I am at Seven-Eleven and a guy walks up to me and says “Assalam-uali-kum” (the Muslim greeting) and my natural response is “Walikum-as-salam”. Very nicely he says, “So you are from the Middle-East” and I said, “No, I am from Pakistan”, he looks at me (with a lot of concentration) for a moment and says “isn’t it the same thing?”
Now, this is not the first time it happened to me. I have been asked this question many times. So I decided to write about Pakistan. That is not the only reason why I am writing about Pakistan TODAY. Today is 23rd March (this is how some countries write their dates, rather than March 23rd), Pakistan Day, a very important in Pakistan’s history.
Seeing the army march down the street and the fighter planes fly in rows fill us with awe. It cultivates a feeling of security that we have a wonderful army working so hard to provide us with a peaceful sleep every night. I remember from my childhood how exciting this event was for all of us. This was our holiday and we made sure to take advantage of this day by celebrating it with other people. We were never lucky enough to be very close to the army, but we lived nearby and loved it when the fighter planes flew from over our roof. The sky was colored with different dyes and the ground painted with the chivalry of our brave men. For me, this day is not just about the fearless men showing off there strength to give us confidence, but it also hold great historical significance.
23 March commemorates the passage of Pakistan Resolution, a resolution passed at the annual session of All India Muslim Leagues. I will not bore you with all the details so in short, the Muslims of India on that day in fact had proclaimed to the world their determination to make the Muslim Statehood the goal of their struggle under the leadership of the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Every year we remind ourselves of how our ancestors struggled to prove their identity and eventually with great sacrifices and extreme hardships proved their point. The parade tells the world that we made a promise to struggle and we fulfilled it. Hence, our generations to come will abide by this goal and cherish the wonderful gift of Pakistan that we have.
Now, let us go back to the original question, “Where in the world is Pakistan?”
Location: Southern Asia, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west, bordering the Arabian Sea in the South,and China in the north.
Area: 796,095 sq km (slightly less than twice the size of California)
Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north (in short Pakistan experiences all four weathers)
Religions: Muslim 95%, other (includes Christian and Hindu) 5%
Capital: Islamabad (is one of the few planned capital cities in the world, and is often cited as one of the most beautiful ones)
Language: Urdu (means army of languages), English (second language)
Currency: Pakistani Ruppee, (approx. 80 Pakistani Ruppes equal 1 US Dollar)
Famous Mountain Peak: K-2 (Mt. Godwin Austin): 28,250 ft./8611 m (2nd highest in World)
Favorite Sports: Cricket (Pakistan won the First Quarter Final during World Cup 2011 and is going to play against India for the Semi Final), Hockey, Squash
Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, Pakistan, where the resolution was passed
Sky full of colors
Air force guys showing off