Things People are great at here...

[being lonely]

1. Hospitality

In Pakistan, a guest is, in fact, the master of the house and given special treatment. Foreigners who come to Pakistan swear by the hospitality they receive and are bowled over when people they’ve never met invite them over for a meal. Taken to an extreme though, this hospitality can be a weakness, explaining why so many foreign militants have found a home in Pakistan.

2. Jugaar

There is no real English equivalent for this word and perhaps the closest that comes to its meaning is improvisation. In Pakistan, ‘jugaar’ could mean anything from having your brand new iPhone unlocked to the plumber/electrician/mechanic doing something that their counterparts in the west would not even think about, and all at a very affordable price.

3. Conspiracy theories

Pakistanis, by and large, love conspiracy theories and can come up with one for just about anything imaginable. Of course, the most popular of these involve a combination of India, America and Israel and their respective intelligence agencies.

4. Music

Pakistan is a powerhouse in music, which is odd given that its neighbor has a thriving film industry, with the assumption being that this would at least, over time, improve the quality of music as well. Pakistan, currently, has too many bands and musicians to mention in this brief space — and its music is now increasingly gaining fans all across the world.

5. Not following traffic rules

You just need to step out on the road of any major city in Pakistan to see this play out over and over in front of your eyes.

6. Blaming everyone else but themselves

This applies not only to geopolitics where Pakistan is always considered a victim of scheming India/America but to just about anything. Those who do this usually lack the rather basic — and helpful — ability to look inwards and analyse and admit their own mistakes. Of course, on the very important issue of fighting militancy, this tendency can have a particularly pernicious effect because it serves to ignore the state’s own faults and culpability.

7. Jumping queues

This happens most at banks and airports. In the case of the latter, it’s almost as if those cutting the line to move forward think that the plane will leave early now that they have boarded. In general, there is a culture which does not look down upon doing such a thing and hence, most people find nothing wrong with such social behavior.

8. Arrogance about religion

Telling others that their religion is the best in the world (and hence others necessarily are inferior).

9. Driving with headlights on high beam

Using the headlights of your car on full beam while driving in the night, even though you probably know this can in fact cause an accident. At the very least, doing something like this can be hugely annoying.

10. Talking politics and cricket

Everyone in Pakistan right down to the airport porter or taxi driver has an opinion on politics and cricket, and is not reluctant to air it. The irony is that even though most Pakistanis say they loath politicians and the current system, they can’t stop talking about politics.