8 things about Pakistan that may surprise you.

Karachi: We know that Pakistan is one of the world's largest producers of cotton and wheat, and that it is also one of the world's biggest arms importers. However, there may be other rankings that surprise us. Here are some examples.

1. Where are the women managers?

   Pakistan ranked last on an International Labour Organisation (ILO) survey on "Women's Percentage Share of All Managers". The Survey is from 2012 and Pakistan came in at 108 on a survey sample of 108 countries, at a mere 3%.

   We are told every year - usually through statistics released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) or by the Annual Economic Survey - that internet access is rapidly growing in Pakistan. However, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency tasked with focusing on issues related to information and communication technologies, as of 2013, a mere 10.8% of Pakistanis access the internet. A 2014 Global Attitudes survey by the US-based Pew Centre for Research revealed that only 8 of Pakistanis surveyed said that they use the internet. The figure for neighbouring India was 20%. Pakistan clearly has a long way to go as far as its citizens having access to the internet is concerned. Of course, this may change with the increasing use of smartphones, but that change is yet to materialise and measured.

3. Cheapest city in the world

   Karachi may have been called the 'Most dangerous city in the world' -- and to a certain extent this may be accurate - but the city consistently ranks as the cheapest in the world to live in. According to a September 2014 survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Karachi was the cheapest of over 20 mega-cities ranked according to their cost of living.

4. Pakistan no Big Brother - at least not on Twitter

   ...