Etiquette in Pakistan

In Pakistan, Islamic culture is predominant, but Pakistan also has its own cultural etiquette based mainly on South Asian influences.

Introduction and greeting

• Combined-family system is usually referred but in modern times, the unit-family system prevails more than the former. Elders are respected to the utmost and get love and honour from youngsters, even if they are strangers and meet each other for the first time in any situation.
• Guests are honored and treated with respect, which leads to relatives, colleagues, friends, and people in the neighborhood feeling delighted to meet and stay connected. Typically, guests inform the host before arrival to ensure their routine remains undisturbed.
• In formal contexts, it was previously considered rude to introduce yourself to strangers, and therefore generally advisable to ask some mutual acquaintance to introduce you. Strangers will speak with each other in the "formal" register of Urdu, and using the familiar register will be seen as very rude. However, This is not the case in everyday life.
• In many areas, people of the opposite sex do not usually shake hands, and interact only to talk, although this rule is more relaxed if one of the participants is an elder or a close relative. However, this type of gender-segregation is not common in the metropolitan cities, such as Islamabad, Lahore, and Muhajir-dominated (Urdu-speaking) areas of Karachi.
• Islamabad Capital Territory, the northern Punjab, and many metropolitan areas in Karachi are more liberal, whereas the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are a bit conservative and prefer to keep up with traditions wholeheartedly. The literacy rate is higher in the Muhajir-dominated areas of Karachi and northern Punjab than in the other cities or provinces in Pakistan.

In urban Sindh and other parts of the country, men and women usually lower their heads and lift their hands to their forehead to make the "adab" gesture when greeting each other.

• When being introduced to elders or strangers while seated it is customary to get up as a sign of respect.
• It is advisable to ask a person how they wish to be addressed.
  • Pakistanis are generally very affectionate towards children. It is considered rude and disrespectful to not interact with children, no matter their age.
  • Pakistanis generally speak in a very roundabout way, often using many similes and metaphors, and it is fairly common for passages from poems to be recited or cited during conversions.
  • It is inadvisable to bring alcohol as a gift to any Pakistani home (As Islam is the dominant religion in the country and it prohibits any mind-altering substances).
  • Avoid discussing subjects such as sex and intimacy as these are considered to be taboo.
  • Most Pakistanis are not accepting of homosexuality. In many cases, they are unaware of the concept.
  • Casual dating is considered extremely inappropriate. Moreover, people of the opposite gender seen together in public are subject to judgment. Dating is thought to bring shame and dishonor to the family. However, liberal societies in the cities such as, Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore, are more relaxed in this matter.
  • However, in recent years dating has become less of a taboo in Pakistan. This is largely due to the increasing influence of Western culture.
  • Arranged marriages are a common practice in Pakistan. Suitable spouses are chosen by the elders of the family by taking into consideration the other family's financial and social standing.

Etiquette in a business environment

• English is widely spoken and understood in major cities. The local dialect is called Pakistani English.
• If possible, try not to schedule meetings during Ramadan. The workday is shortened, and since Muslims fast, they will not be able to offer you tea, which is a sign of hospitality.
• Meetings are not scheduled at prayer time.

See also

• History of Pakistan
• Pakistani cuisine

Further reading

• Karin Mittmann; Zafar Ihsan. Culture shock! Pakistan – a guide to customs and etiquette.