Why i do not date in Pakistan
It was the first time I was visiting Lahore in my 4 years as i have been living in london for last some years. I had recently broken up with my girlfriend in England before coming to Pakistan, and when my cousins found out they insisted that I find a desi girl here since they are ‘sincere’ and ‘faithful.’
Despite my opposition and discomfort in ‘finding a girlfriend’ in an alien land, my cousin introduced me to a friend’s friend – Maheen*.
My first interaction with this girl was through the cell phone, or text messages to be more precise. After this introduction, we didn’t talk till one fine day in the middle of the night my phone rang. It was two in the morning and I could barely open my eyes, but out of courtesy I attended Maheen’s phone call.
“Hi, what’s up? I hope I haven’t disturbed you?”she said.
“No, it’s okay…” I murmured.
“I have set up a plan to meet you tomorrow, but don’t call or text me unless I do so, because if my bhai catches me he will kill you.” she advised me.
Totally perplexed, I listened to her plan quietly. I was astonished and scared that I was prone to be killed by someone’s brother without having ever met her.
“I can’t come alone. My friend, Zahra will come with me. Do you have a male friend who is single and ready to give her company?” she asked.
“Er… okay, I will manage.” I said, feeling simultaneously amused and confused.
“Fair enough. I will see you tomorrow then, and yes, do get me a Ufone card because I am running out of balance. I love you. Bye!”
I kept sitting silent for a long time, and then asked my cousin who I should take with me to give company to the girl’s chaperon/friend? He ‘arranged’ for another friend of his, Sherdil who was ‘very popular’ among the females in his college. The idea of being surrounded by so many strangers gave me butterflies in my stomach. I pleaded with my cousins to pull me out of this weird situation, but they told me to put up with it.
The next day, accompanied by this Sherdil guy, we went to pick Maheen and her friend up from college. As I approached the college gate, Maheen sent me a missed call. I was confused and called her back immediately.
“You didn’t get me my balance loaded!” she blurted over the phone. Feeling embarrassed, I told her I would do so once we were off to lunch.
We waited for around 25 minutes outside her college, when two girls appeared from nowhere wearing burqas. I was once again bewildered to see them. They sat in our car and took their burqas off, and I was introduced to Maheen, and another lady.
We then drove off looking for food. As we stepped out at a restaurant, Maheen’s phone rang and I saw her going pale as she talked on the phone.
“Are you alright?” I asked her.
“It was my mother, she told me that my bhai is off to pick me up from college!” she cried.
Sherdil had a bright idea:
“You can go and drop Maheen back to college, while Zahra and I can go for lunch if you guys don’t mind?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I agreed at once.
Feeling angry yet sympathetic to the poor girl’s plight, I drove back to drop her to college. On the way, Maheen kept crying and pushed me to drive faster and faster. I got so worried to see her crying so bitterly, I ended up breaking a signal.
What next?
A traffic cop in appeared from nowhere and asked for my driving license. By this point I was infuriated. I gave some money to Maheen and she headed back to college in a rickshaw, and then I called my cousins to help me with the cops. That day I took an oath never to even think of going on a date in Pakistan again.
*names of individuals have been changed to protect their identities.
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umar:
lolzzzzzzzzzzz
P MASHALLAH :p
lolzzzzzzzzzzz
P MASHALLAH:PP
hahahhahhahahahhaha….tchtchtch Zainuuuuu..UK is the best you see
cutting the “mobile card” and putting in a “perfume”. It happens every where (usa, uk). And the story that is put in is not very special to be appraised off or very surprising to be shocking. A person out of Pakistan may be 4 years or 8 still understand the customs and norms of the society if he/she is sound minded. I have been out of Pak from more then 5 years studying in usa and uk both butt still i expect these things to happen over there just cutting the card thing …. sorry not very amusing story for me though poor guy
Thanks for the replies guys.All the criticism accepted.
A bloke raised in Uk who visits Pakistan every 4/5 years for some weeks , you clearly don’t expect him to understand the customs and norms of our society.As down in his place you don’t have to worry about getting beaten up by her brothers if they catch you,the article was sarcastically humoured which i guess did not sunk in well with you.The article clearly did not mention that he went to london for studies and that be 4 years ago.So it was originated from his view of perspective.
2nd I’m no professional writer nor blogger.Even if there were something in it,there is always a way to improve.Rather you behaving like you have paid some money to read the article and it came out pathetic lol,which clearly is free of cost to you my friend
If you do not have enough time for the writings, the least you can do is encourage the ones who are putting pen to paper.
Healthy criticism is always accepted brother but calling someone a poor guy for what he wrote was not nice on your part.SHAME.
well i think you took it very personally and i might have been a bit harsh on your article, my apologies for that. Normally i don’t right on blogs or anything but i just made my start from you and i guess it was not a good one.
Lets discuss the problem in points
1. The criticism was raised in USA not UK.
2.Well my first problem is that this news story should not have been published here in the first place .News means to educate and entertain people with some new that happens around the world but not the day life of some person who had a bad dating experience.
3.Talking about customs and traditions and your 4 years away from the country who comes to visit Pakistan for a few weeks…Even my cousin who had been away from the country for more than 10 years understands the norms and customs of our country . If someone who can’t understand that , it means he/she has a low IQ and should consult a psychtrist.
4.And the beaten up thing you talking about. You can bet me this, this shit happens everywhere in the world where there is Pak-Muslim society. if you never had such experience it means you never had a gf or never had a gf who had brothers in uk .(i believe that is why u were so eager to find one in Pak because you can’t fine one in uk. but don’t worry some of my friends do the same thing so you are not alone.
)
5. and talking about the education in uk thing . i was referring to specially those like myself who stay away from the shabby areas of Pakistan study in english medium and stayed away from country for a long period and study abroad do understand and expect these things to happen in Pakistan so it was nothing very shocking in what u said .
6.With the poor guy thing again i believe is the lack of knowledge or may be education. A poor guy is an idiom referred to as person who had bad experience or who has escaped a misery not referred to someone who does not have money or anything like that.
Well i tell u another meaning of this “A close shave” now don’t think “come close and shave me” it also means if you escape a misery or escaped an accident.
i believe it is enough for you to digest dear fellow well best of luck for your future. You should continue righting but i believe the administrator of this forum should not publish such hularious events here as mentioned before it is a news website not a personal experience sharing site.
And you can directly contact me if you go to Pakistan next time so i might help you with some problems in Pakistan or even in usa or uk to tell you there customs and traditions so you don’t ever have any bad experience. i leave u with my NUMBER.
Regards
Umair
07896653546
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww mr umair:((( please dont take it seriously .and why this article should not hav been published here???.Dont you see there IS ENTERTAINMENT section also here ???. !! I REALLY ENJOYED the way it was written:P .lol take it easyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! let people share their interesting experiences:) Zainnn!!!! Future short story writer:PP.!!keep it up!! You have written good articles on this site as well!!:)
oh my my …. seriously i was enjoying reading this till the time the name of S appeared and i was hello who is writer of it and then i saw
lol story is so funny when Mr. S said u can go i will go with Zahra 
pure chawalpanna hehehehehe i cant stop laughing …. (critics comment reserved) … ppl cant tolerate them 
…. gud gud gud
hahahahahahahahaha yes shero was very smart apna kaam nikal liya us ne:PP hahahahahahahahahahahahah
look at the world ‘very popular among females hahahahahahahahahaahahhahahahaha:D 
SUBHANLLAH 
I am really confused regarding articles and comments of some of the personalities :$
For experience sharing there should be a separate forum . Believe me i got a lot of wonderful stories and experiences to share with pictures. I just caught a 4 feet shark in NY please let me share it with pics as well.. But this is not the platform to share personal experiences. its very non professional . imagine these things published on Dawn and The News , should would it sound there . “i believe pretty stupid”.
… regarding the story it is pretty common and every 3 out 5 people do face such problems one way the other…
I pretty much enjoyed reading the article, with different expressions at various portions. Lol. I wouldn’t mind reading such stuff again.
zainnnnnnnyy !!! waiting for your next Masterpiece story
