Re: Calling Pakistanis Pakis!
Lets not make an issue out of a non-issue.
There is nothing offensive about “Paki”; it is only an abbreviation of Pakistani and means “pure”.
Even as a Pakistani I find Pakistani hard on the tongue and prefer Paki, just as people from Afghanistan are called Afghani or Uzbekistan Uzbek, we’re called Paki.
I think the reason why it became offensive wasn’t because of the word itself but rather because of the racist tone and context in which it was used by the white British against our first generations who migrated here.
I’m trying to do my bit on reclaiming it. There has been the odd occasion where people have said it to me with malicious intent and I’ve just turned around and said “too right I am”, it’s a compliment to me, I’m never offended by it, it’s my pride.
One thing I find annoying is though when anyone from Turkey to Bangladesh becomes a “Paki”, it’s very ignorant and I’d rather not that our identity be used for anybody else just as I’m sure they would prefer being known by their own respective countries.