FamilyThe family and kin are of great importance in Pakistani culture and are the basis for its social organization. According to the CIA World Factbook, it is rare for an individual to live apart from relatives, even when travelling (2005). Children will typically live with their parents until they get married, and even then the sons will often stay with their parents and form a joint family after marriage. Traditionally the sons will establish their own separate households only upon the death of their father unless quarrels and disagreements call for it sooner (CIA World Factbook, 2005).
|
Kinship is determined through male ancestry primarily. This means that only people related to you through male ancestors are considered your relatives (CIA World Factbook, 2005). Some ethnic groups in certain regions of the country will also maintain relations with their mother’s relatives, but not all do. The biradari, or group of male relatives (also known as the patrilineage), is a significant player in social relation issues (CIA World Factbook, 2005). The honour or shame of its members affects the general standing of the biradari within the community, so people are very conscious of their behaviour in this collectivistic culture.
|
There are many benefits to being part of a well-functioning biradari. Together they will celebrate life events and holidays, they will act as a mutual aid or welfare agency, they may arrange financial loans to members, assist in finding a job, and even help find a good spouse. Marriages are usually arranged in a contract sort of way to form an alliance between extended families or to reinforce the bonds between them.
|
Class SystemThe class system also plays a significant role in the social organization of Pakistan. Though it is most evident in the smaller rural villages and such, it is still seen in the urban cities. One of the areas where the class system has been very evident is in conjunction with the education system (Constable, 2011). The public schools are primarily attended by the lower and middle classes, while the private schools which provide a much higher quality of education are generally only accessible to the upper classes, due in part to their high fees (CIA World Factbook, 1994).
|
With the encouraged emphasis on education in recent years there have also been shifts in the class status of some families. As more people become literate and can obtain better jobs, they can also afford things which were previously unobtainable to them, such as buying a car, or providing a dowry for their daughter’s marriage (CIA World Factbook, 1994).
|
Government LeadershipThe government of Pakistan is a Federal parliamentary democratic republic consisting of 4 provinces and 4 federal territories. There is a President, and a Prime Minister who have different powers in conjunction with the Senate and National Assembly, though the main powers of the President were removed in 2010, leaving him as more of a figurehead position (Politics of Pakistan, 2016). Both positions require the person to be a practising Muslim, though there are a few spots in the National Assembly designated for those representing the minority groups of the nation (Politics of Pakistan, 2016).
Over the years the leadership in Pakistan has experienced very tumultuous times. Military coups have happened on numerous occasions resulting in the President taking over control of the government, the most notable time being that of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (Lieven, 2011). It was during his time in power that reforms were made to the legislation to allow for an Islamization of Pakistan which increased the influence of the religion on the politics (Constable, 2011). Many political leaders have experienced “untimely deaths” most likely due to differences of opinion on various matters, though few cases have been fully identified as such (Politics of Pakistan, 2016). The pressure to conform to the majority opinion is huge. As a result, the freedom of thought and opinion is seriously hampered. If you express an idea that does not align with that of the Sunni Muslims in power, you may end up with a target on your back, as Salman Taseer discovered the hard way (Lieven, 2011). |
The Government is primarily made up of individuals from a few key families of the Pakistani elite (Politics of Pakistan, 2016). Nepotism is considered an example of a well-working kinship network, and is encouraged to a degree. There are many familial connections between members of the government, military, judiciary system and other significant positions in society, which tends to allow for a greater amount of corruption as well since loyalty to family comes before their other responsibilities (Lieven, 2011).
|