Pakistan

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This article is about the country. For other uses, see Pakistan (disambiguation).

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

( Urdu)

Islm Jumhriyah-yi Pkistn

Flag

Emblem

Motto: mn, Itti d, Nam

( Urdu)
"Faith, Unity, Discipline" [1]

Anthem: Qaum Tarna

"The National Anthem"[2]

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Area controlled by Pakistan shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled

territory shown in light green.

Capita
l

Islamabad
3340N 7310E

Larges

Karachi

t city
Officia

Urdu (National)[3][4][5]

English (official)

langua
ges
Region

Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi,Saraiki, Balochi, Kashmiri,Brahu

al

i, Hindko, Shina, Balti,Khowar, Burushaski Yidgha,Dam

langua

eli, Kalasha, Gawar-Bati, Domaaki[6][7]

ges
Religio
n
Demo

Islam
Pakistani

nym
Gover

Federal parliamentaryrepublic

nment
Presid

Mamnoon Hussain (PML-N)

-ent
Prime

Nawaz Sharif (PML-N)

-Minist
er
Chief

Jawwad S. Khawaja

-Justice
Chair

Raza Rabbani (PPP)

-man
Senate
Speak

Ayaz Sadiq (PML-N)

-er
Nation
al
Assem
bly
Legisl

Majlis-e-Soora

ature
Upper

Senate

-house
Lower

National Assembly

-house

Independence from the British Empire

Conce
-ption

29 December 1930

[8]

Declar

28 January 1933

-ation
Resol

23 March 1940

-ution
Domi

14 August 1947

-nion
Islami

23 March 1956

-c
Repub
lic
Fall of
-Dhaka

Area

16 December 1971

Total
Water

803,940 km2[a] (36th)

310,403 sq mi
3.1

-(%)

Population
2015 e

191,715,847 [10][11] (6th)

-stimat
e
Densit

234.4/km2 (55th)

-y

607.4/sq mi

GDP (

2015 estimate

PPP)
Total

$928.433 billion[12] (26th)

Per

$4,886[12] (136th)

-capita

GDP (

2015 estimate

nomina
l)
Total

$250.136 billion[13] (42nd)

Per

$1,342.7[13] (153rd)

-capita

Gini (2

30.0[14]

008)

medium

HDI (2

0.537[15]

013)

low 146th

Curre

Pakistani rupee () (PKR)

ncy
Time
zone

PKT (UTC+5)

Summ

(UTC+6b)

-er (DS
T)
Drives

left[16]

on the
Callin

+92

g code
ISO

PK

3166
code
Intern

.pk

et
TLD
See also Pakistani English.
Not always observed; see Daylight saving time in Pakistan.

Pakistan ( i/pkstn/ or i/pkistn/; Urdu: ALA-LC: Pkistn, pronounced [pksttn] (

listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: ALA-LC: Islm
Jumhriyah-yi Pkistn IPA: [slmi ddmurih pksttn]), is a sovereign country inSouth Asia.
With a population exceeding 191 million people,[10][17] it is the sixth most populous country and with an
area covering 796,095 km2(307,374 sq mi), it is the 36th largest country in the world in terms of area.
Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in
the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest
and China in the far northeast respectively. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's
narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and also shares a maritime borderwith Oman.
The territory that now constitutes Pakistan was previously home to several ancient cultures,
including the Mehrgarh of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and was later
home to kingdoms ruled by people of different faiths and cultures, including Hindus, IndoGreeks,Muslims, Turco-Mongols, Afghans and Sikhs. The area has been ruled by numerous
empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid
Empire, Alexander of Macedonia, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal
Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan
Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the subcontinent's struggle for independence, Pakistan
was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of
Subcontinent where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new
constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession
of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.
Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of four provinces and four federal territories. It
is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similar variation in its geography and wildlife.
A regional and middle power,[18][19] Pakistan has the seventh largest standing armed forces in the
world and is also a nuclear power as well as a declared nuclear-weapons state, being the only
nation in the Muslim world, and the second in South Asia, to have that status. It has a semiindustrialised economy with a well-integrated agriculture sector, its economy is the 26th largest in

the world in terms of purchasing power and 45th largest in terms of nominal GDP and is also
characterized among the emerging and growth-leading economies of the world.
The post-independence history of Pakistan has been characterised by periods of military rule,
political instability and conflicts with neighbouring India. The country continues to face challenging
problems, including overpopulation, terrorism, poverty, illiteracy, and corruption. Despite these
factors it ranked 16th on the 2012 Happy Planet Index.[20] and its stock exchange being ranked in top
ten.[21]
It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Next Eleven
Economies, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, ECO, UfC,D8, Cairns Group, Kyoto
Protocol, ICCPR, RCD, UNCHR, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Group of
Eleven, CPFTA, Group of 24, theG20 developing nations, ECOSOC, founding member of
the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, SAARC and CERN.[22]
Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology

2 History
o

2.1 Early and medieval age

2.2 Colonial period

2.3 Independence and modern Pakistan

3 Government and politics

o

3.1 Foreign relations of Pakistan

3.2 Administrative divisions

3.3 Military

3.4 Kashmir conflict

3.5 Law enforcement

4 Geography, environment and climate

o

4.1 Flora and fauna

4.2 National parks and wildlife sanctuaries

5 Infrastructure
o

5.1 Economy

5.2 Nuclear power

5.3 Tourism

5.4 Transport

5.5 Science and technology

5.6 Education

6 Demographics
6.1 Religion

7 Culture and society

o

7.1 Clothing, arts, and fashion

7.2 Feminism

7.3 Media and entertainment

7.4 Urbanisation

7.5 Diaspora

7.6 Literature and philosophy

7.7 Architecture

7.8 Food and drink

7.9 Sports

8 See also

9 Notes

10 References

11 Further reading

12 External links

Etymology
The name Pakistan literally means "Land of the Pure" in Urdu and Persian. It comes from the
word pk meaning pure in Persian and Pashto[23]while the word istn is a Persian word
meaning place of; it is a cognate of the Sanskrit word sthn (Devanagari: [sttan]).[24]

It was coined in 1933 as Pakstan by Choudhry Rahmat Ali, a Pakistan Movement activist, who
published it in his pamphlet Now or Never,[25] using it as an acronym ("thirty million Muslim brethren
who live in PAKSTAN") referring to the names of the five northern regions of the British
Raj:Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan".[26][27][28] The letter i was incorporated to ease
pronunciation and form the linguistically correct and meaningful name. [29]

History
Main articles: History of Pakistan and History of South Asia
You may need rendering
support to display the Urdu text in
this article correctly.

Early and medieval age

Main articles: Indo-Greek Kingdom, Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic Civilization, Sikh
Empire and Mughal Empire

Standing Buddha fromGandhara

Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in South Asia originated from areas encompassing
present-day Pakistan.[30] The earliest known inhabitants in the region were Soanian during the Lower
Paleolithic, of whom stone tools have been found in the Soan Valley of Punjab.[31] The Indus region,
which covers most of Pakistan, was the site of several successive ancient cultures including the
Neolithic Mehrgarh[32] and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation (28001800 BCE)
atHarappa and Mohenjo-Daro.[33][34]
The Vedic Civilization (1500500 BCE), characterised by Indo-Aryan culture, laid the foundations
of Hinduism, which would become well established in the region.[35][36] Multan was an important Hindu
pilgrimage centre.[37] The Vedic civilisation flourished in the ancient Gandhran city of Taksail,
now Taxila in Punjab.[32] Successive ancient empires and kingdoms ruled the region: the
Persian Achaemenid Empire around 519 BCE, Alexander the Great's empire in 326 BCE[38] and
the Maurya Empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya and extended by Ashoka the Great until 185
BCE.[32] The Indo-Greek Kingdom founded byDemetrius of Bactria (180165 BCE) included
Gandhara and Punjab and reached its greatest extent under Menander (165150 BCE), prospering
the Greco-Buddhistculture in the region.[32][39] Taxila had one of the earliest universities and centres of
higher education in the world.[40][41][42][43]

The Medieval period (6421219 CE) is defined by the spread of Islam in the region. During this
period, Sufi missionaries played a pivotal role in converting a majority of the regional Buddhist and
Hindu population to Islam.[44] The Rai Dynasty (489632 CE) of Sindh, at its zenith, ruled this region
and the surrounding territories.[45] The Pala Dynasty was the last Buddhist empire that
under Dharampala and Devapala stretched across South Asia from what is
now Bangladesh throughNorthern India to Pakistan and later to Kamboj region in Afghanistan.
The Arab conqueror Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Indus valley from Sindh to Multan in
southern Punjab in 711 CE.[46][47][48][49][50] The Pakistan government's official chronology identifies this as
the point where the "foundation" of Pakistan was laid.[46][51][52] This conquest set the stage for the rule of
several successive Muslim empires in the region, including the Ghaznavid Empire(9751187 CE),
the Ghorid Kingdom and the Delhi Sultanate (12061526 CE). The Lodi dynasty, the last of the Delhi
Sultanate, was replaced by the Mughal Empire (15261857 CE). The Mughals introduced Persian
literature and high culture, establishing the roots of Indo-Persian culture in the region.[53] In the early
16th century, the region remained under the Mughal Empire ruled by Muslim emperors.[54] By the
early 18th century, the increasing European influence caused to slowly disintegrate the empire with
the lines between commercial and political dominance being increasingly blurred. [54]

Edwin Lord Weeks illustration of an open-air restaurant near Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore.

During this time, the English East India Company, had established coastal outposts.[54] Control over
the seas, greater resources, technology, and militaryforce projection by East India
Company of British Empire led it to increasingly flex its military muscle; a factor that was crucial in
allowing theCompany to gain control over subcontinent by 1765 and sidelining the European
competitors.[55] Expanding access beyond Bengal and the subsequent increased strength and size of
its army enabled it to annex or subdue most of region by the 1820s.[54] To many historians, this
marked the starting of region's colonial period. [54] By this time, with its economic power severely
curtailed by the British parliament and itself effectively made an arm of British administration,
the Company began to more consciously enter non-economic arenas such as education, social
reform, and culture.[54] Such reforms included the enforcement of English Education Act in 1835 and
the introduction of the Indian Civil Service (ICS).[56] Traditional madrasahs primary institutions of
higher learning for Muslims in the subcontinent were no longer supported by the English Crown,
and nearly all of the madrasahslost their financial endowment.[57]

Colonial period
Main articles: Pakistan Movement, Aligarh Movement and British Raj

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-98) whose visionformed the basis of Pakistan

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (18761948) served as Pakistan's first Governor-General and the leader of the Pakistan
Movement

The gradual decline of the Mughal Empire in the early 18th century enabled the Sikh Empire's
influence to control larger areas until the British East-India Company gained ascendancy over
the Indian subcontinent.[58] The rebellion in 1857 (or Sepoy mutiny) was the region's major armed
struggle against theBritish Empire and Queen Victoria.[59] Divergence in
the relationship between Hinduism and Islam created a major rift in British India; thus instigating
racially-motivated religious violence in India.[60] The language controversy further escalated the
tensions between Hindus and Muslims.[61] The Hindu renaissance witnessed the awakening of
intellectualism in traditional Hinduism and saw the emergence of more assertive influence in the
social and political spheres in British India.[62][63] Intellectual movement to counter the Hindu
renaissance was led by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who help founded the All-India Muslim League in
1901 and envisioned as well as advocated for the two-nation theory.[58] In contrast to the Indian
Congress's anti-British efforts, the Muslim League was a pro-British whose political
program inherited the British values that would shape Pakistan's future civil society.[64][65] In events
during World War I, British Intelligence foiled an anti-English conspiracy involving the nexus
of Congress and the German Empire.[66] The largely non-violent independence struggle led by the
Indian Congress engaged millions of protesters in mass campaigns of civil disobedience in the
1920s and 1930s against theBritish Empire.[67][68][69]

Over 10 million people were uprooted from their homeland and travelled on foot, bullock carts and trains to their
promised new home during thePartition of India. During the partition between 200,000 to 500,000 people were
killed in the retributive genocide.[70]

The Muslim League slowly rose to mass popularity in the 1930s amid fears of under-representation
and neglect of Muslims in politics. In his presidential address of 29 December 1930, Allama
Iqbal called for "the amalgamation of North-West Muslim-majority Indian states" consisting
of Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sind and Baluchistan.[71] Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder
of Pakistan, greatly espoused thetwo-nation theory and led the Muslim League to adopt the Lahore
Resolution of 1940, popularly known as the Pakistan Resolution.[58] In World War
II, Jinnah and British educated founding fathers in the Muslim League supported the United
Kingdom's war efforts, countering opposition against it whilst working towards Sir Syed's vision.[72]
As cabinet mission failed in India, the Great Britain announced the intentions to end its raj in India in
194647.[73] Nationalists in British India including Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam
Azad of Congress, Jinnah of Muslim League, and Master Tara Singh representing the Sikhsagreed
to the proposed terms of transfer of power and independence in June 1947. [74] As the United
Kingdom agreed upon partitioning of India in 1947, the modern state of Pakistan was established
on 14 August 1947 (27th of Ramadan in 1366 of the Islamic Calendar) in amalgamating the Muslimmajorityeastern and northwestern regions of British India.[69] It comprised the provinces
of Balochistan, East Bengal, the North-West Frontier Province,West Punjab and Sindh; thus forming
Pakistan.[58][74] The partitioning of Punjab and Bengal led to the series of violent communal riots
across India and Pakistan; millions of Muslims moved to Pakistan and millions of Hindus and Sikhs
moved to India.[75] Dispute over Jammu and Kashmir led to the First Kashmir War in 1948.[76][77]

Independence and modern Pakistan

Main articles: Monarchy of Pakistan, Dominion of Pakistan and History of Pakistan

The American CIA film on Pakistan made in 1950 examines the history and geography of Pakistan.

After independence from the partition of India in 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah,
the President of Muslim League, became nation's first Governor-Generalas well as first PresidentSpeaker of the Parliament.[78] Meanwhile, Pakistan's founding fathers agreed upon appointing Liaquat
Ali Khan, the secretary-general of the party, nation's first Prime Minister. A dominion status in
the Commonwealth of Nations, Pakistan was under two British monarch whenGeorge
VI relinquished the title of Emperor of India to become King of Pakistan in 1947.[78] After George VI's
death on 6 February 1952, Elizabeth IIbecame the Queen of Pakistan who retained the title until
Pakistan becoming the Islamic republic in 1956,[79] but democracy was stalled by the martial
law enforced by President Iskander Mirza who was replaced by army chief, General Ayub Khan.
Forming presidential system in 1962, the country experienced exceptional growth until a second
war with India in 1965 which led to economic downfall and wide-scale public disapproval in 1967.[80]
[81]
Consolidating the control from Ayub Khan in 1969, President Yahya Khan had to deal with a
devastating cyclone which caused 500,000 deaths in East Pakistan.[82]

Signing of Tashkent Declaration to end hostilities withIndia in 1965 in Tashkent, USSR, by

President Ayub alongside withBhutto (center) and Aziz Ahmed(left).

In 1970, Pakistan held its first democratic elections since independence, that were meant to mark a
transition frommilitary rule to democracy, but after the East Pakistani Awami League won
against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP); Yahya Khan and military establishment refused to hand over
power.[83][84] Instigated civil unrest invited the militarylaunched an operation on 25 March 1971, aiming
to regain control of the province.[83][84] The genocide carried out during this operation led to a
declaration of independence and to the waging of a war of liberation by the Bengali Mukti
Bahini forces in East Pakistan, with support from India.[84][85] However, in West Pakistan the conflict
was described as a civil war as opposed to War of Liberation.[86]
Independent estimates of civilian deaths during this period range from 300,000 to 3 million.
[87]
Preemptive strikes on India by the Pakistan's air force, navy, andmarines sparked
the conventional war in 1971, which witnessed the Indian victory and East
Pakistan gaining independence as Bangladesh.[84]
With Pakistan surrendering in the war, Yahya Khan was replaced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as President;
the country worked towards promulgating constitution and putting the country on roads
of democracy. Democratic rule resumed from 1972 to 1977 an era of self-consciousness,
intellectual leftism, nationalism, and nationwide reconstruction.[88] During this period, Pakistan
embarked on ambitiously developing the nuclear deterrence in 1972 in a view to prevent any foreign
invasion; the country's first nuclear power plant was inaugurated, also the same year.[89]
[90]
Accelerated in response to first nuclear test by India in 1974, thiscrash program completed in
1979.[90] Democracy ended with a military coup in 1977 against the leftist PPP, which saw
General Zia-ul-Haq become the presidentin 1978. From 197788,
President Zia's corporatisation and economic Islamisation initiatives led to Pakistan becoming one of
the fastest-growing economies in South Asia.[91] While consolidating the nuclear development,
increasing Islamization,[92] and the rise of homegrown conservative philosophy, Pakistan helped
subsidize and distribute U.S. resources to factions of the mujahideen against
the USSR's intervention in communist Afghanistan.[93][94]
President Zia died in a plane crash in 1988, and Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was
elected as the country's first female Prime Minister. ThePakistan Peoples Party followed by
conservative Pakistan Muslim League (N), and over the next decade whose two leaders fought for
power, alternating in office while the country's situation worsened; economic indicators fell sharply, in
contrast to the 1980s. This period is marked by prolonged stagflation,

instability, corruption, nationalism, geopoliticalrivalry with India, and the clash of left wing-right
wing ideologies.[95][96] As PML(N) secured a supermajority in elections in 1997, Sharif authorised
the nuclear testings (See:Chagai-I and Chagai-II), as a retaliation to second nuclear tests ordered
by India, led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in May 1998.[97]

President Bush meets with PresidentMusharraf in Islamabad during his 2006 visit to Pakistan.

Military tension between the two countries in the Kargil district led to the Kargil War of 1999, and a
turbulence in civic-military relations allowed General Pervez Musharraf took over through
a bloodless coup d'tat.[98][99] Musharraf governed Pakistan as chief executive from 1999 to 2001 and
as President from 2001 to 2008 a period of enlightenment, social liberalism, extensive economic
reforms,[100] and direct involvement in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. When the National
Assembly historically completed its first full five-year term on 15 November 2007, the new elections
were called by theElection Commission.[101] After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007,
the PPP secured largest votes in the elections of 2008, appointing party member Yousaf Raza
Gillani as Prime Minister.[102] Threatened with facing impeachment, President Musharraf resigned on
18 August 2008, and was succeeded by Asif Ali Zardari.[103][104][105] Clashes with
the judicature prompted Gillani's disqualification from the Parliament and as the Prime Minister in
June 2012.[106] By its own financial calculations, Pakistan's involvement in the war on terrorism has
cost up to ~$67.93 billion,[107][108]thousands of casualties and nearly 3 million displaced civilians.
[109]
The general election held in 2013 saw the PML(N) almost achieve a supermajority, following
which Nawaz Sharif became elected as the Prime Minister, returning to the post for the third time
after fourteen years, in a democratic transition.[110]

Government and politics

Main articles: Government of Pakistan, Politics of Pakistan, Political history of Pakistan and Human
rights in Pakistan
Pakistan is a democratic parliamentary federal republic with Islam as the state religion.[111] The first
set was adopted in 1956 but suspended by Ayub Khan in 1958 who replaced it with the second
set in 1962.[69] Complete and comprehensive Constitution was adopted in 1973suspended by Ziaul-Haq in 1977 but reinstated in 1985is the country's most important document, laying the
foundations of the current government.[112] The Pakistani military establishment has played an
influential role in mainstream politics throughout Pakistan's political history.[69] Presidents are brought
in by military coups who imposed in martial law in 19581971, 19771988, and 19992008.[113] As of
now, Pakistan has a multi-party parliamentary system with clear division of
powersand responsibilities between branches of government. The first successful demonstrative
transaction was held in May 2013. Politics in Pakistan is centered and dominated by the homegrown
conceivesocial philosophy, consisting the ideas of socialism, conservatism, and the third way. As of
the general elections held in 2013, the three main dominated political parties in the country:
the centre-right conservative Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N); the centre-left socialist Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP); and the centrist and third-way Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI) led
by cricketerImran Khan.

Head of State: The President who is elected by an Electoral College is the ceremonial head
of the state and is the civilian commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces (with Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee as its principal military adviser), but military appointments and
key confirmations in the armed forces are made by the Prime Minister after reviewing the reports
on their merit and performances. Almost all appointed officers in
the judicature, military, chairman joint chiefs and joint staff, and legislatures require the executive
confirmation from the Prime Minister, whom the President must consult, by law. However, the
powers to pardon and grant clemency vest with the President of Pakistan.

Legislative: The bicameral legislature comprises a 100-member Senate (upper house) and a
342-member National Assembly (lower house). Members of the National Assembly are elected
through the first-past-the-post system under universal adult suffrage, representing electoral
districts known as National Assembly constituencies. According to the constitution, the 70 seats
reserved for women and religious minorities are allocated to the political parties according to
their proportional representation. Senate members are elected by provincial legislators, with all
of provinces have equal representation.

Executive: The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the majority rule party or a coalition in
the National Assembly the lower house. The Prime Minister serves as the head of
governmentand is designated to exercise as the country's chief executive. The Prime Minister is
responsible for appointing a cabinet consisting of ministers and advisors as well as running the
government operations, taking and authorizing executive decisions, appointments and
recommendations that require executive confirmation of the Prime Minister.

Provincial governments: Each of the four province has a similar system of government, with
a directly elected Provincial Assembly in which the leader of the largest party or coalition is
electedChief Minister. Chief Ministers oversees the provincial governments and head the
provincial cabinet, it is common in Pakistan to have different ruling parties or coalitions in each
provinces. The provincial assemblies have power to make laws and approve provincial budget
which is commonly presented by the provincial finance minister every fiscal year. Provincial
governors who play role as the ceremonial head of province are appointed by the President.[112]

Judicature: The judiciary of Pakistan is a hierarchical system with two classes of courts: the
superior (or higher) judiciary and the subordinate (or lower) judiciary. The Chief Justice of
Pakistan is the chief judge who oversees the judicature's court system at all levels of command.
The superior judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Federal Shariat
Court and fiveHigh Courts, with the Supreme Court at the apex. The Constitution of
Pakistan entrusts the superior judiciary with the obligation to preserve, protect and defend the
constitution. Neither the Supreme Court nor a High Court may exercise jurisdiction in relation to
Tribal Areas, except otherwise provided for. The disputed regions of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit
Baltistan have separate court systems.