Pakistan

The Republic of Pakistan was established as an independent state in 1947, with East Pakistan breaking away in 1971 to become Bangladesh. It is an overwhelmingly Muslim country, with a population of 165 million (2007). Although the capital is Islamabad, the largest city in Pakistan remains Karachi, the country's main port. The country contains large numbers of different tribes and ethnic groups, and many of these have slightly different customs, some of which vary on account of the climate and habitat, and others because of their histories.

Because of the long period of British rule, cricket is extremely popular in the country, and although it is played professionally, many people participate in it as a recreational sport, and boys and young men, who in most other countries of the world are involved in playing soccer, play street cricket. For them a doorpost, or a chalk mark on a wall would serve as a wicket. For those playing in particularly confined spaces, variations of the game have been introduced to prevent damage to property, often involving the use of a tennis ball (and occasionally a tennis ball wrapped in insulating tape), and sometimes what has become known as stick cricket, in which a cricket bat is cut down (and then often taped to prevent it splitting) and this makes it harder for somebody to hit the ball, and even harder to hit it with much force. When there is more room, the rules are closer to those of mainstream cricket.

As well as cricket, many other games are played such as tennis and, for the wealthier, polo. During the British period, numbers of clubs were built around the country, and many of these survive, being popular with the Pakistani middle class and the military. These allow opportunities for social and recreational sports, billiards, darts, and card games. Puppets were popular and during in the early 1970s, the Australian puppeteer Peter Scriven took The Tintookies to Pakistan, and from there, to Afghanistan. However, the use of puppets has been condemned by some Islamic conservatives, and is now far less common than it had been in the past.

For many children in the country, the games they play include Guli Danda, Marbles, Ludo, and Hide-and-Seek. In spite of Chess originating in the region (with elephants instead of rooks/castles), Draughts (Checkers) remains more popular for most boys and men, as do card games. The Turkish version of Backgammon, called Tavla, and Dominoes are also played by men in coffee shops. There is another game played in villages called Kabadi, in which two teams try to invade each other's territory. Crorepati Baopaar, the Pakistani version of the board game Monopoly, has the streets of Karachi marked on it. Camel riding is also popular, but with a very conservative society, there are not many bowling alleys and no amusement arcades, with gambling machines generally confined to clubs.

Wargaming has long been popular with middle-class boys and young men in the country, partly through the British influence. As a result, Wargaming figures tend to be related to classical themes such as Alexander the Great's invasion or to the British colonial period.

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