Learn the most important do's and don'ts in Pakistan
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Afrah: Assalam u Alaikum Urdupod101.com mein khush amdeed. |
| Eric: Welcome back to UrduPod101.com. This is All About, Lesson 10, The Top Five Dos and Don’ts in Pakistan. In this lesson, we bring you a guide to Pakistani culture. |
| Afrah: That’s right. This time we’ll go over The Dos and Don’ts in Pakistan. |
| Eric: This should be interesting. |
| Afrah: Some foreigners, especially westerners, may find it difficult to navigate many norms of Pakistani culture. |
| Eric: I know, but where can we start? |
| Afrah: Well, I’ll introduce five Dos and five Don’ts in Pakistani culture. |
| Eric: Okay, let’s go. Listeners, here we will introduce five examples of good and bad behavior, but check the lesson notes for more! |
| Afrah: Well, our first Do is smile. |
| Eric: Pakistanis smile in any kind of situation to say hello or thank you, to make a request, to apologize, to smooth over bad feelings, or to show embarrassment. |
| Afrah: Exactly. Only fools lose their temper in public. It’s much better to smile. |
| Eric: And the second Do is... |
| Afrah: Do pick up food and eat with your right hand. |
| Eric: Yes. |
| Afrah: The use of the left hand is considered improper and it’s actually forbidden by Islam. |
| Eric: Oh, I see! And the next Do is... |
| Afrah: Dress properly when visiting a mosque. |
| Eric: You shouldn’t wear shorts or tank tops. |
| Afrah: When visiting the most famous tourist attractions like mosques, darga, or any other religious place, you should dress properly. Long trousers or skirts are fine. Anything that covers the body would work. |
| Eric: Next on the list is.... |
| Afrah: Assalam u Alaikum! Greet people properly. |
| Eric: Can you tell us again how to do that? |
| Afrah: Sure. Assalam u Alaikum is the way that Pakistanis greet people, then they may shake hands or in some cases hug each other, though you can only hug people of the same gender. |
| Eric: How about in business situations? If the person I’m talking to is Pakistani, should I say Assalam u Alaikum or shake hands? |
| Afrah: I think it would be nicer if you say Assalam u Alaikum and wait to see if the other person offers his or her hand for shaking. |
| Eric: Okay, got it. The last Do for this lesson is... |
| Afrah: Do take your shoes off before entering religious places, especially mosques. |
| Eric: Yes. I think this one is similar to many Asian cultures where we take off our shoes before entering houses or temples. Now let’s move on to the Don’ts. |
| Afrah: Well, the first Don’t is, don’t touch Pakistani women without permission. |
| Eric: Why is that? |
| Afrah: Well this is mainly because of religious reasons. Pakistani society nowadays is much more like western society, but it’s better to be mindful and not touch people of the opposite gender. |
| Eric: It's very impolite or improper to touch, hug, or kiss Pakistani women, especially in the workplace. The next Don’t is.... |
| Afrah: Don’t show affection in public. |
| Eric: Similar to the first point, Pakistanis are still often conservative. Holding hands is okay, but don’t do so when you are in a mosque. |
| Afrah: Exactly. We really feel awkward when we see foreigners kiss, even on the street. |
| Eric: I’ll keep that in mind! The third Don’t is... |
| Afrah: Don’t put your feet on the table or point at anything with your feet. |
| Eric: And don’t step over or touch anyone with your feet. |
| Afrah: Yeah. Pakistanis believe it is rude to point at someone with the feet and touching someone with your feet is considered a sign of disrespect. |
| Eric: The next Don’t is related to the previous one. It’s about fingers. |
| Afrah: Yeah. Don’t point your fingers at anyone. |
| Eric: Pakistanis believe that it’s a sign of annoyance. But what if we didn’t mean to point at somebody, what should we do? |
| Afrah: Well in that case, it’s fine. You can just apologize to that person. |
| Eric: And finally, the last Don’t for the lesson is... |
| Afrah: Don’t be upset if someone asks you about your age, occupation, or marital status. |
| Eric: This is quite rude in some cultures. |
| Afrah: But it’s common for Pakistanis to ask those questions even when they’re meeting someone for the first time! So don’t be offended! |
Outro |
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| Eric: Well I hope you all enjoyed this lesson! Until next time. |
| Afrah: phr milenge |
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