Identity crisis - how do we fix this?

[Indus Pakistan]

It's difficult for Pakistan to have an identity other than Islam when Islam was the plinth on which its founding father asked for and created it.

If you follow that reductive line of reasoning then the only 'plinth' India stands on is East Indian Company shareholders greed. No white Englishmens greed no Indian Republic. No taxation without tea and representation no USA. No bloke with towel on his head named Ibn Saud and no Saudia Arabia. And Canada or Ireland should not exist unless maple leaf and harp or Guinness beer are solid 'plinths' for a country.

Ps. All countries come about through historical circumstances. Similiar to how we as human beings are born either through plan, accident but we don't question our existence. We are. Thus we live. Thus we exist. Thus we make best of it. Existence itself has logfic and neccessity of it's own.

 

[lastofthepatriots]

What is with PDF's obsession with food related threads though......first there was the great Biryani Battle of 2018, now this.
Maybe food just has a clear cut way of differentiating people.

Pakistanis appreciate food and aesthetics more so than anyone else. I think only Italians come close.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

I have to go now but while I am off perhaps you want to figure out where Nepal fits in this Hindu universe? Is it a Indian civilization and if so why is it a separate country? Indeed Nepal is more Hindu then India. Or for that matter Sri Lanka? Dharmic through and through right?


Or could all this be because of those pesky, greedy English?

 

[Mujahid Memon]

When searched on Alibaba for Pakistani Shalwar kameez.

 

[padamchen]

If you follow that reductive line of reasoning then the only 'plinth' India stands on is East Indian Company shareholders greed. No white Englishmens greed no Indian Republic. No taxation without tea and representation no USA. No bloke with towel on his head named Ibn Saud and no Saudia Arabia. And Canada or Ireland should not exist unless maple leaf and harp or Guinness beer are solid 'plinths' for a country.

Ps. All countries come about through historical circumstances. Similiar to how we as human beings are born either through plan, accident but we don't question our existence. We are. Thus we live. Thus we exist. Thus we make best of it. Existence itself has logfic and neccessity of it's own.

Agree absolutely. We learned our lesson. And decided to come together. It wasn't a given. There was a lot of work and force involved.

But the overarching thread that binds ALL of India is Hindu. Dharmic.

Pakistan on the other hand is 60% Dharmic, 40% Zoroastrian cultural ancestral DNA.

And a thousand years of Islam (a faith not of the region or its people but brought there by foreign conquest and rule) with a few hundred(?) years of unified Lodi dynastic rule with the ephemeral romanticism of the IVC (again half Iranic half Indic) is supposed to cobble it together.....

Cheers, Doc

 

[Shamsher1990]

Tenu kisay ne puchaya bandara?

Meri Marjee. Twade pet vich darada kiyun huda hai?

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

The reasoning of many Indian posters is plain wrong. It is not an identity crisis on behalf of Pakistanis, but rather a negative perception about Pakistan and Muslims perpetuated by the West.

Anytime i mention Pakistan or Pakistani food to Americans, they are always confused. “Is it like Arab food? Is Pakistan part of India?” And the funniest “Is that food Islam?” Lol.

Pakistanis are a very accommodating people. When we talk with Arabs, we try to talk about what we have in common and Sahaba. When we talk to Indians, we will discuss our favorite movies and our Hindu friends. This is just the nature of Pakistanis to never let the guest feel insulted or less about himself.

However this has gotten out of hand. The time (60s-70s) when no one knew about Pakistan is over. We need to start creating an international brand worldwide.

We can look toward the European countries for branding:

UK (Big Ben, London bridge, double decker buses, fish and chips, breakfast tea)

France (Eiffel tower, French coffee, café, beret, cheese)

Germany (beer,
Lederhosen, Oktoberfest)

Etc

So far I think Arabs and Indians know the differences between Pakistani and Indian food and culture.

 

[Shamsher1990]

The reasoning of many Indian posters is plain wrong. It is not an identity crisis on behalf of Pakistanis, but rather a negative perception about Pakistan and Muslims perpetuated by the West.

Anytime i mention Pakistan or Pakistani food to Americans, they are always confused. “Is it like Arab food? Is Pakistan part of India?” And the funniest “Is that food Islam?” Lol.

Pakistanis are a very accommodating people. When we talk with Arabs, we try to talk about what we have in common and Sahaba. When we talk to Indians, we will discuss our favorite movies and our Hindu friends. This is just the nature of Pakistanis to never let the guest feel insulted or less about himself.

However this has gotten out of hand. The time (60s-70s) when no one knew about Pakistan is over. We need to start creating an international brand worldwide.

We can look toward the European countries for branding:

UK (Big Ben, London bridge, double decker buses, fish and chips, breakfast tea)

France (Eiffel tower, French coffee, café, beret, cheese)

Germany (beer,
Lederhosen, Oktoberfest)

Etc

So far I think Arabs and Indians know the differences between Pakistani and Indian food and culture.

Naah, the original question was why do Pakistani restaurants usually advertise their business as 'Indian-Pakistani' food. Pakistani should create their own identity or brand. Which is a genuine point. Atleast outside Indian subcontinent.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Naah, the original question was why do Pakistani restaurants usually advertise their business as 'Indian-Pakistani' food. Pakistani should create their own identity or brand. Which is a genuine point. Atleast outside Indian subcontinent.

No one knows what Pakistani food is, in the West.

 

[Gibbs]

I believe it will be hard to divorce Pakistani nationalism from Islam. That said if Ireland can be catholic and Irish why not Pakistan be Islamic and Pakistani.

No reason why it should'nt though, As many more erudite Pakistani's have mentioned and a fact i agree on is the lack of Pakistani identity, Islam should be a vital component of that NOT the other way around

Ireland is essentially Catholic, But Catholicism does not define the Irish republic nor Northern Ireland or for that matter anyone of Irish origin but their Celtic roots does

Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism.

You could say Dharmic, Not necessarily an offshoot of Hinduism, Buddhism is kind of the antithesis to Hinduism

 

[padamchen]

No reason why it should'nt though, As many more erudite Pakistani's have mentioned and a fact i agree on is the lack of Pakistani identity, Islam is a vital component of that NOT the other way around

Ireland is essentially Catholic, But Catholicism does not define the Irish republic nor Northern Ireland or for that matter anyone with Irish roots but their Celtic roots does



You could say Dharmic, Not necessarily an offshoot of Hinduism, Buddhism is kind of the antithesis of Hinduism

Agree.

It's one of Hinduism's great strengths to fight and eventually internalise existential threats.

It's like water. It will always find a way. And it will always dissolve.

Cheers, Doc

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

As many more erudite Pakistani's have mentioned and a fact i agree on is the lack of Pakistani identity, Islam is a vital component of that NOT the other way around

Pakistanis in Pakistan are not in an identity crisis.

We are talking about expatriates in the West whose businesses are.

Pakistan being a nation founded on Islam, it cannot be divorced from the reason of its existence. Just like it was unnatural for Turks and Iranians after Islam.

Both of our founding personalities, Quaid and Iqbal, extolled the values and immense historical and religious effect of Islam on us as a nation.

Imran Khan believes much the same, being himself a religious nationalist striving for social justice.

 

[Shamsher1990]

No reason why it should'nt though, As many more erudite Pakistani's have mentioned and a fact i agree on is the lack of Pakistani identity, Islam should be a vital component of that NOT the other way around

Ireland is essentially Catholic, But Catholicism does not define the Irish republic nor Northern Ireland or for that matter anyone with Irish roots but their Celtic roots does

Thats roughly the nature of Pakistan should be, IMHO, essentially Islamic but Pakistani. Thats why I feel Indus river and Islam are two pillars of Pakistan. But then thats just me.

No one knows what Pakistani food is, in the West.

Then even more so!
West is a hell lot about 'Try new things' or 'Try exotic things!'.
Unknown in west is a boon. Your stuff will get 'discovered' by some lifestyle journalist and made viral.
It will first take a small but core fans. It will slowly get mainstream while that core group will moan how it is not 'Pakistani' anymore and not every one in west understand what true Pakistani food is all about but they do.

 

[lastofthepatriots]

So essentially a marketing strategy has led to Baba @Indus Pakistan questioning his identity and having a mid life crisis. LolololololoL

 

[Shamsher1990]

So essentially a marketing strategy has led to Baba @Indus Pakistan questioning his identity and having a mid life crisis. LolololololoL

It is indeed branding. Nation is also a brand. Swiss-Made is a major brand. His concerns are right.