Yet despite of the growing influence of fundamentalism, Pakistanis today, especially the educated, are more open to consider other options than at any time since the formation of the country. Revival is happening in some parts of Pakistan.

Compared to their Pashto-speaking relatives, Hindko speakers are know for being gentle and peace-loving. They even tend to be more open-minded than their neighbours

Most of the world's Muslims live in Asia. After Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have the world's highest Muslim populations. Islam spread to South Central and East Asia mostly through merchants and mystical Sufis.

The Zikri Baluch are an offshoot of mainstream Islam that is concentrated in the Baluchistan Province of Pakistan. Their practices are based around the teachings of Syed Mohammad Jaunpuri, a 15th century and South Asian Islamic Messiah figure (Mahdi). In religious practice, the Zikris differ greatly from mainstream Muslims.

In Pakistan's large cities such as Karachi and Quetta, the Baluch pursue a variety of menial jobs, such as truck drivers, rickshaw drivers, office workers, security guards and mechanics: few Baluch work as traders and shop owners. Though they are generally not very religious, most Baluch identify with Sunni Islam.

The tragic tale of the slave girl Anarkali, who was entombed alive because of her forbidden love for a prince, is remembered today in Lahore’s famous Anarkali Bazaar in Pakistan.

One of the fastest growing cities in Pakistan, the city of Karachi, with a population approaching 10 million (by some accounts), is over half Mohajir and is a political and social tinderbox.

This area is the only part of Pakistan in which the majority of the population professes the Shiite (Shia) orientation of Islam. Most Shiites follow the conservative branch of the so-called “Shia of the Twelve”...