Customs and Etiquette

• Loyalty to the family comes before other social relationships, even business.
• Older people are viewed as wise and are granted respect. In a social situation, they are served first and their drinks may be poured for them. Elders are introduced first, are provided with the choicest cuts of meat, and in general are treated much like royalty.
• Greetings are therefore often between members of the same sex; however, when dealing with people in the middle class, greetings may be across sex lines.
• Guests are served first. Then the oldest, continuing in some rough approximation of age order until the youngest is served.
• Pakistanis prefer to do business in person. They see the telephone as too impersonal a medium for business communication
• Pakistani names often include a name that denotes a person’s class, tribe, occupation, or other status indicator.