Feedback flows downward through recognized standing
In Pakistan, the right to give evaluation runs strongly with seniority — by age, by role, by religious or institutional authority. If you are senior to your Pakistani counterpart, your feedback will be expected and even welcomed; if you are junior, you cannot simply give critique upward and expect it to be received. Going upward, you need to use suggestions, questions, or a respected intermediary. In meetings, do not expect Pakistani juniors to push back on their boss in front of you; that does not mean they agree. If you want their honest view, ask them privately, one-on-one, in a way that protects their position. When you are the senior, your team expects you to evaluate them clearly — silence from a boss is often experienced as withholding rather than respect.
Honor governs every act of feedback
When you give feedback to a Pakistani colleague, you are not just transferring information — you are acting on their honor, called izzat. Praise them publicly in front of peers, clients, or their seniors; this lifts their standing and builds the relationship. Save anything negative for a private conversation, one-on-one, in their office or yours, never in front of others, never on a group call. Public criticism is remembered for years and damages working relationships in ways that are very hard to repair. The rule is simple: build honor in public, address problems in private. If you ever need to deliver difficult news in front of a group, frame it as a general matter, not as a critique of an individual present.
Indirectness is the default
Pakistani professional communication often does not state the central point directly. The skilled speaker uses examples, stories, comparisons, references to other situations, or even poetry to convey what they mean, and trusts the listener to apprehend it. When you give feedback, going straight to the point can land harshly; consider a softer opening — “I was thinking about how we handled the last client meeting…” — and let the substance emerge. When you receive feedback from a Pakistani counterpart, listen for what is implied as much as what is stated; a comment that sounds peripheral may be the real point. Asking “are you saying X?” is acceptable; demanding “just tell me directly” can shut the conversation down.
Use intermediaries for difficult messages
If you have feedback for a Pakistani colleague that is hard, sensitive, or likely to be uncomfortable, consider whether it should go through a third party who has a good relationship with both of you. A trusted senior colleague, a long-serving PA, a mutual friend at work — these intermediaries can carry the message in a way that protects everyone’s face and gives the receiver time to process. Using an intermediary in this culture is not seen as evasion; it is the proper, respectful way to handle hard content. The same applies in reverse: if you sense someone is upset with you and is not saying so directly, look for who might be willing to carry that information to you. The intermediary system is a feature, not a bug.
Invest in the long relationship
Pakistani business relationships are built to last for years, often decades, and feedback is part of the ongoing relationship rather than something to be done and finished. Do not try to resolve every issue in one meeting; trust that there will be many more meetings, many more chai conversations, many more occasions to convey what you need to. If you push for a single decisive conversation on a difficult topic, you may end up with formal agreement and no real change. If you raise the issue gently across several encounters, in different ways, you allow the message to land cumulatively. Investing in the relationship — asking about the family, being present at weddings or funerals, remembering Eid — is not separate from work; it is the substrate that makes feedback possible.
Use religious and moral framing thoughtfully
In Pakistan, feedback is morally serious work, and Islamic teachings about how to advise others are widely known and respected. When you frame difficult feedback as naseehat — sincere advice given because you genuinely care about the person and the work — it is received differently than the same content framed as critique. Phrases like “I want to share something with you, as a colleague who values our working relationship” land well. Avoid talking about a third person’s faults in their absence to mutual contacts; this can be experienced as gheebat (backbiting), which carries real moral weight. If you do need to discuss a colleague’s performance with someone else, make clear it is for a legitimate purpose and keep it focused.
Read the “ji sir” correctly
When you give feedback or instructions in Pakistan and you hear “ji sir,” “ji bilkul,” or just “ji,” you have been heard and respected — but you have not necessarily been agreed with. The acknowledgment is a sign of attention and proper reception; it is not the same as buy-in. If you need to know whether the person agrees, will act, or has reservations, you typically need to come back to it later — privately, without others present, in a more relaxed setting where they can think out loud. Asking “what do you think?” right after giving feedback often produces another “ji” rather than a real view. Asking “let’s talk about this over chai tomorrow” gives space for the actual response to emerge.
Expect silent reception and look for the delayed response
After you give feedback to a Pakistani colleague, the typical reception is attentive silence — they listen, nod, acknowledge, and do not push back in the moment. This is the proper form of receiving feedback in this culture, not a sign of agreement, defensiveness, or disengagement. The actual response will surface later, sometimes much later: through changed behavior, through a follow-up conversation in a softer setting, through a question routed by an intermediary, through a quietly altered approach to the work. Build in time to observe what happens after feedback rather than relying on what is said in the moment. If you need a discussion, schedule a separate conversation after the person has had time to process privately.
Watch for withdrawal — it is the strongest message
In Pakistan, the heaviest negative feedback often comes without words. If a senior colleague stops inviting you to meetings, if a counterpart stops returning your calls, if an introduction you were promised never materializes, if the warmth in someone’s greeting has gone — read these as significant evaluations. The system uses silence and exclusion at the upper end of the negative range; a verbal complaint is actually a sign that the relationship is still being engaged. If you experience this kind of withdrawal, the path forward is not to demand a conversation about what is wrong — that often deepens the withdrawal. The path is to reach out through an intermediary who has standing with both parties, signal regret indirectly, and offer a way to reset the relationship.
Address the collective, not just the individual
When you give feedback in Pakistan, remember that your counterpart is part of a larger unit — a family, a biradari, a department, an institution, a regiment — whose name they carry. Praising someone in front of their team strengthens the team and earns you goodwill that extends beyond the individual. Criticizing someone in a way that touches their family name or institution’s reputation is felt much more sharply than a comment on personal performance alone. If you need to address a problem, focus on the work, the process, the situation; avoid language that implicates the person’s background or affiliations. When you compliment, on the other hand, attaching the praise to the team, the department, or the family is welcomed and amplified.
Be careful about self-evaluation and self-praise
In Pakistan, talking openly about your own achievements, capabilities, or successes is received differently than in some other professional cultures. Plain self-praise can come across as inviting the evil eye, as boasting, or as a breach of composure. The expected register is one of ritual modesty — even highly accomplished people speak of their work as “just trying,” as Allah’s blessing, as the work of the team. When you present yourself or your firm to Pakistani counterparts, let the achievements speak through references, demonstrated capability, and what others say about you, rather than through unfiltered self-statement. Equally, do not be misled when your Pakistani counterpart understates their own credentials; the modesty is form, and the actual capability is often substantial.