Culture

The relatively diverse culture of Pakistan has been greatly influenced by the cultures of Central Asia and the Middle East. Pakistan is the home of many ancient civilisations, including the Indus Valley Civilisation that influenced the cultures of the rest of South Asia. Many cultural practices and monuments have been inherited from the rule of many rulers of the region that have added their cultural traditions to the region.

Ancient sites in Pakistan include Buddhist monuments, Zorastrian/Hindu/Buddhist temples, Palaces and Monuments built by Emperors, tombs, pleasure grounds and Anglo-Mogul mansions - some in a state of dereliction which makes their former grandeur more emphatic. Sculpture is dominated by Graeco-Buddhist friezes, and crafts by ceramics, jewellery, silk goods and engraved woodwork and metalwork.

Pakistani society is largely multilingual and multicultural. Though cultures within the country differ to some extenct, more similarities than differences can be found as most Pakistanis are of mainly Aryan heritage. However, over 50 years of integration, a distinctive 'Pakistani' Culture has sprung up especially in the urban areas. Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society. Education is highly regarded by members of every socio-economic stratum. The traditional family values are highly respected and considered sacred, although urban families have grown into a nuclear family system, owing to the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional joint family system.

National Dress

The Sherwani (a coat that extends to slightly below knee-length, fits close to the body and is fastened in the front with buttons) and the Karakul hat (made from the wool of Karakul sheep is the national dress of Pakistan for men. Most government officials wear the formal black Sherwani on state occasions.

The sari is regional dress that is worn by many women in Sindh and parts of Pakistan. Pakistani women wear an elaborate and heavily embroidered dress known as gharara on their wedding days.

Both men and women wear a traditional suit known as salwar kameez. Salwars (or shalwars) are loose pyjama-like trousers; te legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the bottom. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak) are left open below the waist-line, which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement.

Cinema

An indigenous movie industry exists in Pakistan, and is known as 'Lollywood' as it is based in Lahore, producing over forty feature-length films a year. The Lollywood industry used to produce many Urdu films, however, the number of Urdu films has decreased as the number of Punjabi-language has risen.

Pakistan also has another film industry, Pollywood, based in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province that produces Pashto language films. As demand for films has increased, Karachi has its own version of film festivals, which includes the Kara Film Festivals where many film producers, actors and film staff get together to celebrate achievements in the industry.

Although Bollywood films have been banned since the Pakistan-India War in 1965, Indian film stars are generally popular in Pakistan.

Literature

The common and shared tradition of Urdu literature and English literature of the South Asia was inherited by the new state. Over a period of time, a body of literature unique to Pakistan has emerged in nearly all major Pakistani languages, including Urdu, English, Punjabi, Pushto and Sindhi.

The Urdu language has an old tradition of poetry and includes famous poets as Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmad Faiz national Poet of Pakistan. Pakistani poetry also has many blends of other languages: Balochi Poetry, Persian poetry, English poetry, Punjabi poetry and Kashmiri poetry have all incorporated and have influenced the different kinds of poetry in the region.

Since the time that Rudyard Kipling lived in Lahore, Pakistan has produced a considerable body of English language literature. A growing number of Pakistani and Pakistani-origin novelists and short fiction writers have won international awards for their work.

Music

Pakistani music is represented by a wide variety of forms. It ranges from traditional styles (such as Qawwali) to more modern forms that try to fuse traditional Pakistani music with western music. A famous Pakistani musician, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was internationally renowned for creating a form of music which synchronized Qawwali with western music. Popular forms of music also prevail, the most notable being Film music and Urdu and Punjabi Pop music. In addition to this are the diverse traditions of folk music, as well as modern styles such as rock with bands such as Junoon becoming recognised internationally.

Sports

The official and national sport of Pakistan is field hockey, although squash and cricket are also very popular. The national cricket team has won the Cricket World Cup once (in 1992), were runners-up once (in 1999) and co-hosted the games twice (in 1987 and 1996). The team has also won the Australasia Cup in 1986, 1990, and 1994. The country will also be hosting the 2011 Cricket World Cup with India and Bangladesh.

At an international level, Pakistan has competed many times at the Summer Olympics in field hockey, boxing, athletics, swimming, and shooting. Hockey is the sport that Pakistan has been most successful at the Olympics, with three gold medals (1960, 1968, 1984). Pakistan has also won the Hockey World Cup four times (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994). Pakistan has hosted several international competitions, including the SAFG in 1989 and 2004.

A1 Grand Prix racing is also becoming popular with the entry of a Pakistani team in the 2005 season. The Tour de Pakistan, modelled on the Tour de France, is an annual cycling competition that covers the length and breadth of Pakistan. Recently, football has grown in popularity across the country, where traditionally it had been played almost exclusively in the western province of Balochistan. FIFA has recently teamed up with the government to bring football to the northern areas. It is hoped that Pakistan will fare well in the Football World Cup qualifiers for 2010.