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My kind of community: Pakistanis in the UAE
Dubai - They love UAE for security and wouldn't dream of living elsewhere.
Home away from home
By Anita Iyer
Are you from India, madamji?" I am often asked this question by Pakistani cabbies with a gleam in their eyes. Post that, we mostly veer into conversation about our countries.
Would this be possible in either of our homelands?
Be it the friendly cabbie, the white-collared banker or the next-door family, we are bound to bump into Pakistani nationals ever ready for a chat. Forming the second-largest expatriate population (after Indians) in the UAE, Pakistanis are strongly connected to their community and have seamlessly blended into the diverse fabric of the UAE.
There are 1.3 million Pakistanis in UAE - 12 percent of the overall population. Unlike other expats, who hop from country to country, a big chunk of the Pakistani community has lived in the UAE for a long time and has made it their home.
Hena Khan, the founder of Facebook group UAE Mums, says, "Born and brought up here, there's no other place in the world I would rather live in but Dubai." Over the past four years, Khan has seen the group grow to an impressive 14,000 members, becoming one of the largest online communities in UAE.
Ask her the motive behind forming the group and she says, "I noticed there is more seclusion in the UAE compared to other countries. People don't know their neighbours, so I wanted to create a platform where it was okay to talk to strangers." There are sub-groups that talk about Pakistani food, fashion and more. Connecting online and socialising with your community through meet-ups has become the norm for the well-informed Pakistanis in Dubai. These online groups help professionals find work, facilitate singles to meet, network and also contribute to charities.
Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, says, "Pakistan and the UAE enjoy brotherly relations based on long-standing and deep-rooted economic, cultural and civilisational links.
We also maintain multi-dimensional and mutually beneficial strategic and defence ties." He adds, "The nearly 1.3 million Pakistanis in the UAE range from business executives and entrepreneurs to blue-collar workers as well as professionals.
They're from all corners of Pakistan and are present throughout the country, with the biggest concentrations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi".
With hefty pay packages, glitzy lifestyles and endless opportunities, the UAE is rightly considered a hot spot. Ubaid Ullah Ahmed, a videographer from Lahore, made Sharjah his home a year ago, and plans to bring his parents here soon. "The UAE has a mix of every community, and is a great place to expand your horizon. There is so much to learn from each community. When we meet others, you realise that our struggles and experiences are the same!"
Apart from the tax-free income, Pakistani expats value the security this country offers. Second generation resident Arfeen Fatman says, "Life here is peaceful.
Back in Pakistan, things are unpredictable. There's no security for your family."
Majority of Pakistanis moving here over the years have been part of the blue-collar industry but now it is common to see them occupy positions in banking, investment and service sectors. The wealthy Pakistanis are the third biggest foreign investors in the Dubai real estate market after Indian and British buyers. Clearly, the Pakistani fixation with the UAE continues.
Anita Iyer is a freelance writer based in Dubai
letters@khaleejtimes.com
Bring on the kurtis! Shopping in our DNA
There's something to be said for the care Pakistani women take of their appearance and wardrobes. Invariably well-turned out, these ladies have a great love for fabrics, fashion, embroidery and the latest styles.
It's not unusual for women to get together at one of their homes, and have vendors and craftspeople showing their wares - scarves, kurtas, lawn suits - to the gathering present. In the UAE, there are dozens of well-known brands - Nishat Linen, Junaid Jamshed, Khaadi, Bareeze, Gul Ahmed and Origins. Popular among not just Pakistanis - Arab, Indian, Emirati women love 'em too.
Coke studio is huge. We love our music
Vital signs was a band of yore that a generation of pakistanis would listen to in college dorms with lights turned off and volume turned all the way up. the same drill followed for Junoon, strings, Abida parveen and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His nephew, rahat, who performed in Dubai last weekend, has recently come out with a cover of his uncle's Afreen Afreen as a part of Coke studio season 9.
Qurat-ul-Ain balouch is another favourite among pakistanis here. the bollywood movie Pink (pakistanis also love bollywood!) featured her lovely number Kaari Kaari
Beyond the usual bread-milk-butter
By Nivriti Butalia
When was the last time you walked into a supermarket and found a book of Urdu poetry faster than you located a crate of eggs? but poetry books - hardback and cello-phane-wrapped - aren't the only unusual things you find while browsing through 'Apna pakistani supermarket' in Karama. It's easy for a non-pakistani to find some of these items amusing. For those used to seeing this stuff, there may be no novelty in finding ready-to-eat rabri and kulfi in a grocery shop refrigerator, a hair dye called 'Kala Kola Hair tonic', and the most delightfully incongruous of all: tennis balls in a basket in the vegetable aisle.
Apna pakistani supermarket is easy enough to find - opposite spinneys, across a Kerala Ayurvedic Center and behind Al Adil (the Indian store). At the entrance, near the cash counter, you see a dozen dice in a plastic container. to go with the ludo set lying at the back of the shop. Among some of the other lovely wares, we got hold of a natural herbal tea (Johar Joshanda), bombay sweet supari, white butter (rehmat-e-shereen 'makhan mania') and Lu's zeera biscuits. Here's some other stuff we spotted, not all edible:
Apna pakistani supermarket is easy enough to find - opposite spinneys, across a Kerala Ayurvedic Center and behind Al Adil (the Indian store). At the entrance, near the cash counter, you see a dozen dice in a plastic container. to go with the ludo set lying at the back of the shop. Among some of the other lovely wares, we got hold of a natural herbal tea (Johar Joshanda), bombay sweet supari, white butter (rehmat-e-shereen 'makhan mania') and Lu's zeera biscuits. Here's some other stuff we spotted, not all edible:
Tennis balls: the placement is of keen interest; tennis balls lying in vegetable baskets along cucumbers and bitter gourds. One piece is for Dh10 (a whole box with 3 pieces is for Dh25). For playing cricket in parking lots. And no - we checked - you can't buy them by the kilo
Hashmi kajal stick: popular with not just pakistani women- Arab, Indian and Lebanese ladies love this stuff too. Line your eyes for Dh7 a pop. We're told they sell at least 216 of these a month. made in Karachi, one box has 72 pieces and they sell at least 3 boxes a month. ]
Mangoes! The chausas: the storekeeper Atif told us, when it's mango season, people from everywhere turn up to buy the famous multani mangoes everyone", he said! For Dh15 a kg, you can, even now in september, buy the last of this year's mangoes.
Paranda/ parandi: Women weave colourful thread-and-mirror-work accessories into their braids for aesthetics. these hair extensions make it easy to swing the lengthened braids while sauntering through Dubai mall or a sugarcane field. For Dh20-35.
Pakhi (fans): Wool is knitted in various patterns and colours, and stretched across a metal frame. Low utility in the UAE since there's never a power cut, and you don't have to fan yourself; but these fans (for Dh20), made by women in Pakistan, are used to adorn walls and doorways.
Tibet Talcum Powder: The manufacturer of this brand, Kohinoor Chemicals, has done a smart thing by not changing the blue packaging. Even if youngsters today aren't exactly patrons, Tibet talc (Dh15) is a fixture in bathrooms of the older generation of Pakistanis.
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