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Things do not change; we change Henry David

The topic of my presentation is, Social and cultural norms that define us!

Movement is the essence of life, both for individual and the society. From the independence

day of August 14, 1947 up to date, Pakistans has been a society in transition. The society

of Pakistan is dynamic and therefore ever-changing, and its patterns are transforming time

to time. The society and culture of Pakistan comprises of diverse cultures and ethnic groups.

As were all Pakistanis, the presentation will revolve around the social and cultural norms

and values of Pakistan. As we all know that Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, we are bounded

by the ideologies of Islam. Our value and norms as come from the Islamic ideologies,

keeping Islam apart for a while as we have people from various religious backgrounds,

every religion teaches basic norms and values which involves respect for elders, courtesy,

honesty, peace, harmony, freedom and equal distribution of rights.

If we trace our history 200 years back, well find that we have various cultures and ethnic

backgrounds, there are more similarities than differences in the cultures, norms and values.

Every culture is unique in its own way, every ethnic group has their own unique identity and

the heritage they carry with themselves. Pakistan has a rich culture, which is a heritage

legacy of ancient rulers of the region. One of the greatest cultural influences was that of the

Persian Empire, of which Pakistan was a part. Other key influences include the Afghan

Empire, Mughal Empire and later, the short-lived but influential, the British Empire.

The basic social, cultural norms and values were derived from these cultures and Islamic

ideologies laid down in the holy book and scriptures of Muslim scholars.

Our values and norms have changed considerably over years. Those who live or lived under

the blessed shadow of grandparents know the traditional values and norms the best. They

are the carriers of true heritage of values and norm and make sure that their grandchildren

get a hold of them.

- Saying Assalam-u-Alaikum whenever we greet someone, Saying Allah-Hafiz when we part

- Greeting grandparents and other elderly figures of the family and friends with salutations

were common norms.

- Honesty was a lesson that was taught everyday

- Learning, following and respecting rules, regulations and principles were taught since the

beginning and was injected in us that no matter what, you have to follow them

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durrani_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durrani_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durrani_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durrani_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Empire

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Some common norms were

- Early to bed, early to rise- Staying out of the house after sunset was prohibited- Strict following and honoring of etiquettes, manners, rule, regulations and principle- Code of life was simple

Some common values were

- Honesty- Loyalty- Respect and equal treatment for every human being- Kindness, love and affection- Refrain from profanity

Cultural values and norms were

- Unity- Faith- Discipline 3 values which are present in the religion, culture and social values of

Pakistan

- Closely knitted Family system The concept of extended family system

These were the traditional cultural and social norms and values that defined us, dated back

hundreds of years. Now I would like to call Maryam Asif, to further continue with the

presentation and tell you about the norms and values in more recent times.