A person breaks the traffic signal, when you ask him why you did so. Yeh Pakistan hai…yahan hota hai yeh sab, this would be reply. A Person spits paan wherever he wishes be it a wall or floor, when you ask him why is he doing this, his reply definitely would be Yaar yeh toh Pakistan hai, Yahan toh chalta hai yeh…
“Yeh Pakistan hai” the most common phrase we hear these days. People do wrong things and say, yar yeh Pakista hai, yahan sab hota hai, chalta hai. I just want to ask those people that are you from Jupiter?! Aren’t you a Pakistani?
We do things wrong, we make our country’s situation worse and the we ourselves blame country that its not good, rather than blaming ourselves that we are not good with our country. Why don’t we start having a new attitude and start saying that yeh Pakistan hai, aur yahan aisa nahin karne denge. Rather than saying yeh Pakistan hai aur yahan sab chalta hai….We should declare that yeh Pakistan hai aur yahan aisa nahin chalta.
What don’t we have every alternative source of energy? We do have the plenty of mineral resources…Agriculture? This is what Pakistan is famous for….Cricket? We have remained the world champions two times… Food? This is the mostly missed thing by overseas Pakistani…Everything from Kashmir to Tharparkar, from Khyber to Karachi, has a unique goodness, then why do we criticize our country for wrong things, which are actually done by ourselves. It is not the country, which is not good with us, it is we who are not good with country, and build the bad repo of the country.
The outsiders are just waiting to hear something bad about our country and make us target on those particular points and what we are doing is giving them a full opportunity and telling them that yes this is Pakistan therefore everything is done wrong here. Though the fact is something else, which everybody knows, i.e. we are hiding our faults behind the name of our country.
So my request to every Pakistani is that don’t blame Pakistan but claim it….because if we do things wrong and say “Yeh Pakistan hai, yahan sab jaiz hai”. Then obviously others would come here to do wrong things.
Whenever we talk about cities in Pakistan we always consider first Karachi, then Lahore, and then we move on to Islamabad. But the fact is that Islamabad comes very late in the list because the third largest city in Pakistan is Faisalabad. Faisalabad is also the second largest city in terms of Textile Manufacturing and agriculture; in fact the most modernized type of systematic agriculture is practiced in Faisalabad. The city is located at a road and railway junction and has rich fertile soil. Also the Chenab and Ravi rivers have played an influential role in the development of Faisalabad's trade and economy.
Faisalabad was named after the King of Saudi Arabia who had good ties with Pakistan – King Faisal in 1977. Bhagat Singh, a famous Indian Freedom fighter was born here, at that time this place was called Lyallpur.
Faisalabad has a strong industrial base including textiles, jewelers, home furniture, and pharmaceuticals, assisted by the expanding transport network which includes the newly-built motorway and highways to Lahore, Multan, Sargodha and Islamabad. Faisalabad is one of those cities in Pakistan that have been built according to a proper plan. The city has turned itself from just being an agricultural ground, to a fully developed industrial hub where you find a textile mill and a garment store on every other road. However, the planning of these textile mills is exemplary.
The people that live here are mostly Punjabis and of Hindko descent. Punjabis generally are mostly said to be fun loving and energetic but Faisalabadis are more work oriented, they are usually peace loving people with a slower lifestyle then most of the cities and prefer tranquility and a calm environment around them.
Compared to its more tourist-attractive provincial capital, Lahore, Faisalabad is basically an industrial and agricultural city, especially in the field of textile. It is the second largest business city in Punjab and it is a region for investment and economic prosperity. There is a good large amount of sites and tourist attractions in the city;
The Faislabad Clock Tower, locally called "Ghenta Ghar", was one of the first main markets of Faisalabad and it is also the oldest area of the city. Here you can also find the remains of buildings which mainly belonged to the British Empire. This market has eight bazaars, forming a "Union Jack" (British flag), which can be seen from above. There are still structures from previous settlements such as Zoroastrian Temples, Buddhist Monasteries, Hindu mandirs and Sikh gurudwaras still visible, however, since the creation of Pakistan these have been converted into schools and museums.
"D Ground" is the second most important market after The Clock Tower. The area has been continually developing into a shopping area with many brands from all over the world. It is seen busiest at night when local people come out for an outing. There are many local and western restaurants ranging from Namwah Chinese, Bundu Khan, KFC, Al Maida, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Olive Garden, Sardines, Yummy 36, Cube and many open-air bar-be-cues.
The JinnahGarden is probably the most famous park in Faisalabad. It is locally known as "Company Baagh". The tomb of H.E. Sir Charles James Lyall is situated here. He was the founder of this city and the city was first named Lyallpur in his honor. There are many food outlets, walking paths and cycling lanes, and a huge fountain structure. The park is often used by the local council for holding rallies, concerts, shows and carnivals.
GetwalaPark is a small park situated on the edge of Faisalabad. It is popular for family picnics and relaxing. CanalPark is on the west bank of the RakhBranchCanal. It is also a good place for families.
HappyLandWaterPark is an amusement park built to international standards, a complete entertainment centre for families. It has the biggest water slides in Pakistan equipped with swings for both children and adults. AquaLandWaterPark, the latest water park to open in Faisalabad, stands on the Canal Road and attracts many tourists and families. Sindbad is an amusement park located near the Iqbal Stadium. It has an indoor bumper cars, flume rides, train rides as well as large gaming arcade room to suit all ages.
RexCity is a huge computer shopping mall dealing with everything computer related. Here you can find a computer at low prices. There are service shops, as well as CD and mobile shops and computer software and hardware experts. There are also internet services from well known companies such as "Cyber net", "WOL-net", "Dancom", "Nexlinx" and "Satcom".
Kohinoor One is a newly constructed shopping mall located on Jaranwala Road which has many retail outlets, restaurants, clothing outlets and home furniture stores. Am Tex Waterfall is to be found at Am Tex Squire, Abdullah Pur.
The majestic "Chenab Club" is the outing place for the elite of Faisalabad. It was the first such club established in Faisalabad. It stands in the beautiful surroundings of "JinnahGarden". The club is situated in the heart of the city, just a short walk from the Railway Station and within walking distance from the Clock Tower.
There are also a few monuments still fully erect in many parts of Faisalabad such as Gumti Water Fountain, Qaisery Gate (Entrance to the Eight Bazaars), Ghenta Ghar and various Sikh Gurudwaras and Hindu Mandirs still visible in the older part of the city.
Iqbal Stadium, is last on the list but not at all the least, it hosted its first test match in October 1978 which was Pakistan against India and its first One Day International Match again hosting Pakistan against India in November 1974. The ground has a seating capacity of 2500 people and is not one of the most famous grounds in the world because the weather conditions here have been a major reason for matches not being played in this ground, therefore only 25 Test and 14 ODI matches have been played here. It became a good spot for leisure activities for the Faisalabadis when they started screening Pakistan’s matches in the ground and charged only a minimal amount from the public. The former name of the ground was Lyallpur Stadium then it changed to City Stadium and now it has been kept as Iqbal Stadium after the famous Muslim poet Allama Iqbal.
Another site to be seen in Faisalabad is the University of Agriculture. It was formerly called the ‘Punjab Agricultural College & Research Institute, Lyallpur’, which was established in 1906 and was the first higher educational institute in the field of Agriculture in the whole of subcontinent. It has various departments which focus towards the field of agriculture and its supporting activities. The university building depicts the touch of British 19th century architecture and unusual but fortunate the building has been maintained throughout this period and is now centrally Air-conditioned. The library is also considered to be one of the best in Pakistan, a double story separate building which is again centrally Air-conditioned which contains 385 publications from FAO and 307 publications from World Bank.
Other Beautiful University buildings include Government College University Faisalabad, University of Faisalabad, Government College of Technology and the most important one for the success of Faisalabad, National Textile University, which is spread over 62 acres and is located around 12 kilometers away from the city centre. It was formed in 1954 when the major industrialists realized its need in the city who then donated funds for its creation while the government of Punjab provided with the huge piece of land previously owned by them. The government of UK provided with the equipment and machinery along with their experts to teach in the university and provide with technical assistance.
Amazed by the facts of the developed Faisalabad up till now? Here’s some more, the city also provides an Arts Council. It has an auditorium - Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Auditorium with a seating capacity of 500 people. Arts council organizes many cultural events including exhibitions and cultural shows.
The Food:
Faisalabadi cuisine is the same as Punjabi Cuisine. The Samosas of Faisalabad are different from any other place because of the chatni variety they offer. The very famous name Chacha Samosay Wala is also in the D Ground. Dahi Bhale is prepared by a hawker at Jinnah Colony, near Chatri Wala Ground which is very famous and is usually filled with customers at evenings. Gol Gappay is another famous offering by the Faisalabadis. The most famous is a person who sells gole gappe is at AminPur bazaar. A sour drink called "khatta", which is almost the same as Limca that we get in other cities of Pakistan is served with them. There are also some Punjabi drinks like lassi, limo pani and sugar cane juice which are famous in Faisalabad. A lot of famous fast food and foreign restaurants along with Bundu Khan exists in the city as well.
The Transport System:
The transport system of Faisalabad has always been maintained to its best standards so as to support the business activities in the city. The National Highway Authority has recently been rebuilt and has been improved in standards to improve logistical networks for freight companies. The city is connected to all parts of the country through the Motorway and the National Highway and the GT Road which links most parts of Pakistan as well as the neighboring countries. The most important factor for the huge industrial progress in Faisalabad was the building of the Railway station in the 19th century by the British Empire. The airport is 10 kilometers away from the city centre and it has limousine service providers present to facilitate high worth people from the airport.
One of the greatest things about Pakistani brands, or as we may call them ‘desi brands’, is that they are present in every corner of the world but are just not that visible or still out of the limelight. Thus, we never get to hear much about their performance in the international markets. So here we are discovering the huge markets captured by our very own Made in Pakistan products or the ‘desi brands’.
The confectionary giant, Ismail Industries, grew from a small firm with a couple of brands to a large scale manufacturer selling more than a dozen brands.It soon discovered that its offerings like candies, jellies and lollipops can provide consumers all around the world with a whole new fun filled and exciting experience. It started to export and sell in other parts of the world and now exports most of its products to more than 30 countries including USA, UK, Middle East, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Having strong and lasting relationships with customers for over 15 years, it has proved that Pakistani businesses are committed towards quality and customer satisfaction.
Late Hakeem Mohammad Saeed’s dedication, determination and commitment led towards the creation of Hamdard (Waqf) Laboratories, market leader of herbal medicines and products both locally and internationally. Hamdard, with a portfolio of major brands like Rooh Afza, Ispagol, Joshanda, Safi and more than 30 other brands, has grown rapidly and emerged as one of the best ‘desi’ brands in the foreign market. These are made available in many countries including USA, Canada, UK, Middle East, Russia and some parts of Europe and Africa.
BBQ Tonight is just one of the many local restaurants promoting and representing Pakistan. Sabri Nehari has been adding spice in the lives of many consumers with its mouth watering and delicious ‘nehari’ not only in Pakistan but in USA as well.
Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, salutatorian graduate from the Pakistan School of Fashion Designs launched his own fashion label, HSY, in the year 2000. In less than a decade, HSY has emerged as one of the top South Asian fashion labels in the world. Yasin, began his career as a fashion choreographer in 1994. HSY now employs over 350 people and six stores internationally. It is yet another brand promoting Pakistani Fashion industry in the world and contributing to the gigantic international fashion market. Yasin is also affiliated with the ‘Federation of Fashion and of Ready-to-Wear of Couturiers and Fashion Designers’ which is the French fashion industry governing body.
In the textile sector, many firms have grown into top manufacturers and exporters of apparels and home textile products of Pakistan. This includes Gul Ahmed that provides superior quality products in the European and American markets. Gul Ahmed Lawns is one of the most successful and one of the most favorite female apparel brands of the firm in the overseas market. Apart from that, mills like Afroze Textile Industry are creating goodwill for Pakistani brands in the international market in terms of quality, innovation and consistency.
On the banking side, Habib Bank launched its operations in 1984 in New York with one branch in Manhattan and one in Queens by the name of Habib American Bank. The bank has been adding value to banking services for the past 25 years while providing a variety of banking services from Financial Institution services to Consumer & Corporate banking services and International Trade Finance. Providing a broad range of banking products and services to diverse communities globally is the mission of Habib American Bank. It plans to expand its banking network in other parts of America.
Shan Foods has grown rapidly with its products now available in more than 50 countries. Shaan is one of the brands trusted for good taste and quality that has enabled it to reach out to foreign markets after capturing the market share locally. This brand with a highly motivated and energetic workforce and edge in technology is determined to innovate and meet needs of customers globally.
These are just a few examples of the many brands that have marked their presence globally and have created goodwill and support for our ‘desi’ brands. With their urge to innovate, excel and grow, these brands by the grace of Allah will grab world’s market share in their respective industries. We wish them success in their future endeavors and hope that they will make us more proud.
