BUILDING COMMUNITY

& NETWORKS
By Society Research Group
Copyright © PIDE, 2023

December, 2023
‫ﻛﻤﻴﻮﻧﻰﭩ‬
‫ﻠﻛﭽﺮ‬
‫ء‬

‫ور‬
‫ﻧﻴﭧ ک‬
‫ﻣﺎر�ﻴﭧ‬
Society, the name of one of the research sections in PIDE, is a concept encompassing themes as diverse
and varied as individuals, social actors, socio-economic organization, social institutions, social capital,
trust, and community. The research compiled in this monograph has focused on one of these themes:
Community. Although the conceptual genesis of community and the scholastic literature on it
intersects with other related sociological concepts, there exists singular empirical evidence that
conceptualizes community as the binding factor for social forces, actors, and institutions to evolve and
develop. The current monograph highlights a few of such themes: (1) Community engagement in online
platforms, (2) Public spaces and places in cities for community engagement, (3) Networking and trust
in the market realm, and (4) Value systems in the organizational culture.

Saman Nazir’s ‘Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond’ establishes a sense of
community through virtual communities. Through reviewing sociological literature and conducting an
online survey, the research signifies that virtual communities allow individuals to communicate
without being conditioned to engage physically. The research highlights that individuals like playing an
active part in shaping and nurturing online spaces through generating online content, establishing
norms, and fostering a sense of belonging. Another key finding is that online and offline spaces are
mutually reinforcing.

My research titled ‘Community Centers as the Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus
Islamabad’ adopts a qualitative research strategy to highlight the services provided in 4 community
centers (three governmental and one private) located in Islamabad, how the services provided, and
activities performed therein develop a sense of community among people? And, whether Islamabad
needs more community centers as places and spaces for socialization, celebration, and activism.

Fizzah Khalid Butt’s ‘Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market’ details the importance of
social networks and trust in the evolving landscape of commercial markets in Islamabad. Current
research, by focusing on the concepts of nodes, imagined networks, and trust, develops an intriguing
interplay between shop owners, union council, and businesses in the Abpara Market.

Henna Ahsan’s Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan focused on
identifying employees’ personal values, organizations’ social and professional values, and the
congruence between employee and organizational values. The research also evaluated differences in
personal values among employees based on their gender and education. Moreover, the differences
were also analyzed in organizational values based on the public and private sectors and with reference
to hierarchal levels present in each organization. Primary data was collected from 180 participants
working in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Results show that female are on a higher level than male on
many personal values and private sector is leading public sector on many fronts regarding
organizational values.

I am very grateful to Dr. Nadeem ul Haque for developing this research section and allocating different
research topics to the researchers working under this section. We aim to continue ideating,
conceptualizing, researching, and writing more about Society.

Fahd Zulfiqar
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond
01
01

Community Center as a Space and Place for Community

02 Engagement: Locus Islamabad

10

Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

03
36

Exploring the Value System of Organizational

04 Culture of Pakistan

43
ONLINE COMMUNITIES,
SENSE OF BELONGING
AND BEYOND
Saman Nazir

1
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

“People in virtual communities do just

about everything people do in real life, but
we leave our bodies behind.”
(Rheingold, 2000, page xvii)

1. What is Community?
In sociological discourse, understanding the concepts of community and society is incomplete without
referencing Ferdinand Tönnies' seminal work "Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft." The notion of
"Gemeinschaft," which can be roughly translated as community, is a natural and organic form of group
existence where individuals are bound together by shared traditions, beliefs, or objectives (Heberle,
1937). Tönnies used the term "Gemeinschaft" to analyze the social fabric of rural and pre-industrial
societies, characterized by mutual acquaintanceship and close-knit relationships. In contrast,
"Gesellschaft" refers to an inorganic group held together for some common, conscious purpose.
Tönnies applied this term to describe urban, post-industrial societies where residents may not
necessarily be familiar with their neighbors and whose roles are specialized. The community grows
from the natural connection between humans and their surroundings and the instinctive bonds that
naturally form among individuals and groups.

In contrast, society is a construct that emerges from deliberate choices and intended goals, creating
purposeful and voluntary bonds (Heberle, 1937). However, the concept of community has evolved, and
many sociologists contest how Tönnies conceptualized these concepts. There are three main elements
that we traditionally find when defining a community.

• A community is a collection of individuals.

• Community members engage in shared activities and experiences.
• A community is linked to a particular geographical area (Hoffer, 1931).

Contemporary communities primarily rely on communication as their foundation, established through

new forms of connection. People are no longer restricted by our physical proximity, allowing us to be
part of multiple communities based on elements such as religion, nationality, culture, way of life, and
gender. (Delanty, 2003).

2. Virtual Communities and Sense of Belonging

"Virtual community," a term introduced by Rheingold, refers to the social spaces that were emerging on
the internet, especially in the early days of online forums, bulletin board systems (BBS), and Usenet
groups (Rheingold, 1993). He compares these online spaces and physical communities, underscoring
the shared interests, norms, and mutual support that define both. Although Rheingold wrote these
ideas during the early stages of the internet, many of his observations still hold today. They offer a
fundamental understanding of how online communities form and the social interactions that occur
within them (Rheingold, 2000). As Wellman and Gulia (1999) also argued, virtual communities are
more than just a gathering of individuals online; they are cohesive groups with shared interests, regular
communication, and social connections among members. Virtual communities transcend geographical

2
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

"Virtual community," a term introduced by Rheingold, refers to the social spaces that were emerging on
the internet, especially in the early days of online forums, bulletin board systems (BBS), and Usenet
groups (Rheingold, 1993). He compares these online spaces and physical communities, underscoring
the shared interests, norms, and mutual support that define both. Although Rheingold wrote these
ideas during the early stages of the internet, many of his observations still hold today. They offer a
fundamental understanding of how online communities form and the social interactions that occur
within them (Rheingold, 2000). As Wellman and Gulia (1999) also argued, virtual communities are
more than just a gathering of individuals online; they are cohesive groups with shared interests, regular
communication, and social connections among members. Virtual communities transcend geographical
limitations, allowing members to interact and collaborate seamlessly across distances. However, some
scholars contest the idea of an online space as a "virtual community”. For example, Fernback (2007)
argued that although online interactions can create feelings of friendship, respect, and acceptance,
they often do not fully capture the larger cultural idea of community. Online groups might mainly serve
as personal spaces rather than meeting the bigger needs of society (Fernback, 2007).

3. Homesteading and Weak & Strong Ties

The idea of "homesteading" was introduced by Rheingold, which refers to the people or groups actively
taking part and adding to the growth and nurturing of online communities or virtual spaces. This idea is
compared to the historical practice of homesteading, in which pioneers created and developed their
own communities on unclaimed land. In the digital world, "homesteading" means individuals actively
shaping and caring for online spaces by providing content, setting standards, and fostering a feeling of
belonging within a virtual community (Rheingold, 1993). Moreover, like in physical space, members in
online communities can have weak or strong ties. Both types of connections are crucial. Strong ties
offer emotional support and a sense of belonging, while weak ties provide diverse perspectives and
opportunities for learning and networking. Balancing both enriches our social lives (Baym, 2015).

3.1. Strong Ties 3.2. Weak Ties

• Close relationships with deep • Casual or superficial relationships,

emotional bonds and trust. like acquaintances or online contacts.
• Typically, family, or long-time friends. • Limited interaction and
• High levels of intimacy and shared experiences.
mutual support. • Provide diverse perspectives and
access to information.

4. Online Learning Communities

Millions of online communities have been created for a broad spectrum of purposes. One notable type
is online learning communities, which have entirely reshaped how people learn today. A growing body
of research affirms that members of online learning communities feel a great sense of belonging and
interact in online communities, which has a positive impact on overall well-being. In this context, the
sense of belonging is when a student feels an integral part of a group. It also entails a strong connection
with other students, a shared purpose, relying on one another, and having trust. A learning community
involves interaction within the group to encourage connections among students, and it embodies the
feelings linked to achieving significant learning goals within the community. When the group places
greater importance on belonging and valuing learning, the sense of community among its members
becomes stronger (Rovai, 2002). For instance, Vázquez-Cano & Díez-Arcón (2021) examine students'
satisfaction levels at Spain's National Distance Education University (UNED) using Facebook groups
for learning. The study involved 418 undergraduate and master's degree students who were surveyed

3
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

over three semesters. The study's findings revealed that students who participated in Facebook study
groups performed better academically than those who did not (Vázquez-Cano & Díez-Arcón, 2021).

Similarly, Yılmaz & Yılmaz (2023) explored how students' perception of sociability, sense of community,
and satisfaction relate to their active involvement, thinking processes, and emotional investment in a
Flipped Classroom (FC) environment facilitated by a virtual learning community. The study involved
219 university students from a state university in Turkey. The study's findings suggested that students
demonstrated high levels of engagement in FC applications supported by the Facebook-based virtual
learning community. Specifically, students displayed notable behavioral and emotional engagement,
while their cognitive engagement was rated as moderate. Additionally, factors such as perceived
sociability, sense of community, and satisfaction significantly influenced students' level of engagement
(Yılmaz & Yılmaz, 2023).

5. Online Communities on Facebook

Empirical evidence from the most recent research shows that online communities offer a sense of
belonging to their members despite not operating in a physical space. Noveck et al. (2021), in a recent
report on Facebook communities based on data from 15 countries, report that about 1.8 billion people
use Facebook groups monthly, and 50% are part of more than five or more groups. These groups or
communities, with some boasting large memberships, continue to emerge and often go unnoticed.
These people use the platform to create new kinds of communities that they cannot create in real
space. Many of these groups have unconventional norms and could be described as "cross-cleavage"
communities.

These online communities operate beyond conventional power hierarchies, established institutions,
and customary forms of governance. These communities break through typical social divisions and
unite individuals who are usually separated by location but share a common characteristic or interest
(Noveck et al., 2021). They found that an increasing number of people worldwide are discovering
significance and a feeling of belonging in online communities. The research was conducted in 15
countries. The survey involved approximately a thousand respondents in each of the 15 countries.
People were asked about whether the most significant group they were part of primarily operated
online, offline, or in both cases. In 11 out of 15 countries, most respondents indicated that their most
significant group was primarily online.

Source: Noveck et al., 2021

4
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

This percentage constituted 50 per cent or more of the respondents in the three countries. Moreover,
the authors argued that online and offline spaces complement each other. They found that among the
groups they examined, the majority, including large online communities, maintain a significant tie to
physical locations, which aligns with the survey results. While many members of "Female IN," a
Facebook group, have had profound online connections, the group has also coordinated gatherings in
over 80 cities spanning four continents, with some events hosting as many as 3,000 women (Noveck et
al., 2021). The table showing the most important group types by country is taken from the original
study without any alterations.

Online communities carry their share of drawbacks, including potential misunderstandings and
misinterpretations of content, the presence of anonymous or pseudonymous identities that can foster
distrust and facilitate negative behaviours like trolling or cyberbullying, as well as the risks associated
with data breaches or unauthorized access. Furthermore, the prevalence of misinformation and
disinformation poses a significant concern. Nevertheless, as online communities continue to grow,
solutions for the issues associated with them are also evolving.

6. Online Groups in Pakistan

A small survey was conducted to understand how people in Pakistan are using online groups. A Google
form was created that consisted of 17 questions related to online group activity and interaction
behaviour. The questionnaire asked both open and close-ended questions. The data was collected by
posting the request on different online forums. A total of 100 responses were collected. The
demographic profile of the respondents revealed that 63.3% were female, and 77.6% possessed a
postgraduate degree or higher. Predominantly, participants fell within the 30-40 age bracket (57.1%),
followed by the 20-23 age group (28.6%). Presented below are the discerned findings from the survey.

Respondents were asked about their affiliation with social media groups on platforms like Facebook
and Instagram. Approximately 72% of the participants affirmed their membership in such groups.
Notably, a significant portion of these individuals were part of five or more groups (see Figure 1),
implying a high level of engagement among respondents. Respondents were inquired about what
social networking sites they use the most (refer to Figure 2). The majority of participants in the study
reported using Instagram the most (75.8%), followed by Facebook (64.6%). It should be noted that
participants had the option to select more than one social media platform.

Figure 1: Respondents' Affiliation with Social Media Groups

5
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

Figure 2: Usage of Preferred Social Networking Sites by Respondents

This study also aims to investigate the types of groups to which respondents belong, as well as the
nature of the information they seek within these groups. As illustrated in Figure 3, respondents are
affiliated with multiple groups, with a substantial majority seeking information about social events and
entertainment (59.2%). This is followed by an interest in political updates (46%) and living in specific
geographic areas (45%). Notably, a significant segment of respondents also seeks information on
health-related matters within social media groups (43%). As shown in 56% of the respondents either
agree or strongly agree that online groups provide solutions to their issues or problems, as shown in
Figure 4.

Figure 3: Type of Information Sought by Respondents from Social Media Groups (percentages)
Note: Respondents have the option to select more than one category

Figure 4: Online Groups Offer Solutions to Common Problems

6
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

When participants were asked about their experiences in these online groups, it became evident that
they actively sought information for practical purposes. Participants' responses revealed a sense of
connection and belonging to these groups. It is noteworthy that participants were not directly
questioned about their sense of belonging in online interactions in order to avoid any potential
influence on their responses. Most respondents held a positive view of their involvement in these
groups. Moreover, many responses indicated that participants did indeed experience a sense of
belonging within these online communities.

One of the participants of the study said, Another respondent said,

“As a teenage girl, these groups give tips and “I am running my business online. I am part of
provide direction in life. the community is two such Facebook groups. I post if I need a
centered around the concept of sisterhood, solution to something and 90% of the time, I find
friendship, and support among women. they out how to solve the issue. People are helpful
provide a platform for women to connect, share there. I even have become friends with many
experiences, offer advice, discuss various members.”
topics, and support each other in their personal
and professional lives.”

About 34.7% of the respondents in the study reported having met other members of the groups in
person after initially connecting with them online, as depicted in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Respondents Who Have Met in Person with Other Members of Social Media Groups

To gauge the extent of individual's engagement in exclusively physical communities within their cities,
we asked whether respondents had visited a community centre in their respective cities and if they
held membership in any singular physical community group (refer to Figures 6 and 7). The survey
reveals that a relatively modest proportion of respondents have visited a community centre in their
city (35.7%). Contrastingly, a notable majority of individuals, comprising 58%, do not belong to any
physical community group within their city.

7
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

Figure 6: Have ever been to a Figure 7: Member of any commu-

community center in your city? nity group in your city?

In summary, contemporary virtual communities thrive on communication, transcending physical

boundaries. Virtual communities allow individuals to engage in multiple communities without being
limited by physical proximity. These online communities transcend geographical barriers, enabling
members to interact and collaborate effortlessly across distances. As (Noveck et al., 2021) discussed,
online communities operate outside of traditional power structures, established institutions, and
customary forms of governance. They represent a continuously evolving human organization, often
attracting members and leaders on the margins of their physical societies. Research provides
compelling evidence that individuals play an active role in shaping and nurturing online spaces. This
involves generating content, establishing norms, and fostering a sense of belonging within virtual
communities. Additionally, online and offline spaces complement each other.

Pragmatically, understanding human behaviour through these virtual communities is a crucial aspect
of crafting user-centric services that cater to the specific needs of these groups (Vázquez-Cano &
Díez-Arcón, 2021). Studying how individuals interact in virtual communities profoundly impacts
human organization and collective human well-being. It is like opening the door to many new
possibilities that transcend the boundaries of physical communities. Within this digital landscape, we
witness a transformation in how people connect, collaborate, and support one another, ultimately
paving the way for a more interconnected and prosperous future for all.

8
 Online Communities, Sense of Belonging and Beyond

References
Baym, N. K. (2015). Personal connections in the digital age. John Wiley & Sons.

Dawson, S. (2008). A study of the relationship between student social networks and sense of
community. Journal of educational technology & society, 11(3), 224-238.

Delanty, G. (2003). Community (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315011417

Fernback, J. (2007). Beyond the diluted community concept: a symbolic interactionist perspective on
online social relations. New media & society, 9(1), 49-69.

Guidi, B., Michienzi, A., & De Salve, A. (2020). Community evaluation in Facebook groups. Multimedia
Tools and Applications, 79, 33603-33622.

Guidi, B., Michienzi, A., & De Salve, A. (2020). Community evaluation in Facebook groups. Multimedia
Tools and Applications, 79, 33603-33622.

Heberle, R. (1937). The sociology of Ferdinand tönnies. American Sociological Review, 9-25.

Hoffer, C. R. (1931). Understanding the community. American journal of sociology, 36(4), 616-624.

Howard, R. (1993). The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier. Mass: Addison
Wesley, 1, 993.

Noveck, B. S., Button, J., Gambrell, D., Paulson, L., Spada, P., & Subramanian, L. (2021). The Power of
Virtual Communities. The GovLab. The GovLab. https://virtual-communities. thegovlab.
org/files/DTR_ report_en_EN. pdf.

Rainie, L., & Wellman, B. (2012). Networked: The New Social Operating System. The MIT Press.
Rheingold, H. (1993). A slice of life in my virtual community. Global networks: Computers and
international communication, 57-80.

Rheingold, H. (2000). The virtual community, revised edition: Homesteading on the electronic frontier.
MIT press.

Rovai, A. P. (2002). Building sense of community at a distance. International Review of Research in

Open and Distributed Learning, 3(1), 1-16.

Vázquez-Cano, E., & Díez-Arcón, P. (2021). Facebook or LMS in distance education? Why university
students prefer to interact in Facebook groups. The International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning, 22(3), 119-141.

Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999). Net Surfers Don't Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities. In
P. Kollock & M. Smith (Eds.), Communities in Cyberspace (pp. 167-194). Routledge.

Yılmaz, F. G. K., & Yılmaz, R. (2023). Exploring the role of sociability, sense of community and course
satisfaction on students' engagement in flipped classroom supported by facebook groups. Journal of
computers in education, 10(1), 135-162.

9
Community Center as a
Space and Place for

?
Community Engagement:
Locus Islamabad
Fahd Zulfiqar

10
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

1. Introduction
Islamabad was declared the capital of Pakistan in 1960 and was touted as the city of modernity,
urbanization, and inclusion for the socially and ethnically diverse population of Pakistan. In 1992, the
Capital Development Authority (CDA) declared the Zoning Regulation 1992 in which Islamabad was
divided into five zones:

Zone 1 was specified for CDA in which only the authority can have the ownership and use of land.

In Zones 2 and 5, the land can only be acquired for private housing societies

Zone 3 was a reserved area and Zone 4 was allocated for educational institutions, R&D,
National Park, and agro-farming.
1
PIDE research on Master Planning (2020) explains that Islamabad, which is designed on a grid-iron
pattern, divides the city into 84 acres. Each sector has five sub-sectors encompassing four residential
areas and one Markaz which are encircled by auto routes and pedestrian networks. Each of the sectors
was anticipated to include a mix of low-income, middle-income, and upper-middle-income houses. No
land was specified for the poor in the master plan devised by Doxiadis. Also, there wasn’t any city
center designated in the plan. Job markets were specified only for the government and secretariat, and
the university was positioned on the extreme ends of the city in the master plan, with no nodal
connections with the housing and labour market. The fixation of planners and governments on master
plans to develop and update cities fails to adapt to shifting socioeconomic conditions, innovation,
2
creativity, and technological advancement (Haque, 2015, 2017). One such space for generating ideas
and creativity, and facilitating communal engagement is the specification of lands for constructing
public places such as parks, plazas, playgrounds, cinemas, and community centers. Considering the lack

?
of spaces and places for community engagement in Islamabad, the current study focuses on one such
space, City Centers. Specifically, the current study aims to answer the following questions:

Are community centers places and spaces of community engagement in Islamabad?

How do sampled community centers help in building a sense of community

in Islamabad?

How do the services provided by the sampled community centers bridge

social connectedness in Islamabad?

1. https://file.pide.org.pk/pdfpideresearch/pv-21-the-islamabad-master-plan.pdf
2. Haque, N. u U. (2015). Flawed Urban Development Policies in Pakistan. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics., Islamabad. (PIDE Working
Paper 119).
Haque, N. u U. (2017). Looking Back: How Pakistan Became an Asian Tiger by 2050. Karachi: Kitab (Pvt) Limited. Karachi

11
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

Community centers are the centers for creating spaces of community engagement through
socio-cultural events, recreational activities, educational seminars, workshops, awareness programs,
and informational exchange programs. The purposes of developing community centers are community
mobilization and outreach, awareness and campaigning for various causes, skills development,
education, and recreation. The scholarship produced on community centers shares commonality
regarding the purpose, activities, and utilities of physical settings specified for community
engagement. The literature, however, is contextual when it comes to defining community centers as
either spaces or places of community engagement. To specify if community centers are functioning as
spaces or places for communities to engage, literature on space, place and public space/place is
reviewed in the following text.

2. Public, Space and Place

3
While explaining the idea of public, Altman (1989) explains that public connotes any settings that are
accessible to anyone without the biases or divides of gender, race, colour, ethnicity, religion, nation, or
physical handicap. The idea of the public also connotes that the setting is not owned by a particular
group or a community, but they have access to such physical and locus settings. There are areas which
are publicly owned, but people don’t have access to that land as it is owned by the federal government.
Whereas some privately owned lands have open access to all. In addition to the allocation of land to the
federal or provincial governments, public land is also allocated or usurped by special interest groups
such as farmers, loggers, and miners in rural settings. In urban settings, the most common forms of
public land are streets, parks, and playgrounds, which in some instances are taken over by social groups
such as neighbours, street people, rowdies, or pressure groups. And, in some situations, these lands
don’t have access to the wider public because of a lack of facilities for women, children, aged or
differently abled people.

Space is abstract and place is concrete. Places are meaningful portions of space wherein meanings are
attached based on a space's specification (with respect to size, volume, and structure). Places acquire
meanings when spaces are occupied by people and meanings are attached to these spaces by the same
people. Places are important sources of shared common identity, centers for human interactions, and
4
strong emotive and psychological ties people associate with such spaces. Tuan (1977) in Altman (1989)
details that spaces are abstract geographical settings which people convert into places as they use,
modify, or associate certain symbolic values with them. Hence, spaces are undifferentiated physical
settings which become differentiated from one another as people associate emotional, psychological,
aesthetic, and use value to it. Places are identified along three factors: behaviours associated with a
setting in each time and locus, physical parameters attributed to a setting in a locus, and meanings
5
people link to the behaviours attributed to that setting in each locus. Oldenburg (1989) defines a new
term third space which includes a variety of public spaces that host the regular, voluntary, informal, and
happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work. Based on the case

3. Altman, I. and Zube, E. (1989). Public Places and Spaces. Springer, New York.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5601-1
4. Tuan, Y. F. (1977). Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
5. Oldenburg, R. (1999). The great good place: cafés, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and other hangouts at the heart of a community. Cambridge,
MA: Da Capo Press.

12
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

analysis, Oldenburg (1989) explains that third spaces are the meeting or gathering places outside the
realm of home and workplace that are generally accessible by members of the public, and which foster
resident interaction and opportunities for contact and proximity. Public access to such spaces is
important, not public ownership or management. Hence public spaces defined as third spaces can be
parks, plazas, sidewalks, shopping malls, community centers and schoolyards. Good public spaces are
by design accessible, generate activities, have use value, are sociable, and are comfortable. One feature
of public spaces is that they are connected to the surrounding community and have these qualities:
safe, clean, attractive, adequate seating and avenues for sociability. Moreover, the availability of public
spaces merely doesn’t create a sense of community, rather regular visitation, face-to-face interactions,
and usage of the utilities create social interactions and hence sense of community. The factors that
help influence social interactions are the presence of focal points such as public art, food outlets,
connected pathways, seating, attractive buildings and landscapes. Social capital plays a critical role in
occasions for entertainment, social intercourse, and personal enjoyment; factors which help in
developing a sense of community. Community centers (detailed below) provide physical places to
generate and build on this social capital.

3. Community Centers and Sense of Community

6
Bruhn (2005) defines community as an emotional attachment to a place and offers guidelines for
human relationships. Berger (1998, p. 324), while marking the difference between society and
community explains that “Community is tradition; society is change. Community is feeling; society is
rationality. Community is female; society is male. Community is warm and wet and intimate; society is
7
cold and dry and formal. Community is love; society is business.” For communities to exist and expand,
physical interactions, social reciprocity, and participation are needed. Therefore, the idea of
community hinges on social connectedness, knowledge, solidarity, participation, and conviviality.
These ideals require operational places which in turn are dependent on identifying spaces. These
spaces, as in most cases, are constructed through top-down management of planners, and authorities.
Community engagement is largely bottom-up for which communal places are needed. Community
centers provide such places. Community engagement requires places which are dynamic, flexible, and
8
have enough spatial areas and mobilities of actors present therein. According to Merriam (2008), a
community comprises an interacting population including those who share a common location and
interests. Community centers through inclusion, accessibility, encouragement, and active
participation, meet community needs. The beauty of community centers is that they bind people of
various socio-economic, religious, and political backgrounds to extend support for either personal
satisfaction or community involvement.

6. Bruhn, J. G. (2005). The sociology of community connections. Springer Science + Business Media.
7. Berger, B.M. Disenchanting the concept of community. Soc 35, 324–327 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02838157
8. Merriam, S. B., & Kee, Y. (2014). Promoting community wellbeing: The case for lifelong learning for older adults. Adult education quarterly, 64(2), 128-144.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

Community engagement and civic participation lead to improved wellbeing which is associated with a
strong sense of community.
9
McMillan and Chavis (1986) define a sense of community as a feeling that members belong to each
other, that members matter to each other, and have a shared faith that community members’ needs will
be met through commitment, networking, and civic engagement. The axis along which community
centers are defined as public spaces is that community centers are accessible to all groups, and provide
freedom of action, temporary claim, and ownership. However, the government-owned lands are not
always accessible by the public, whereas the privately owned lands are accessible to the people and not
as controlled as the Government-owned lands are. Hence, government lands lack public character as
compared to private lands which have relatively more public character. Hence what is a public space is
contingent on a range varied along the domains of public/private division and the concepts of
ownership, management, and accessibility- the factors as explained under the second heading in the
preceding text.

The functioning of community centers relies on several related factors.

Management: First is the management which consists of a board of management which

defines the goals of norms, values and activities which are allowed to take place in the
community centers. Such goals are set forth by various in-house stakeholders, visitors,
municipalities, sponsors, and the communities themselves.

Volunteer Community: Second is the volunteer community which consists of community

members who are available for supporting and arranging community activities in the
community centers. The volunteer component hinges on the rules, norms and values
which have been set forth by the management tier.

Visitors: The third factor includes the participants who pay regular visits and experience
the benefits of the socio-cultural activities and benefits provided in the community
centers.

4. A Note on Locale and Sub-locales

For current research, four community centers located in Islamabad were purposively sampled. Three
of the four community centers function under the Staff Welfare Organization for federal government
employees. These community centers are in sectors G-6/4, G-7, and G-9. The remaining community
center is in sector G-8, which is a private community center functional under the Pakistan Christian
Welfare Organization. Hence the locale for the current research is Islamabad and the sub-locales are
the four community centers located in the city. Staff Welfare Organization which functions under the
Establishment Division, aims to meet ‘economic, social & psychological needs of the Federal
Government employees and their dependents’. It is a service-based organization which provides
welfare services to the FG employees and their dependents. Among the services provided are
vocational training, ladies industrial homes, educational stipends, rehabilitation aid, federal staff relief
fund, ambulance/mortuary service, sports facilities, wedding hall, community center, and libraries.
There are five SWO regional offices across Pakistan, located in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta
and Karachi. A total of 9 SWO community centers are functional across Pakistan: : 3 in Islamabad,

9. McMillan, D., & Chavis, D. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 6–23.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

2 in Lahore, 2 in Karachi, and 1-1 in Peshawar and Quetta. All three SWO community centers from
Islamabad were visited and data was collected in the current study; Auditorium Community Centre in
G-6/1-4 located in Aabpara, Auditorium Community Centre located in G-9/2, and Chaudhary Rehmat
Ali Community Center located in G-7. The not-to-scale maps of the community centers are presented
in the following figures.

G-8 Community Center

The G-8 community center encompasses a community hall with two gender-specific washrooms
attached at the back of the hall. The first floor includes the main office and a storage area. The topmost
floor has a community library and two rooms for people to stay, especially migrant guests. The
community hall is functional. The main office is fully constructed but not furnished (at least the time
when fieldwork was conducted in July 2023), therefore a makeshift office is built outside the building.
The community library and two rooms are still under construction.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

G-6 Community Center

The not-to-scale map in the figure above details the overall landscape of G-6 Community Center. The
directorate office has two floors. On the first floor there is a daycare centre for the FG employees and
their dependents. The first floor has an office area. Within walking distance of 3 minutes, there is a
community centre building; the ground floor has a library, an auditorium, and a few administrative
offices, whereas the first floor comprises offices and a marriage hall.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

G-9 Community Center

The G-9 community centre is a two-storey building in which there is an official space, a marriage hall
and a badminton court on the ground floor and a library, ladies' gym and offices located on the first
floor.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

G-7 Community Center

The G-7 community center comprises two floors. On the ground floor, there is a huge badminton court
and an administrative official space and more offices (ambulance/mortuary-related records) on the
first floor.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

5. A Note on Methodology
The research strategy for the current study is qualitative considering the research questions the
current study intends to respond to. The units of data collection were the employees of the community
centers At G-8 community center, data was collected from the owner and one volunteer. From the
governmental community centers, data was collected from the person in charge of the center. The
sample size for the current research was 6. Data was collected using interviewing techniques; episodic
interviews were conducted with 2 and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the 4
respondents. In the initial research design, the first choice of interviewing technique was episodic
because the research questions require the acquisition of both semantic and episodic forms of
knowledge. However, the researcher managed to conduct only 2 episodic interviews and eventually
semi-structured interviews had to be conducted with the remaining 4 interviewees in line with the
busy schedules of the respondents. The access to the in-charge/owner of community centers was
eased by building rapport with a few employees/volunteers who eventually scheduled the time and
date of the interviews. The interviews lasted for 1-1.5 hours. Some of the interviews were recorded
and for the rest notes were taken during the interviews. The qualitative data in the forms of notes were
jotted into narratives and for the recorded interviews, data was verbatim transcribed, translated,
coded with codes (generated from both data and already-designed interview guides), put into thematic
charts, and thematically analyzed. The themes that emerged from this process are detailed in the next
section.

6. Results
The following text details nine different themes which emerged from data analyzed using thematic
analysis.

6.1. Why have Community Centers in Cities?

All the respondents agreed with the idea of having community centers in the cities. The reasons for
having a greater number of community centers in cities vary between the domains of accessibility,
communal engagement, socialization, problem-solving and citizenry. In the first excerpt, the
respondent is speaking about community centers as the avenues to which people have easier access.

R: I have spent half of my life in Europe, Africa, the Gulf, and the Far East. I have observed community,
civil society, and State engagement in the West, it’s totally different from Pakistan. Community
centers should exist because they are accessible and approachable to the public and must be
available for every citizen.

The following excerpt explains the importance of city centers across various regions of a country
because it functions as a socializing space for people to interact in times of happiness and sorrow.
Secondly, the centers are also an important venue for people to engage in productive discussions. In
this way, a community center is both a recreational and an ideational space.

R: Community centers should exist everywhere, across cities, villages, and sectors. Why am I saying
this, is because city centers unite people in times of happiness and despair. City centers are for
people to welcome, share, and socialize. It is open for people to pray and mourn for the loss of a loved
one, as it is for people to come and celebrate their happiness. It's also for people to generate ideas
through engaging in discussions and debates. So, it binds people together.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

The first excerpt below details the citizenry function of a community center wherein people come up
with solutions for communal issues and put in resources (economic and social capital) to devise a
strategy. A similar view was shared in the next conversational extract. Rural settings allow people to
interact more frequently, which is a rarity in urban settings. Therefore, the respondent emphasizes
building more community centers.

R: There must be more community centers. The purpose of community centers is to bridge
communities together through communal and literary activities. Communities sit in such places, talk
out their issues, discuss their problems, and play their parts in providing solutions, for which these
offices and HR put their resources into use. There are a few such centers established in some sectors
of Islamabad. Many citizenries-related issues will at least be spelt out if more and more sectors have
more and more community centers.

R: Community is related to the public. Does the public have issues? If yes, then there should be a way
out of those issues. Community centers function as vessels for solving the issues of communities.
Just like people solve their issues in rural settings. The context can be comparable here. Community
centers provide the same context in urban settings.

In her attempt to explain the importance of community centers for cities, the following respondent
granularly explained the activities in a social event that she attended in Italy and kept on being part of
such gatherings in the community centers. Apart from being a socializing place, as she explains, the
community centers also function as a space for informational exchanges about the city’s
administrative, transportation, and communication systems.

R: You will find many community centers in the West. We all gathered at Eid in a community center
when I was in Italy for a year. Someone brought dishes made of meat. Someone samosay. Some
people just came over. Some people were from Jordan, some were from Turkey, but all were Italian
Muslims. Cultural exchanges, social interactions, religious ceremonies...all in one place. Afghani
women were cooking Afghani pulao. A few women were filling up spiced potatoes inside samosa
casing. The date for the next get-together was decided on the same day. There was a chart displayed
on the wall where the date and timing for all the social events were maintained. I got to know about
transportation, markets, grocery stores, and subsidized shops, by socializing in these community
centers. The solutions for most of the household’s practical and strategic issues get resolved through
interacting with people in the community center.

6.2. Why Should Islamabad have More Community

Centers?
All the respondents agreed that as compared to the population of Islamabad, the number of functional
community centers is insufficient. When asked why Islamabad should have more city centers,
respondents shared various views. Their responses are based on a range of factors such as communal
needs, lack of socializing spaces, gatekeeping of elitist clubs, cramped-up residential zones, the revival
of community activities in the existing community centers, and socio-cultural gatekeeping. Each of the
responses below is detailed to provide some context for the need to increase the number of city
centers in the capital.

In the first extract the respondent explains that the land allocation for residential areas is not equal in
Islamabad. There are elite sectors where acres of land are allocated to the VIPs, who can afford to
arrange functions, gatherings, and funerals in their own properties or can book expensive marquees or
hotels. The same doesn’t stand true for the majority. Therefore, community centers are needed in
Islamabad. The respondent also alluded to the fact that mosques which are strictly used for religious

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

purposes in Pakistan, can be used as a place for running welfare, awareness and cultural activities
which is the case in the West.

R: See, Islamabad is a thickly populated city. Here, you will find multiple issues. One of these is a 2, 4,
or 6 marla small houses, where people cannot manage wedding functions or funeral rituals. For this
reason, there must be one community center in each sector of Islamabad. Community centers are for
people to socialize so that they can express their grief and celebrate their happiness. Mosques can
also be termed a community center, in a way. But since we have become more regressive, and lack
knowledge, and brain intellect we just cannot think of mosques as community centers. Whereas in
the West, mosques and churches are not just used for religious purposes but as meeting points for
people from various backgrounds for welfare activities and cultural programs.

A similar view was shared by another respondent who by giving a case analysis of the G9 sector
detailed that those employed in the federal government jobs cannot afford membership of elite clubs
located in the capital. For this segment of the population to socialize, community centers are required,
and the current number is insufficient.

R: Just take the case of the G9 sector in Islamabad. 75 percent of the sector is populated by federal
government employees and 25 percent by the people absorbed in the private sector. Of this 75
percent, most are from grade 8 to 16 employees. Type A-E, all houses are in the sector. The employee
of a federal government job is not a rich person. The same goes for the G6 sector. For this chunk of
the population, community centers are important. Those who are rich reside in the F and E sectors,
for them clubs are important. For the rest, which is the majority, community centers are important.

A respondent from the Christian community center also spoke of social heterogeneity but his reply,
apart from class differences, is also focusing on ethnic and religious differences. He also speaks of
privilege as a social construct which plays a gatekeeping function in favour of the rich and against the
underprivileged, including minorities. He reasons for the need for a greater number of community
centers to house pluralistic groups and arrange diverse socio-cultural and welfare activities.

R: A lot of seminars are arranged in the capital. Most of them are arranged in five-star hotels such as
Marriott or Serena. The people from remote or occluded groups will feel like misfits there. So, the
concept of privilege which we have ingrained in our systems has a gatekeeping role to function. This
way, such people are excluded from many social opportunities. The debates steered in such seminars
may spark the spirit of doing better in life, but the social gatekeeping demotivates them to
participate due to the way they look, dress, speak or what their identity is.

He further details why the G-8 community center is different from the five-star hotels and functions as
a space for inclusive, non-political and welfare social events.

R2: See, here, we don’t care about such factors. We don’t bother if anyone comes here dressed in a
shalwar kameez or comes on bicycles, or on foot, all are welcome. There, it's not the case. Our
churches also have halls, but they are strictly for religious purposes. And we don’t allow any political
activities over there. Even here we don’t allow it. We don’t allow dance parties or political activities
to occur. We don’t let politicians come and run their political campaigns during elections eulogizing
their contributions and mudslinging their rivals. We have gotten approval by CDA for a few activities
which can be held here. So, cities must have functional community centers, it depends on how they
are being managed in the cities.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

6.3. Purpose of Sampled Community Centers

The purpose of the sampled community centers is explained by two interrelated factors; the functions
and services these centers perform, and the activities allowed to take place in the premises of
community centers. The following qualitative responses explain both functions and activities for each
of the sampled community centers in detail.

G8 Christian Community Center

Since the Christian community center is based on the ideology of serving humanity hence their target
population is the economically underprivileged, especially the Christian community residing in the
slums. The centre, however, is also open to all religious and ethnic groups. When asked about the
activities of the community centre, the volunteer worker and one of the pioneers of the centre shared:

R1: Seminars, especially for those who cannot afford to arrange it in the Marriott hotel. So, they
approach us. They visit us, check the hall and the little facilities we can provide. We tell them about
our rates. Whatever nominal we earn, we spend on upgrading the building. The nature of events can
be ceremonious, academic, humanitarian, or religious. But we largely extend support and promote
our community. We don’t have an agenda behind it. We are very open-minded. We aren’t biased at
all. But we also have certain goals to achieve.

R2: Especially for people who cannot afford and reside in slums.

The ground floor of the center has a spacious community hall, which accommodates 100 people. The
details are explained by the respondent in the text below.

R1: It’s a general-purpose hall. We hold birthday ceremonies here. Different types of get-together
events, academic and religious seminars, and youth-led activities. We also conduct classes there,
awareness campaigns, and wedding events, especially for those who cannot afford to conduct such
sessions anywhere else. We charge nominal rates- enough for electricity dues to cover. We provide
100 chairs, and we accommodate 100+ guests easily.

I: What do you have infrastructurally?

R1: There is a hall. We aren’t equipped with modern equipment and devices which are mostly used in
workshops such as projectors, multi-media, etc. We have planned it for the future, but right now we
lack resources. There is a mic though. The ones who book the hall are informed on a prior basis about
the existing equipment. We have a small setup of sound system, but we don’t have a large setup as of
now.

The information about services provided by the community center is disseminated by pastors in the
churches. The community is well-connected through informal networking. They don’t advertise on
social media much. They find flashing their initiatives such as ration distribution on social media against
their teachings. The organization running this center is on one social media platform and in future, they
might advertise more often. Furthermore, they don’t have sufficient resources to hire a person
designated for this role. There are plans to upgrade social media in the future but right now they
advertise relying solely on informal networking.

When asked about the number of employees, one respondent shared:

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

R: No one is employed here. Not even a single person. We are functioning voluntarily. I have been
working here for the last 75 years. I am among the founders of this organization. Whoever serves the
center incurs one’s own expenditure. We don’t extract a single penny from grant money. We pay
daily wages to those who work on the construction and fittings of this building. We also charge the
hall rent and electricity and make payments to the labor hired for the construction and upgrading of
the building. Honestly, we don’t run revenue from community centers. All we want is to complete the
building first.

G6 Community Center
The respondent from the G6 Community Center located opposite Aabpara Market, first explained the
ideology of the Staff Welfare Organization based on which community centers were built across
Pakistan. The purpose as explained in the following excerpt is to run welfare activities for the FG
employees and attract more people towards FG jobs than the private sector jobs.

R: The basic objective of the staff welfare organizations was to ensure the social, economic, and
psychological welfare of the FG employees. Our intent was also to attract people towards FG jobs
and to create civil servant jobs worthwhile enough for people so that they don’t feel hesitant to join.
The confidence that as compared to the private sector, there are facilities available to us and we can
make full use of them. These community centers were designed with the same intention that the
areas which were thickly populated in Islamabad, and the ones where civil servants and FG
employees resided, should be provided with facilities under one roof. Our Abpara community center
has one wedding center, one library, one sports area, a coaster, one day care center and lady
industrial homes. In lady industrial homes, the female federal government employees and the female
dependents of such families are trained in vocational skills, knitting, sewing, painting, decoration,
and beautician courses. The services are for FG employees, but a few facilities can be accommodated
for provincial employees. Similarly, we have built a few guest houses, Holiday Homes in Murree. We
work on a simple principle; identify the issues where FG employees are residing, address those
issues, and launch welfare schemes for them.

The community center has a service-based approach where in addition to the provision of
infrastructural facilities for social gatherings and recreation, welfare schemes are also provided. The
respondent detailed, as follows:

R: There is a wedding hall. There is an auditorium, library, basketball court, snooker, carom, table
tennis, and squash court. There is a scheme titled Federal Staff Relief Fund in which if an FG
employee passes away then a family is granted 15,000/- rupees and in case of the death of a
dependent, 10,000/- rupees are offered. In case of lifelong diseases such as TB and cancer, 10,000/-
rupees are offered. Amounts spent on preparing eyeglasses are also reimbursed under this scheme.

When asked whether these welfare schemes are open for all the employees of the FG across all grades
and cadres, the respondent explained:

R: There isn’t a quota specified for a scheme. Only in Holiday Homes, Murree, there are
specifications of rooms allotted to the people employed in grades 1-16, in 17-19 and then 20 above
grades. Otherwise, there is a first come first served system. Whoever sends applications to the
federal staff relief fund first, we entertain them based on the resources available to allocate under
such schemes. Similarly, no matter if an applicant for booking a wedding hall is from grade 1, 16 or 19,
the one who applies first will be entertained first. Similarly, in daycare centres and ladies’ industrial
homes, there isn’t a specification of the number of employees based on official grades. Based on
availability, we rent out wedding halls. We have an auditorium, and anyone from any community,
Christian, Hindu or Muslim can book.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

But not all sub-places within the community center were in use. The underdeveloped sports activities
area and lack of ICT in the functioning of halls were observed during the fieldwork and many rooms
were found to be locked. When reasoned, the reason for ‘undergoing construction’ was quoted.

R: There are a few issues due to limited funding. The squash court isn’t fully functional because it is
incomplete. The glass in the backdrop is broken. There are a few ICT-related issues in the auditorium
due to which activities in these areas are currently halted.

The center also offers shorthand writing and skills development courses. When asked about the
turnaround from these activities, including the female industrial homes, the respondent came up with
the following reply:

R: Our intake is high when schools and universities are off. These days we have more than 100 girls
enrolled in our center. There will be a relative lull spell after summer when colleges and universities
will be open. We charge 250 per applicant for the entire session. This is the subsidized rate for FG
employees and their dependents. We charge 500/- rupees from non-FG employees. Two of our plots
are ready for construction in I9 and H8. We aim to build one multi-purpose community center in H8
and one men’s hostel building in I9 for FG employees only. There are no funds to start construction of
buildings. We have prepared budgetary documents and presented them to the government thrice,
but we are still waiting for the release of funds.

This department was built in 1982, but its inception occurred in 1951. At that time, it was functional as
a wing of the establishment division. Then it was shifted to run activities under the labor department.
Again, it was re-shifted to the establishment division. Since 1982 it has been working as an independent
organization. Wedding activities have been held here since 1982. Some of the buildings have been
functional since 1967. The welfare schemes offered in SWO have evolved over time. Some have
finished over time. A respondent shared that there was a time when SWO used to have a strong say in
specifying routes and nominal fares for the working class of Islamabad. With time, these
decision-making roles continue to diminish. Now, the people in these buildings offer few welfare
schemes and even fewer decision-making roles. We conducted interviews in the directorate office, in
closer vicinity of the center. The administration, finance, planning, and resource allocation all are done
through the building of this office. A total of 33 employees in the DG office are working.

G9 Community Center
There are fourteen sectors in Islamabad from G5 to G18. There are three community centers located
in these sectors, which deal with the welfare and recreational activities of the FG employees. The
services provided at the center are not too different from the G6 community center, infrastructurally
but welfare services are different as the following extract from an interview explains. The center’s
infrastructure is available for non-FG employees at double rates, but FG employees are always
preferred.

R: G9 community center provides welfare services such as wedding halls, coaster services/travel
services, public library, ladies' gym, and sports activities. G6 provides federal lodges, grant-in-aid,
and Murree lodges where people can stay for 340 rupees per night. You won't find a place in Muree
which costs less than 10,000/- rupees per night. We charge only 300-400/- rupees, and the space is
safe and secure because it’s state land. We rent it out to the FG employees as they are our
preference. We also rent out to the autonomous bodies if there is a space. We charge them double.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

The wedding hall as shared by one of the respondents is booked daily; one marriage in the morning and
one in the evening. The center provides chairs, halls, tables, electricity, water, and gas. Different
charges for different categories are specified: 4500 for 1-5 grades, 9000 for 6-16 grade officers, and
14000 for 17-22 grade officers.

When the respondent was asked if facilities provided by the community center are used by the people,
he commented:

R: Yes. All include library facilities, wedding halls, ladies' gyms, badminton, and sports courts. People
use all such facilities. One thing like sugar, you will get it at a price of 200 rupees and from another
place 20 rupees per kilo. Where will you get it from? The place where it is sold at a cheaper rate. Here
you will find a hall for 4500 rupees. The same facility is available outside at one lac rupees. That is
why we are never vacant. Our coaster carries 20 passengers at 30 rupees in one kilometer. Private
coasters will charge 1000 rupees for the same route. Neither our hall nor our coaster remains
unused. Library charges are 5 rupees per month.

G7 Community Center
The respondent from G7 community center demarcated the welfare and recreational services
provided at the center. The center comprises one badminton court where employees and dependents
of the federal government come and play tennis. They also play carom. Their timing is 5 PM and there
are a total of 35 members. These are the same employees who don’t have the facility of a designated
sports club to go and play. The membership form is 100 rupees. Secondly, the center also offers
stipends to grade 1 to 22 employees. Scholarships are offered to the intermediate students of those
families who are in grade 17 and above. Grade 5-16 students are offered stipends once they enter 6th
class. And grade 1-5 employees’ students are paid from the start of their education till their education
ends. These stipends are paid once a year for students to purchase books and bags. Science subject
students are paid 6000-7000/- rupees. Social Science and Humanities students are paid 2000-2500/-
rupees, 7000/- rupees to position holders and 8000/- to Hafiz-e-Quran.

When the respondent was asked about the number of applications and awardees, she commented:
that usually, the number of applications for stipends is around 46 thousand. This year, (2023) the
center received a relatively smaller number of applications, around 17000. In these scenarios, the
center is required to give money back to the government. In another scheme the center provides
wheelchairs, hearing aids, and tricycles to deserving applicants. The respondent further stated that the
center is affiliated with the Fauji Foundation. If any FG employee or a dependent needs foot

reconstruction surgery, collars, or crutches, then the centre provides budgets to the Fauji Foundation,
and they undergo such surgeries and prepare the necessary equipment. Fauji Foundation doesn’t
charge for services. In addition to these welfare services, different sports and cultural activities are
also performed and organized in this centre. For such occasions, the badminton court is converted into
a stage hall. The respondent shared that the recent events such as the 12th Rabi-ul-Awal and the 14th
of August, were organized in collaboration with different organizations. Lastly, the centre also
provides ambulance services for the deceased in and out of the station. The ambulances, as the
respondent said, are available round the clock.

When asked if halls and auditoriums can be used for private functions, the respondent remarked:

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

R: No. This cannot be the case. We cannot use community centres for holding private events and
generating income, because we are a government entity. However, there is constant pressure on us
by the higher-ups to generate revenue streams by renting out halls and auditoriums for recreational
and academic activities, but these activities must be communal, not for certain individuals.

Very often, through the interview, the respondent reminisced about the eventfulness of SWO
community centers, particularly the G6 Community Centre, and compared it with the recent situations.

R: There used to be stage dramas, I remember the full house shows with full occupancy. Each week,
we arranged a drama on different themes. There was no ticket price. People used to gather by word
of mouth. Cultural programs, sports activities, mushaira, qawwali nights…name any event… till the
Lal Masjid incident occurred. The women from industrial homes who stitched their clothes, exhibited
their items for sale and their clothes were displayed by models on a ramp in that community centre.
Certificate distribution activities were common. Milad activities were also common. Women used to
participate.

I: Why are such activities not performed anymore?

R: The people who have joined lately couldn’t guide, internal politics also has a role in it, leg pulling,
promotions are at a snail pace, no allowances on the salaries. The list is long and tiring.

The following tables represent a quick summary of the services provided by the SWO community
centers.

Services provided by the Chaudry Rehmat Ali

Community Center, G7, Islamabad
Ambulance Service and Mortality Van Service

Sr. Grade Ambulance/Mortality Charges

No. Van
1 Federal Government employees BPS 1 -22 Ambulance Rs. 10 per km
and their dependents
Waiting Charges Rs. 50/hour
2 Autonomous Bodies Semi-autonomous Ambulance Rs. 20/km
and provincial departments
Waiting Charges Rs. 50/hour
3 Federal Government Employees BPS 1-22 Mortuary Van Rs. 10km (both
sides fare)
4 Autonomous Bodies Semi -autonomous Mortuary Van Rs. 15/km (both
and provincial departments sides fare)
5 Retired Employees and their Dependents Mortuary Van 30% of the
charges

Source: Fieldwork

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

Facilitation for Disabled Persons

Grade Disability Aid

BPS 1 - 22 Federal Hear aid devices
Government Employees and Wheelchair Free of Cost
their Dependents Tricycle
Crutches etc.
Source: Fieldwork

Stipend Award

Sr. No. Grade School/College/University

1 BPS 1-4 5 class and onwards
th

2 BPS 5-16 6th class and onwards

3 BPS 17-22 11th class and onwards
Source: Fieldwork

Sports Facilitation- Badminton Hall

Sr. No. Grade Admission Fee Monthly

Charges
1 BPS 1-16 Rs. 50 Rs. 30
2 BPS 17 and above Rs. 75 Rs. 50
3 Autonomous Bodies Semi - Rs. 100 Rs. 100
autonomous and provincial
departments
Source: Fieldwork

Wedding Hall Charges of G-6 and G9 Community Center, Islamabad

Employees Category Wedding Hall Charges

BPS 1-4 Rs. 4500/- (Day)
Rs. 6000/- (Night)
Rs. 600/- (Labour)
Rs. 3000/- (Security)
BPS 5-16 Rs. 9000/- (Day)
Rs. 11,000/- (Night)
Rs. 600/- (Labour)
Rs. 3000/- (Security)
BPS 17-19 Rs. 12,000/- (Day)
Rs. 14,000/- (Night)
Rs. 600/- (Labour)
Rs. 3000/- (Security)
BPS 20-22 Rs. 15,000/- (Day)
Rs. 17,000/- (Night)
Rs. 600/- (Labour)
Rs. 3000/- (Security)
Others Rs. 17,000/- (Day)
Rs. 20,000/- (Night)
Rs. 600/- (Labour)
Rs. 5000/- (Security)
Source: Fieldwork

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

In G8 community center, the only functional space is the community hall. When the respondents were
asked about the rate list of the services provided at the center, the following conversation took place:

R2: It's comparable to the government rates. Once the building is fully constructed, and related
facilities are increased, we will decide how much the rate should be hiked.

R1: At times we have arranged weddings without any payment. For instance, these two marriages.
There were two widows who couldn’t afford the nominal rent of the halls. We arranged their
wedding ceremonies with our funds. At times, people ask us for discounts. We approve discounts. At
times, people pay us more than the designated amounts, saying that we are paying out of happiness.
There is a standard amount, but we charge less in some cases and accept more if someone happily
offers us. All the amount goes into completing this building.

6.4. Fundings and Maintenance Costs

The funding of the G8 community center is people-led who voluntarily donate. The amounts collected
by the Christian Welfare Organization are allocated for the welfare of the Christian community and for
the upgradation of the building. The following extract details how already-built networks and social
capital play an important role in this context. It also details why the community, despite having built
political connections, stays away from politically backed funding.

R1: As he has told we don’t have a proper donor we can depend upon. So, people extend financial
support or provide bricks and cement. When we collectively secure some handsome amount, we
allocate for the upgradation of the building. The funding and subsequent construction of the building
are bit by bit, part by part. This building was constructed this way. There are a few genuine people
around, we have built connections over the years. Mr. A has served in the foreign office throughout
his professional life. The social connections built at that time have helped this Center a great deal.
We have built connections with politicians. But we prefer staying away from them and we don’t
prefer taking any financial support from them. Also, political interventions call for chaos and we are
already vulnerable to it, so we avoid them. The activities we conduct here are done voluntarily, for
instance, CSS preparatory classes were for the students who couldn’t afford to get enrolled in
expensive preparatory schools.

When community centers of SWO were asked about funding and maintenance costs, the following
issues were reported by the respondent:

R: Maintenance cost is evaluated by PWD. We prepare our reports for PWD and based on their
evaluation of the costs; they send a budget to the government of Pakistan. We don’t get paid for the
maintenance cost as such. Also, we don’t have such revenue-generating streams. We either have
some amounts saved or we generate from renting halls and auditoriums. But the government isn’t of
much help. What to expect from a government under such economic conditions. Even if they have
funds, they will prioritize accordingly, and we aren’t in their top priorities. There are very dim
chances of securing funds for repair and maintenance from the government.

6.5. Is Community Center a Need?

This theme singularly emerged from the data. The need for community centers in cities for socializing,
interactional, and recreational reasons was unanimously accepted by all the respondents. But
community centers as a safe and secure place for the sampled marginalized community (first extract
from a Christian volunteer) or as a center for a specific socio-economic class to exert agency (second
extract from SWO centers) emerged from the data.

28
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

This theme singularly emerged from the data. The need for community centers in cities for socializing,
interactional, and recreational reasons was unanimously accepted by all the respondents. But
community centers as a safe and secure place for the sampled marginalized community (first extract
from a Christian volunteer) or as a center for a specific socio-economic class to exert agency (second
extract from SWO centers) emerged from the data.

R2: You were speaking of institutions. Yes, I do feel safe here instead of going to the Marriott or any
marquee where I don’t feel safe. Anything can happen there. What will I do if a minister or a
dignitary’s guard opens fire at us, and there is no one to secure me? That is why I feel secure in my
churches, in my community centres like these, and in our gatherings, which is very wrong in my
opinion. Because we must mix with the mainstream. But we are left with no option other than to take
a few steps back because we are mistreated. Of course, the ones who represent us in foreign
countries claim that we are very safe. Why are you lying? For what? Just because you are being paid
6 lacs in a month. What about the homes and churches of your community which have been
destroyed daily? The world has shown growth by leaps and bounds. In Europe, the sanitary staff is
the highest-paid profession. The ones who clean the gutters are paid more than the prime ministers
there. That’s how the profession is respected. We are standing still here; I believe we have stooped
very low from there.

R: Community centers are important, but they cannot be the only source of eliminating the
differences in society. This is not only Islamabad’s issue, but also the country’s issue. Community
centers alone cannot do anything. The elimination of economic discrimination requires an overhaul
of the economic system, the mode of earning to be levelled up for all the communities residing in
Pakistan, and the standard of living will be improved on a standardized level for all. Until these issues
are resolved, these differences will continue to exist in Pakistan and elsewhere. Community centers
are for the welfare of the low cadre officers so that they don’t feel dissociated from social life
activities so that they can use their resources in community engagement and don’t feel deprived of
social life which higher cadres and private sector employees enjoy. Poor economic conditions will
always be an issue, if community centres are helping generate some space for the poor class, then it’s
justifying its purpose.

Speaking more of the community center catering to cadre 1-15 of the FG employees, one respondent
from SWO community centers, commented:

R: It has become a social norm to show lavish marriages, expensive camera setups, larger-than-life
wedding infrastructure, outclass catering services, lighting, music, etc. The grade 17 and above
employees are doing relatively better and are generally more resourceful. They prefer holding
marriage functions in hotels and marquees but the ones who can afford such budgets prefer
community center halls. See, most of our facilities such as welfare schemes, wedding and auditorium
halls are booked by the lower cadres. See if someone can afford to live in a PC hotel, or high-end
lodges in Murree, then why would he prefer holiday homes? Similarly, if he can afford a
better-equipped hall then why would he prefer a community center like this one? However, the
badminton court in G7 is being used by a senior officer in WAPDA and other senior officials from
other departments. Poorer cadres usually play cricket or snooker. It varies from project to project
and place to place.

6.6. Sense of Community

The data elicited from the respondents of the Christian community center shows the sense of
community the Christian community members have developed through engagement and
socialization. The respondents shared a success story of a young female who was prepared by experts
in the same community center and later after successfully clearing the exam, her success was

29
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

celebrated in the same building.

R: One of our female youths secured admission to the engineering program. Later she got appointed
as assistant commissioner after clearing CSS exams. She was prepped in our organization. Her
success was celebrated in the same building. She wasn’t a child of one family, she was a community’s
daughter.

The community center is built purely on a self-help basis, driven by the cause to facilitate and open
opportunities for the Christian youth which are otherwise very limited. The respondents shared that
Christian children get educated but there are no guidelines for them to excel. Parents lack information,
education, and resources. The respondents took pride in the fact that they have built liaisons with the
achievers who deliver lectures and take free classes for students. The ones who deliver guest lectures
are professors, army officers, government employees, and CSS senior bureaucrats. They also deliver
motivational lectures. The youth trained from the centre have been appointed as commissioners in
Islamabad, and in foreign offices. During COVID, a few students complained that due to tightly spaced
living areas, they could not concentrate on their studies and opted for combined studies. This led to the
initiative to construct one conference room and a library in a community center for youth to come and
study.

Speaking of sense of community in cities, one respondent from same community center commented:

R2: The situation in our cities is that one person residing in a house doesn’t know about the neighbor
next door. In the car, the gate unlocked, back to the car, the gate locked. That is the lifestyle in the
cities these days. City centers allow people to socialize, gain citizenry information, to care for one
another. We have arranged medical camps in remote areas and the treatments which usually cost in
lacs were treated in thousands by our friends and comrades. In COVID we ran online preparatory
classes for 7-8 months as well.

Another respondent explained on a much deeper level the essence of community despite having a
minority status.

R1: Although we are in a minority, I don’t make a big deal about it. I view my minority status only as a
figure, as a mere number. We are a minority because we lack numbers. Apart from that, our talent,
our education, and our wisdom aren’t lacking anywhere. We want to see our children successful like
you or him. We feel proud mashaAllah. At the end of the day, we all are Pakistanis. It is easier to
divide, “Who are you and Who am I?” but we all are Pakistanis first. This is how we are, and we think.

Detailing role of community centers in building a sense of community, a respondent from one of 3 SWO
community centers, commented:

R: Our community centers functioned as a peer pressure group, for instance in the 80s when the
public transport was not run as per routes of the federal government employees. We were called
upon to submit applications in abundance so that pressure could be put on the government to
change the routes in favour of federal government employees. And, eventually, the routes were
changed. Also, our ex-female employees demarcated separate sitting areas for men and women on
the buses. So, this center used to function as the complaint centre for federal government employees
to submit their complaints so that an amicable solution could be prescribed.

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

6.7. Role of Regulatory Authorities

The role of regulatory authority, especially CDA, was more pronounced when interviews in Christian
community center were conducted. The construction of the community center started long ago but
then it halted. Such breaks as quoted by one of the respondents are sporadic. They don’t have a donor
who consistently provides money and hence are working on the self-help model. The money donated
by the comrades, friends, and poor workers is spent on the community center. The respondent
detailing about this, commented:

R1: The ones working in this building are doing it voluntarily. No one is greedy after a share in it. All
are giving their time and resources to it. We feel proud that we have been able to put concrete walls
and shelter in the building. It didn’t use to be the situation earlier on.

When probed about the situations earlier on, the respondent shared:

R: We have been dealing with CDA since 1982. First in securing this colony, and then in this building.
Also, in getting land allotted for churches and graveyards, we have worked very hard. I was telling
them today that I have gotten 10 acres of land allotted by CDA. We have been among those few who
have extended support in creating the city that you see today. We take pride in claiming that the land
we are sitting on right now is allotted to us. It is not that we have encroached on CDA’s land. The fact
that we got our map approved is a testament to the fact that we have not encroached on a State’s
land. Still, a few groups have an issue, and they interject to violate our privacy and attack us. But
thank God that they return satisfied. If someone plays dirty against us and misinforms the higher-ups
about a hoax of illegal encroachment, then the higher-ups won't care for the evidence, approval of
land and files. They will rush into their Sarkari cars, speed up, reach our doorsteps, and interrogate
us. I vividly remember that once they arrived in two Sarkri cars, one truck, and 20 men claiming that
we would create havoc here. He called me and said, ‘Be prepared! We are on the way.’ I replied, ‘You
are welcome, Sir.’ Once he reached here, I showed him this map. He saw it and said, ‘Oh! This one has
my signs on it.’ I replied is there any stone left unturned now. He said, ‘You are welcome, Sir.’ They had
to leave disappointed. We got colonies approved by CDA in 1982, and 2 colonies were constructed
in G-7/2. So, this struggle to build public places to build colonies, halls, and community centers, has
been very old. This organization actively engaged in allotting lands for graveyards and churches
after 1973. We have gone through a lot. I cannot even articulate it in words.

6.8. The ‘Community’ in Community Centers

One reason for building community centers is to develop community networking by providing
communal activities of engagement. One SWO worker explains it as:

R: Why should people come to community centers? We didn’t have one free day in Abpara’s
community center. Films are played one day, the hall booked for stage dramas the next day, cultural
events organized the next-to-next day, musical nights, Sufi nights, you name it, we would have it
organized. We used to have frequent social events in which people participated. The center has lost
its spirit now. People were different in our times. Now, there is apathy everywhere. I requested the
directorate office that we have sufficient space to build a swimming pool. The one which is with the
sports board is already overbooked. Very few can use it except swimmer players, army personnel
and urban elites. Where should the public go swimming? But I received a firm No as a reply.

A respondent from a Christian community center shared about community building through
community centers that in the West, degree programs have grades allotted and assignments designed
for students to run communal activities, visit community centers, to serve the community. This is the
way a sense of community is built at a very young age. There, children regularly visit handicapped

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

homes, clean their rooms, arrange beds, mop floors, sweep sofas, and wash, dry and hang their curtains.
When asked why Pakistan couldn’t build on this, he shared:

R2: Why can't we do it here? Where there is money involved, the mind gets diverted to making
money. Every third person has opened an NGO here, why? For oneself, not for me or you. Your pain is
only yours. I have nothing to do with it. You must spend 70 per cent of the donor’s money on welfare
activities, and 30 per cent on office upgradation, official staff, and infrastructure, including salaries
and travel. 30 per cent is a lot of money. But what happens here is that 100 per cent of money goes to
one’s pockets. Name one NGO that conducts a seminar here in our community center. They arranged
it in Sheraton, Marriott, and Islamabad Club. Why do you conduct there?

The first respondent while commenting on the idea of community building in Pakistan, exclaimed:

R1: Community? Really? We are a nation of VIPs. I remember one Assistant Commissioner visited us
in the community center. One person held the umbrella of our AC sahib over him so that not even one
raindrop dropped on his suit. One carried his suitcase so that the AC didn’t feel burdened by it. This is
how they work.
10
Shoukat, Gomez and Cheong (2017) classify such modern educated urbanites as a new class of elites
who took charge as bureaucrats of all departments in post-independence Pakistan. This newly
emerged elite class known as bureaucratic elites, secured social power by accessing government
positions. Since most of these position holders were civil servants, they benefitted the most from
colonial authority over the administrative structures. In that lieu, occupying more control over the
State land and erecting buildings for their own entertainment and socialisation became a political
norm. The existence of elite clubs in Islamabad manifests this colonial legacy of controlling and
occupying, where entrance to non-elites is restricted.

6.9. Community Centers: Much More than Recreation

and Entertainment!
Community center as socializing place for recreational and entertainment purposes was widely
quoted by the respondents across all 4 sampled community centers. The responses were also
illustrative of themes which explain community centers beyond recreation. These themes describe the
need for social work conducted through socialization in community centers in the form of awareness
and campaigning strategies for the underprivileged and for developing a safe and secure physical place
for people of various socio-economic class and religious beliefs to engage communally. The G8
Christian Community Center also functions as a level-playing field for the Christian youth residing in
the slum areas as it eases access to resources and opportunities for them.

10. Shoukat, Ayesha., Terence Gomez, Edmund. and Cheong, Kee-Cheok. (2017). Power elites in Pakistan: Creation, contestations, continuity. Malaysian
Journal of Economic Studies, 54(2): 235-253

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 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

R: It is a center to align our youth to serving the humanity path, to enlighten them about what to do
and what not to do in life and with people. If we treat people the way they treat us, it is not right at all.
We need to secure ourselves from society and we must keep ties with society. We don’t want to
retaliate in the same ways we are currently being dealt with in society. This is not what our ancestors
have passed on to us. Our message is to create social harmony, spread love and be an agent of change
and peace. You know very well what is happening out there? What else can we add to it? But we see
hope, and God is our saviour. This is our life, we are playing our part, and this is what we are meant to
do. For this, we need centers like this, and I am proud that there is one center in Islamabad which is
legal, and its land is approved by CDA. We can use it with freedom. This center is open to Muslims as
well. We welcome them. Please come, hold your programs. This is for everyone. When we ration ten
bundles of flour to deserving families, we aren’t specifying the religion of those recipients. We collect
from and distribute to all.

The idea of safety, security and trust was concurrent throughout the data. However, one respondent
did not confine the idea merely to physical places ensuring safety and security. He connected the
relevance of having such centres in cities with the structural and processual continuity of marginalizing
the Christian community. One respondent reminisced about the past when religious identity wasn’t
marked for operating structural forces of marginalization against the community. In contemporary
times, even educational syllabuses are designed to ingrain this marginalization against religious
minorities.

R1: My early education was from Karachi. Your generation hasn’t seen that era. In your curriculum,
you must have read about communal violence and jingoistic nationalism. Your curriculum must have
asked very discriminatory questions such as Who are you? What's your name? What is your religion?
We haven’t seen it, neither read it nor heard of it in our early educational lives. Today is Eid. Yes, it is
Eid. Today is Christmas. Yes, it is Christmas. Today we will also join our Shia community and visit
Imam Bargah. Muslim, Hindu, Christmas, Shia, Sunni. There wasn’t any difference. Our education
system never taught us to hinge on the difference. This hatred against minorities is primarily due to
the hatred materials popularized in the curriculum. We won't be reaching anywhere until this hatred
is curbed down. Religions are misinterpreted. Only we are superior, the rest are inferior. My
generation was taught Bhagat Singh because in those times importance was how to struggle for
freedom, not what was the religion and geographical disposition of a freedom fighter. The focus was
on struggle, not on religion. Now, the first question asked is what is your religion? which is very
discriminatory. Who are you to ask me about my religion? This educational system will produce the
mindsets we are observing these days. We are fewer in number, and we are facing repercussions of it.
We need to change our system. our educational ministers don’t even know the meanings of their
names. One who can't spell aspirin is the health minister.

As a response to this detailed response, when the respondent was asked if community centres are
important under this scenario.

R1: Yes, it is a necessity. We can create awareness among our youth, and we have been doing the
same and will continue to do so. But for how long are we to create awareness among our youth, only?

33
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

7. Conclusion
The current study was conducted to document the facilities provided by the sampled community
centers located in Islamabad. The study intends to find out the services and facilities provided in the
community centers, their role in social connectedness in Islamabad, and in building a sense of
community in Islamabad. The study also aims to identify if community centers are the spaces as well as
places of community engagement in Islamabad, or not. The summation of the findings and connection
with the cited literature is tabulated in the table below.

Theme What does the theory say? What are the results saying?

Place, Space & Public The G8 community center is primarily for the Christian
Public ‘Public’ connotes any settings that are accessible to anyone community but as the owners claimed that the center is
without the biases or divides of gender, race, colour, open for all other communities as well. During fieldwork, I
ethnicity, religion, nation, or physical handicap. Some public was invited to conduct sessions in the community center,
lands do have access to all. Whereas some privately owned indicating that the center is public where accessibility of
lands have open access. people is not hindered by social heterogeneity. The
situation in SWO community centers is a little different.
The centre, as per its objectives, is for the FG employees
only. All the services, utilities and center’s infrastructure
are for the FG employees and their dependents. Wedding
halls are rented out to the non-FG population to generate
income/revenue. But services such as badminton, stipends
etc. are not offered to anyone except FG employees and
their dependents. So, SWO community centers are not
entirely public. G8 center is a privately owned property
but it's open for all SWO’s community centers’ buildings
are public land but do not have access to all.

Space and Place Space and Place

Places are meaningful portions of space wherein meanings Only wedding halls are one such place where
are attached based on a space's specification (with respect to socio-economic reciprocity, social relationships and
size, volume, and structure). Places are important sources of emotive ties can be built, therefore implying a sense of
shared common identity, centres for human interactions, community in SWO community centers.
and strong emotive and psychological ties people associate In G8 center, since the nature of activities are normative,
with such spaces. Spaces are abstract geographical settings hence the respondents explained that all activism-related
which people convert into places as they use, modify, or initiatives, study circles, preparatory classes for the
associate certain symbolic values with them. Good public competitive exams and youth awareness programs help in
spaces are by design accessible, generate activities, have use building communal associations as well as a strong sense of
value, are sociable, and are comfortable. One feature of belonging and emotive ties. The same doesn’t seem to hold
public spaces is that they are connected to the surrounding true for the badminton place in the G9 community center,
community and have these qualities: safe, clean, attractive, as most of the 35 members are on-job and retired
adequate seating and avenues for sociability. The availability bureaucrats who hegemonize the place and the elements
of public spaces merely doesn’t create a sense of community, of open-access and interactions among diverse community
rather regular visitation, face-to-face interactions, and usage members cannot be ensured. All sampled community
of the utilities create social interactions and hence sense of centers are in the mainstream sectors of Islamabad; hence
community. Social capital plays a critical role in occasions for their use value seems to be high (especially for those who
entertainment, social intercourse, and personal enjoyment; qualify the criteria for SWO centers), they generate
factors which help in developing a sense of community. activities based on the services and infrastructure they
provide and are sociable places. But only one center (G6) is
in an area (opposite Abpara market) which has in its
vicinity dining and shopping facilities for people to socially
interact more often. This result particularly conforms to
the literature that describes that the mere availability of
public spaces such as community centers is not enough,
face-to-face interactions and utilities in the vicinity areas
must also be available.

Community Berger (1998, p. 324), while marking the difference between The results specifically elicited from the respondents of G8
and Sense of society and community explains that “Community is community center and SWO G9 community center allude
Community tradition; society is change. Community is feeling; society is to the experiences of the community being a tradition,
rationality. Community is female; society is male. feeling, female, warm, wet, and intimate and love as
Community is warm and wet and intimate; society is cold and described by Berger (1998, p. 324). The fact that
dry and formal. Community is love; society is business.” community center can be a functional place for women to
bring their newborn babies where other women are taking
care of them, renowned scholars travel from all across

34
 Community Center as a Space and Place for Community Engagement: Locus Islamabad

Pakistan at their own expense and deliver on-site lectures

for CSS preparatory classes, women and men are
communally engaged in cooking huge pots of rice and meat
dishes, and pulling in communal resources to stage dramas
in the auditorium, on the themes of domestic violence for
societal awareness exemplify that community goes
beyond the restrictions of rationality, coldness, business
and maleness. The social interactions which are depictive
of community as defined by Berger (1998) propel to
develop a sense of community which according to SWO
centers’ respondents is diminishing with time and as per
G8 community center’s respondents is improving with
time.

Functioning of Management: First is the management which consists of a SWO community centers have offices and employees
community board of management which defines the goals of norms, deployed for each service provided in the center. Hence
centers values and activities which are allowed to take place in the management is set up. The visitors are the FG employees
community centers. Such goals are set forth by various and their dependents, but the volunteer community seems
in-house stakeholders, visitors, municipalities, sponsors, and to be a missing link. In G8 center, the management and
the communities themselves. volunteer community parts both overlap. Visitors are the
communities, pastors, public and non-public officials,
Volunteer Community: Second is the volunteer community social workers and activists and academics who not only
which consists of community members who are available for visit but also do volunteer work for the center and hence
supporting and arranging community activities in the for the community.
community centers. The volunteer component hinges on the
rules, norms and values which have been set forth by the
management tier.

Visitors: The third factor includes the participants who pay

regular visits and experience the benefits of the socio-cultur-
al activities and benefits provided in the community centers.

35
Understanding Social
Networks in Abpara
Market
Fizzah Khalid Butt

36
 Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

1. Introduction
Markets across the world are considered hubs of
economic activity due to their ability to provide for Social Capital
customer demands through goods and services and
Building on the conventional saying that
the producers' demands by monetary payment.
who you know matters the most, Woolcock
However, the other non-tangible aspects of the
(2001) builds on the idea the help of close
markets, other than services, are often ignored,
family and acquaintances that can help in
including the relational and social capital that is
times of need be an important asset that
deeply rooted in the economic cultures (Nasritdinov,
can be termed as social capital. Woolcock
2006). Further, Nasritdinov (2006) emphasized that
(2001) further emphasized that the
the market is a strong institution and serves as both an
absence of close relations and ties can put
economic and social institution. As an economic
someone in a disadvantageous position,
institution, the market serves the basic function by
therefore it is pertinent to maintain a
catering to the complex demand supply systems,
sound social capital. The concept was
pricing, and availability of required goods and
conceptualized by Pierre Bourdieu in 1986
services. According to Grondona (2000), the
who defined it as “the aggregate of actual
economic culture is productive and developed based
or potential resources linked to possession
on self-trust and personal well-being without ignoring
of a durable network.” The idea was further
social responsibility. This depicts that for personal
heavily influenced by Putnam’s
gains, being aware of society and societal needs is also
conceptualization of civic participation,
important. Similarly, as a social institution, the market
reciprocity and mutual trust as basis for
provides the space for people where they can create
social capital (Stephens, 2008). Stephens
their personal, political, and ethnic presence felt by
(2008) further argues that over the time
meeting and interacting with other individuals.
the idea of understanding through social
According to Baitas (2020), in the markets, people
networks has been lost. The UK Social
create friendships and networks based on family or
Capital measurement framework also
ethnicity and become part of social capital, which
emphasizes on the social networks along
helps them to operate well in the market. Therefore, it
with other important factors including
is important to study the markets to identify the social
social and civic
set ups and how they are operated. For the purpose of
this write up, the focus is on the social networks and
how they are involved in the markets in apparent form
or otherwise.

2. Social Networks
The idea of a network points towards a set of relationships between different nodes or objects which
can be computers, wires or people, and can facilitate the explanation of any group small or big
(Kadushin, 2004). Due to the involvement of humans in the networks at the group and organizational
level, sociologists have played a role in the advancement of social network theory (Liu et al., 2017).
Further, Halgin (2012) stated that the social networks are made up of ties within the networks, the
strong ties and the weak ties. The strong ties remain close to each other, sharing information just within
the close circle, whereas weak ties spread the information. According to the theory of weak ties by
Granovetter (1973) weak ties work as the bridge to disseminate information to the other networks and
are a reason for many innovations. Figure 1 shows the bridging impact of weak ties. Furthermore,
another aspect that joins the systems is the centrality of the network. The concept of bridging ties also
highlights the importance of the structure of each network. The structure of networks focuses on
strength and one important measure of it is centrality, the idea proposed by Freeman in 1979.
Centrality measures are important to identify the leaders and are dependent on the degree of
centrality, betweenness and closeness. The degree of centrality refers to the number of connected
nodes to an individual node. Betweenness refers to how close the node is connected to others and

37
 Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

usually is the gatekeeper or the weak tie. Closeness refers to how close different individual nodes are
to each other (Liu et al., 2017). This work focuses more on the internal structure of a network and how
it works.

Figure 1: Bridging ties. Source ((Liu et al., 2017)

3. Methodology
The methodology used for this research is qualitative using interviews to assess the market situation.
Total of 14 interviews were conducted, 12 interviews were conducted with shopkeepers, 1 interview
was conducted with the election commission member of the Abpara market and 1 interview was
conducted with the president of the trade council of the Abpara market. During the interviews, one
issue was persistent that no employee was willing to give an interview despite their long service with
the business. The interviews were then conducted with the shop owners and the owners of business in
case of rented shops. The following text explains the themes that have emerged from the data.

4. Markets of Islamabad
11
Islamabad is a modern city developed based on a master plan which is divided into different sectors.
Each sector has a markaz that is dedicated to community service in the form of shops and markets in the
most cases. The famous open markets of Islamabad are Abpara market, Melody market, Super Market,
Jinnah Super Market and F10 market. Abpara and Melody market are among the oldest markets in the
city. For the current research, Abpara market is used as the case.

4.1. The Abpara Market

The Abpara market is in the G6 sector of Islamabad which is considered the oldest market of Islamabad
and was established around 1965. The market consists of more than 800 shops ranging from mobile
shops to grocery shops to clothes to household items. These shops are divided into five zones. The
respondents who have had businesses for more than 5 decades shared the history of the market. One
respondent explained that the market came into existence when people would come for the “Urs of Bari
Imam’s father” and would require things so traders set up small stalls to fulfill their needs. Upon
establishment of Islamabad, it became a proper market and is named after the daughter of a Hindu
trader whose name was Para. Another respondent mentioned that when Islamabad was established,
the bureaucrats and the higher government officials were located around the area of G5 and G6 and
required a market where they could find the household and necessity items therefore, this market was
established. However, the different legends regarding the market establish its existence for almost 60

38
 Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

years now. For a market to successfully exist for such a long time and house all kinds of items in it points
to a strong social capital and an invisible network that is binding them.

Figure 2: Map of Abpara Market. Source: Google Maps

5. Abpara as the market choice for business

When the respondents were asked why they considered Abpara market a good choice for their
business center, almost all the respondents mentioned two reasons. First, ease of accessibility of the
area. Second is the variety of the products and services available and the ability of the market to cater
for all social classes. A respondent stated that mostly families of bureaucrats come to the market. The
market provides the solution to all the requirements of bureaucrats and their families and caters to the
needs of their helpers and servants. Everyone in the social class has an easy access to the market and
get what they want. The shopkeepers have a specified focus on the visits of bureaucrats and foreign
tourists while mentioning the importance of Abpara market. Responding to the increasing inflation
over time and the affordability issue, the respondents mentioned that their fathers bought the shops
around 50 years ago and they are proceeding and expanding the family businesses. Most of the market
is under first ownership and the businesses are generational with needed updates. Only a few shops are
on a rental basis and conflicts often arise between the owners and occupants that require council to act.

11. The detailed work on master planning of Islamabad by Hasan, L., Chaudhry, A., Ahmed, A., & Jalil, H. (2020). The islamabad master plan. can be accessed
at https://pide.org.pk/research/the-islamabad-master-plan/

39
 Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

6. Social Trust
Regarding general trust and mutual trust, the respondents gave mixed answers. The general
observation based on respondents’ claim is that in this age and time trust is a gone concept. They
mentioned that general trust is kind of non-existent now in the market and they avoid trusting people
outside their business, including their customers. Further, on inquiring about their trust on fellow
shopkeepers and businesses few respondents mentioned that the most people in the surroundings
maintain a good brotherhood and are part of each other’s good and bad times without the expectation
of gaining any benefits from each other. Only one respondent revealed that when someone is away, and
the shop is open, they tell the customer to wait for them and the shopkeepers trust each other that they
won’t take their customers and will ask them to wait. Whereas two of the respondents claimed that
there are no friendships in the competition and the behavior amongst competitors is not very civil,
however, the trade council of the market has maintained a good balance. Another respondent
mentioned, the mobile shop owners fight a lot, with each other and sometimes with the customers too,
so the council manage their issues. Another respondent mentioned when someone dies, whether we
are friends with them or not, everyone goes to their house, we reach before family. He further
continued and stated this is common that family also has trust issues, we need to earn so in the inflation
we need to be a little bit selfish, can’t give everything to competitor with our own hands. One
observation based on all the interviews was that despite the respondents mentioning the lack of trust
in each other due to competition, they thrive because of each other and have general trust in each
other. However, they have a strong trust in the council and the council acts as the solid central point of
this market network.

7. Diversity
Diversity is the charm of a market for the locals and the tourists. Though according to the observations
made during the visits, there is no gender diversity in the market which is now visible in the malls. The
market shows ethnic diversity, but the religious diversity is less than 2%. The respondents said that
there are few Christians in the market but no Hindus they are aware of. When the respondents were
asked regarding the diversity and the well-being of religious minorities, almost all the respondents
mentioned that it doesn’t matter what religion or what ethnicity a person has they all are fair with each
other and take care of each other.

8. Union Council
The trust of the respondents on the union council of the market is commendable. The respondents
further mentioned the process of selection and working of the council. The respondents revealed that
there are two competing parties in the market and there are elections every two years between the
parties. However, the current ruling party has been in power for the past 20 years or so. The market has
its own laws, rules and regulations and an election commission. The members of the election
commission of the market do the candidacy check, provide rules, and conduct elections. Each shop has
one vote and that is cast based on the mutual understanding of all the workers of the shop (in case of
multiple workers). The council is then selected based on the results of the election, where a president is
selected and 10 vice presidents or senior members, 2 responsible each zone.

8.1. Working of Council

The council works for the betterment of the members, it works as an umbrella. The council provides the
rules for shopkeepers. The council makes sure whenever there are arguments going on in the market
between competitors and the serious arguments with the customers are also dealt with at the council
level and it is avoided to take any case to the police. The council also manages the competition by

40
 Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

the competition by restricting unfair pricing to decrease competition. Managing rental agreements and
managing vendor payment, the council also provides support and gives guarantee. Ensuring the safety
and security of the shopkeepers has maintained the trust of the council. The council is also responsible
for taking the market issues to the government and management with CDA as well.

9. Conclusion
Based on the fieldwork done during the market visit and analysis of respondents’ interviews it is
observed that apparently the shopkeepers in the market are on good terms with each other, however,
the trust is lacking in most cases. The market is working and consists of a huge network of small
networks. The network is conceived and processed based on the analysis of the interviews as shown
represented in figure 3. The president of union council has a strong association with everyone in the
market despite having a low degree of centrality and is considered a leader. One of the reasons is the
strong alliance and closeness of the vice presidents of each zone with the shops in the zone and with
each other. Here, the vice presidents have a high degree of betweenness, and they act as gatekeepers
where they disseminate the needed information to each other, to the presidents and to the
shopkeepers of their respective zones. They can be considered as the week ties of Granovetter (1973)
that supports the network based on their strength of information seeking and dissemination.

Figure 3: The imagined network representation of Abpara market

Figure 3 is the imagined

representation of the
unacknowledged network
available in the Abpara market.
The centre red point is the
president.

The green circles represent the

vice presidents.

The smaller coloured circles

represent the shops scattered
in different zones, similar
colours show similar kinds of
business i.e., competitors.
Similar businesses don't share
close ties with each other;
Further the different shopkeepers, despite lacking basic trust, however, they share good ties
are closely connected with each other and provides a structure with neighbouring businesses.
to the market. In conclusion, it can be stated that these social
networks, either strongly connected or loosely connected, are
the binding force of the market which provides the economic
and social benefit. One reason for the survival of Abpara market despite the opening of new markets is
the different variety and the existence of businesses which provide the social and economic stability
required to run a market. The network of Abpara market has also shown that the larger the network,
the more people you know who can stand by you in times of need, strengthening the social capital of
individual. Abpara market is just the case of this piece of work, the networks of other markets are worth
analyzing too.

41
 Understanding Social Networks in Abpara Market

References
Baitas, M. (2020). The traders of Central Bazaar, Astana: motivation and networks. Central Asian
Survey, 39(1), 33-45.

Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American journal of sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380.

Grondona, M. (2000). A cultural typology of economic development. Culture matters: How values
shape human progress, 44-55.

Halgin, D. S. (2012). An Introduction to social network theory. Prepared for the International
Networking in the Society of Jesus Conference,

Hasan, L., Chaudhry, A., Ahmed, A., & Jalil, H. (2020). The islamabad master plan.

Kadushin, C. (2004). Introduction to social network theory. Boston, Ma, 307.

Liu, W., Sidhu, A., Beacom, A. M., & Valente, T. W. (2017). Social network theory. The international
encyclopedia of media effects, 1-12.

Nasritdinov, E. (2006). Regional Change in Kyrgystan: Bazaars, Open-Air Markets and Social
Networks. University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning ….

Stephens, C. (2008). Social capital in its place: using social theory to understand social capital and
inequalities in health. Social science & medicine, 66(5), 1174-1184.

Woolcock, M. (2001). The place of social capital in understanding social and economic outcomes.
Canadian journal of policy research, 2(1), 11-17.

42
Exploring the Value System
of Organizational Culture
of Pakistan
Henna Ahsan

43
 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

1. Introduction
1.1. What are Organizational Values?
Values are unwritten standards and fundamental beliefs that guide people’s behavior and judgments
across different situations. In general, values are found to be socially oriented, multidimensional
conceptions of desirable end-states that uniquely influence behavior and attitudes. These desirable
end states are affectively positive conditions such as honesty, fairness, integrity, openness, etc.
(Williams, 2002).Literature shows that broadly organizational values could be divided into four
categories: one that are espoused by the top management, second type of values is which employees
believe are the representative of their organization as the organizational history may support the
same, third type of values is which are shared values and come into existence by the interaction of
workers personal values which have been molded by their culture practices and the influence their
societies have upon them, and finally fourth type of values are those which represent aspirations of the
employees that what employees want their organization to be like ,thus these could be called
aspirational values. (Bourne & Jenkins, 2013).

1.2. Why Organizational Values are Important?

Organizational values are to the organization what personality is to the individual. These lay down the
basis of behavior for people as an individual and as a collective entity. These are the collective beliefs
about what the entire enterprise stands for, takes pride in, and holds of intrinsic worth. If the adopted
values are reasonably congruent with the underlying assumptions, then the articulation of those values
into a philosophy of operating can be helpful in bringing the group together, serving as a source of
identity and core mission. If organizations do not clarify their values first and use those value sets as
foundations for their strategic business plans, they risk the loss of the knowledge, commitment, and
creativity inherent in an intrinsically engaged workforce. Organizations performing in a chaotic style
signal that the value system of the individuals and organization conflicts with each other. Organizations
sometimes become too obsessed with adopting new technologies and processes that they forget they
have to connect and embed these new systems with their value system. Values are not to be treated as
a superficial addendum to company policies but a framework from which all other patterns and
processes are to be constructed (Parsons, 1997). Organizational values are in fact an amalgamation of
interpersonal behaviors standards and organizational standards. Their effect lies not in values
themselves but in the coordinate actions and behaviors that follow because of these values. (Williams
1979).

1.3. Theoretical Background

Hassan (2007) conducted a study on organizational values by taking feedback from about 239
employees from eight different organizations in Malaysia. These organizations represented a diverse
portfolio of industries available in Malaysia, some local and some were international organizations
working in Malaysia. Along with measuring other parameters of interest related to HR they also
measured employees’ perception of organizational values, which were trust, teamwork and
collaboration, creativity, quality, delegation, and humane treatment. Results of their study revealed
that factors like potential appraisal and promotion, learning and training system, and performance
guidance contributed positively towards these values however conventional practices of performance
appraisal, career planning, and contextual analysis factors had a negative influence on these values.
This was a surprising result which meant that if the organization has a well-defined performance
appraisal system it weakened the degree of trust, autonomy and freedom and creativity of the
employees. Further extensive career planning led to the weakening of collaboration and delegation.
Hassan (2007) maintains that a good charter of values should incorporate feedback from both

44
 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

employees and management and should also take into consideration regular employees’ development
otherwise such values will remain on paper and will not be manifested in employee’s day to day matters.

Williams (2002) maintains that employees continuously evaluate the difference in values they practice,
and their companies espouse. So, an effective set of values could only be evolved when input from all
stakeholders is made part of the process. The processes should bring to light the real tenets of the
company’s philosophy and how employees perceive them. In fact, it should be a three-prong process:
employees articulating their own set of values, company or top management laying down their vision
statement or goals, and the development of a process which continually makes sure that these two sets
of values is aligned to maximum possible extent.

Edwards and Cable (2009) are of the view that trust plays a very important role in bringing congruence
between personal and organizations values. Their study emphasizes that predictability, which is the
employees’ confidence in how the events will unfold and how people will act, has no significant
influence on values congruence. However, communication among employees has a partial effect in
increasing value congruence as communication leads to trust and indirectly affects the congruence
between employees and organization values. These findings also suggest that trust and communication
are fostered when individual and organizational values have a high matching level.

Ehtesham et al. (2011) conducted a study in a private higher education institute in Pakistan to explore
the relationship between organizational culture and the performance management practices that is
how organizational culture affects the performance management practices. Their construct of
organizational culture included values such as involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission.
Results of their study show that all these variables have a strong relationship and influence over the
performance management practices.

Shahzad et al. (2013) conducted a study in software industry of Pakistan to explore the relationship
between organizational culture and its impact on employees’ job performance. They measured
organizational culture through values such employee participation, innovation and risk-taking, reward
system, openness, and customer service orientation. Results of their study show that these values have
a great influence on the employees’ job performance.

1.4. Objective of the Study

A few studies have done a good work in Pakistan by highlighting the prevalent cultures in some
organizations however none of the studies has specifically focused on the values which are in practice
by both personnel and organizations. Further to the best of our knowledge none of the studies has
evaluated the congruence between personal and organizational values so our study is an attempt to fill
this gap regarding Pakistan. Further studies also show that there are differences in personal values
across region, religion, society, national culture, and firms (Finkelstein, 2009). Moreover, number of
studies have established that personal values between males and females do differ as female are more
valued in world at peace, self-respect, forgiving and loving than male (Eaton and Giacomino, 2001;
Giacomino and Eaton, 2003; Finkelstein, 2015). Therefore, one of the objectives of this study is to
analyze the values difference across genders. The study further aims to examine the relationship
between personal values by education level. While a few studies have touched on this issue (Mottaz,
1986; Morris & Sherman, 1981), to date there has been no detailed or comprehensive analysis of the
education and personal values especially for Pakistan’s organizations.

Similarly, a few studies done in international context show that organizational values also differ with
respect to organization type like public sector, private sector and para public sector (Lyons, 2006; Van
der Wal, 2008). These studies show that there are differences in values between public and private
sectors like values such as lawfulness, impartiality and incorruptibility were considered most

45
 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

important public sector values but were rated low in private sector. Whereas profitability and
innovativeness were present on top of private sector’s preferred list while were rated low in the public
sector. So, keeping in consideration the importance and difference in organizational values across
public and private sector our second objective is to analyze the difference in organizational values by
organization type.

2. Methodology
The study employed a convenience sampling approach as the employees working in different public and
private sector organizations of the twin cities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) were approached through
Google forms. Feedback was taken through well-defined questionnaires like scale developed by
Vveinhardt and Gulbovaite (2016, 2017 & 2018) to measure personal and organizational values. This
scale contains 17 sub-scales and a total of 115 items. To brevity, we used only three sub-scales of this
large scale which were of our utmost interest. These subscales measure an employee’s moral values,
organization’s social and professional values, and the congruence between employee’s personal and
organizational values. Therefore, the scale covers a comprehensive range of topics related to personal
and organizational values. Further these were complimented with few more questions which were
included by authors themselves through expert opinion and literature review keeping in consideration
the Pakistan’s job market context. These items relate to concepts such as self-image management,
loyalty to the organization, workplace security etc. In total our scale contained 40 items which are
listed in Table 1. Respondents rated their responses against each item on a Likert scale ranging from
strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).

The Google forms were sent to 300 individuals through email, WhatsApp and through other social
media platforms. However, despite our respondents limited to twin cities of Pakistan, we ensured that
there was substantial diversity in the organizational level, industry and size and ownership of the
organizations to which the respondents belonged. We received back a total of 200 responses of which
20 were discarded due to incomplete or monotonous response. An informed consent was also obtained
from all participants followed by a demographic sheet which contained data about person’s sex, age,
experience, education etc.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Table 1. Extracted Factors and their Interpretation.

Personal Value

Honesty Item 1 It is important to me to be honest at work.

Item 3 It is important to me to take responsibility for the work that is performed.
Item 6 I feel coming late to office is a professional dishonest
Item 9 I feel leaving office before due time without any genuine reason is a professional dishonesty

Punctuality Item 2 It is important to me to be dutiful at work.

Item 7 In my organization people usually come and leave office on time.

Loyalty to Item 8 I don’t mind sitting working extra hours in order to finish the assigned task
Organization Item 18 I believe people work hard and put extra efforts to finish task assigned to them.

Mutual Item 5 Tolerance at work is important to me (for example, individual and departmental differences
Respect are respected).
Item 10 I respect others’ opinions at job regardless of their age, gender and position.
Item 11 I treat my seniors and juniors with same respect in office.

Extending Item 4 It is important to me to openly share knowledge and information at the workplace
Support

Ethics and Item 12 I feel leg pulling is a bad culture in many organizations.
Morality Item 13 I feel doing gossip about others is a bad practice prevailing many organizations.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Impression Item 14 I believe that it is necessary to take care of your image in the office and the impression you
and Image make on others
Management Item 15 I believe performance appraisal systems in my organization is fair and based on merit.

Hardworking Item 21 I believe in putting extra effort to accomplish the assigned task.
Item 23 I believe only hard work and nothing else is the key to success.

Fairness Item 16 I believe performance appraisal systems in my organization is fair and based on merit.
Item 33 At the organization I work in, only employees who are productive and work effectively are
valued.

Openness Item 17 I believe that every person is listened to in my organization especially in meetings.
Item 26 The organization I work in people freely have a difference of opinion with the management.
Item 31 At the organization I work in encourages open knowledge and information sharing.

Honesty Item 24 I believe people in my organization don’t try to take credit for work of others.
Item 35 At the organization I work in, verbal agreements are upheld.
Item 30 At the organization I work in, verbal agreements are upheld.

Conducive Item 24 At the organization I work in tries to make the employees feel like part of the organization.
Environment Item 35 At the organization I work in, the environment for career improvement is provided.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Workplace Item 24 I feel safe while working at my organization.

Security Item 35 It is important to me have a secure workplace
Item 35 I feel safe while interacting with my colleagues and seniors.

Constructive Item 24 Timely and constructive feedback to the employees on performance is provided at the
Feedback organization I work in.
Item 35 Creativity At the organizations I work in, initiatives and new ideas provided by the employees
are valued.

Extending Item 24 The employees receive timely help from their superiors at the organization I work in.
Support Item 35 At the organization I work in, the colleagues provide help when a problem occurs.

Congruence between personal and organizational values

Item 36 Things that I value in life are very similar to the things that my organization values.
Item 37 I agree with the values of my organization
Item 38 My personal values match values of my organization.
Item 39 The values predominant in the organization I work for, do not correspond with those that are
declared; therefore, I do not agree with the current values.
Item 40 I find that sometimes I have to compromise personal principles to conform to my organization’s
expectations.

3. Results and Discussion

The sample of this study consisted of individuals who are doing job in a public or private organization in
Rawalpindi or Islamabad. The survey contained questions regarding organizational values and
characteristics of individuals and organizations as well. The demographic characteristics presented in
table1 show that 56.1% (n=101) of the participants were male and 43.9% (n=79) were female.
Participants’ age statistics show that most of the participants in our sample lie in the middle age group
from 30 to 39 (about 40.6%) and about 26.1% participants had age above 40 years. Further, sample
consisted of mostly educated individuals as 43.9% of the participants had Master level of education (16
years), 40.6 % of the participants had above master level education (18 years) and 15.6% of the
participants had PhDs degree.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Table 1: Demographic Information of the Participants, Frequencies and Percentages (N= 180)

Variable Frequency Percent

Male 101 56.1
Gender Female 79 43.9
20-29 58 32.2
Age 30-39 73 40.6
40-49 47 26.1
50-above 2 1.1
Masters 79 43.9
Education M.Phil. 73 40.6
PhD 28 15.6
116 64.4
Organization
Type Private
Public 64 35.6
Below 100000 89 49.4
Income Group Between 100000 to 150000 61 33.9
Above 150000 30 16.7
below 50 Employee 53 29.4
Size of Firm Above 51 and less than 200 107 59.4
Above 200 20 11.1
Low Hierarchy 80 44.4
Hierarchy Medium Hierarchy 72 40
High level Hierarchy 28 15.6

Moreover, 64.4% of the people worked in private sector and 49.4% workers earn less than RS.100000.
Regarding size of the organizations 59.4% of organizations lie in small category consisting of less than
50 employees, 59.4% in medium range (employees 51 to 200) and only 11% organization are large that
consist of more than 200 employees. The other important dimension to analyze regarding
organizational values is hierarchy i.e., the number of management levels between an employee and the
CEO/head of the organization. To measure the hierarchy, we asked the question from the respondents
the number of management level between an ordinary employee and CEO/head of organization. For
this we divide the hierarchy into three levels: low hierarchy (less than 4), medium hierarchy (between 4
and 7) and high level (more than 7). The results show that 44.4% of organizations consist of low level of
hierarchy, 40% are medium level and 15.6 % organization consist of high-level hierarchy.

Prior to testing the hypotheses, it was imperative to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scales
employed for this sample. A reliability analysis was computed using Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha to
determine the internal consistency of the scales. Table 2 depicts a summary of psychometric properties
of each scale.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Table 2: Descriptive Statistics and Reliability Analysis of Personal and Organization values
(N= 180)

Personal and Organizational values α Mean SD Min Max

Personal Values
Honesty 0.77 4.21 0.64 2 5
Punctuality 0.82 4.04 0.74 2 5
Loyalty to Organization 0.86 3.80 0.83 2 5
Mutual Respect 0.82 4.35 0.59 2 5
Extending Support 4.20 0.91 1 5
Ethics and Morality 0.89 4.39 0.72 1 5
Impression and Image Management 0.85 4.42 0.61 1.5 5
Hard Working 0.82 4.15 0.75 2 5
Organizational Values
Fairness 3.61 1.05 1 5
Openness 0.83 3.72 0.84 1 5
Honesty 0.87 3.41 0.87 1 5
Constructive Feedback 3.60 1.07 1 5
Conducive Environment 0.78 3.71 0.81 1 5
Extending support 0.89 3.94 0.73 2 5
Workplace Security 0.78 4.36 0.64 2.33 5
Creativity 3.86 0.93 1 5
Congruence between self and 0.74 3.47 0.64 1.6 5
organization value

α = Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability

Reliability analysis shows that all our scales have a Cronbach’s Alpha value of more than 0.8. Nunnally
(1978) and Tavakol and Dennick (2011) maintain that the value of Cronbach’s Alpha greater than 0.7
indicates items that are used to construct the scales are reliable and shows the specifically internal
consistency of the scale. The mean of honesty was 4.2 with a standard deviation observed 0.64. To
analyze the mutual respect at individual level three items have been used and value of Cronbach’s
Alpha is 0.8. The mean is 4.35 with a standard deviation of 0.59.

Figure 1 shows the ranking of personal values as preferred by the participants irrespective of their
gender. Figure shows that all participants ranked self-image and impression management as a personal
value of highest regard. The value having second order in ranking is ethics and morality which is an
encouraging sign since as per Transparency International latest report Pakistan’s ranks at 140 out of
180 countries in corruption perception index. Value having the lowest ranking is loyalty to the
organization. Possible reasons behind this low loyalty which is also sometimes referred to as
organizational commitment. People, especially intelligent are always on a look for new opportunities
which along with paying them handsome remuneration provide ample opportunities for career growth.
Further people staying for long time in any organization, especially in private sector, are considered the
ones who are unable to find any suitable opportunities to move on hence both smart and weak
employees may not find any incentive in being loyal to their organizations. Moreover, sayings such as
“Love your job but don't love your company, because you may not know when your company stops
loving you” of some famous personalities like Dr. Adul Kalam Indian President may also play role in
peoples’ low preference for this value.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Figure 1: Participants’ ranking of the Personal Values

The descriptive statistics with respect to gender (male and female) and by organization type (public and
private) are given in Appendix 1. Table 2.1 presents the descriptive statistics of personal values with
respect to gender. It has been observed that females are high on values like mutual respect, extending
support and also look more hardworking than their male counterpart. Women are usually seen to be
less competitive and more cooperative and also possess higher levels of concern than men for the
welfare of others (Beutel & Marini, 1995). Moreover, to analyze that whether there are statistically
significant differences among male and female on personal values it has been discussed later and
presented in table 5.

Though studies like Lyons (2006) show some differences among personal values between individuals
working in public and private sectors. However, results of our analysis shown in appendix table 2.2
12
highlight no visible mean differences between public and private sector. As almost all of our
participants are with high levels of education and secondly scales outcome are totally dependent over
person’s subjective ratings so these could be the reasons that people belonging to both sectors have
almost identical scores on their personal values.

Table 3: Pearson Correlation among personal values (N=180)

Values HON MR ES PUN LO EM IIM HW

MR 0.450***
ES 0.473*** 0.554***
PUN 0.559*** 0.390*** 0.439***
OC 0.313*** 0.397*** 0.329*** 0.299***
EM 0.295*** 0.234*** 0.226*** 0.231*** 0.190**
IIM 0.453*** 0.423*** 0.352*** 0.342*** 0.255*** 0.342***
HW 0.486*** 0.386*** 0.428*** 0.346*** 0.279*** 0.324*** 0.302***
CON 0.350*** 0.393*** 0.237*** 0.259*** 0.388*** 0.164** 0.175** 0.412***

Note: The parameters significant at 10%, 5% and 1% levels of significance are indicated by *, ** and *** respectively.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Where, HON=Honesty, MR= Mutual Respect, ES =Extending Support, PUN= Punctuality, OC=Loyalty
to Organization, EM = Ethics and Morality, IIM= Impression and Image Management, HW=
Hardworking, CON= Congruence between personal values and organization values.

Table 3 shows the Pearson Correlation among personal values. Results of two tailed Pearson Product
Moment Correlation show that there is significant positive relationship among different attributes of
personal values at 1 percent level of significance. Punctuality and honesty have the highest level of
correlation coefficient, 0.56, which shows persons that are high in honesty may also be more punctual
on their jobs. Research shows that honesty leads a person to develop a strong moral character, to learn
good behavior, and maintain discipline, and ultimately such an attitude may manifest in a person being
punctual on his/her job. Similarly extending support and mutual respect have also high correlation as
estimated value is 0.55. This may show that support is usually extended to peers and
subordinates/supervisors in organizations where mutual respect is high. Mutual respect is extremely
important both in professional life and personal relationships. With mutual respect, we celebrate the
unique perspectives, opinions, and experiences that the other people bring. It also encourages an open
dialogue where everyone can share their thoughts and feelings, and respond to each person with
politeness, kindness, and understanding.

One of the interesting findings is that the personal value of ethics and morality have positive but weak
relationship with all other values. Further congruence between personal and organization values also
has a weak or moderate relationship with all personal values with highest value of 0.41 only with value
of hard work. This may show that mostly hardworking people have the feeling that their personal values
are aligned with their organization or congruence with the organizational values may provide impetus
to people to put in extra efforts to accomplish the assigned tasks. Study by Leung (2013) also supports
the same findings that employees who have a high degree of congruence with organizational values
show positive attitude towards work related behaviors like hard work, loyalty to organization.

Table 4 shows the Pearson Correlation among organizational values. Results of two tailed Pearson
Product Moment Correlation show that there is significantly positive relationship between different
aspects of organizational values at 1 percent level of significance. The correlation between openness
and honesty has the highest score 0.73.

Table 4: Pearson Correlation among organizational values (N=180)

FAIR OPEN HON CE CF ES

OPEN 0.606***
HON 0.510*** 0.735***
CE 0.621*** 0.724*** 0.683***
CF 0.398*** 0.640*** 0.616*** 0.665***
ES 0.526*** 0.719*** 0.572*** 0.583*** 0.603***
CREAT 0.455*** 0.638*** 0.585*** 0.692*** 0.587*** 0.538***

Note: The parameters significant at 10%, 5% and 1% levels of significance one indicated by *, ** and *** respectively.

12. When we applied t-test to evaluate the statistically significant difference among mean of personal values across public and private sector, we didn’t get
any significant results so t-test has not been reported.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Where, FAIR= Fairness in Organization, OPEN= Openness in Organization, HON= Honesty in

organization, EM= Conducive Environment in organization, CF= Constructive Feedback in
Organization, ES Extending Support in Organization.

This may indicate that organizations that nurture openness may also help to inculcate values of honesty
among their employees. We all know that openness at home especially letting children open about
everything helps them to become good citizen and prevents them from keeping secrets so same
phenomena may be at play in organizations as culture of openness and acceptability may also prevent
employees to hide things and to indulge in dishonest practices. Effective and open communication can
encourage employees to trust and connect with each other and with their organization.
ShockleyZalabak and Morreale (2011), while highlighting the importance of trust for the
organizations, ascertain that honesty and openness go hand by hand in good organizations. Employees
consider an organization open and honest when the job-related issues and company visions are
communicated in an open manner to all stakeholders, and this subsequently leads to trust building.

Further creativity and conducive environment have also a strong positive relationship as estimated
value is .69. This shows that if ideal work environment is set up by making easy for team members to
collaborate, providing ample communal space for people to talk and swap ideas then such workplace
encourages creative thinking exercises, such as regular ‘brainstorms or scrums (Burbiel, 2009).
Similarly, constructive feedback can be helpful in nurturing creativity by providing new perspectives
and insights that can spark imagination or challenge assumptions. It can also encourage
experimentation, recognize strengths and achievements, help identify areas of improvement, and build
trust among peers. Our results shows that there is significant positive correlation between
constructive feedback and creativity as estimated correlation value is .58.

The organizational fairness, namely, the extent to which employees perceive that their efforts are
properly rewarded by the organization, has been observed as a critical contextual factor that is
positively related to the implementation of novel ideas (Janssen, 2001). Our result also supports it as
correlation between fairness and creativity is 0.45.

To test the difference in personal values based on gender t-test was performed and the results are
reported in table 5. The honesty seems to be more valued by female as compared to male as mean value
is 4.27 whereas fore male is it is 4.16. Since p > .05 was greater than our chosen significance level α = .05,
hence the average or mean of honesty was not statistically different for males and females.

Table 5: t-test of Differences in Personal Values based on Gender

Personal values Mean Mean Difference St Err t-value p- value

Female Male
Honesty 4.27 4.16 .11 .096 1.2 .24
Punctuality 4.15 3.94 .21 .111 2.02** .031
Loyalty to Organization 3.86 3.75 .11 .125 .9 .359
Mutual Respect 4.46 4.26 .20 .088 2.25** .025
Extending Support 4.36 4.07 .29 .136 2.2** .03
Ethics and Morality 4.51 4.29 .22 .107 2.05** .041
Impression and Image 4.55 4.33 .21 .091 2.4** .018
Management
Hard working 4.32 4.02 .30 .111 2.75*** .007
Congruence b/w 3.49 3.45 0.47 0.09 0.50 0.61
and organizational
values

Note: The parameters significant at 10%, 5% and 1% levels of significance one indicated by *, ** and *** respectively.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Turning to punctuality and mutual respect, the mean value of women is higher than men as estimated
mean values are 4.15 and 4.46 respectively. Moreover, difference between mean is statistically
significant for both punctuality and hard work at 5 % level of significance. Mutual respect is manifested
throughout the workplace, from policies and processes to individuals’ interactions. It plays a guiding
role in face-to-face meetings, body language, written communications, and the diverse ways in which
people behave.

Similarly with respect to extending support again the mean value is higher for women than for men with
a difference of 0.29. T-test also supports this difference as t-value is significant at 5 % level of
significance. Anderson (2019) argues that compared to males, females prefer smaller and lower-level
professional networks and maintain high levels of interpersonal trust with their colleagues when
participating in knowledge sharing and organizational innovation. For example, female scholars are
more likely to cooperate with others to publish academic papers and males are more likely to publish
alone, indicating that females may be more dependent on social capital to develop their innovations.

Turning to hardworking, the mean value of female (4.32) is higher than mean value of male (4.02) with
difference of 0.30. When independent sample t-test was performed to test the mean differences of
mutual respect the t-value is statistically significant at 1% level of significance, which supports the
findings that female value mutual respect more than male Berman (2018) has reported similar findings
that women are more productive than men. According to research of Hive (2020), women work 10
percent harder than men in today's offices and have a slightly equal or more completion rate than men.
Regarding loyalty to organization and congruence between personal and organizational values,
although the mean value is slightly high for women than men, however t-test didn’t show the significant
difference.

Table 6: Mean Statistics of Personal Values with Respect to Education

Personal Values Master MPhil PhD

(n=79) (n=73) (n=28)
Honesty 4.12 4.28 4.25
Punctuality 3.95 4.16 3.96
Loyalty to Organization 3.94 3.74 3.59
Mutual Respect 4.24 4.43 4.45
Extending Support 4.14 4.21 4.36
Ethics and Mortality 4.35 4.35 4.61
Impression and Image 4.36 4.46 4.50
Management
Hard Working 4.28 3.96 4.29

Above table 6 shows the mean statistics by education level. It has been observed that the mean value of
mutual respect is high for educated individuals with values 4.24, 4.43 and 4.45 for Master, MPhil and
PhD respectively. Similar results have been observed for extending support, ethics and morality and
impression and image management that by updating the education from one level to other improve the
personal values of individual. These results indicate that education has a substantial impact on
work-related values. Although few studies have touched on this issue, where some studies indicate that
organizational commitment varies directly with educational level (Lee, 1971; Steers & Spencer, 1977),
however Mottaz (1986) indicated that education has an indirect positive effect on organizational
commitment by increasing work rewards, but a direct negative effect when work rewards are held
constant.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

For the personal value of honesty, the mean value is observed to be 4.12 and 4.28 and 4.25 for Master,
MPhil, and PhD individuals. Similar results have been observed for punctuality, loyalty to organization
and hard work. This may show that more educated individuals are low on these personal values. Angle
& Perry (1981) explains is that more highly educated workers have greater opportunities for
alternative employment than their less educated counterparts and as a result are less committed to the
organization.

To test that there is difference in mean between personal values by education level, we performed
ANOVA F-test. The mean of personal value like hard work is statistically significant different across the
education levels, whereas all other personal values are not difference in their mean by education level.
So, we report only ANOVA F-statistics for value hard work by education level. To analyze the
differences in mean of hard work by education level we divide education into low level of education
(Masters), medium level of education (MPhil) and high level of education (PhD) individuals. Below table
shows the F-test for differences in hard work values by education level. We can see that the significance
level is 0.01, which is below 0.05. This shows that there is a statistically significant difference in the
mean against value hard work between the three different groups of the independent levels of
education.

Table 7: F-test for differences in Hardworking values by Education Level

Source SS df MS F Prob > F

Between groups 4.61 2 2.23 4.24 0.0160

Within groups 96.4 177 0.54

Total 101.01 179 0.56

Bartlett's test for equal variances: chi2(2) = 1.0170 Prob>chi2 = 0.601

To test which of the specific groups are statistically significantly different we find out the Pairwise
comparisons of means with equal variances output that contains the results of our post hoc tests (Table
7.1). Looking at the t-test or p-value, we can see that there is statistically significant difference in hard
work value mean between the medium and low level of education. Where the difference in mean value
of hard work for medium to low level of education is -0.33 which shows that with more education the
value of hard work has been reduced significantly. However, from high level to low level of education
and high to medium level of education the mean difference is positive but not statistically significant.
Steers (1977) and Mowday et al., (1982) argue that the more educated workers have higher
expectations which the organizations are usually unable to meet so they are always on look for new
opportunities and have low level of organizational commitment.

Table 7.1: Pairwise Comparisons Result for the Tukey post hoc test

Tukey
Hardworking Differences Std. Err. t-value p-value [95%Conf.Interval]
Education Level
Medium vs Low -0.33 0.12 -2.72 0.02 -0.61 -0.04
High vs Low 0.00 0.16 0.01 1.00 -0.38 0.38
High Vs Medium 0.33 0.16 1.99 0.12 -0.06 0.71

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

To analyze the mean differences of organizational values by industry type we again performed the
independent sample t-test. Descriptive statistics in table 8 shows that mean of fairness is slightly higher
for private sector than public sector as mean values are 3.72 for private sector and 3.41 for public
sector. Findings of the independent sample t-test show that this difference of fairness between public
and private sector is statistically significant.

Naeem et al (2017) for Pakistan’s economy and Raschand and Purang (2011) for Indian economy
highlighted that private sector workers feel more satisfied than public sector workers regarding
fairness in their organizations since they believe their organizations to be fair which transform their
performance into rewards. Turning to organizational value of openness and honesty the mean value is
significantly high for private sector as compare to public sector with mean value of openness 3.84 for
private sector and 3.51 for public sector and mean value of honesty is 3.56 and 3.13 for private and
public sector respectively.

Table 8: Mean Differences in Organizational Values by Organization Type

Organizational Values Mean Mean Differenc St Err t value p

Private Public e value
Fairness 3.72 3.41 .31 .162 1.9* .02
Openness 3.84 3.51 .33 .052 2.52** .00
Honesty 3.56 3.13 .42 .132 3.2*** .00
Constructive Feedback 3.67 3.47 .20 .166 1.25 .22
Conducive Environment 3.87 3.41 .45 .122 3.75*** .00
Extending support 3.97 3.89 .07 .115 .7 .48
Work place security 4.49 4.13 .36 .096 3.8*** 0
Creativity 3.97 3.64 .33 .144 2.3** .02

Note: The parameters significant at 10%, 5% and 1% levels of significance one indicated by *, ** and *** respectively.

Similarly, conducive environment, workplace security and creativity also have significantly high mean
values in private sector as compared to public sector. One of the reasons for high creativity in private
sector could be immediate rewards and incentives which are usually not offered in public sector due to
process rigidity and budget limitation. Moreover, the higher and fire nature of private sector may
compel people to increase their creativity in order to survive and outshine their colleagues.

Moreover, openness in an organization is considered very important value in nurturing creativity and
building trust among employees. Further studies like Sival (2021) have also shown that openness is
affected by the number of hierarchy levels in many organizations. Therefore, to analyze the openness
across hierarchy level ANOVA F-test is performed and result has been reported in table 8.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

Table 9: F-test for Differences in Openness in Organization Values by Hierarchy level

Mean SD freq.
Low Hierarchy 3.5 0.88 80
Medium Hierarchy 3.95 0.75 72
High Hierarchy 3.78 0.84 28
Total 3.72 0.85 180
Analysis of Variance
Source SS df MSS F Prob>F
Between groups 3.76 2 3.89 5.66 0.0041
Within groups 121.44 177 0.68
Total 129.21 179 0.72

Bartlett's test for equal variances: chi2(2) = 1.6372 Prob>chi2 = 0.441

The Stata output for the one-way ANOVA for openers in organization by hierarchy is shown in the table
9, indicating whether there is statistically significant difference between our three group means. We
can see that the p-value is 0.0041, which is below 0.05. therefore, there is statistically significant
difference in the mean in openness in organization between the three different groups of the
independent variable (i.e., "Low Hierarchy ", "Medium Hierarchy" and "High Hierarchy"). This is great to
know that there is difference in mean exist between openness in organization by level of hierarchy,
however we do not know which of the specific groups statistically significantly different. For this we
find this out in the Pairwise comparisons of means with equal variances output that contains the results
of our post hoc tests in table 9.1.

Table 9.1: Pairwise Comparison Result for the Tukey post hoc test

Tukey
Openness in organization Contrast Std. Err. t-value p-value [95%Conf.Interval]
Hierarchy
Medium vs Low 0.450 0.135 3.340 0.003 0.131 0.768
High vs Low 0.282 0.182 1.550 0.271 -0.148 0.711
High Vs Medium -0.168 0.184 -0.910 0.634 -0.604 0.268

Looking at the t-test or p-value in table 9.1, we can see that there is a statistically significant difference
in openness in organization between the medium vs low level hierarchy organization. However, there
were no differences between the "High vs Low level hierarchy “as the (p = 0.27), or between the "highly
level and medium level hierarchy” (p = 0.63). One of the interesting findings is that openness in
organization has a low mean value for low and high level of hierarchy, however for medium level of
hierarchy it has greatest value. This may show that the low and high number of hierarchy levels
discourage openness while a moderate number of hierarchy levels encourage openness. It is possible
that in an organization with low level of hierarchy people may fear to open an interact with CEO/ head
and similarly with huge level of hierarchy people may feel to have no say in organization matters and in
thus don’t feel any incentive to open up and communicate (Dansereau, 1987).

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

4. Conclusion
In this study we tried to identify the values that are in practice by individuals and organizations in
Pakistan. A sample of 180 participants was recruited through convenience sampling and data was
gathered using scales developed by Vveinhardt and Gulbovaite (2016, 2017 & 2018). Study targeted
both male and female employees working in either public or private sector in twin cities of Rawalpindi
and Islamabad. The main objective of this study to measure personal values, organizational values and
congruence between personal and organization values.

The result shows that mean values of the constructs such as honesty, loyalty to organization etc.
showed that almost all employees value these virtues however women seem to be leading men on some
values such as extending support, mutual respect, punctuality, and hard work. Studies like Hive (2020),
Anderson (2019) and Berman (2018) support somewhat similar findings that due to cooperative nature
of women and due to their ability to maintain interpersonal relationships with high trust women are
likely to exceed men in traits such as extending support. Further these studies also show that women
are more likely to put extra efforts to get the assigned tasks done and have a high task completion rate
than men in many organizations.

Mean trends on organizational values also show encouraging figures for all attributes such as honesty,
openness, conducive environment, etc. and here private sector seems to be leading some fronts such as
fairness, openness and creativity. Public sector organizations in Pakistan are usually governed by set
rules and regulations and with a high level of conformity which leaves little room for creativity and
innovation while these values are the major driving force for many private organizations as these
provide competitive edge over rivals, hence the high values of openness and creativity in private sector
organizations. Further strict accountability practices and vulnerability of job in private sector may
prevent people from indulging in unfair practices and therefore private sector is also leading on this
front.

One of the interesting findings of this study is that openness in organization has a low mean value for
low and high level of hierarchy, however the organization where hierarchy level is moderate has
greatest value. It is possible that in an organization with low level of hierarchy people may fear to open
a have interaction with CEO/ head and similarly with huge level of hierarchy people may feel to have no
say in organization matters and in thus don’t feel any incentive to open up and communicate.

Our research will provide a good impetus for many future studies which may evaluate the moderating
and mediating roles of demographic and other confounding variables on these values. Further there are
limitations to these findings as these have been generated through the subjective ratings of the
individuals so future research could employ some observations methods or participant observation
techniques to bring to light more accurate facts regarding both personal and organizational values
prevalent in Pakistan.

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 Exploring the Value System of Organizational Culture of Pakistan

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