PAKISTAN

The name Pakistan means Land of the PURE in URDU and PERSIAN(farsi). The name Pakistan is derived from
the Urdu words Pak (meaning pure) and stan (meaning country). It was coined in 1934 as Pakstan by
ChoudharyRahmat Ali who published it in his pamphlet Now or Never .The name represented the "thirty million
Muslims of PAKISTAN, who live in the five Northern Units of British raj—Punjab, Afgania (also known as North-
West Frontier Province), Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan”.

COUNTRY PROFILE

President: Asif Ali Zardari (2008)

Prime minister: Yousaf Raza Gilani (2008)
Formal Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Short Form: Pakistan.
Term for Citizens: Pakistani(s).
Capital: Islamabad (Islamabad Capital Territory).
Date of Independence: August 14, 1947, from Britain.
National Holiday: Pakistan Day (proclamation of the republic), March 23, 1956.

GEOGRAPHY

Size: Total land area estimated to be 796,095 square kilometers.

Topography: Three major geographic areas: northern highlands, Indus River plain, and Balochistan Plateau.
Climate: Generally arid; hot summers, cool or cold winters; wide variations of temperature in given locale and
between coastal area on Arabian Sea and glacial regions of northern areas; little rainfall.

SOCIETY

Population: 1994 (July) estimated 129 million; annual growth rate officially estimated at 3.1 percent. The
estimated population of Pakistan in 2009 was over 180,000,000 making it the world's sixth most-populous country,
behind Brazil and ahead of Russia.
Language: Urdu official language, but English in general use in government, military, business, and higher
education.
Religion: About 97 percent of Pakistanis are Muslim, 77 percent of whom are Sunnis and 20 percent Shia;
remaining 3 percent of population divided equally among Christians, Hindus, and other religions.
Education:Education organized into five levels: primary (grades one through five); middle (grades six through
eight); high (grades nine and ten); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve); and university undergraduate and
graduate programs. Preparatory classes (kachi, or nursery) formally incorporated into the system in 1988.

ECONOMY

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): In FY 1993, equivalent of US$50.8 billion, or about US$408 per capita; GDP
growth rate averaged 5.3 percent a year between 1950 and 1993.
Industry: Leading growth component of economy, industry (including mining, manufacturing, and utilities)
accounted for about 21.7 percent of GDP in FY 1993, up from 8 percent in FY 1950, and employed 13 percent of
labor force.
Services: Services, including construction, trade, transportation and communications, and other services, accounted
for 53.3 percent of GDP in FY 1993 and employed 39 percent of labor force. About 7 percent of civilian work force
employed in construction, 13 percent in trade, 5 percent in transportation, and 14 percent in other services.
Energy: Firewood, bagasse, and dung major energy sources. Small crude oil production; over 90 percent of
petroleum requirements imported. Natural gas, oil, and hydroelectric power major domestic commercial energy
sources. Substantial deposits of poor-quality coal.
Foreign Trade: Cotton and rice major exports; petrochemicals, chemicals, machinery, and transportation
equipment major imports.
Currency and Exchange Rate: Rupee (Rs) divided into 100 paisa. US$1=Rs30.30 rupees in February 1994.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Government: Has shifted among various forms of parliamentary, military, and presidential governments in pursuit
of political stability. Bicameral legislature, Majlis-i-Shoora (Council of Advisors), consists of Senate (upper house)
and National Assembly (lower house).
Politics: Return of democracy and open political debate after death of General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq in 1988;
politics characterized by varied and volatile mix of ethnic, and regional alliances. Major political parties include
Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif faction), Muhajir Qaumi Mahaz (MQM),
Awami National Party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Jamiat-ul-Ulama-i-Islam (JUI), Jamiat-ul-Ulama-e-Pakistan (JUP), and
Solidarity Movement (Tehrik-i-Istiqlal).
Judicial System: Supreme Court, provincial high courts, and other lesser courts exercise civil and criminal
jurisdiction. Federal Shariat Court decides if a civil law is repugnant to injunctions of Islam.

TRADITIONAL KINSHIP PATTERNS

Pakistani social life revolves around family and kin. Children live with their parents until marriage, and sons often
stay with their parents after marriage, forming a joint family. The household is the primary kinship unit. Marriage is
a process of acquiring new relatives or reinforcing the ties one has with others.

SPORTS

Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan

Polo is regarded as a traditional sport and played widely in the northern areasThe official and national sport of
Pakistan is field hockey although cricket is more popular.