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Should the Indo-Pak conflict be allowed to spill over to expat communities?

MenInG

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Recently received a message asking Pakistanis to boycott Indian goods and businesses including restaurants and shops in the Gulf.

Is this the right way to go about these things?
 
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I don’t know about Arab countries but in western Countries if there is any then you’d only see in GTA area of Ontario, Canada and probably England.
 
Interesting post, brings back memories of Babri Masjid incident....

Heres the deal:

Back in 1992, the larger hypermarkets in the UAE were typically owned by Sindhis/Gujratis - Maya Lals, Choithrams. And yes, they were part of an unofficial boycott....

Now in 2019, Lulu is possibly the largest hypermarket chain but its owned by a Keralite Muslim ....

As for restaurants, its quite rare for Pakistanis to eat at Indian eateries in the Gulf

The ones where they do eat and the Indian groceries they do shop at, are almost always owned by South Indian Muslims, who have always taken a passive, peace-ish stance during Indo Pak conflicts such as Kargil and now as well...

So there wont be much change, at least in UAE, don't know about other places
 
Interesting post, brings back memories of Babri Masjid incident....

Heres the deal:

Back in 1992, the larger hypermarkets in the UAE were typically owned by Sindhis/Gujratis - Maya Lals, Choithrams. And yes, they were part of an unofficial boycott....

Now in 2019, Lulu is possibly the largest hypermarket chain but its owned by a Keralite Muslim ....

As for restaurants, its quite rare for Pakistanis to eat at Indian eateries in the Gulf

The ones where they do eat and the Indian groceries they do shop at, are almost always owned by South Indian Muslims, who have always taken a passive, peace-ish stance during Indo Pak conflicts such as Kargil and now as well...

So there wont be much change, at least in UAE, don't know about other places

Sindhis are Pakistani Muslims so I don't see how they would be boycotted.
 
Sindhis are Pakistani Muslims so I don't see how they would be boycotted.

He is probably referring to Sindhi Indians, i.e. the Hindus from the Sindh province who migrated to India. They have a large community in the Gulf and are usually perceived to be anti-Pakistan.
 
Interesting post, brings back memories of Babri Masjid incident....

Heres the deal:

Back in 1992, the larger hypermarkets in the UAE were typically owned by Sindhis/Gujratis - Maya Lals, Choithrams. And yes, they were part of an unofficial boycott....

Now in 2019, Lulu is possibly the largest hypermarket chain but its owned by a Keralite Muslim ....

As for restaurants, its quite rare for Pakistanis to eat at Indian eateries in the Gulf

The ones where they do eat and the Indian groceries they do shop at, are almost always owned by South Indian Muslims, who have always taken a passive, peace-ish stance during Indo Pak conflicts such as Kargil and now as well...

So there wont be much change, at least in UAE, don't know about other places

It is also worth pointing out that a lot of desk restaurants in the UAE target both Pakistanis and Indians, and they will lose a lot of business by boycotting either segment. I agree that life in the UAE would go on as usual - the Pakistan vs India rubbish is not common there.
 
It is also worth pointing out that a lot of desk restaurants in the UAE target both Pakistanis and Indians, and they will lose a lot of business by boycotting either segment. I agree that life in the UAE would go on as usual - the Pakistan vs India rubbish is not common there.

desi*
 
Recently received a message asking Pakistanis to boycott Indian goods and businesses including restaurants and shops in the Gulf.

Is this the right way to go about these things?

It is a wrong message. These kind of boycotts won't help anyone.

It will only help people with dark agendas.

Moreover, as far as my experience goes, expats are broad-minded.

On the contrary, people outside should always try to resolve this conflict in a peaceful manner.
 
It is also worth pointing out that a lot of desk restaurants in the UAE target both Pakistanis and Indians, and they will lose a lot of business by boycotting either segment.there.

IndoPak restaurants target everyone, and almost always run by Pakistanis or Indian Muslims (South Indians)

There are vegetarian restaurants who have a more specific clientele, and in all my life have never seen a single Pakistani in any of them
 
It shouldn't. On a personal level, I have seen pathetic posts from Indians I personally know, on social media and WhatsApp groups here in the US. Funny thing is, never before have they come off as hateful for the years that I have known them. All it makes me want to do is not associate with them at all. Ignorance and hate has no place for me.
 
Over the weekend I was out doing grocery shopping and one Indian uncle was staring me down, then I looked at him and he turned away. Other than that had no real interaction with Indians. At work I generally stay far away from them, and the status quo is ongoing.
 
Over the weekend I was out doing grocery shopping and one Indian uncle was staring me down, then I looked at him and he turned away. Other than that had no real interaction with Indians. At work I generally stay far away from them, and the status quo is ongoing.

Why was he staring you down, were you wearing one of those Pak1 4Eva t-shirts which were popular a few years ago?
 
Recently received a message asking Pakistanis to boycott Indian goods and businesses including restaurants and shops in the Gulf.

Is this the right way to go about these things?

Never. In western countries Indians and Pakistanis are considered same: South Asians or Desis. The worst thing Indians and Pakistanis can do is to bring their conflicts and animosity here. It will make them look worst than others. Leave all that stuff at home when you migrate to another country.
 
Why was he staring you down, were you wearing one of those Pak1 4Eva t-shirts which were popular a few years ago?

I see that you have reverted back to your British flag and avatar.... so let me answer you like an informed Brit :uakmal



Pakistanis and Indians can tell each other part 9 times out of 10. If there is even a slight doubt, then that is removed when the person opens their mouth to speak, and it does not have anything to do with skin color :inti
 
I see that you have reverted back to your British flag and avatar.... so let me answer you like an informed Brit :uakmal



Pakistanis and Indians can tell each other part 9 times out of 10. If there is even a slight doubt, then that is removed when the person opens their mouth to speak, and it does not have anything to do with skin color :inti

The British flag is back because it is more appropriate. The green flag was like how we British also became French when the dastardly terrorists struck the Charlie Hebdo offices.

In times of war we Brits always support the righteous underdog therefore Je suis Pakistan!

:salute
 
Never. In western countries Indians and Pakistanis are considered same: South Asians or Desis. The worst thing Indians and Pakistanis can do is to bring their conflicts and animosity here. It will make them look worst than others. Leave all that stuff at home when you migrate to another country.

I agree 100%. However, Indians living here in a small town in Pennsylvania were chest thumping after SirJeeKal Strike 2. Making comments reflecting their media and celebs such as "Andar ghus ke maara" and all that. I even saw someone put up a picture of Hina Rabbani with a caption, "No damage done, he just dropped load outside." Overall, absolutely pathetic comments. Of course, never have they in person reflected a single anti Pakistan sentiment to me, knowing full well that I am Pakistani. Upon seeing this behavior, I thank God I came to see their reality and know who not to associate with. Not only that, on a personal level and as Pakistanis we need to hone in on our own culture and identity and stay as far away from Bollywood as possible. Why support them when they are absolutely childish and disrespectful in their behavior? Kangna, Akshay, Mr. Singham Devgan, amongst many others. No need to glorify them in our culture and media.
 
Of Course, after PAF downed those planes and Abhinandan was captured, there was mainly silence from them, like they were not just celebrating.
 
Rarely shot at Indian stores but would only boycott them if the owners are BJP supporters or very anti-Pak. Most here in the UK dont care too much about India or the current conflict.
 
Rarely shot at Indian stores but would only boycott them if the owners are BJP supporters or very anti-Pak. Most here in the UK dont care too much about India or the current conflict.

would you ask them to fill out a questionnaire about their political views before you go and buy a pint of milk?
 
would you ask them to fill out a questionnaire about their political views before you go and buy a pint of milk?

No, only If I am aware of their beliefs. But as I said I rarely shop at Indian stores because their simply is no need.
 
I see that you have reverted back to your British flag and avatar.... so let me answer you like an informed Brit :uakmal



Pakistanis and Indians can tell each other part 9 times out of 10. If there is even a slight doubt, then that is removed when the person opens their mouth to speak, and it does not have anything to do with skin color :inti

It is quite hard to distinguish people from the Indian subcontinent. Especially Pakistanis from Indians, but also Sri Lankans (they look rather similar to South Indians) and Bangladeshis who look similar to Indian Bengalis.
 
No, only If I am aware of their beliefs. But as I said I rarely shop at Indian stores because their simply is no need.

I can't really think of any Indian businesses which you would specifically need to use to be honest. You can get all the groceries and more from a Pakistani store. Only Bollywood really comes to mind as a product which appeals to Pakistani ex-pats.
 
I can't really think of any Indian businesses which you would specifically need to use to be honest. You can get all the groceries and more from a Pakistani store. Only Bollywood really comes to mind as a product which appeals to Pakistani ex-pats.

Same is probably true for US and Canada.
 
The only Indian friend I talk to is disgusted with Modi and he was the one to tell me 'Bro its an election drama''. :)) Though he is Tamil so they aren't fond of BJP to begin with.
 
makes no difference in the uk. most brit desis are mature enough to know not to celebrate such things in a manner that would antagonise the other group.

also most brit indians like to portray an image of their country as economically developing, politically mature and inclusive. i doubt they would want to promote an image of the nastier side of modis politics.

additionally a lot of indians in the uk are sikh, who dont really have an affinity towards either pakistanis or non-sikh indians from my experience.
 
Pakistani/Indians make up 50% of my team and they all give zero f’s about the whole situation.

Surprisingly the rest take an interest and they are very impressed with how we have dealt with the situation.
 
Most Indians I interact with are punjabis and they dont really care about india. They have almost no knowledge of the conflict or the things going on.
 
makes no difference in the uk. most brit desis are mature enough to know not to celebrate such things in a manner that would antagonise the other group.

also most brit indians like to portray an image of their country as economically developing, politically mature and inclusive. i doubt they would want to promote an image of the nastier side of modis politics.

additionally a lot of indians in the uk are sikh, who dont really have an affinity towards either pakistanis or non-sikh indians from my experience.

It may just be as simple as they dont want to speak the hateful rhetoric here in the UK knowing they may all see a similar fait as pilot Abhi. Those 60,000 who attended his rally in Wembley stadium and others who would have gone must share his views to this day.
 
Same is probably true for US and Canada.

Iqbal Foods is pretty much the one-stop for all your desi needs in Mississauga these days and the owner is Muslim. The background doesn't matter much once the owner is known to be Muslim because Indian Muslims hate the BJP more than Pakistanis do.

Many of the big chains here like FreshCo, Food Basics and Walmart also have ethnic food sections and there are smaller stores like Kabul as well. The couple if times we've been to a typical Indian store, the sounds and smells ensured that we never went back.
 
It may just be as simple as they dont want to speak the hateful rhetoric here in the UK knowing they may all see a similar fait as pilot Abhi. Those 60,000 who attended his rally in Wembley stadium and others who would have gone must share his views to this day.

im not gonna refute that, i dont know what they really support, indians tend to promote celeb culture so i wouldnt be totally surprised if many of those 60k just went for the hype of being able to tag themselves at a modi event. fwiw i dont think too many second gen indians lie awake at night pontificating the political situation in india, for NRIs it may be different.
 
would you ask them to fill out a questionnaire about their political views before you go and buy a pint of milk?

If they don't carry Halal products, it's a dead giveaway that the owners are BJP supporters and anti-Muslim.
 
im not gonna refute that, i dont know what they really support, indians tend to promote celeb culture so i wouldnt be totally surprised if many of those 60k just went for the hype of being able to tag themselves at a modi event. fwiw i dont think too many second gen indians lie awake at night pontificating the political situation in india, for NRIs it may be different.

It could very well be the case. Im guessing many like to move away from their background and only see themselves as British. If this is the case , you can't blame those who have made good lives in the UK not wanting to relate to those in India who ban beef, cause communal strife and generally spout hate speech.
 
No one "allows" for it to happen. It depends on the community you live in and individual views within. There are sane and angry people on both sides. I will not initiate hostilities with Indian people however one comment is enough to trigger off the fire inside me. After that Indian people will be told some home truths with some good interest as well. I have noticed where I am that Pakistanis are refusing to do business with Indian people over the past few weeks. Indian shops are dead and struggling to make ends meet. A local Indian jewellery shop is seeing a complete drop down of Pak ladies wanting to buy from them.
 
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I work with many Indians, they don;t care about it as they are not voting incoming elections.
 
Everyone outside India and Pakistan is diplomatic. However in times like this, they don't talk about these things openly.
 
One thing to understand is that when Indians leave their country and take up citizenship of another country they give up their Indian passport. I asked my friend how did it feel to give up Indian passport and he said "wonderful, that is why I moved to Canada".


So often times the folks you will find in these countries are those that wanted to do nothing with India in the first place.
 
Live in a good mix of indian (hindu and sikh) pakistani community. So far not a word from either side openly said or heard. People out in west are well behaved, obv the odd idiot will be everywhere, but yet to see one.
 
If they don't carry Halal products, it's a dead giveaway that the owners are BJP supporters and anti-Muslim.

This must have been the stupidest post ive seen for PP standards.

You do realise that religious sikhs are against halal products- not because they are anti muslim but the practice is anti sikh. And a lot of them are not BJP supporters.

I live in the UK and halal meat is mainly sold in muslim owned businesses anyway.. why would a sikh or a hindu shop owner sell Halal meat when the clientele is not going to come there anyway for that product as they already have a source. Your attempt to label every non muslim business owner a BJP supporter and anti muslim using the products they sell as a differentiator is downright bigotry. Maybe muslims might advertise their anti india/anti hindu views openly in their businesses but that is definitely not the case the other way around.
 
it should. how else are you going to internationalize kashmir?
current methods do not appear to be working.
 
One thing to understand is that when Indians leave their country and take up citizenship of another country they give up their Indian passport. I asked my friend how did it feel to give up Indian passport and he said "wonderful, that is why I moved to Canada".


So often times the folks you will find in these countries are those that wanted to do nothing with India in the first place.

There is nothing wrong with that. At least it is much better than being a blatant hypocrite.

Pakistan also needs to put an end to dual citizenship. Too many hypocrites with American, Canadian, British and Australian etc. passports thump their chests and show patriotism over the Internet. They talk about the bright future of the country after securing their own and their children's future by acquiring foreign passports.

At least the Election Commission did the right thing by rejecting the idea of allowing them to vote. If you are not living in the country - or do not intend to live in the country in the future - you should not have the right to vote.

The loophole in this system is that quite a few Pakistanis who are settled overseas came back to the country to cast votes and then left. The solution to this loophole is to take away their Pakistani passports.

This decision will result in the following: the genuine patriots (not the profile pictures and hashtag hipsters) will return to Pakistan while the fake patriots will be forced to acknowledge that they prefer foreign citizenship over Pakistani citizenship, and more importantly, it will also put an end to the hypocrisy.
 
There is nothing wrong with that. At least it is much better than being a blatant hypocrite.

Pakistan also needs to put an end to dual citizenship. Too many hypocrites with American, Canadian, British and Australian etc. passports thump their chests and show patriotism over the Internet. They talk about the bright future of the country after securing their own and their children's future by acquiring foreign passports.

At least the Election Commission did the right thing by rejecting the idea of allowing them to vote. If you are not living in the country - or do not intend to live in the country in the future - you should not have the right to vote.

The loophole in this system is that quite a few Pakistanis who are settled overseas came back to the country to cast votes and then left. The solution to this loophole is to take away their Pakistani passports.

This decision will result in the following: the genuine patriots (not the profile pictures and hashtag hipsters) will return to Pakistan while the fake patriots will be forced to acknowledge that they prefer foreign citizenship over Pakistani citizenship, and more importantly, it will also put an end to the hypocrisy.

I do agree with you, I am against Pakistanis moving abroad and then holding a vote in Pakistan, I believe that politics there should be decided by those who live there day to day.

But it is easier for Indians to become fully integrated abroad as Hinduism basically allows them to adopt anything and everything, whereas Muslims have far more restrictions to with regard to their beliefs. As someone with family in the UK I am sure you can relate.
 
I do agree with you, I am against Pakistanis moving abroad and then holding a vote in Pakistan, I believe that politics there should be decided by those who live there day to day.

But it is easier for Indians to become fully integrated abroad as Hinduism basically allows them to adopt anything and everything, whereas Muslims have far more restrictions to with regard to their beliefs. As someone with family in the UK I am sure you can relate.

It is true that it is harder for Muslims to integrate. However, those who make an effort do succeed eventually. There are numerous Pakistanis in the West who are practicing Muslims but have also been successful in integrating with the norms of the society that they are living in.

Those who have no respect or regard for the country they have migrated to would be better off returning their passports and coming back to where they belong. Truth be told, these people do not deserve to live in those countries anyway.
 
There is nothing wrong with that. At least it is much better than being a blatant hypocrite.

Pakistan also needs to put an end to dual citizenship. Too many hypocrites with American, Canadian, British and Australian etc. passports thump their chests and show patriotism over the Internet. They talk about the bright future of the country after securing their own and their children's future by acquiring foreign passports.

At least the Election Commission did the right thing by rejecting the idea of allowing them to vote. If you are not living in the country - or do not intend to live in the country in the future - you should not have the right to vote.

The loophole in this system is that quite a few Pakistanis who are settled overseas came back to the country to cast votes and then left. The solution to this loophole is to take away their Pakistani passports.

This decision will result in the following: the genuine patriots (not the profile pictures and hashtag hipsters) will return to Pakistan while the fake patriots will be forced to acknowledge that they prefer foreign citizenship over Pakistani citizenship, and more importantly, it will also put an end to the hypocrisy.

Who made you judge, jury, executioner?


A Pakistani living abroad who spends his hard earned money to come and perform his national duty by voting is a thousand times better than a Pakistani who sits in Pakistan, supports corrupt thieves while his family leeches off the poor and the hungry.


Stay in your limits.
 
There is nothing wrong with that. At least it is much better than being a blatant hypocrite.

Pakistan also needs to put an end to dual citizenship. Too many hypocrites with American, Canadian, British and Australian etc. passports thump their chests and show patriotism over the Internet. They talk about the bright future of the country after securing their own and their children's future by acquiring foreign passports.

At least the Election Commission did the right thing by rejecting the idea of allowing them to vote. If you are not living in the country - or do not intend to live in the country in the future - you should not have the right to vote.

The loophole in this system is that quite a few Pakistanis who are settled overseas came back to the country to cast votes and then left. The solution to this loophole is to take away their Pakistani passports.

This decision will result in the following: the genuine patriots (not the profile pictures and hashtag hipsters) will return to Pakistan while the fake patriots will be forced to acknowledge that they prefer foreign citizenship over Pakistani citizenship, and more importantly, it will also put an end to the hypocrisy.

There is a reason why India doesnot allow full dual citizenship.You cannot have your feet in two boats.
 
Can't wait to walk out of a Walmart and get punched in the my throat and have a guy yell "DIL DIL PAKISTAN !!!" and run away. let's do this.
 
Who made you judge, jury, executioner?


A Pakistani living abroad who spends his hard earned money to come and perform his national duty by voting is a thousand times better than a Pakistani who sits in Pakistan, supports corrupt thieves while his family leeches off the poor and the hungry.


Stay in your limits.

Amen. #preach
 
There is nothing wrong with that. At least it is much better than being a blatant hypocrite.

Pakistan also needs to put an end to dual citizenship. Too many hypocrites with American, Canadian, British and Australian etc. passports thump their chests and show patriotism over the Internet. They talk about the bright future of the country after securing their own and their children's future by acquiring foreign passports.

At least the Election Commission did the right thing by rejecting the idea of allowing them to vote. If you are not living in the country - or do not intend to live in the country in the future - you should not have the right to vote.

The loophole in this system is that quite a few Pakistanis who are settled overseas came back to the country to cast votes and then left. The solution to this loophole is to take away their Pakistani passports.

This decision will result in the following: the genuine patriots (not the profile pictures and hashtag hipsters) will return to Pakistan while the fake patriots will be forced to acknowledge that they prefer foreign citizenship over Pakistani citizenship, and more importantly, it will also put an end to the hypocrisy.

Truth be told, the contribution of the expat community to the Pakistani economy is incredible. These expats work 15 hour days as taxi drivers or construction workers just to send money back to Pakistan whilst they live in okay conditions themselves.

They give billions to Pakistan in foreign currency which is so important considering their lack of foreign reserves and they help drive consumption and investment within the Pakistani economy creating jobs and economic growth. Look at Mirpur, a city that has felt the economic benefit of a strong expat community as well as other areas with a strong expat influence.

Without the expat community, the Pakistani economy would be a lot worse, the reason for giving the vote to Overseas Pakistanis is to make them more involved with the country economically so clearly the government recognise their importance and with the new govt bonds scheme, it is another sign that Pakistan knows they need their expats. It is not a matter of politics, PPP, PMLN and PTI all appreciate the importance of expats. They contribute just as much, if not more, than Pakistanis in the country so they deserve some appreciation.

I understand you are a critical thinker and even though I may not agree with some of your points on other threads, I appreciate your alternate view but with this one you have got it seriously wrong and your criticism is simply unfair.
 
We bought Roohafza (made in Pakistan product) some months ago. Wife made a desert the other day and used it. Roohafza still tastes sweet, no bitterness to it.

So Answer is NO!
 
Truth be told, the contribution of the expat community to the Pakistani economy is incredible. These expats work 15 hour days as taxi drivers or construction workers just to send money back to Pakistan whilst they live in okay conditions themselves.

They give billions to Pakistan in foreign currency which is so important considering their lack of foreign reserves and they help drive consumption and investment within the Pakistani economy creating jobs and economic growth. Look at Mirpur, a city that has felt the economic benefit of a strong expat community as well as other areas with a strong expat influence.

Without the expat community, the Pakistani economy would be a lot worse, the reason for giving the vote to Overseas Pakistanis is to make them more involved with the country economically so clearly the government recognise their importance and with the new govt bonds scheme, it is another sign that Pakistan knows they need their expats. It is not a matter of politics, PPP, PMLN and PTI all appreciate the importance of expats. They contribute just as much, if not more, than Pakistanis in the country so they deserve some appreciation.

I understand you are a critical thinker and even though I may not agree with some of your points on other threads, I appreciate your alternate view but with this one you have got it seriously wrong and your criticism is simply unfair.

Some excellent points made. I am not a supporter of money flooding back to Pakistan from abroad, but it should not be dismissed either, it will have helped a lot of families in Pakistan to earn a better standard of living. If we are honest it is one way traffic as well, very rarely will money come the other way from Pakistan to outside countries.
 
I see that you have reverted back to your British flag and avatar.... so let me answer you like an informed Brit :uakmal



Pakistanis and Indians can tell each other part 9 times out of 10. If there is even a slight doubt, then that is removed when the person opens their mouth to speak, and it does not have anything to do with skin color :inti

Seen your picture. Nobody will ever confuse you for a Pakistani. You look as Indian as it gets.
 
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