PAS-E-PARDA

Wilmslow Road in Manchester sometimes known as Curry Mile- is home to a wide range of Pakistani and South Asian shops, bakeries, and eateries. Famed for both its curries and its sh and chips, many local students suggest its the best place for food at the end of a long days studying! Photo Lifeofgalileo.

What it means to be a British Pakistani

by Fahrid Chishty

thoughts of a young British Pakistani who takes pride in being both Pakistani and British

! It was the aftermath of World War Two. Britain the heart of a onceglorious empire, on which the sun never set was beset by socioeconomic problems.

! The solution, post-war planners argued, was to call the empire home; to summon workers from Commonwealth realms to Albion itself. By the 50s and 60s, innumerable migrants had bid farewell to their exotic motherlands and ltered into Britain. Driven, for the most part, by the prospects of a more prosperous future, the masses comprised communities from the newly born nation of Pakistan amidst others. And amongst the courageous albeit anxious masses were my grandparents just four among many young adults who would ! To be theoretical about it, it is to become the ancestors of todays thriving identify with two distinct but equally rich British Pakistani community. cultural traditions those of Pakistan and of Britain respectively and, sometimes, to

! Living in the melting pot that is London, its not unusual to be asked Where do you come from? Whether it be a fascinated Frenchman, an intrigued Indian, or a meticulous Middle Easterner doing the questioning, the response I give is, of course, always the same: Im a British Pakistani. Now this can be met with raised eyebrows, A what? speculates the Spanish sightseer asking directions to Covent Garden. For those not so aware of the 20th century demographic history of Britain, a clearly South Asianlooking person speaking with an estuary accent can easily cause confusion. But there is a deeper question concealed in such queries: What exactly does it mean to be a British Pakistani?

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synthesise elements of both. That is, it is to equally adore our northern mill towns as we do our ancestral land, to love a homemade curry and sh and chips with equal passion, and to celebrate Christmas with as much merriment as we would Eid. It is this hybrid culture which proudly claims many cultural, scientic and political heroes of this country amongst its children. Whilst a minority of commentators like to criticise how British descendants of Pakistani immigrants still like to add spices of their ancestral culture to British life, it is this very fusion of cultures which denes who we are. ! Sure, were not without our problems; but is undeniable that British Pakistanis are one of the countrys most prosperous ethnic minorities. Sixty years on since those very rst immigrants arrived from the sub-tropic nation of Pakistan, their grandchildren are luminaries of British life. In the spheres of art, music, sports, academia and politics, British Pakistanis can be seen at the forefront, pioneering cultural innovation: Mishal Hussain, Ziauddin Sardar, Baroness Warsi, Imtiaz Dharker, Amir Khan, Zayn Malik even the list goes on. A survey conducted by the University of Essex, earlier this summer, even revealed that 90% of British Pakistanis feel a strong sense of belonging in Britain, a gure greater than the 84% of their white compatriots. " The truth is that since the dawn of the Roman Empire, there has been something about the British Isles which has drawn in settlers from across the globe. And Pakistanis are just one community in a line stretching back millennia to have acted upon this magnetism, and adopt Britain as their homeland. Reecting upon the diversity of our past heritage should, no doubt, strengthen our visions for the future. ! As Britons we collectively envisage a more democratic, pluralistic, and socially just country. That utopia is the dream. And the British Pakistani community, in their diversity and exceptionality, have a signicant role to play in realising this dream. That is why I am proud to say, perhaps on occasions with a tinge of swagger, that Im a British Pakistani!

About the author

Fahrid Chishty is a student of Politics, Philosophy and Law at Kings College London.

British Pakistanis have been successful in a wide range of elds. How many of these do you recognise? Photos (l - r, t - b) Brett Weinstein, Willstar ,manfromuncle1, Moses Namkung, Adambro, Eva Rinaldi, Zuhairali, Andy Simons Answers: Hanif Kureishi, playwright, Mishal Husain, BBC Journalist, Amir Khan, boxer, Bat for Lashes, musician, Salma Yakoub, politician and psychotherapist, Zayn Malik, musician, Sayeeda Warsi, rst Muslim female peer, James Caan, entrepreneur