What's my Mission?

 

Xperience Pakistan Lifestyle is an extension of the company Xperience Pakistan, which I set up in 2018. It's a platform to enable people to access Pakistan in a safe and reliable manner but also to change and challenge the misconceptions people have.

 

Who am I?

I am a Pakistani woman, who was 2 years old when I came to the UK and then 16 when I went back, as my father who worked for Habib Bank at the time, was transferred back to our home town Peshawar. A small town in Pakistan, which many don't know about but one I love because of the hospitality and warmth it oozes. I spent 3 years there loving the parties, the weddings, the travelling, the food & spending quality time with my extended family getting to know them. Prior to living in Pakistan, we would go every other year, so going to Pakistan wasn't a complete shock to the system but living there made me see and appreciate it in a completely different way.

When I was 19, I returned to the UK to study Product Management, upon graduation I moved to Brussels because this was where my parents now lived. I managed to get an MBA (probably the hardest thing I have ever done) & then secured a job at Unilever before I graduated. 

Whilst doing my MBA I had made a business plan for a brand by the name of Diversify, which was focused on promoting goods from all over the world under one roof but mainly its prime focus was to showcase the best of Pakistan and its talent. After 15 years of working for multinationals and 3 kids later, Xperience Pakistan Lifestyle is a narrowed version of that business plan.

What am I trying to do?

Having lived in Pakistan, I feel I can confidently say that I have seen the best & worst of Pakistan but more importantly I have seen the potential & a side that is often overlooked by the mainstream media. It was for this reason that back in 2018, I created Xperience Pakistan, a company through which I showcase Pakistan through my eyes, by curating experiences in Pakistan, which educate you about the true side of Pakistan, changing and challenging misconceptions & showcasing lifestyle experiences like golf & yoga that many don't associate with Pakistan.

This is of particularly importance to me because as a mum of 3 boys, I wanted my children and the next generation of Pakistani's be proud of their heritage. When I set up, many Pakistani's were becoming disillusioned and embarrassed about their identity because the only time they'd hear Pakistan being mentioned in the mainstream media was for pedophile gangs or Pakistani women were being shown to be suppressed women, who didn't integrate with British society and had no opinion. I believe you have to be the change you want to see, which is what I aim to do with Xperience Pakistan, which is all about educating and changing the narrative, highlighting the positive aspects of our culture, country and its people, something that is often overlooked by mainstream media. wanted to change this narrative

Then Covid 19 kicked in and what I thought might be a 6-9 month pause has resulted in nearly 18 months of not being able to take people to Pakistan.

Luckily as a small business owner with limited overheads I have been able to survive, however my passion to educate and showcase Pakistan still exists. Whilst we wait for the rest of the world to catch up with vaccines, I plan to continue this journey through a lifestyle range, which is focused on story telling and educating people about Pakistan in a fun and creative manner.

What's the lifestyle range all about?

So for the last 6 months, behind the scenes I have been busy curating and developing a range of products inspired by Pakistan, all of which take you on a journey through its history or through one of the many beautiful places that are waiting to be discovered by the rest of the world. I figured if I can't take you to Pakistan, I can at least bring a piece of Pakistan into your homes, exciting you enough to want to visit Pakistan, when you can travel.

Several of our collections have been curated and developed with other small business owners in Pakistan and in the UK, each of us supporting one another to survive and get through this pandemic.

 

Taking you on a sensorial adventure

My most exciting project is our collection of scented candles which I have been developing. For overseas Pakistani's, who once lived in Pakistan, like myself, its a trip down memory lane bringing back nostalgic memories of weddings, the seasons changing from winter to spring. Jasmine, Rose & Neroli have been a core base of scents that I have been working on for the launch of our scented candles, trying to recreate those scents that define Pakistan and conjour up so many fond memories for me. 

For those who have never visited its a small sensorial intro to some of the delights that exist in Pakistan, waiting to be discovered by you. 

Pakistan is a very tactile country and its beauty lies in the fact that when you visit it, every sense becomes alive from taste, sight, smell, touch to listening.

 

What do I value?

Making a difference to the community I live in and have lived amongst is very important to me, improving engagement between communities to remove ignorance and giving back to change perceptions around Pakistan & Islam is something that's close to my heart.

That's what our ramadan food parcel and my work placement scheme with local schools is all about, helping the locals whether financial, in kind or through education.

Promotion of entrepreneurship and empowerment, particularly amongst women is something that is very close to my heart. That's why I have collaborated with Yasmeen Lari. You can learn more about this on the Yasmeen Lari Dosti Project page.

Interesting fact

Peshawar is the biggest city of Khyber Pakhtunwala, one of the provinces in Pakistan & is also its cultural & economic hub. Peshawar is famous for its food & tourism, as it is one of the oldest cities in the region, with a recorded history that dates back to 539 BC.