Ethnic Groups in Pakistan
About 98% of languages spoken in Pakistan are Indo-Iranian (sub-branches: 75% Indo-Aryan and 20% pure Iranian), a branch of Indo-European family of languages. Most languages of Pakistan are written in the Perso-Arabic script, with significant vocabulary derived from Arabic and Persian. Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Seraiki, Sindhi, Pashto, Urdu, Balochi, Kashmiri (Koshur), etc. are the general languages [...]
Khattak Dance
Khattak is a swift martial sword-dance performed by professional dancers from the Khattak tribe of Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
History of Khatak dance
A journalist of Pashtun origin, Amanullah Ghilzai, traced the roots of Khatak to an ancient Greek dance. According to his theory, Khatak, or Athan, is one of the [...]
Festivals in Pakistan
Pakistan’s calendar features a great many festivals, both purely cultrual and also religious. Others are in memory of National Heroes or [...]
Social Life of Pashtoons
Family
An attractive feature of the Pukhtoon way of life is the joint family system which signifies their deep love for the family’s solidarity and welfare. The desire of communal life emanates from a consideration of economic security and integrity. All the family members, even the [...]
The Early History of Pashto
According to G.P.Tate, the author of “The kingdom of Afghanistan” – the first to use Pashto for literary purposes was the famous Pir Roshan in the 7th century. His arch rival Akhund Derweza (1533-1638) was also compelled to use Pashto to arouse his followers against the [...]
Dresses & Attire of Pakhtoon
Cotton and wool are the main material used in clothes and these are woven and dyed and made into garments by each family or group.
Women wear the Chadri, which covers a woman from head to foot with a latticed slit for the eyes, is made of cotton in shades of blue, brown, black. In the [...]
Sindhi Language History
Sindh is a repository of varied cultural values and has remained the seat of civilization and meeting point of diverse cultures from times immemorial. Sindh’s cultural life has been shaped, to a large extent, by its comparative isolation in the past from the rest of the subcontinent. A long stretch of desert to its east [...]
Pakistani Society & Culture
Islam
. Islam is practised by the majority of Pakistanis and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives.
. Among certain obligations for Muslims are to pray five times a day – at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening.
. Friday is the Muslim holy day. Everything is closed.
. During the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn [...]
Sindhi Language
Sindhi language:
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of South Asia, which is now a province of Pakistan. It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 17 million people in Pakistan, and 2.8 million in India; it is also a recognised official language in both of these countries.
Most Sindhi speakers in Pakistan are concentrated [...]
History of the Punjabi Language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region both in Pakistan and India as well as in their Diasporas. Punjabi is spoken by approximately 88 million native speakers, making it the 11th most widely spoken language in the world. Punjabi is a significant language for the Sikhs and Punjabi speaking [...]
