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The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان, islāmī jamhūriya-i-pākistān), or Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان, pākistān) is a country located in the northwestern part of South Asia and overlaps onto the Greater Middle East and Central Asia. The country borders India, Afghanistan, Iran (Persia), China and the Arabian Sea. With just over 162 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country in the world, the second most populous Muslim majority nation. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the OIC.
اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان
islāmī jamhūriya-i-pākistān
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National motto: īmān, ittihād, nazm
(Urdu: Faith, unity, discipline) |
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| Official languages |
Urdu, English |
| Capital |
Islamabad |
| Largest city |
Karachi |
| President |
General Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister |
Shaukat Aziz |
Area
- Total
- % water |
Ranked 34th
803,940 km²
3.1% |
Population
- Total (2003)
- Density |
Ranked 6th
162,419,946
188/km² |
| Independence |
August 14, 1947 (from the UK) |
| Republic |
March 23, 1956 |
| Religion |
Islam |
| Currency |
Pakistani Rupee |
| Currency Code |
PKR |
| Time zone |
UTC +5 |
| National anthem |
Pak sarzamin shad bad
(Blessed Be The Sacred Land) |
| Internet TLD |
.pk |
| Calling Code |
92 |
| National game |
Field Hockey |
Subdivisions
Main article: Subdivisions of Pakistan, Districts of Pakistan
Pakistan has 4 provinces, 2 territories, and also administers parts of Kashmir. The provinces are further subdivided into a total of 105 districts.
Provinces:
Territories:
Pakistani-administered portions of Jammu and Kashmir region:
History
Main article: History of Pakistan (Including pre-history, civilizations of the region, up until modern events)
Other articles:History of India, History of Afghanistan, History of Iran, History of South Asia.
Pakistan is a country with a long and rich history that has often overlapped with the histories of India, Afghanistan and Persia (Iran). In ancient times, Pakistan was the site of the ancient Indus Valley civilization and subsequently conquered by many groups, including Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, White Huns, and Scythians, and various other more obscure groups. Later invaders included Arabs, Turks and Mongols. It was ruled by the Mughals from 1526 until 1739 and from 1739 until the early 18th century parts of it were ruled by the Afghans, Baluchis and Sikhs. After that, it was annexed to the British empire and stayed part of British India until 1947. The British divided up the Indian empire into 3 parts, the central part, with a Hindu majority, became modern-day India. The western part along with parts of Punjab became the western part of Pakistan while East Bengal, the muslim majority part of Bengal, became the eastern half of Pakistan. However, economic and political discontent coupled with systematic genocide created bloody unrest in East Pakistan, leading to the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which led to the liberation of East Pakistan forming the independent state of Bangladesh. Politically, Pakistan has been ruled by both democratic and military governments. General Ayub Khan was the president from 1958 to 1969, and General Yahya Khan from 1969 to 1972. Civilian rule continued from 1972 to 1977 under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but he was deposed by General Zia-Ul-Haq. General Zia was killed in a plane crash in 1986, after which Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, became the prime minister. Her government was followed by that of Nawaz Sharif, and the two leaders alternated until the military coup by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999. Since then, General Musharraf has been the ceremonial president of Pakistan, although parlimentary elections have taken place.
Politics
Domestic politics
Main article: Politics of Pakistan
Political Parties
Pakistan historically has political parties representing a spectrum from far right to the far left. Before and during the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the secular and centrist Pakistan Muslim league supported the creation of Pakistan while the far right Islamic conservative party Jamaat-e-Islami opposed the creation of Pakistan and supported a united India. The far-right parties have never enjoyed popular support among a majority of Pakistanis. The liberal, leftist Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as a major political player during the 1970s.
Currently, the two largest mainstream parties are the PPP, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PMLQ) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PMLN) which are off-shoots of the original Pakistan Muslim League. The PPP is led by Benazir Bhutto, PMLQ by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PMLN by Nawaz Sharif. The PMLQ obtained a plurality in the October 2002 elections. In those elections, the right-wing Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a coalition of six religious muslim parties led by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), emerged as the third largest party, with 11 per cent of the popular vote. In one province, NWFP, it obtained 48 out of 96 provincial assembly seats. It formed a coalition government in that province and in Balochistan.
Form of Government
Officially a federal republic, Pakistan has had a long history of alternating periods of electoral democracy and authoritarian military government. Military presidents include General Ayub Khan in the 1960s, General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s, and General Pervez Musharraf from 1999. A majority of Pakistan's Heads of State and Heads of Government have been elected civilian leaders. The most recent general elections were held in October 2002. After monitoring the elections, the Commonwealth Observer Group stated in its report, "We believe that on election day this was a credible election: the will of the people was expressed and the results reflected their wishes." [1] On May 22, 2004, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group re-admitted Pakistan into the Commonwealth, formally acknowledging "the progress made in restoring democracy and rebuilding democratic institutions in Pakistan." [2]
Recent Political History
In October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf overthrew the civilian government after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif allegedly hijacked the commercial airliner on which Musharraf was travelling, and attempted to thwart its landing at Karachi. Musharraf assumed executive authority. Local government elections were held in 2000. Musharraf declared himself president in 2001. An April 2002 national referendum approved Musharraf's role as president, but the vote was marred by irregularities — for which Musharraf apologized — and the opposition stridently questioned the legitimacy of Musharraf's presidency until his electoral college victory in January 2004.
Nation-wide parliamentary elections were held in 2002 with Zafarullah Khan Jamali of the Pakistan Muslim League party emerging as Prime Minister. After over a year of political wrangling in the bicameral legislature, Musharraf struck a compromise with some of his parliamentary opponents, giving his supporters the two-thirds majority vote required to amend the constitution in December 2003, retroactively legalizing his 1999 coup and permitting him to remain president if he met certain conditions. A parliamentary electoral college — consisting of the National Assembly and Senate and the provincial assemblies — gave Musharraf a vote of confidence[3] on January 1, 2004, thereby legitimizing his presidency until 2007.
Prime Minister Jamali resigned on June 26, 2004. PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain became interim PM, and was succeeded by Finance minister and former Citibank Vice President Shaukat Aziz, who became Prime Minister on August 28, 2004.
International politics and foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Pakistan
Pakistan has been an ally of the United States for much of its history as a modern nation-state, from the 1950s and as a member of CENTO and SEATO . It is an important member of the OIC. Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country in terms of population and its status as declared nuclear power—the only Muslim one—also plays into its role on the international scene.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Pakistan
Khyber Pass in the Karakorams near Peshawar - A historic gateway into the Indian subcontinent
Pakistan has a total area of 803,940 square kilometers, over three times the size of the United Kingdom. It has a land area of 778,720, slightly less than the combined land areas of France and the United Kingdom put together.
To the south is the Arabian Sea, with 1,046 km (650 mile) of Pakistani coastline. To Pakistan's east is India, which has a 2,912 km (1,809 mile) border with Pakistan. To its west is Iran, which has a 909 km (565 mile) border with Pakistan. To Pakistan's northwest lies Afghanistan, with a shared border of 2,430 km (1,510 miles.) China is towards the northeast and has a 523 km (325 mile) border with Pakistan.
The main waterway of Pakistan is the Indus River that begins in China, and runs nearly the entire length of Pakistan, flowing through all of Pakistan's provinces except Balochistan. Several major rivers, interconnected by the world's largest system of agricultural canals, join the Indus before it discharges into the Arabian Sea.
The northern and western areas of Pakistan are mountainous. Pakistani administered areas of Kashmir contain some of the highest mountains in the world, including the second tallest, K-2. Northern Pakistan tends to receive more rainfall than the southern parts of the country, and has some areas of preserved moist temperate forest. In the southeast, Pakistan's border with India passes through a flat desert, called the Cholistan or Thar Desert. West-central Balochistan has a high desert plateau, bordered by low mountain ranges. Most areas of the Punjab, and parts of Sindh, are fertile plains where agriculture is of great importance.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Pakistan
Overview
The Finance and Trade Center, Karachi, Pakistan
Pakistan, a developing country, is the sixth most populous in the world and is faced with a number of challenges on the political and economic fronts. At the time of its independence in 1947, Pakistan was a very poor country, with agriculture accounting for 53% of its GDP. In the second half of the twentieth century, its economic growth rate was better than the world average, but imprudent policies led to a slowdown in the 1990s. Since then, the Pakistani government has instituted wide-ranging reforms, and economic growth has accelerated in the current century. Pakistan's economic outlook has brightened and its manufacturing and financial services sectors have experienced rapid expansion. The growth of the non-agricultural sectors has changed the structure of the economy, and agriculture now only accounts for roughly one-fifth of the GDP. There has been a great improvement in its foreign exchange position and a rapid growth in hard currency reserves as a result of its current account surplus. Pakistan has been a beneficiary of a large foreign aid especially from the US due to its role in US war on terror.
Macroeconomic reform and prospects
According to the CIA World Factbook, the government has made substantial inroads in macroeconomic reform since 2000, and medium-term prospects for job creation and poverty reduction are the best in nearly a decade. Islamabad has raised development spending from about 2% of GDP in the 1990s to 4% in 2003, a necessary step towards reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. Reduced tensions with India and the ongoing peace process raise new hopes for a prosperous and stable South Asia.
Pakistan achieved real GDP growth of 6% during 2004-05 which is its best in nearly a decade.
Large middle class
Looking towards Karachi downtown
Measured by purchasing power, Pakistan has a 30 million strong middle class enjoying per capita incomes of $8000-$10,000, according to Dr. Ishrat Husain, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan [4]. In addition, Pakistan has a growing upper class with relatively high per capita incomes. However, Pakistan has no (USD) billionaires, according to Forbes magazine, and has the distinction of being (by population) the largest nation to have none.
Economic resilience
Pakistan's GDP growth was very slow in 1990's but it has grown rapidly since President Musharraf came to power and especially after US and European Union lifted economic and financial sanctions. In 2004 Pakistan's GDP growth rate was over 8% making it the second fastest growing country in Asia, after China. It's exports grew by as much as 17% and the country also saw increasing foreign investments in the IT sector, thanks to cheap labor, low tax rate and a large pool of english speakers.
If we look at the history, Pakistan's overall economic output (GDP) has grown every year since a 1951 recession. Despite this record of sustained growth, Pakistan's economy had, until a few years ago, been characterized as unstable and highly vulnerable to external and internal shocks. However, the economy proved to be unexpectedly resilient in the face of multiple adverse events concentrated into a four-year period: the Asian financial crisis, economic sanctions, global recession, a severe drought — the worst in Pakistan's history, lasting four years — and heightened perceptions of risk as a result of military tensions — with as many as a million troops on the border, and predictions of impending war — with India, and the post-9/11 military action in neighboring Afghanistan. Despite these adverse events, Pakistan's economy kept growing, and economic growth accelerated towards the end of this period. This resilience has led to a change in perceptions of the economy, with leading international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and ADB praising Pakistan's performance in the face of adversity.
Stock market
In the first three years of the current century, Pakistan's KSE-100 stock exchange index (Karachi Stock Exchange) was the best-performing major market index in the world, driven in part by profit growth, high dividend yields and greater transparency in publicly traded companies as a result of reforms enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.
Currency
The basic unit of currency is the Rupee, which is divided into 100 paisas. Since the turn of the century, a strengthening economy and large current-account surplus has caused the rupee's exchange rate to rise in value. In response, Pakistan's central bank has prevented the rupee from rising too much, by lowering interest rates and buying dollars, in order to preserve the country's export competitiveness. As of 2005, one US dollar is approximately equal to 60 rupees.
Manufacturing and finance
Pakistan's manufacturing sector has experienced double-digit growth in recent years, with large-scale manufacturing growing by 18% in 2003. A reduction in the fiscal deficit has resulted in less government borrowing in the domestic money market, lower interest rates, and an expansion in private sector lending to businesses and consumers. Foreign exchange reserves continued to reach new levels in 2003, supported by robust export growth and steady worker remittances.
Tax incentives for IT industry
The Government of Pakistan has, over the last few years, granted numerous incentives to technology companies wishing to do business in Pakistan. A combination of decade-plus tax holidays, zero duties on computer imports, government incentives for venture capital and a variety of programs for subsidizing technical education, are intended to give impetus to the nascant Information Technology industry.
Technology and the Internet
Paging and mobile (cellular) telephony were adopted early and freely. Cellular phones and the Internet were adopted through a rather laissez-faire policy with a proliferation of private service providers that led to fast adoption. Both have taken off and in the last few years of the '90s and first few years of the 2000s. With a rapid increase in the number of internet users and ISPs, and a large English-speaking population, Pakistani society has seen major changes.
- Pakistan has more than 10 million internet users as of 2005.
- Almost all of the main government departments, organisations and institutions have their own websites.
- The use of search engines and messenger services is also booming. Pakistanis are some of the most ardent chatters on the internet, communicating with users all over the world. Recent years have seen a huge increase in the use of online marriage services, for example, leading to a major re-alignment of the tradition of arranged marriages.
- As of 2005 there were 5 mobile companies operating in the country with nearly 10.5 million mobile phone users in the country.
- Wireless Loops and fixed line sector also has been liberalised and private sector has entered thus increasing the teledensity from less than 3% to more than 10% in span of two years.
- Country is said to have a potential to absorb upto 50 million mobile phone users in the next 5 years thus a potential of nearly 1 million connections per month
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Pakistan
Large population and decelerating population growth
Pakistan has the world's sixth largest population, more than Russia, but less than Brazil. Because of Pakistan's high growth rate, it is expected to overtake Brazil in population before 2025. Based on the high fertility rates of the 1980s, demographers had projected that Pakistan would be the third most populous nation by 2050. However, from 1988 onward, Pakistan's fertility rate has fallen faster than that of any other country except China (Feeney and Alam, 2003, PDF). It is now projected that its population will stabilize at a more sustainable level.
Religion
The Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan
The majority of the people of Pakistan are Muslim, with 97% of the population professing Islam to be their faith. Most muslims in Pakistan are Sunni (>75%) Shia (20%), although a number of smaller sects exist.
Pakistan has a small non-muslim population, mostly consisting of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Jews, and Animists in the remote Northern Areas. As in the rest of South Asia, Pakistan's religious demographics were altered by partition.
Languages
Urdu and English are both recognised as the official languages of Pakistan. English is used in government and corporate business and by the educated urban elite. Public universities use English as the medium of instruction. Urdu is the lingua franca of the people, being widely spoken as a second language, although it is the mother tongue of only 8% of the population — mainly Muhajirs, and mostly in Karachi. Besides these, nearly all Pakistanis speak mutually related Indo-European languages, of which the most widely spoken is Punjabi, followed by Pashto, Sindhi, and Balochi.
Ethnic groups
Punjabis comprise the largest ethnic group in the country. Other important ethnic groups include: Pashtun, Sindhis, Balochis, Muhajirs and Seraikis. Numerous other ethnic groups are mainly found in the northern parts of the country such as Turwalis, Kafiristanis, Hindko, Brahui, Kashmiris, Khowar, Shina and so forth. There are also sizeable numbers of other immigrant groups such as Afghans and Iranians who are found mainly in the NWFP and Baluchistan - in the 1980s, Pakistan accommodated over three million Afghan refugees - the largest refugee population in the world. Urdu-speaking Bengali immigrants, who identify with Pakistan, are mainly concentrated in Karachi.
Society and culture
Pakistan has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has actively preserved its established traditions throughout history. Many cultural practices and monuments have been inherited from the rule of Mughal emperors.
Pakistani society is largely multilingual and multicultural. Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society. Education is highly regarded by members of every socio-economic stratum. Traditional family values are highly respected and considered sacred, although urban families have grown into a nuclear family system, owing to the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional joint family system. The past few decades have seen emergence of a middle class in cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Gujrat, Abbottabad, Multan, etc. The Northwestern part of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, is highly conservative and dominated by centuries-old regional tribal customs.
Main article: Culture of Pakistan
Roots
Pakistan has a very rich cultural and traditional background going back to the Indus Valley Civilization, 2800 BC–1800 BC. The region that is now Pakistan has in the past been invaded and occupied by many different peoples, including Greeks, White Huns, Persians, Arabs, Turks, Mongols and various Eurasian groups. There are differences in culture among the different ethnic groups in matters such as dress, food, and religion, especially where pre-Islamic customs differ from Islamic practices.
Film and television
The Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan
Traditionally, the government-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has been the dominant media player in Pakistan. However past decade has seen emergence of several private TV channels (news , entertainment) such as the GEO TV and the ARY channel. Traditionally the bulk of TV shows have been plays or soap operas---some of them critically acclaimed. Various American, European, Asian and Indian TV channels and movies are available to a majority of the population via Cable TV.
Pakistani music is represented by a wide variety of forms. It ranges from traditional styles (such as Qawwali) to more modern forms that try to fuse traditional Pakistani music with western music. Qawwali maestro, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is internationally renowned for creating a form of music which synchronized Qawwali with western music. Popular forms of music also prevail, the most notable being Film music. In addition to this are the diverse traditions of folk music
An indigenous movie industry exists in Pakistan, and is known as Lollywood as it is based in Lahore, currently producing over 40 feature-length films a year. There was a time when Lollywood was churning out as many as 120 films a year. The Pushto film industry based in Peshawar still produces over 50 films a year.
Globalization
Increasing globalization has increased the influence of "Western culture" in Pakistan. Pakistan ranks 46th in the world on the Kearney/FP Globalization index. Many Western restaurant chains have established themselves in Pakistan, and are found in the major cities.
A large Pakistani diaspora exists in the West. Whereas Pakistanis in the United States, Canada and Australia tend to be professionals, the majority of them in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Scandinavian nations comes from a rural background and belongs to the working class. Pakistan has more expatriates than any other Muslim country, with a large number of expatriates living in the Middle East. Pakistani emigrants and their children influence Pakistan culturally and economically, keeping close ties with their roots by travelling to Pakistan and especially by returning or investing there.
Sports
The most popular sport, followed religiously in Pakistan, is Cricket. Pakistan has historically produced several multi-talented players who have been among the best batsmen and bowlers in the world. Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Inzimam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar are considered modern day greats. Almost every district and neighborhood in Pakistan has its cricket team and most people start playing from a young age. Pakistan has won several important international Cricket events, including the pinnacle of Cricket, the World Cup in 1992. Pakistan has always been considered one of the best in the world.
Hockey is also among the popular sport in Pakistan. Pakistan has won the gold medal at the Olympics and the Hockey World Cup a few times.
Squash is another sport that has a large following. Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan are considered as the greatest squash players of all time. No one has dominated a sport like these two have in modern history.
Football or Soccer is played in Pakistan as well, though mostly on a local level. Soccer is popular in Baluchistan and Frontier Provinces mainly. Most of the Players in the Nation Football Team hail from these areas.
Polo is believed to have originated in the northern parts of Pakistan, and continues to be an important sport there with several large annual competitions. Shandur Polo Tournament, played at the world's highest pologround is one of the biggest tourist draws to Chitral and Gilgit in Northern Pakistan.
Tennis is also very popular and Pakistanis compete in various international events. Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, the National Number 1, recently defeated Tennis Ace Paradorn Srichapan of Thailand to win the Davis Cup Asia-Oceana Zone 1.
Athletics Pakistanis compete in various athletic events including Swimming.
A-1 Grand Prix Coming soon to Pakistan.
Other popular sports followed on TV include Formula-1 motor racing, Basketball (NBA), Rugby, Table-Tennis, Chess, Badminton.
Mercantile culture
Pakistan's service sector accounts for 53% of the country's GDP. Wholesale and retail trade is 30% of this sector. Shopping is a popular pastime for many Pakistanis, especially among the well-to-do and the thirty-million strong middle class. The cities of Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Quetta are especially known for the great contrast in shopping experiences - from burgeoning bazaars to modern multi-story shopping malls. In particular, Lahore and Karachi are peppered with colourful shopping plazas.
Issues
See Status of minorities in Pakistan, Status of women in Pakistan, Federalism and devolution in Pakistan, Secularism in Pakistan, etc.
See also
External links
Economic and demographic data
Wild Life
Pakistani Government Links
Pakistani Publications & News
Pakistani TV Channels
Maps of Major Cities
Technology
History
Collections of images of Pakistan
Calling guide to Pakistan
Other external links
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