The Pakistani novelist Mohammed Hanif once pointed out that despite the cliches of brotherhood and blood, of rogan josh and mamma’s cooking, it is a mistake to assume that India and Pakistan are inhabited by identical folk. Part of the behaviourial difference arises out of the relative importance placed on ‘izzat’, an amalgamation, as Samiuddin points out here, “of honour, respect and repute”. In Pakistan, he says, “izzat crops up everywhere, like those casual bystanders who emerge at a road accident”.