Pakistan Culture: Traditions And Values

Culture of Pakistan
Pakistani culture is a composition of several elements. Culture actually refers to what people socially learn and share as the member of society where as Pakistan possesses heterogeneous society. Apart from believing in the oneness of Allah and Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) as the last Prophet, the rays of beliefs are scattered. Pakistan was acquired in the name of religion so there must be Islamic culture in it. But what seems on paper is quite different in reality. Religion, as a subset of culture, is polluted in different ways. Every person have its own culture and the cultural traditions, mores, norms and values are changing gradually with the time.
To focus on positive aspect of Pakistani culture one should ponder on the art and literature. We have the beautiful folk stories of Heer Ranjha, Sassi Punu, Sony Mahewal, the attracture mausoleums of Multan, the “Toppi and Ajrak” culture of sindh and much more. Overtly, it is a rich culture of Pakistan but covertly it is failed to discribe the culture of Pakistan. Professor sahar Ansar, speaking in the second International Urdu conference, said that the only way to tell the world that we are culture is through literature.
But in Pakistan waters and poets were imprisoned by both democratic and military regimes. Contradiction for music also plagued pakisatni society. In September 2009 the B.Z.U of Multan closed down its music department blaming a “public lock of interest”.
Pakistani culltre is composed of different cultures like Punjabi, Saraiki, Pushtoon, Sindhi, Balauchi and Kashmiri. It is entangled with extremism, corruption, lawlersness, identity crisis and lack of nationalism. The horizontally divided and vertically torned Pakistani society is failed to defined the boundries of its culture. The national language is under the threat of globalization. In 90’s people switched on to Urdu language to project their learned impression but now the language is a mixture of both urdu and english. The family pattern of Pakistan is existing in a good condition than that of the West yet it is in a transitional period because of economic burden. People are moving far away from combined family system and preffering nuclear family where as West is moving back to combine family system.
Another counter culture is coming on the scene and that is Talban culture, that is again threatening the culture of pakisatni people. Talibans are rejecting some of the most important norms of wider Pakistani society and are proud of it.
Globalization is another active factor which is not only effecting the Pakistani culture but every culture of the world, yet having many spaces, Pakistani culture is much vulnerable to it.
Pakistani people should recognize that in the absence of any robust culture, they will lose their national voice and image. We exist as others see us not as we see ourselves. Our embassies should play active role in projecting media should play positive role in harmonizing the culture. A universal tolerance should be applied. Their must be a complete distinction between real culture and Ideal culture.