If someone states that s/he is originally “from Islamabad”, is that something wrong to state? Technically speaking, can someone’s ‘roots’ come from Islamabad and not any other city - (although admittedly the roots wouldn’t go that far back)?
What if someone immigrated to Pakistan from what used to be east Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and they moved to Islamabad and that’s where you’ve been living for all that time? So if you are asked what part of Pakistan you are from, wouldn’t the rational answer be “Islamabad”? If people want to go that far back in history and really know where your ancestors came from, well - from that long historical point of view, all Pakistanis would be originally Indians no. How far back does one have to go to ‘prove’ that one is Pakistani?
Sorry if this is a silly issue, just wondering about this and what other Guppies’ differing opinions are. i’ll only read non-insulting replies, sorry. Why isn’t it a rational answer to state that one is ‘originally’ from Islamabad, although admittedly that doesn’t really give an indication of your grandparents’ history etc., but still - if the scenario above is true, then “Islamabad” is the most honest answer isn’t it?
Thanks in advance to anyone who writes a polite, informative reply.
Nadia that was the same thing that affected karachi natives until about 20 years ago..Now one can say yeah I am originally from karachi and will not have much further questions, even though there are ppl who would still say oh so where did your family come from before that, but it is interesting to see how it has decreased especially in the younger generations.
probably will be the same case with islamabad later. when ppl ask way too much i eithe rore them to death with the entire family saga of where all who was at what point, after which they do tobah and run away, or i justtell them that way back my ancestors came from heaven
[quote] when ppl ask way too much i eithe rore them to death with the entire family saga of where all who was at what point, after which they do tobah and run away, or i justtell them that way back my ancestors came from heaven
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lol:D
hm. That's interesting, so Karachi-ites also were faced with the same problem but the question did eventually go away especially with this generation. i hope the same thing happens with Islamabad.
Thanks for your reply, Fraudz. i wish people wouldn't try to judge how 'Pakistani' someone is based upon which part they come from. We're all just Pakistanis. i loathe these types of questions, they get on my nerves. i've had friends since grade 2, and i still don't know which 'part' of Pakistan they are from, they could be from diverse parts of Pakistan but i have never inquired as to where their grandparents lived in which year (unless it was for some other purpose, like talking about which parts of Pakistan have you visited, would you like to visit, its history/culture, etc.). i hate questions like these because i think SOME individuals use it as an opportunity to make judgements about your heritage and it gets on my nerves.
Madhnee for kids who are born and raised in islamabad, thats where they are from, same goes for people in karachi.. i agree that giving more info about background is not a matter of shame, but at the same time where a person is originally from starts applying less and less.
The problem creeps in when people start making arbitrary judgements based upon which part of Pakistan one is originally from.
>>....at the same time where a person is originally from starts applying less and less.<<
It's not about asking where someone is from, it's about the judgements that are passed about how 'Pakistani' someone is based upon where your ancestors were based or not at a particular time.
but ancestery starts playing a less direct role as generations pass, additionally the closer you are to your place of origin the less of an issue it is. italians moving to NYC is a diff thing that someone from new jersey moving to NYC, or for that matter someone from Nebrasak moving to Oklahoma :)
Many times ppl do not have strong connections to the places of their origin, otherwise according to anthropologists are we all not from africa.
ahem… i feel a strong “connection” to parts of Africa especially when i think of its diverse cultures, languages, and religions - and i don’t have any family members who reside there. But then again that’s just me. :~o
When you meet someone in US/Canada etc and ask "where you are from", and they reply "Islamabad"... thats fine... cz thats where they may have been raised and had their schooling and other their education, and for most part people are just trying to connect and see if they know common people.
However, if someone wants to dig deeper and asks about family's history or where they are from... then thats an additional question.
Another person I know, whose family has lived in Muzzafargarh for many generations, but his dad moved to Hyderabad early on in his career so all the kids are born and raised there. So when someone asks him "where are you from?", his reply is typically "jee waisay tau mein Hyderabad mein palla barha, per peechay say hamaree saari family Muzafargarh ki hai".
I doubt if there are many people who are native Islamabadians from multiple generations. May be. I dunno. There must be some villages around that area, before it became Islamabad.
but ancestery starts playing a less direct role as generations pass,<<<<
Fraudz….we are talking about Pakistan. There are people who are still alive and kicking who fought in the 1948 Kashmir War. Pakistan is still a baby, so use the term “generations” sparingly. In about a 100 or so years, it’ll be OK to say that I have roots in Islamabad, it makes no sense to say it today. It's like saying I have roots in Trump tower.
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agreed but have generations not passed, dont look at your gae group, look at the teenage sons of your cousins, theya re much diff than yourself. in 56 years there are generations that have passed
a teenager, who is born and raised in karachi, born to parents who were born and raised in karachi, whose grandparents may have migrated from some area that they have never gone back to..this kid is from Karachi, thats the only place he connects with.
it may not make sense for you to say that you are a newyorker, but it may make sense for your grandkids..
You are right there must have been some villages in that area prior to it officially becoming “Islamabad”.
Waisay my family are not native Islamabadians.
i guess next time someone asks me, i should just cut to the chase and really shock them and say something like, “Born and bred in Timbuktu.” Masla khatam. :k:
I face similar kind of problem when someone asks me stuff. I have been born and raised in saudia and in pakistan too we have been living in three different cities in different eras. So if someone asks me , where you from, i just say lahore. But if that person notices my accent which is semi-lahorish, semi-karachiite, he/she would say oh but you speak urdu very well, you are originally form karachi , arent you?? Then i feel like boring them with my whole moving-to-places stories but i refrain and just say 'yeh lived in khi for sometime too'. Gets annoying sometimes.
And Nadia, you born and bred in timbuktu? thats nice... but what you doing in isb or for that matter abroad?? :D that makes this thread so confusing :D
i know exactly how you feel. hehe no i wish i had been born in Timbuktu i was born and raised in the UAE, but of course we are originally Pakistanis. However, my Nana was born in Calcutta and moved to now-Bangladesh in his late 30s because of his career. Nana moved around a fair bit during his life, as did my Dada’s side of the family, and having to explain all that to everyone — well i started this thread because i met this Pakistani lady (in her late 30s i think) and she started asking me where i was from, etc. She was REALLY, REALLY nice; it’s just that i feel uncomfortable whenever i think that someone has made judgements about me based upon where they think my heritage lies. i know exactly how you feel about it getting ‘annoying’. i just wish people would just accept it, and i wouldn’t feel that i have to justify my background. i try to keep an open mind when i speak with others, why can’t others just extend the same basic courtesy. This isn’t directed towards that Pakistani lady in particular though, because honestly speaking she was extremely nice and i’m sure she didn’t mean to make me feel uncomfortable with her interrogation.
Anyways, before i ramble any further… Thanks for your reply
IF you ask someone where they are from and they say Islamabad, that means that is where they feel they belong. There is not need to probe further I don't think.
If that person is living in Islamabad feels that their identity is connected to somewhere else like then obviously they would tell you as soon as you asked them, it is implied in the question.
P.S Since Islamabad is basically a suburb of Rawalpindi, there are many people who are natives of the area. People from Pindi and surrounding areas did'nt just appear out of nowhere when Islamabad was made 40 years ago or whatever.
we are all racist and not just racist but we all think v r the best in everything and we love to neecha dikha others in the slightest matter
so just be really confident and have the ‘i dont care what u think i know i’m the best’ attitude
yaar…
pathans look down on all others coz they r the gora-est
punjabis look down on all others coz they r the majority
urdu speaking look down on all others coz they r most educated
sindhis look down on all otherz coz all others usurped their rights
balochis look down on all others coz i dont even know what the reason is lol
shia looks down on sunnis n sunnis look down on shias
barelvis look down on deobandis n deobandis look down on barelvis
abcd’s look down on fobs n fobs look down on abcd’s
and there r many more divisions..
so ab tumharay aur mera jaisa shareef aur naik insaan karay to kya karay jayay to aakhir kahana jayay…?
thats y i say…dont care abt what others say…y do u take it to heart? just know that u r the best
pakistan ka kisi ne theka naheen le rakha aur na hi pakistan kisi kee jageer hae aur na hi pakistan ko kisi aik banday ne banaya hae…
pakistani wohi hae jo pakistan kee izzat karta hay aur us ko pyaar karta hae aur us kee tarakki k lyay gaamzan hae…
no one has the right to make anyone feel less pakistani based on race/location etc and u shudnt let it affect u either if someone tries to make u feel less pakistani…
just like no one has the right to make anyone feel less Muslim
and yaar i understand what u explained in ur post n i think u can keep saying u r from islamabad…some ppl do have the habits of enquiring about others shijra-e-nasab but u r not bound to tell anyone if u dont want to…if ppl make assumptions that’s their problem not urs..
Gosh, atleast I am not the only one confused about where they are from!!!!!!!
hmm..........Abbu is from Okara,Ammi never lived in Pak but is Pakistani
Born in Bahrain but bred in Oman
spent a yr in Lahore and now in US.
Gosh Nadia, I cant even decide which city I want to pick so state where Iam from in Pak. If a desi asks me, I just tell them taht we never really lived there. If a gora asks me, I will say Lahore(normally they only know about Karachi :D)
Well,
I am from Kasur, and in islamabad from last more than three and half years and normally over the web if some one ask me about my location mine reply is always islamabad ............
I have seen a lot of people here in islamabad who have the same problem as nadia have ...... bkz they think that islamabad is a new city and there is even no single generation passed here .....
but that is wrong i think some of my mates are living in islamabad from their childhood.........
so nadia try to make them understand that islamabad is not that much new city as they are thinking of.....
I agree 100% with what you have written. One challenge that some feel especially your urdu speaking migrants from what is now Bharat, is that others somehow treat them as if they are less of a Pakistani, I know people who have heard such lame stuff. For the younger generations they only have a distant connection with the place, but some of the elders have faced prejudice because they are "migrants"
There is a diff between celebrating your heritage and background, and not being all gung ho about it and keeping it on the down low until you know the person's intentions.
haha actually it reminds me of an incident, when I moved to Karachi, most of my pals were punjabi since i was in a military school and the majority of ppl there were kids of military ppl who were moving about the country. Most ppl thought i was punjabi I suppose, the topic never quite came up, to them I was an abcd who had moved to pak, anyways one guy asked me my "zaat", i am like err dude what is that, when i explained i was not punjabi, he was very disappointed , exact words " sigh..ohh so you are a non-punjabi" :D it was kinda funny.
i feel a strong “connection” to parts of Africa especially when i think of its diverse cultures, languages, and religions - and i don’t have any family members who reside there. But then again that’s just me. :~o
How are you doing?
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