We’d all like to think that we know everything about our sohni dharti. Sorry to break to you, but you probably missed a couple of things. Pakistani history is rich with so much more than what you know about it.
Look no further, here is a breakdown of all those things that every Pakistani should know:
1. Karachi(almost) had a proper Casino
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wanted to modernize Karachi, and so he initiated the construction of a casino. It was almost done when, as history would have it, the ghairat “revolution” happened and the casino was shut down before it saw any light of day (or night, rather).
2. Fashion giants, like Pierre Cardin, designed the PIA Uniforms
PIA used to be the BIG DEAL once upon the time, feel patriotic about something that is long gone.
3. Che Guevara, the ‘father’ of the left, visited Pakistan
Ironically he visited us when Ayub Khan was in power. You know, him being a martial law administrator and all, that was everything Marxist theory is against.
4. Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo III was shot in Pakistan
Due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the crew of Rambo decided to shoot on our land. In fact it is reported that the ‘Russian’ aircraft shown in the movie was from the Pakistani Air Force.
5. Queen Elizabeth II was the Queen Of Pakistan until 1956
While Pakistan was still a dominion, Queen Elizabeth was technically the monarch. Her reign ended with the arrival of the first Pakistani Constitution.
6. British Actress Margaret Lockwood Was Born In Karachi
Yes yes she was born there during the Raj, but it’s still pretty cool!
7. Old Hollywood stars Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger shot ‘Bhowani Junction’ in Lahore
A big chunk of the movie was shot in Lahore. In fact the suite in which Ava Gardner stayed in at the Faletti’s Hotel is to this day named after her.
8. Nawab of Pataudi, Iftikhar Ali Khan studied in Aitchison College
After this time at AC, the Nawab moved to Oxford for higher education and this where he discovered his love for cricket. It would from here that his career would excel and he would become captain of the Indian team in the 1930s.
9. Sugarcane Juice is our National Drink
Apparently we have a national drink! Makes sense too, it’s available literally everywhere!
10. We make Football tournaments around the world possible
Pakistan produces about 60 Million hand-stitched footballs. So the next time you see Messi kicking a ball around, it probably was made pretty close to your city.
11. We hold some pretty interesting World Records
For example, Most girls crammed into a Tiny Car. The total number? 19!
12. Taxila was the cradle of Buddhism and the capital of the Gandhara Civilization
Once upon a time, the Taxila region saw the creation of Buddhism. Unfortunately when the Taliban were superbly out of control, they destroyed a lot of the initial Buddha statues in Taxila and some in Swat too.
13. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was so great that UNESCO gave him a prize
NFAK worked with so many international artists and literally created fusion Qawaali. Because of his tremendous impact on the international music scene he was granted the UNESCO Music Prize.
14. Jews used to live in Pakistan
Pre-partition, the Jews of the subcontinent were concentrated in Karachi. So when Pakistan was formed, some were still left over. However with the creation of Israel, life became harder for these Jews and they left. The real tragedy is that in the 1980s, the one remaining synagogue (Magain Shalome Synagogue) in Karachi was demolished to make way for…… a shopping complex.
15. Lonely Planet titled Pakistan, ‘The Next Big Thing’
In 2013, Lonely Planet published a list of countries that will be big destinations in the near future, and we made the list! Yes this is more recent occurrence but it definitely deserved attention. They have described Pakistan as Asia’s best kept secret. Wohoo, get the terrorists out and the tourists in!
Some interesting things have happened in Pakistan and now you know them. History can be more interesting than textbooks.
