigris) , Egypt (River Nile) and IVC (Indus River).  Modern Pakistanis take immense pride in the fact they are descendants of the civilization that formed around the River Indus.  The Indus river flows entirely through modern-day Pakistan, Kashmir and Tibet.  The Indus Valley Civilization was located primarily (95%) in modern day Pakistan.  The Indus binds together the 6 regions of Pakistan: Baluchistan, Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, Khyber-P, Gilgit-Baltistan.

PEOPLE OF THE INDUS RIVER – PAKISTAN (Baluchistan, Punjab, KP, Kashmir, Sindh).  The Indus basically mimics the shape of modern day Pakistan.

Indus City of Moenjo-Daro proudly displayed on Pakistani Currency.

Ruins of IVC in modern day Pakistan

On the other hand, the Gangetic civilization of India is formed around the Ganges river which flows away from the Indus and terminates in the Bengal delta.  It is entirely in India and Bengal.  Note the divergent paths below of the two rivers:

Indus – A river in Pakistan

Gangetic Civilization in Modern “India”

PRE-HISTORY

India and Pakistan have been under ‘unified’ rule for only 500 out of 10,000 years and that too under mostly Islamic or Buddhist rule.  Whether as Muslim, Vedic, Buddhist or Hindu, Pakistan or the people of Indus were rarely part of “Indian” civilization.  Mehrgarh one of the most important Neolithic (7000 BCE to c. 2500 BCE) sites in archaeology, lies on the “Kachi plain” of Balochistan, Pakistan.  Baluchistan has hardly been part of “India”.  This civilization is one of the earliest sites with evidence of farming (wheat and barley) and herding (cattle, sheep and goats) in not only South Asia but the whole world.

RACE

While the racial features of each ethnic group are not uniform, Pashtuns are the most Caucasoid, followed by Kashmiris, Baluchis, north Punjabis, and then Sindhis, Seraikis, Urdu-speakers.  The Australoid-Negroid and Mongoloid racial elements are quite infused within the dominant Caucasoid genes among Pakistanis, however there are some that have retained their distinct racial characteristics.  The Australoid-Dravidoid racial element dominates among the lower caste Indians, South Indians, Eastern and Central Indians.  The Caucasoid racial element dominates in Northwest Indians and higher caste Indians. The Mongoloid racial element dominates in Northeast Indians and border regions with China.

Indian are majority Proto-Australoids, Australoid-Negroid, Dravidians

35 Million Pakistanis are Pushtun – Biggest Pushtun Population in the World. As you can see this ordinary man in Karachi streets looks nothing like the Indians above.

India hosts the world’s largest population of Proto-Australoids.  The Austrics of India represent a race of medium height, dark complexion with long heads and rather flat noses. Miscegenation with the earlier Negroids may be the reason for the dark or black pigmentation of the skin and flat noses.  The Austrics laid the foundation of Indian civilization. They cultivated rice and vegetables and made sugar from sugarcane. Now these people are found primarily in three countries: India, Papua New Guinea and Australia.  Their languages have survived only in the Central and Eastern India.

Australoid/Negroids in India, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

ETHNICITY
A significant portion of Pakistani population is Afghan/Pashtun and Irani/Baluchistanis.  The Pashtun are an integral part of Pakistan’s establishment. It can be said there are two Pashtun countries in the world, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This ethnic group has contributed many of Pakistan’s presidents & prime ministers (Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zafarullah Khan, Liaqat Ali Khan, Feroz Khan). There are more Pashtuns in Pakistan than Afghanistan and more in Karachi than Kabul.  There are 15 Million Pushtun Speakers in Afghanistan and 25 Million in Pakistan!  India does not have Pushtun speakers.  Interestingly, this group has also inflicted defeat after defeat on what is now republic of India and can never be considered “Indian”.  People of Iranian ancestry have that have taken leadership positions include Benazir Bhutto and the current prime minister Gilani who visited his ancestral homes on a trip to Iran.  Arabs settled along the Indus and Omanis settled in the enclave of Gwadar.  Still other Pakistanis are descendants of Mongols, Mughals and Turks in addition to Persians, Sakas, Parthians, Hephthalites and Greeks.

Pakistani Ethnicities; Another pull towards the Oxus and Central Asia

LINGUISTICS

Pakistanis speaks exclusively Indo-Iranian or Indo-Aryan languages whereas much of India speaks Proto-Australoid languages.  Balgir (2004) designates the following Indian tribes as Proto-Australoid racial group: Bhumiz, Gadaba, Juang, Kharia, Koda, Kolha, Mahali, Mirdha, Munda, Santal, Saora tribes.  Australoid racial stock is represented by: Gond, Kondh, Kissan, Oraon, Paraja, Pentia, Halva.  These Australoid tribes don’t exist in Pakistan proper.  Urdu uses the persian-based script. Hindi uses Devangari script.

The research by Kashyap (2006) designates 23 out of 54 Indian populations studied as Australoid, of which 1 speaks an Indo-European language (Dhangar of Maharashtra), 4 speak Austro-Asiatic languages (Kurmi of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Kurmi of Bihar, and Juangand Saora of Orissa), 18 speak Dravidian languages.  7 populations were designated as Mongoloid, and the remaining 24 as Caucasoid.

About 99% of languages spoken in Pakistan are either Indo-Aryan or Indo-Iranian (sub-branches 75% Indo-Aryan 24% Iranian).  All languages of Pakistan are written in the Persio-Arabic script, with significant vocabulary derived from Punjabi, Seraiki, Sindhi, Pashto, Urdu, Balochi, Kashmiri which are the languages of Pakistan.

Indian languages, 69% of languages spoken in India are Indo-Aryan, 26% are Dravidian, and 5% are Sino-Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic, All unrelated/distinct family of languages.  Most languages in India are written in Brahmi- derived scripts such as Devangari, Gurmukhi, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese, Punjabi, Naga, and many others are the mother-tongue languages spoken in each of India’s states.

Pakistanis mainly speak Indo-Iranic languages. Indo-Iranic languages include Balochi, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Undri (Urdu) and Pashto are Indo-Iranic languages as are all the other languages of Pakistan which descend from a common proto-Indo-Iranic language around the second millennia BC. Only Brahui (Dravidian), Baltistani (Sino-Tibetian), and Burusho (language isolate) are non-Indo-Iranic,  however it’s speakers are not that geneticly distinct form the rest of Pakistanis.  Punjabi is the majority language of Pakistan.  Punjabi is 2% of India.  In the case of Urdu/Hindi, while Hindi is the mother- tongue of a majority in India, Urdu is the mother-tongue of a minority 8% Pakistanis.

Hindi – (Indian)

Urdu (Pakistan)

We are often told that Urdu is the same as Hindi or something called “Hindustani”.  This denigrates Urdu to have no uniqueness, beauty, history and culture of its own!  More on the difference between Urdu and Hindi:  http://reformistani.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/do-you-speak-real-urdu-or-hindi/

Here is a sample of Persian and Turkish words in Urdu/Pakistani Language:

PERSIAN – biriyani, kabob, khaki, kurta, lashkar, Naan (nayan – baluchi), pyjama, gulab, somosa, baksheesh, taj, mahal, stan, taftan, tandoori, baaluchi, baalcony, bas, bazaar, bazigar, begaar, beige, bronze, bulbul, bukshi, bund, bundobust, burka, kharbuz — pronounced “kurbooja” in Hindi, karawan, chador, chakdar, charpayee, shachtrunj, chanaar, khush, daftar, darzi, darvesh, dastur, ashturee, doab, durbar, durwan, dustak, inam, farsi, fauj, fauji, feringhee, fida, gul, khana, halal, hawala, jagir, jama, asmin, jamaat, jujube, khidmat, khoja, mazdur, mehman, mehmandar, mirza, mughul, mussulman, namaz, naran (orange), pasha, pakistan, paak, parah, pasha, pashm, pashmina, pashto, purri (fairy), pilaf, pista,  parwannah, rung, rukh, roshun, sabzi, samosa  (sambusa), sandal, sard, sarwan, scimitar, seer (unit of weight), sheer, sarray, bandar (port), shah, shahi, shaheen, shahzada, shamiayana, shawl, shiraz, shikaar (pronounced sikar in hindi) ,shikaari, shikast, shikasta, sipahi, sirkaar, sekonji, subah, shukkar, surma, thana, dulband, band, toafaan, wazir, zameen, zenana

*Pakistani national anthem was written in Farsi by a Pakistani Hindu.

TURKISH – acab / ajab, adaalat, aadam, ahısta ahısta, akl / akal,  aks, ananas, asli / asal, aşik / aashik, avara, aavaz, aurat, aaina, aazad, badem, barood, canam / janaam, javab, çaku / chaku, çat / chatt, çay / chai, dard, dost, diwar, dukan, duniya, durbin, duşman / dushman, acnabi / ajanabi, adab, agar, albatta, fakir, , gumgurur, gunah, hava, hafta, hazier, halwa, hesap, ancir / anjeer, insan, harbuz / kharboze, kalam, kaatil, ki, kitab, khima, kofta, manzara, masum, musafir, maidan, mohabbat, mum, musibat, anar, nafrat, bazu, pehelvan, paynir, pulaw, roh / rooh, sabun, , sade, , saaf, sahil, , sabzi, sırf, şarab / sharab, şakar / shakkar, şaytan / shaytaan, şikayet / shikayet, şiş kebap, şişa / shisha, tava, taze / taaza, top, urdu, vatan, yani, yar, zalim, zancir / zanjeer

GENETICS

The Pakistani population consists of mostly Indo-Aryans.  70% of Pakistanis are Caucasoid by race, 20% Australoid- Negroid, and 10% Mongoloid in their overall genetic composition. 50% of Indians are Australoid-Negroid by race, 35% Caucasoid, and 15% Mongoloid in their overall genetic composition.

Pakistanis carry common R1A genetic markers clearly indicating obvious common ancestry. Mostly the north western Iranic speakers and the Dardic speakers are said to be closely related with a higher frequency of R1A genetic markers as opposed to the Indo-Aryan speaking population with slightly lower R1A frequencies (mainly Punjabis and Sindhis), however they are still all connected.   Even the non-Indo-European speaking populations – mainly the Brahuis, Hunzas (also called Burushos) and Baltistanis- do not stand much out genetically.  See genetic difference below between Indians (Hindi, Marwari, Gujrati, Marathi, Kannada, Konkani) and Pakistanis (Balochi, Brahui,Makrani, Sindhi, Pathan, Kashmiri, Punjabi).  Genetically, Pakistanis are closer to Bedouin than they are to Marathis.  Click on the images below to see difference in genetics between Pakistanis and Indians:

Genetic Disposition of Central and South Asians.   India in Green, Pakistani in Blue and Iran and Central Asia in Orange.

J variance in Iran, Pakistan, India, Turkey, and the Balkans Quintana-Murci et al. reported that the STR variance in haplogroup J is .57 in Iran, .47 in Pakistan, .36 in India. For this particular variance, Pakistan is closer to Iran than India or rather in the middle.  On the same loci, the STR variance derived from the Balkan data of Bosch et al. is 0.55.

The Genetic Difference

At K=7, a Southwest Asian component emerges which is highest in Arabia and East Africa.  Another interesting aspect of its distribution is its presence in Pakistan but not India. Perhaps, in this case, it reflects historical contacts between the Islamic Near East and parts of South Asia.  Indians have a 1.8 NE/NW ratio. In Pakistan this is 6.5, in Uzbeks it is 2.9, and in the North Eurasian_Ra it is 14.2.

Genetic Map. Note Pakistani Category versus Indian Quadrant – Gujratis, Sri Lankans, Brahmins.  Pakistan is close to Central Asia at grid point 0,0.

Notice Pakistani ethnic groups versus Indian ethnic groups

RELIGION

It is important to note that Sub-continent Muslims and Sub-Continent Hindus are two distinct civilizations.  Islam reached Pakistan, Bengal & India within decades of its inception in the 7th century through arab traders. In 1937 at the 19th session of the Hindu Mahasabha held at Ahmedabad, Veer Savarkar in his presidential address asserted: “India cannot be assumed today to be Unitarian and homogeneous nation, but on the contrary there are two nations in the main — the Hindus and the Muslims.” Another Hindu, Bhai Parmanand points out in his pamphlet called “The Hindu National Movement”:—“In history the Hindus revere the memory of Prithvi Raj, Partap, Shivaji and, Beragi Bir, who fought for the honour and freedom of this land (against the Muslims), while the Mahomedans look upon the invaders of India, like Muhammad Bin Qasim and rulers like Aurangzeb as their national heroes”

In the religious field, the Hindus draw their inspiration from the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, and the Geeta. The Musalmans, on the other hand, derive their inspiration from the Quran and the Hadith. Thus, the things that divide are far more vital than the things which unite.  In depending upon certain common features of Hindu and Mahomedan social life, in relying upon common language, common race and common country, the Indian is mistaking what is accidental and superficial for what is essential and fundamental Muslims and Hindus have different diet.   Hindus revere the cow, Muslims butcher them for their meat and hide.  In Hinduism, society is highly stratified.  In Islam, “untouchables” converts are welcomed as equal brothers.  In much of India, Muslims live in what are called “Muslim areas” a euphemism for ghettos.   As noted by Bhai Parmanand, Heroes of Muslims are scoundrels s to Hindus (Augranzeb, Babur, Afzal Khan, Ghazni, Ghauri).  Heroes of Hindus are scoundrels to Muslims (Shivaji, Sambajhi).  The two differ in perceptions.  Hindus see Muslims as disloyal progeny of half-breeds, forced-converts, former untouchables or foreign invaders.  Muslims see themselves as Central Asians or Inspired Converts and former masters of western, central & southern asia.  Although Pakistanis are proud of ancient civilizations such as the Indus and their South Asian heritage, Pakistanis the people consider Pakistan the state as a natural extension of the Southwest Asian Muslim experience of the last 1000 years.  Muslims in South Asia have many cultural similarities and by extension dissimilarities from Hindus.  Many Indian Muslims though certainly not all may have appearances of Central Asians & Arabs especially in urban locations.

97% of PAKISTAN is ISLAMIC.

81% of INDIA or 972 million are HINDU.

GEOGRAPHY

The republic of India is in its entirety located in South Asia.  Pakistani is situated at a pivotal geo-strategic, cross-civilizational location. It sits at the intersection of multiple civilizations. Pakistan is considered to be part of the Central Asia by UN. The country is considered to be part of the greater middle east. It is also part of South Asia.   Pakistan is considered to be part of Central Asia both geographically and culturally. India is not.  Central Asia consists of the following nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the following “territories”: Afghanistan, China, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia.  Pakistan has several central asian “cultural capitals” like Peshawar. India does not.  Pakistan is similar to Turkey in Eurasia.  It is part of multiple strategic locations to the Central Asian STAN countries. India is not.  Wakhan Corridor: In Afghanistan, with Tajikistan to the north, Pakistan to the south and China to the east, Khyber Pass: Between Afghanistan and the Pakistan Khunjerab Pass: Between Pakistan and China.

United Nations Designation of Middle & Greater Middle East

Pakistan is part of the “Greater Middle East”. India is not.  In the UN map, Dark green in this map is “Middle East”.  The G8 considers Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Algeria, Morrocco, Tunisia to be part of the “Greater Middle East”.  Armenia, Azerbaijan and the former soviet republics are considered “the greater middle east” sometimes.

TOPOGRAPHY
Topography of the Indus and the Indian region has historically separated the two countries.  Pakistan occupies the western region of the subcontinent and is based around the Indus Valley. It is separated from India proper by a historically impassable desert and by swamps in the south, leaving only northern Punjab, in the central part of the country, as a point of contact.  A small portion of Punjab was partitioned to India.  Pakistan is the major modern-day remnant of Muslim rule over medieval India.  On the other hand, Historic Pakistan has been easily accessible to Afghanistan & Iran.  Everyday thousands of Pakistanis and Afghans cross the border to visit their relatives.

Inhospitable Terrain between Historic Regions.  Mangroves in the south, Desert in the middle, Karokaram in the north.  Only Northern Punjab is easily accessible with the rest of partitioned Punjab.  The northwestern provinces of  british india have in common the Indus River.

To truly appreciate the inhospitable terrain on most of the Indo/Pak border a, satellite image at night demonstrates the absence of civilization right in middle of one of the most populated regions of the world..  See Bracket Below. It also shows Pakistan’s civilization nestle the Indus like it has for thousands of years.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
As independent nations, Pakistan and India have gone separately in their foreign relations.

In the Near, India, despite its pacifist pretensions, attacked and invaded the Portugese Colony of Goa.  Conversely, Pakistan negotiated and purchased the Omani Colony of Gwadar.  Pakistan negotiated an agreement with China on border territories, Conversely, India attempted the provocative forward policy.  Pakistan is has an exemplary friendship with China and considers its friendship “higher than mountains deeper than oceans”.  Conversely, India has had a war with China and considers it to be her #1 enemy.  Pakistan supported and fought alongside of the Afghans against the Soviets.  India was a staunch ally of the Soviets.  Pakistan has not been war with any neighbor except India.  India has been at war or conflict with Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka and has poor relations with Nepal, Bangladesh.

In the near-far, Pakistan has brotherly relations with a majority of the Islamic World and is a founding member of OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries).  India does not enjoy the support of Muslim countries on the critical issue of Kashmir and is not allowed in the OIC even as a guest.

In the far, Pakistan has a history of friendship with USA.  India has always been in the Soviet/Russian camp.  Pakistan does not recognize Israel.  Israel is an important strategic partner of India.

CULTURE

This map shows the long-standing cultural centers and frontiers of South Asia. Pakistani territory is distinct from Indian territory and India has many cultural centers or nations within.a

The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia from the earliest times, and is analogous to Turkey’s position in Eurasia.[1] There are differences in culture among the different ethnic groups in matters such as dress, food, and religion, especially where pre-Islamic customs differ from Islamic practices. Their cultural origins also reveal influences from far afield, including Tibet, Nepal, India and eastern Afghanistan. All groups show varying degrees of influence from Persia, Turkestan and Hellenistic Greece. Pakistan was the first region of South Asia to receive the full impact of Islam and has developed a distinct Islamic identity, historically different from areas further west.

CUISINE

Pakistani cuisine relies heavily on meat, especially red meat.  Indian food relies more on vegetable dishes as the cow is revered.  Indians use more mustard seeds, curry leaves, and hinge.  Hinge is disliked in Pakistan for its strong smell.  Pakistan’s specializations are haleem,  balti, beef nihari, chappli kabab, other shared dishes like biriani and pullao are also originally from Central Asia.

Cuisine is regional not national.  The foods of the various Northern Pakistan ethnic groups are not similar to Indian food so much, and overlap more with Afghan and Central Asian cuisines.  There are places in Pakistan near to China where the people eat home made flat noodle broth soups with shredded meat and fresh herb garnish like “dodo” in Hunza and Gilgit.  Even within Punjab, there are differences.  Sikh and Hindu Punjabis eat a lot more paneer and paneer-based dishes are unknown in Pakistan.

While there are similarities to North Indian cuisine due to central asia’s influence on India, South Indian cusine is completely different.  Dishe ssuch as : kevar kalli, idli, sambar, vadai, rasam, dosa, thayir sadam (yogurt rice), thayir vadai (yogurt-soaked fritters), kootu (vegetables in wet style), poriyal/kari (vegetables in dry style), murukku,uthappam, idiappam, appalam is unknown to Pakistanis.

Food is not prepared in this manner in all of Pakistan.

A very novel way of serving food on a plantain leaf in India.

Here are just a few list of highly popular regional Indian dishes but completely unknown (unfortunately) to Pakistanis:

,Lapsi,Bafla,Bhutte ki Khees,Thalipeeth,Vada Pao
,Modak,Xacuti,Bibinca,Prawn Balchao
,Bisi Bele Bhat,Kesari Bath,Mysore Pak,Dharwand Pedha
,Chiroti,Sadya Meal,Avial,Malabar Parotha,
,Payasam,,Irachi Stew,,Apparn,,Idli,,Sambar,
,Rasam,,Chettinad,,Pongal,,Appam,,Bafauri,
,Kusli,,Red Ant Chutney
,Kadugu,Yerra,Vendakkai
,Patchaddy,Zu,Chakwi,Mwkwhi,Muitru
,Jadoh,Khiromohan,Rasabali,Chhenapodapitha
,Dham,Dal-Baati_churma,Ker Sangaari
,Lal Maas Gette,Jhangora
,Momos,Gundruk,Maasor Tenga
,Pitha,Thekua,Pua,Marua-ka-Roti

PHYSICAL FEATURES
A common international perception based on observance of physical features is that most Pakistanis are lighter skinned than most Indians.  Most Pakistanis resemble the looks of peoples inhabiting on Pakistan’s western borders and beyond i.e. Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkmenistan.  Many Pakistanis also resemble many Northwest Indians or higher caste Indians.  However, those are a minority in India.   Similarly, some Pakistanis resemble peoples of South India, lower caste Indians, Northeast India, etc. but they are a minority in Pakistan.  Majority of Pakistanis have fair skin complexion and majority of Indian have dark complexion.  Pakistanis have a Caucasoid skull type.

Map of World by member size

The differences between Pakistanis and Indians are not as prominent as say the Chinese and Nigerians.  Nor are the two people as similar as Americans and Canadians.   There are cases where a Punjabi from Pakistan may look like a small portion of Punjab partitioned to India just as NWFP and Baluchistan have similarity to Afghanistan and Iran respectively.  But a simple comparison of ordinary people in ordinary circumstances makes it blatantly obvious, that these are two different people.  The purpose of highlighting these differences is not to suggest that one is better than the other.  Rather, the purpose is only to respect our differences.  Pakistanis only want to lay claim to their heritage.

Click on thumbnails of ordinary people of Pakistan and India

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SCHOOL CHILDREN

Indian

Pakistani – The difference in complexion and shades of hair is quite obvious.

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FEMALE TROOPS

Indian Female Troops

Pakistani Female Pilots – Once again, complexion and features are visibly different.

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NATIONAL FEMALE SKIERS

Indian

Pakistani – The difference could not be more pronounced in both complexion and feature and similarities to central Asians.

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FEMALE FANS

Indian – Attractive ladies at a cricket match

Pakistani – Once again the female fans above have a classic South Indian, South Asian look whereas the Pakistani girls have features found all over in Pakistan.

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NURSES

Indian

Pakistani nurses.  Indian girls above look very much like each other, their counterparts in Pakistan look different.

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WOMEN’S CRICKET TEAMS

Indian

Pakistani – Complexion and hair very much different

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FANS ABROAD

Indian – Even abroad, the difference is quite clear and no jersey or flags are needed to identify the two peoples from each other.

Pakistani

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FEMALE ATHLETES

Indian

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U-19 TEAMS

Indian

Pakistanis – Very obvious difference

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RETIRED CAPTAINS

Indian

Pakistani – the two gentlemen are highly accomplished but look like they are from two different parts of the world (in this case).

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FANS

Indian Fans

Pakistani Fans

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CAPTAINS

Indian Cricket Captain – A very typical Indian face.  Compare features of Indian Astronaut below.

Pakistani Captain

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UNIVERSITY GRADUATES 

Indian University Students

Pakistani University Students – These girls look very different from the graduates in India.

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ASTRONAUTS

Indian Astronaut

Pakistani Astronaut

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CERN SCIENTIST

Indian CERN Scientist

Pakistani CERN Scientist

Indian Women often have “frizzy” hair. This trait is rare in Pakistani women.

Ordinary punjabi girls with straight hair

Indian Prime Minister

Pakistani Prime Minister – Was on the People’s magazine of Most Beautiful People in the World.

Indian Students

Pakistani-American Students – A striking difference from Indian-Australian Students above.  1 may look similar to the Indian crowd above and 1 from Indian crowd may look like the majority in this picture.  Overall the difference is quite obvious.

“India” – a superstate

The British conquered the various kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent one by one. Then, for ease of administering (ruling) the conquered territories, the British set up an administrative unit called India. A country or administrative unit called India (or by any other name), comprising of the current territories of India, never existed in all known history, before the British conquest and consolidation.  During the British colonial rule, people of the Indian subcontinent (including those areas now in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Sri Lanka) had a common purpose and agenda, namely, freedom from British colonial rule. Such a one-ness of purpose never before existed among the various peoples of the Indian subcontinent. It brought them together. Finally, in the middle of the 20th century (in the middle 1940s), the weakened-by-WWII British to end their rule over their empire. The oneness of purpose that evolved during the freedom struggle against the British held, with the one exception that most of the Muslim-majority regions in the north became a separate nation called Pakistan at the insistence of the Muslims. Much of the rest of the subcontinent hodgepodge became a country called “India”.  ”India is an ancient country! We are Indians!”

Another point of confusion is the fact that what we know as the modern republic of “India” is really territory conquered by central Asians and consolidated by the British empire.  560 principalities, states, nations or cultures were consolidated.  The same can be said of Pakistan but it is united by religion (Islam), languages (Indo-Iranic), script (farsi), philosophy (TNT), civilization (Indus), cuisine (Mughalai).  Each of Pakistan’s ethnic groups meet each other on the banks of the Indus.   India is much more diverse amalgamation of states.  India, at a minimum, is a country made of the following countries:

GEO-POLITICAL HISTORY

These are the facts:

• “India” was never one country, culture, nation
• Pakistani territory (Indus) has rarely been part of Peninsular India  

• 1000 AD
• Pakistan territory is part of the Central Asian Ghaznavid Empire & Sindh separate from “India”
• India territory is made up of many nations

• 1100
• AfPak is part of Ghaznavid empire & Sindh
• Indian territory made up of many nations

• 1200
• AfPak Ghaznavid empire with an army of Pushtun Soldiers, ancestors of modern day Afpak, with its capital located in Lahore, Pakistan, they invade northern India’s Gahadvala Empire
• Most of Pakistani Territory is part of Central Asian Ghurid Empire which by this time has conquered Northern India & Sindh
• Indian Territory is a series of countries Bengal, Malwa, Chola and Hoysala.

• 1220
• Pakistan consists of Sindh and Delhi Sultante of the Mamluk
• Indian Territory is a series of countries Bengal, Malwa, Chola and Hoysala.

• 1240
• Delhi Consulate consolidates Pakistan and continues to make gains in peninsular India and Bangladesh.
• Indian Territory is a series of countries Bengal, Malwa, Chola and Hoysala.

Historical Baggage

Pakistanis consider themselves to be the descendants of the Ghauris, Mughals, Durranis, Suris, Lodhis, Ghazni  who ruled the modern Indus nation of Pakistan for close to a thousand years.  The Pakistani population consists of mostly Indo-Aryans.  A significant chunk of the population is Afghan/Pashtun and Irani/Baluchistanis.   The Pashtun are an integral part of Pakistan’s establishment.  It can be said there are two Pashtun countries in the world, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  This ethnic group has contributed many of Pakistan’s presidents & prime ministers (Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zafarullah Khan, Liaqat Ali Khan, Feroz Khan).  Their are more Pashtuns in Karachi than Kabul.  Hamid Karzai refers to Pakistan and Afghanistan as conjoined twins.  The Afghan king once considered a federation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  People of Iranian ancestry have that have taken leadership positions include Benazir Bhutto and the current prime minister Gilani who visited his ancestral homes on a trip to Iran.  Arabs settled along the Indus and Omanis settled in the enclave of Gwadar.  Still other Pakistanis are descendants of Mongols, Mughals and Turks in addition to Persians, Sakas, Parthians, Hephthalites and Greeks. The great Mughal emperor Akbar was born in Sind.  Sher Shah Suri was born in Multan.  Ayub Khan emir of Afghanistan and destroyer of Anglo/Indian army is buried in Peshawar a hero to both countries.  His grandson fought for Pakistan leading a division in 1965.

These ethnic groups that make up the Indus nation of Pakistan inflicted defeat after defeat on what is northern and peninsular india.  Although Pakistanis are proud of ancient civilizations such as the Indus and their South Asian heritage, Pakistanis the people consider Pakistan the state as a natural extension of the Southwest Asian Muslim experience of the last 1000 years.

Indus History distinct from developments in Peninsular Sub-Continent

* 1700 BC – 0600 BC: Start of the Aryan civilization in Sapta Sindhu, Punjab and of Indus culture
* 500 BC: Gandhara Buddhist civilization (500 BC to 500 AD)
* 516 BC: North Pakistan becomes easternmost province of Achaemenid Empire of Persia. Gandharais semi-independent kingdom
* 600 BC: Beginning of historic period under Achaemenians; Sindh & Punjab as provinces of the empire of Darius I of Persia
* 327 BC – 325 BC: Alexander of Macedonia invades Pakistan and captures Taxila
* 300 BC: Mauryan empire, Ashoka promotes Buddhism
* 185 BC: Bactrian Greeks conquer North-West Pakistan
* 75 BC: Arrival of Scythians (Sakas) from central Asia
* 20: Parthians conquer Northern Pakistan
* 60: Kushans from central Asia overthrow Parthians
* 3rd Century: Kushans decline and are dominated by Sassanian empire of Persia
* 4th Century: Kidar (little) Kushans come to power
* 450: White Huns (Hephthalites) attacked Gandhara, sacked its cities and burnt down its many monasteries and centres of learning
* 565: Sassanians and Turks overthrow Huns
* Late 6th –7th Century: Turki Shahi control area West of Indus, including Gandhara
* 711 – 712: Muhammad bin Qasim conquers Sindh and Southern Punjab
Coastal trade and the presence of a colony in Sindh permitted significant cultural exchange and the introduction of Muslim teachers into the subcontinent. Considerable conversions took place, especially amongst the Buddhist majority.

* 870 – 1026: Hindu Shahi ruled from Multan to Kabul
* 1001: Mahmud Ghazni defeats the Hindu Shahi king Jayapala (A Janjua Rajput) near Peshawar
* 1021: Mahmud Ghazni defeats Tarnochalpal and annexes Punjab
* 1058: Sumra Dynasty (1058–1351) ends the Arab domination and establishes its own rule over Sindh.
* 1148 – 1206: Ghaurids Period
* 1221: Mongol Genghis Khan invades Punjab
* 1351: Samma Dynasty assumed rule over Sindh
* 1398: Tamerlane plunders Lahore
* 1472: Sher Shah Suri (original name Farid Khan] born in Multan
* 1526 – 1857: Mughal ascendancy (1526–1707), nominal rule by Mughals (1707–1857)
* 1541 – 1543: Sher Shah Suri built the Rohtas Fort
* 1586: Yusufzais defeat Akbar in the Karakar pass
* 1701: Kalhoro Dynasty establishes its rule over Sindh
* 1739: Nadir Shah of Persia invades subcontinent
* 1751-52: Ahmed Shah Abdali annexes Punjab to his kingdom
* 1782: The Baloch tribe of Talpur defeats the last Kalhora ruler Mian Abdul Nabi in the battle of Halani

These diverse ancestral groups of races & religions above are proudly represented by their descendants in modern day Pakistan.

An interesting comment by Dr. Jamil Chaudri

A lot of British were born in India, but that did not make them Indian. Since the time of Mahmood of Ghazna, citizens of what is now the United Islamic Republics (Afghania and Pakia) had lived in the Islamic patrimony of Hind, but that DID NOT make them Hindi! In 1947, most Pakis were indeed Hindi-born; but, really, they never were Hindi by aptitude or inclination or ethnicity.
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Just the same as at the end of British rule, most British (whether born in Hind or otherwise) left for the UK or British Dominions (Australia, South Africa, etc.), in 1947 most Pakis left Hind. Some Hindis seem unable to understand the difference between religion and ethnicity. Hindi-Muslims are still in India; those from the United Islamic Republics left Hind in 1947. We were never Hindi – a strange set of circumstances had spread us across the Gangetic Plains – in 1947, or thereafter, we returned home!!  Perhaps, the phrase needs a bit of elaboration. It was the spirit of adventure and romance, an outwards outlook, curiosity, and the zeal of sharing our civilization that spread us over the Gengetic Plain. The Romance lasted for a few hundred years and when zeal waned, our fathers returned to our ancestral ethnic home-land: the United Islamic Republics.  You raise two interesting issues. Issue 1: Geographic; and Issue 2: Civilizational.  Regarding the Geographic issue, in my writing I mentioned the Gangetic Plain, as the area where Afghan-Paki people sojourned. The Indus River (its source and its tributaries) is an Afghan-Pakistani River. Even ancient geographers recognised the boundary of Hind to be TO THE EAST OF the Indus River SYSTEM. The Indus River System has NOTHING to do with Hind; it only defines Hind as a land on the other side of the Indus System. In Latin, Hind would be defined as a trans-Indus land.  The second issue pertains to civilizational differences. In the Afghan-Pakistani (linked with Turkic) anschauung, the Upland Afghans brought a message and a civilization which was well received by the inhabitants of the Afghan Lowlands (Indus River System). The Pakistanis are totally Afghanised. Although I am a Jatt, from Ludihana in Hindi Punjab, in terms of ethnicity I am an Afghan from the top of my head (the Karakul Hat) to the sole of my shoes (the Peshawari sandals). In our anschauung anybody who accepts our WAY OF LIFE becomes US. Whether they came from Greece, or Japan (or from the moon for that matter!) provided they have the inclination and aptitude to be Afghan-Pakistani , that person is no longer a foreigner: He or she is US.  The treachery of Albion resulted in some of the Afghan-Pakitani Lands being presently occupied by Hind.

Dress

Pakistanis overwhelmingly wear Shalwar-Qameez.  Shalwar is a persian word wrongly pronounced in India as “Salwar”.  Qameez is an Arabic word.  In India, Saris are much more popular even though the origin of the Sari is date to Pakistan’s Indus civilization.  Sari are also not preferred due to the exposed midriff.  Pakistani men wear the Peshawari Chappal, sometimes even with jeans.  These durable shoes can last for ten years.   Lungees are worn in India even by government officials, In Pakistan, Lungis are not worn much.  In India, the traditional style of dress for men is the dhoti or lungi. This is a long white sheet of cloth and men will wear a shirt or t-shirt over it. Kurta-pyjama and European and Western influenced trousers and shirts are also becoming more popular among men.  The draped sari is generally considered to be one of the most popular forms of traditional Indian dress for women. They can be made out of a range of different fabrics, although silk saris still reign as the most elegant choice. The sari is usually worn over a blouse, by girls and women of all ages

The society and culture of Pakistan (Urdu: ثقافت پاکستان) comprises numerous diverse cultures and ethnic groups: the Punjabis, Kashmiris, Sindhis in east, Muhajirs, Makrani in the south; Baloch and Pashtun in the west; and the ancient Dardic, Wakhi, and Burusho communities in the north. These Pakistani cultures have been greatly influenced by many of the surrounding countries’ cultures, such as the Turkic peoples, Persian, Arab, some parts of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
In ancient times, Pakistan was a major cultural hub. Many cultural practices and great monuments have been inherited from the time of the ancient rulers of the region. One of the greatest cultural influences was that of the Persian Empire, of which Pakistan was a part. In fact, the Pakistani satraps were at one time the richest and most productive of the massive Persian Empire. Other key influences include the Afghan Empire, Mughal Empire and later, the short-lived but influential, the British Empire.
Pakistan has a cultural and ethnic background going back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which existed from 2800–1800 B.C., and was remarkable for its ordered cities, advanced sanitation, excellent roads, and uniquely structured society. Pakistan has been invaded many times in the past, and has been occupied and settled by many different peoples, each of whom have left their imprint on the current inhabitants of the country. Some of the largest groups were the Proto-Indo-Aryans, of which Sindhis and Punjabis descend from and later Iranic peoples which the Baloch and Pashtuns descend from. Other less significant ones include the Greeks, Scythians, Persians, White Huns, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, Buddhists, and other Eurasian groups, up to and including the British, who left in the late 1940s.
The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia from the earliest times, and is analogous to Turkey’s position in Eurasia.[1] There are differences in culture among the different ethnic groups in matters such as dress, food, and religion, especially where pre-Islamic customs differ from Islamic practices. Their cultural origins also reveal influences from far afield, including Tibet, Nepal, India, and eastern Afghanistan. All groups show varying degrees of influence from Persia, Turkestan and Hellenistic Greece. Pakistan was the first region of South Asia to receive the full impact of Islam and has developed a distinct Islamic identity, historically different from areas further west.[1]
Diwan-e-Khas: the hall of special audience with the emperor
Bahauddin Zakariya
Ancient sites in Pakistan include: Zoroastrian Fire temples, Islamic centres, shi’a shrines/Sufi shrines, Buddhist temples, Sikh, Hindu, and pagan temples and shrines, gardens, tombs, palaces, monuments, and Mughal and Indo-Saracenic buildings. Sculpture is dominated by Greco-Buddhist friezes, and crafts by ceramics, jewellery, silk goods and engraved woodwork and metalwork.
Pakistani society is largely multilingual, multi-ethnic and multicultural. Though cultures within the country differ to some extent, more similarities than differences can be found, as most Pakistanis are mainly of Aryan heritage or have coexisted side by side along the Indus River for several thousand years, or both. However, over 60 years of integration, a distinctive “Pakistani” culture has sprung up, especially in the urban areas where many of the diverse ethnic groups have coexisted and ithe country now having a literacy rate of 55%, up from 3% at the time of independence. Traditional family values are highly respected and considered sacred, although urban families increasingly form nuclear families, owing to socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional culture of the extended family.
The past few decades have seen emergence of a middle class in cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Sialkot, Abbottabad, and Multan. Rural areas of Pakistan are regarded as more conservative, and are dominated by regional tribal customs dating back hundreds if not thousands of years.
“Pakistan’s culture is again unique like the rest of the country. Pakistan’s geography is the meeting point of South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia/Gulf. Its culture could be termed as a combination of sub continental, Islamic, Regional, English, and more recently global influences. Let us consider them piecemeal. The newly born Pakistan had to have a sub continental leaning, having been a part of for last 5000 years of its civilization. However, the Indus Valley, present day Pakistan, culture was different from the rest of North India or South India”. (Quoted Pakistan’s Identity, History and Culture, from the famous book Gwadar on the Global Chessboard by Nadir Mir)