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7.4 Sports
The most popular sport in Pakistan is cricket, and large numbers of Pakistanis gather around TV sets to watch the Pakistani team play in international competitions, especially against Pakistan's rival India. Pakistan has one of the top teams in international cricket, one that won the World Cup in 1992. Hockey is also an important sport in Pakistan, Pakistan having won the gold medal at the Olympics a few times in the sport. Squash is another sport that has a large following. Football is played in Pakistan as well, but is not very popular. Polo is believed to have originated in the Northern parts of Pakistan, and continues to be an important sport there with large competitions throughout the year. The modern teams suffer in quality against international teams due to poor sporting culture and lack of infrastructure.
7.5 Shopping
Shopping is a hugely popular pastime for many Pakistanis, especially among the well-to-do and the thirty-million strong middle class. The cities of Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Quetta are especially known for the great contrast in shopping experiences - from burgeoning bazaars to modern multi-story shopping malls. In particular, Lahore and Karachi are peppered with colourful plazas that house hundreds of technology shops. Most of these are small stores, offering mind-boggling bargains and repair services for almost any computer or technology product. The tech enthusiast finds everything from the latest mobile phones, to extremely inexpensive CDs and DVDs.
7.6 The impact of the Internet
Pakistan is taking a great leap in the third millennium. With a rapid increase in the number of internet users and ISPs, and a large English-speaking population, the people of Pakistan are coming out of their shells culturally and politically and becoming more aware of Pakistan's role as a member of the global community.
According to journalist and writer Habib R. Sulemani, "Pakistan has started a big and difficult journey on the ‘Cyber Highway.’ Today some 1300 cities and towns of Pakistan are connected to the World Wide Web and more connections are expected [...] e-commerce and e-governments are evolving [...] — almost all of the main government departments, organisations and institutions have now their own websites ... Day by day the Internet is penetrating into the daily life of the people very deeply. [The] rural population is also joining the cyber world and with the use of the Internet ‘urbanisation’ is taking place and the ‘great divide’ between the rural and urban societies is taking a new shape. Now, at least in the field of information a ‘rural guy’ is not less [than] a ‘shehri babu’ or ‘urban guy.’ The Internet has made the world a ‘Global Village’ in the real sense. Pakistanis are found to be some of the most ardent chatters on the internet, communicating with users all over the world. Recent years have seen a huge increase in the use of online mariage services. The internet has become an integral part of Pakistani culture. The use of search engines and messenger services are also booming. [2]
8 See also
