NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Republic of Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان, islāmī jamhūriya i pākistān), or Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان, pākistān) is a country located in 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 around 162 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country, the second most populous Muslim-majority nation. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the OIC. Instead of this image, please use Image:Flag of Pakistan. ... National Emblem of Pakistan (large) This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The National flag of Pakistan was designed by Ameer-ud-Din Khidwai, and was adopted three days before independence on August 11, 1947. ... The National Emblem of Pakistan was adopted in 1954 upon approval by the government. ... Here is a list of state mottos for countries and their subdivisions around the world. ... Urdu(اردو) is an Indo-European language which originated in India, most likely in the vicinity of Delhi, from whence it spread to the rest of the subcontinent. ... Image File history File links Location map for the Pakistan. ... An official language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... Urdu (Ø§Ø±Ø¯Ùˆ) is an Indo-European language which originated in India, most likely in the vicinity of Delhi, whence it spread to the rest of the subcontinent. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital â€” although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... Faisal Mosque, located in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, was built in 1986. ... Karachi (Ú©Ø±Ø§Ú†ÙŠ) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... The President of Pakistan is Pakistans Head of State. ... General Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: ; born August 11, 1943, Near Delhi, India) became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup dÃ©tat. ... The Prime Minister of Pakistan is the Head of Government of Pakistan. ... Shaukat Aziz (picture),born March 6, 1949 in Karachi, Pakistan) is the current Finance Minister and Prime Minister of Pakistan. ... This article explains the meaning of area as a physical quantity. ... Here is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Population density can be used as a measurement of any tangible item. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population, estimated for the year 2005. ... In economics, purchasing power parity (PPP) is a method used to calculate an alternative exchange rate between the currencies of two countries. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP) for the year of 2005, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. ... This is a list of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, divided by the average population for the same year. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Broadly defined, a republic is a state or country that is led by principles established by the state for the benifit of its own populace, independent of the political power of outside influences. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Islam listen? (Arabic: al-islÄm) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ... The Pakistani Rupee (PKR) is the official currency of Pakistan. ... Time zones are areas of the Earth that have adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, is an atomic realization of Universal Time or Greenwich Mean Time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is formally recognized by a countrys government as their states official national song. ... PÄk sarzamÄ«n shÄd bÄd (Ù¾Ø§Ú© Ø³Ø±Ø²Ù…ÛŒÙ† Ø´Ø§Ø¯ Ø¨Ø§Ø¯) (Blessed be the Sacred Land) is the national anthem of Pakistan. ... A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of an Internet domain name. ... .pk is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for Pakistan. ... // At a glance In depth Zone 1 â€“ North American Numbering Plan Area nanpa. ... A game of field hockey in progress Field Hockey is a popular sport for men and women in many countries around the world. ... Urdu(اردو) is an Indo-European language which originated in India, most likely in the vicinity of Delhi, from whence it spread to the rest of the subcontinent. ... Composite satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... Map of the Arabian Sea. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population, estimated for the year 2005. ... A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…) is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ... OIC may stand for: Organization of the Islamic Conference Office of Independent Council Office of Internal Communications Office of the Information Commissioner In Internet slang Oh, I see - also popular, in same usage, as comedic element from a scene in Disneys animated movie version of Tarzan. ...

1 History
2 Politics
- 2.1 Domestic politics
- 2.2 Foreign relations
3 Geography
4 Economy
5 Demographics
6 Subdivisions
7 Society and culture
8 See also
9 External links

History

Main article: History of Pakistan (Including pre-history, civilizations of the region, up until modern events) The History of Pakistan for times preceding 1947 overlaps with that of the history of the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Iran. ...

Other articles:History of India, History of Afghanistan, History of Iran, History of South Asia. The History of India for times preceding 1947 is inseparable from that of the history of the Indian subcontinent as a whole. ... // History of Afghanistan Afghanistans history, internal political development, foreign relations, and very existence as an independent state have largely been determined by its geographic location at the crossroads of Central, West, and South Asia. ... Golden Rhyton from Irans Achaemenid period. ... This article is about the History of South Asia. ...

Pakistan is a post-colonial country which inherits a long and rich history of India, Afghanistan and Persia (Iran). As one of the cradles of human civilization, what is today Pakistan, has long been at the crossroads of history. Pakistan was the site of the Indus Valley civilization and was subsequently conquered by many groups, including Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, White Huns, and Scythians, and various other more obscure groups. This period saw the country advance in trade and culture to a level where the Gandhara region and the great city of Taxila became a global center of learning and development. Later invaders included Arabs, Turks and Mongols. The arrival of the Arab (muslim) armies in the modern day states of Sindh and Punjab set the stage for the geographic boundries of the modern state of Pakistan and formed the foundation for Islamic rule which was destined to spread across much of South Asia. This region was ruled by the Mughals from 1526 until 1739 and from 1739 until the early 19th century the entire region was ruled by the Afghans, Baluchis and Sikhs. After that, it was annexed by the British empire and stayed part of British India until 1947, with much civil unrest, especially in the regions which were predominantly Afghan. 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 separation 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 mysterious plane crash in 1988, 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. The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... The Indus Valley Civilization existed along the Indus River in present-day Pakistan. ... This article is about the term Aryan. For Arian, a follower of the ancient Christian sect, See Arianism. ... Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Dynasty was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire, including Cyrus II the Great, Darius I and Xerxes I. At the height of their power, the Achaemenid rulers of Persia ruled over territories roughly emcompassing some parts of todays Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon... Approximate extent of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom circa 220 BCE. The Greco-Bactrians were a dynasty of Greek kings who controlled Bactria and Sogdiana, an area comprising todays northern Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, the easternmost area of the Hellenistic world, from 250 to 125 BCE. Their expansion... Boundary of the Kushan empire, c. ... The Hephthalites, also known as White Huns, were a nomadic people who lived across northern China, Central Asia, and northern India in the fourth through sixth centuries. ... Scythia was an area in Eurasia inhabited in ancient times by an Indo-Aryans known as the Scythians. ... Buddhas First Sermon at Sarnath, Kushan Period, ca. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... The Baluch (alternative spelling Baloch) are an ethnic group of Iranian origin. ... A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab. ... The British Raj is an informal term for the period of British rule of most of the Indian subcontinent, or present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon). ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (Meaning: Land of five Rivers) (also Panjab, Gurmukhi: à¨ªà©°à¨œà¨¾à¨¬, Devanagari: à¤ªà¤‚à¤œà¤¾à¤¬, Shahmukhi: Ù¾Ù†Ø¬Ø§Ø¨) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly included the modern state of Bangladesh. ... A database query syntax error has occurred. ... It has been suggested that East Bengal (province) be merged into this article or section. ... The Bangladesh Liberation War (two other names are also used occasionally) refers to a roughly nine-month armed conflict between West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh. ... The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. ... It has been suggested that East Bengal (province) be merged into this article or section. ... Ayub Khan (May 14, 1907 â€“ April 19, 1974) was a Field Marshal during the mid-1960s, and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (February 4, 1917 â€“ August 10, 1980) was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (January 5, 1928 â€“ April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician, active in the early years of the Pakistani Government. ... General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (August 12, 1924–August 17, 1988) ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988. ... Benazir Bhutto; a formal portrait from when she was Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (born June 21, 1953) became the first woman to lead a Muslim country in modern times when she was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988, only to be deposed 20 months later by the President of... Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (January 5, 1928 â€“ April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician, active in the early years of the Pakistani Government. ... Nawaz Sharif (born December 25, 1949) was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms. ... General Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: ; born August 11, 1943, Near Delhi, India) became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup dÃ©tat. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Politics

Domestic politics

Main article: Politics of Pakistan // Overview Political Groupings Pakistans two largest mainstream parties are the left-wing Pakistan Peoples Party and the centrist Pakistan Muslim League. ...

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 October 2002 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] Broadly defined, a republic is a state or country that is led by principles established by the state for the benifit of its own populace, independent of the political power of outside influences. ... The term authoritarian is used to describe an organization or a state which enforces strong and sometimes oppressive measures against the population, generally without attempts at gaining the consent of the population. ... The President of Pakistan is Pakistans Head of State. ... Ayub Khan (May 14, 1907 â€“ April 19, 1974) was a Field Marshal during the mid-1960s, and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969. ... Though a term originally coined for presidents of republics, a head of state or chief of state is now universally known as the chief public representative of a nation-state, federation or commonwealth, whose role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers... The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ...

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. Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the Great Leader of the Muslim League The All India Muslim League was a political party in British India and was the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state from British India on the Indian subcontinent. ... Jamaat-e-Islami (Urdu/Arabic/Persian: Ø¬Ù…Ø§Ø¹Øª Ø§Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù…ÙŠ, Islamic Assembly) is a political party in Pakistan. ... The Pakistan Peoples Party is a political party in Pakistan. ...

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. The Pakistan Muslim League (Q), or PML-Q, is a political party in Pakistan. ... The Pakistan Muslim League (N) is a political party in Pakistan. ... Chaudhry Shujat Hussein; former Prime Minister of Pakistan Chaudhry Shujat Hussain (born 1946) is a politician from Pakistan who was the Prime Minister of that country from June 30, 2004 until August 28, 2004. ... Nawaz Sharif (born December 25, 1949) was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms. ... A plurality (or relative majority) is the largest share of something, which may or may not be a majority. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal also known as the MMA is an alliance between religious-political parties in Pakistan. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, 1980. ...

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. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... General Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: ; born August 11, 1943, Near Delhi, India) became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup dÃ©tat. ... Nawaz Sharif (born December 25, 1949) was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The President of Pakistan is chosen by an electoral college. ...

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. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali (born January 1, 1944) is a former Prime Minister of Pakistan. ... Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the Great Leader of the Muslim League The All India Muslim League was a political party in British India and was the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state from British India on the Indian subcontinent. ... The Prime Minister of Pakistan is the Head of Government of Pakistan. ... The Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 2003 was an amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan passed in December 2003, after over a year of political wrangling between supporters and opponents of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. ... The President of Pakistan is chosen by an electoral college. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the Great Leader of the Muslim League The All India Muslim League was a political party in British India and was the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state from British India on the Indian subcontinent. ... Chaudhry Shujat Hussein; former Prime Minister of Pakistan Chaudhry Shujat Hussain (born 1946) is a politician from Pakistan who was the Prime Minister of that country from June 30, 2004 until August 28, 2004. ... Chinatown Citibank branch (New York, New York, USA). ... Shaukat Aziz (picture),born March 6, 1949 in Karachi, Pakistan) is the current Finance Minister and Prime Minister of Pakistan. ...

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Pakistan Pakistan is an active member of the United Nations. ...

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. The Central Treaty Organization (also referred to as CENTO, the successor to the Middle East Treaty Organization or METO, also known as the Baghdad Pact) was adopted in 1955 by Iraq, Turkey, Iran, as well as United States chose not to initially participate as to avoid alienating Arab states with... External links kamouflage. ... The flag of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an inter-governmental organization with a Permanent Delegation to the United Nations. ... There are currently five states considered to be nuclear weapons states, an internationally recognized status conferred by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). ...

Geography

Main article: Geography of Pakistan Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north. ...

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. Map of the Arabian Sea. ...

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 Indus (Daria-e-Sindh, à¤¸à¤¿à¤¨à¥â€à¤§à¥ à¤¨à¤¦à¥€) (known as Sindhu to Indians and in Sanskrit, as Sinthos in Greek, and Sindus in Latin) is the principal river of Pakistan. ... Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, 1980. ...

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. K2 (also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, Lambha Pahar, Chogori, Kechu or Dapsang) is a mountain in the Karakoram, part of the Himalaya range, on the border between China and the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ... The Thar Desert (also known as the Great Indian Desert) is a desert mainly goo goo gaa gaa into Pakistan as the Cholistan Desert. ...

Economy

Main article: Economy of Pakistan Pakistan is a developing country with the worlds sixth-largest population, and an economic growth rate that has been consistently positive since a 1951 recession. ...

Overview

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 early 1960s, Pakistan was seen as a model of economic development around the world, and there was much praise for the way its economy was progressing. Many countries sought to emulate Pakistan's economic planning strategy and one of them, South Korea, copied its Second Five Year Plan, 1960-65. Pakistan was well ahead in South Asia, and is the 2nd most developed of the three most populous countries in the region, after India. 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. A developing country is a country with a low income average, a relatively backwards infrastructure and a poor human development index when compared to the global norm. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population, estimated for the year 2005. ... Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. ... Financial services is the largest industry (or category of industries) in the world in terms of earnings (20% of market cap in the S&P 500 in 2004). ... A sector is a part of a whole. ... In the foreign exchange market, foreign currencies are bought and sold â€”the goal of a currency trader is to profit from purchasing and selling currencies as their relative values fluctuate. ... Hard currency, in economics, refers to a currency in which investors have confidence, such as that of a politically stable country with low inflation and consistent monetary and fiscal policies, and one that if anything is tending to appreciate against other currencies on a trade-weighted basis. ... The term current account usually refers to the current account of the balance of payments (BOP) and contains the import and export items of goods and services as well as transfer payments including net investment income. ...

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

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. The State Bank of Pakistan is Pakistans central bank. ...

Economic resilience

In the early 1960s, Pakistan was seen as a model of economic development around the world, In 1990s Pakistan's GDP growth was very slow. But now it has grown rapidly since President Musharraf came to power. In 2004 Pakistan's GDP growth rate was over 8% which is higher 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. A recession is usually defined in macroeconomics as a fall of a countrys real Gross National Product in two or more successive quarters of a year. ... In economics a shock is an unexpected or unpredictable event that affects an economy. ... The Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand, and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices of several Asian countries, many part of the East Asian Tigers. ... Economic sanctions are economic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries) on another for a variety of reasons. ... A recession is usually defined in macroeconomics as a fall of a countrys real Gross National Product in two or more successive quarters of a year. ... A drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. ... The War on terrorism or War on terror (in US foreign policy circles, the global war on terrorism or GWOT ) was the term originally used by the United States government and its principal allies in its an ongoing campaign to destroy individuals and groups deemed to be terrorist and terrorist...

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. Top 100 listed companies where most of the trading is done in volume called 100-index. ... A stock market index is a listing of stocks, and a statistic reflecting the composite value of its components. ... Commonly used stock market indices include: // National indexes Equity indices ordered by nationality of companies (in alphabetical order). ... The dividend yield on a company stock is the companys annual dividend payments divided by its market cap, or the dividend per share divided by the price per share. ... In the physical sciences, specifically in optics, a transparent physical object is one that can be seen through. ... A publicly traded corporation often refers to a company whose shares are traded on the open market, such as a stock market. ...

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. The Pakistani Rupee (PKR) is the official currency of Pakistan. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. The term fiscal refers to government debt, expenditures and revenues, sometimes also to finance (particularly financial revenue) in general. ... A budget deficit occurs when an entity (often a government) spends more money than it takes in. ... The money market is a general term for the markets in which banks lend to and borrow from each other, trade financial instruments such as Certificates of Deposit (CDs) or enter agreements such as Repos and Reverses. ... An interest rate is the rental price of money. ... The private sector of a nations economy consists of those entities which are not controlled by the state - i. ...

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 nascent Information Technology industry. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A tax holiday is a temporary reduction or elimination of a tax. ... A tariff is a tax placed on imported and/or exported goods, sometimes called a customs duty. ... Venture capital is a general term to describe financing for startup and early stage businesses as well as businesses in turn around situations. ... Categories: Information technology ...

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. An Internet service provider (ISP) is a business or organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. ...

Pakistan has more than 10 million internet users as of 2005. Country is said to have a potential to absorb upto 50 million mobile phone Internet users in the next 5 years thus a potential of nearly 1 million connections per month

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 6 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

An arranged marriage is a marriage where the marital partners are chosen by others based on considerations other than the pre-existing mutual attraction of the partners. ...

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Pakistan // Population data Demographics of Pakistan, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ...

Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, 1980

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1014x972, 166 KB) Pakistan (Major Ethnic Groups) 1980 This image is a copy of pakistan_ethnic_80. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1014x972, 166 KB) Pakistan (Major Ethnic Groups) 1980 This image is a copy of pakistan_ethnic_80. ...

Population statistics

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. Predicted year for the start of widespread use of the IPv6 Internet Protocol. ... Centuries: 20th century - 21st century - 22nd century Decades: 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s - 2050s - 2060s 2070s 2080s 2090s 2100s Years: 2045 2046 2047 2048 2049 - 2050 - 2051 2052 2053 2054 2055 Predictions relating to year 2050 April 19 - The United States of America is 100,000 days old. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Religion

The majority of the people of Pakistan are Muslim, with 96.3% 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. A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…) is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ...

Pakistan has a small non-muslim population, mostly consisting of Christians 2.5%, Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Jews, and Animists in the remote Northern Areas 1.2%. As in the rest of South Asia, Pakistan's religious demographics were altered by partition. In its simplist form, a Christian is a follower of and a believer in Jesus of Nazareth. ... A Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of Bharat (India). ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ... A Sikh man wearing a turban A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

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 Seraiki, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, and Brahui. Urdu (Ø§Ø±Ø¯Ùˆ) is an Indo-European language which originated in India, most likely in the vicinity of Delhi, whence it spread to the rest of the subcontinent. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... An official language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... Muhajir is an Arabic word, widely used in the Muslim world that refers to someone who has emigrated from one place to another. ... Karachi (Ú©Ø±Ø§Ú†ÙŠ) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... The Indo-European languages include some 443 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about three billion people, including most of the major language families of Europe and western Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi, à¨ªà©°à¨œà¨¾à¨¬à©€ in Gurmukhi, Ù¾Ù†Ø¬Ø§Ø¨ÛŒ in Shahmukhi) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ... Siraiki is an old language spoken in central Pakistan. ... Pashto (پښتو; also known as Afghan, Pushto, Pashto, Pashtoe, Pashtu, and Pukhto) is the language spoken by the ethnic Afghan otherwise known as the Pashtun people who inhabit Afghanistan and the Western provinces of Pakistan. ... Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of South Asia, which is now a province of Pakistan. ... Balochi, a north-western Iranian language, is the principal language of Balochistan. ... The Brahui language is mainly spoken in Balochistan, Pakistan, although also in Afghanistan and Iran. ...

Ethnic groups

Punjabis comprise the largest ethnic group in the country. Other important ethnic groups include: Pashtun/Afghan, 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 refugees from neighboring Afghanistan, 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. A sizeable number of Bengali immigrants are mainly concentrated in Karachi. The Pashtuns (also Pushtun, Pakhtun, ethnic Afghan, or Pathan) are an ethno-linguistic group of eastern Iranian stock, living primarily in eastern and southern Afghanistan, the NWFP Province and Baluchistan with large colonies found in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan. ... Sindhi refers to an ethnic group of people originating in Sindh which is part of present day Pakistan. ... Balochi may refer to: Baloch people Balochi language This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Muhajir is an Arabic word, widely used in the Muslim world that refers to someone who has emigrated from one place to another. ... The Seraikis (also spelt as Saraikis) are a people in the southern areas of Pakistani Punjab. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Karachi (Ú©Ø±Ø§Ú†ÙŠ) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ...

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Pakistan, Districts of Pakistan Currently, Pakistan is subdivided into four provinces, two territories, and also portions of Kashmir that are administered by the Pakistani government. ... Here is a list of all of the districts of Pakistan as of 2003. ...

Pakistan has 4 provinces, 2 territories, and also administers parts of Kashmir. The provinces are further subdivided into a total of 105 districts. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Provinces:

Territories: Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, 1980. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... The Punjab/ پنجاب province of Pakistan is part of the larger Punjab region. ... Sindh (Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. ...

Islamabad Capital Territory
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Two provinces, NWFP and Balochistan, also have PATA (Provincially Administered Tribal Areas.) It is expected that these will be developed into regular districts.

Pakistani-administered portions of Jammu and Kashmir region: Islamabad Capital Territory is a small region and also the capital of Pakistan. ... Tribal Areas highlighted Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are areas of Pakistan outside any of the four provinces, comprising a region of some 27,220 km² (10,507 mi²). Neighbouring regions are: Afghanistan to the west with the border marked by the Durand Line, North-West Frontier to the north... The Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) are administrative subdivisions in the Balochistan and North West Frontier Provinces of Pakistan. ... Jammu and Kashmir is the northern-most province of the Republic of India, with Srinagar as its capital and Jammu as its winter-capital. ...

Azad Kashmir (Azad means "free" or "independent" in Urdu)
Northern Areas

Capital Muzaffarabad Status Autonomus Republic Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. ... Urdu(اردو) is an Indo-European language which originated in India, most likely in the vicinity of Delhi, from whence it spread to the rest of the subcontinent. ... Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. ...

Society and culture

Because of Pakistan's geography, it inherits a rich and unique culture, and has actively preserved its established traditions throughout history. Prior to the Islamic invasion many Punjabis and Sindhis were primarily Hindus, but all that changed during the Islamic conquest of what is today Pakistan by Mahmud of Ghazni. Many cultural practices and monuments, shrines, have been inherited from the rule of Muslim Mughal and Afghan emperors. The Pakistani national dress, Shalwar Kameez, is a variation of the traditional Afghan dress. This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ...

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. A nuclear family is a household consisting of two married, heterosexual parents and their legal children (siblings), as distinct from the extended family. ... Complex Family is a generic term for any family structure involving more than two adults. ... Karachi (Ú©Ø±Ø§Ú†ÙŠ) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... Lahore (Ù„Ø§Ø©ÙˆØ±) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... Rawalpindi is a city near Islamabad, Pakistan. ... There are several places named Hyderabad, including, For the pre-1956 Indian state, see Hyderabad state For the city in Andhra Pradesh, India, see Hyderabad, India For the city in Sindh, Pakistan, see Hyderabad, Pakistan This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share... FaisalÄbad is the third largest city in Pakistan. ... Sukkur is the name of a number of places, including the following: Sukkur is the central city of Sindh province in Pakistan. ... Peshawar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Gujrat is a city in Pakistan located in the Punjab province. ... Abbottabad is the principal city of the Abbottabad District in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. ... Multan is a city in Pakistan and capital of Multan District in the Punjab Province. ...

Main article: Culture of Pakistan Pakistan has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has actively preserved its established traditions throughout history. ...

Roots

The modern nation of Pakistan has inherited 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 Dravidians, 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. pre-Islamic practices are being eroded as time goes by. The Indus Valley Civilization existed along the Indus River in present-day Pakistan. ... Dravidian may refer to: in the spiritualistic interpretations: the people who are the drav i. ... The Hephthalites, also known as White Huns, were a nomadic people who lived across northern China, Central Asia, and northern India in the fourth through sixth centuries. ... This article is about the Persians (Iranians), a nationality and an ethnic group. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ...

Film and television

Traditionally, the government-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has been the dominant media player in Pakistan. However the past decade has seen the emergence of several private TV channels (news , entertainment) such as the GEO TV, the Pashto channel AVT Khyber, 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. The Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) is the state-run television service in Pakistan, and has been on the air since 1964. ...

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. The Qawwali maestro, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whos family hailed from Afghanistan, 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. The emergence of Afghan refugees in the frontier provinces has also rekindled Pashto & Persian music in Pakistan. Peshawar has become a hub of Afghan musicians, and a distribution center for Afghan Music abroad. Afghan singers have become famous throughout the Frontier and some have even married within the local population strengthening the ethnic kinship of the Afghans on both sides of the Durand line. Qawwali (), also spelt qawaali or quwalli, is the devotional music of the Sufis. ... The music of Pakistan can be categorized into six general groups: classical, ghazal/semi-classical, folk, qawwali/devotional, filmi, pop/rock. ... Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Ù†ØµØ±Øª ÙØªØ Ø¹Ù„ÛŒ Ø®Ø§Ù†, October 13, 1948 to August 16, 1997) was primarily a singer of qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis, a mystical offshoot of Islam. ... Pashto (پښتو; also known as Afghan, Pushto, Pashto, Pashtoe, Pashtu, and Pukhto) is the language spoken by the ethnic Afghan otherwise known as the Pashtun people who inhabit Afghanistan and the Western provinces of Pakistan. ... The Durand line is a term for the poorly marked 2,450 kilometer (1,519 mile) border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. ...

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 Pashto film industry based in Peshawar still produces over 50 films a year. Nazeer in The Serpent 1929 Lollywood refers to the Pakistani film industry, based in the city of Lahore. ... Lahore (Ù„Ø§Ø©ÙˆØ±) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... Pashto (پښتو; also known as Afghan, Pushto, Pashto, Pashtoe, Pashtu, and Pukhto) is the language spoken by the ethnic Afghan otherwise known as the Pashtun people who inhabit Afghanistan and the Western provinces of Pakistan. ...

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. Globalization (or globalisation) is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that result from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange. ... A restaurant chain is a set of related restaurants, typically with the same name in many different locations either under shared corporate ownership (e. ...

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. Look up Diaspora in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term diaspora (Ancient Greek Î´Î¹Î±ÏƒÏ€Î¿ÏÎ¬, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the... Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Sports

The most popular sport in Pakistan is cricket. Pakistan has produced several of the best batsmen and bowlers in the world, including the enigmatic Pashtun Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, and Shoaib Akhtar. Almost every district and neighborhood in Pakistan has its cricket team and most people start playing from a young age. Pakistan has won several international cricket events, including the World Cup in 1992. Cricket is a team sport played between two groups of eleven players each. ... Imran Khan (Mohammad Imran Khan Niazi; born November 25, 1952), was a Pakistani cricketer (1971â€“1992) and captain of the Pakistani cricket team. ... For more coverage of cricket, go to the Cricket portal. ... For more coverage of cricket, go to the Cricket portal. ... Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan (born June 12, 1957), popularly called Javed Miandad, was born in Karachi, Pakistan. ... [[Pindi Express. ... The ICC Cricket World Cup is the world championship of one-day cricket, a tournament held quadrenially between all Test-playing nations, as well as several representatives from other cricket-playing nations who qualify through a series of qualifying matches. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other popular participatory and spectator sports in Pakistan include:

Field Hockey. Pakistan has won three gold medals at the Olympics and the Hockey World Cup four times.
Polo, which is believed to have originated in Central Asia, and continues to be an important sport there with several large annual competitions. The Shandur Polo Tournament, played at the world's highest pologround, is one of the biggest tourist draws to Chitral and Gilgit in Northern Pakistan.
Squash. The ethnic Afghans Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan are considered to be two of the greatest squash players of all time.
Football (Soccer) is played mostly on a local level, primarily in Baluchistan and Afghan Frontier Provinces. Those areas provide most of the players on the national team.
Tennis. Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi recently defeated Paradorn Srichapan of Thailand to win the Asia-Oceana Zone 1 section of the Davis Cup.
Formula One motor racing, NBA basketball, rugby, table tennis, chess, and badminton.

A game of field hockey in progress Field Hockey is a popular sport for men and women in many countries around the world. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... Polo (also known as Cho-gan) is a team game played on a field with one goal for each team. ... Shandur Top is a high mountain pass that connects Chitral to Gilgit. ... Chitral, or ChitrÄl, is the name of a town (35Â° 53 N; 71Â° 48 E), valley, river, district, and former princely state in the Malakand Division of the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. ... Gilgit is a region in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, bordering the Chinese region of Xinjiang. ... Squash racquet and ball A squash player Squash is an indoor racquet sport which was, until recently, called Squash Rackets, a reference to the squashable soft ball used in the game (compared with the harder ball used in its parent game Racquets or Rackets--see below). ... Jahangir Khan (born December 10, 1963) is seen by some as the greatest squash player in history. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Tennis balls This article is about the sport, tennis. ... Davis Cup logo The Davis Cup is the international team event in mens tennis. ... Main Article: History of Formula One See List of Formula One Grands Prix for results from past seasons and individual races. ... NBA logo, depicting former star Jerry West The National Basketball Association, more popularly known as simply the NBA, is the worlds premier mens professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. ... Basketball is very popular in U.S. colleges. ... Rugby football, as a catch-all term, may refer to two related but separate team sports: rugby league and rugby union. ... Regional competition level table tennis, showing table, net, and player getting ready to return the ball with a winning backhand topspin stroke. ... Many countries claim to have invented the chess game in some incipient form. ... This article is about the racquet sport 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. This article is about a term used in economics. ... In commerce, a wholesaler buys and stores goods in large quantities from their manufacturers or importers, and then sells smaller quantities to retailers, who in turn sell to the general public. ... In commerce, a retailer buys goods or products in large quantities from manufacturers or importers, either directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells individual items or small quantities to the general public or end user customers, usually in a shop, also called store. ... Lahore (Ù„Ø§Ø©ÙˆØ±) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... Karachi (Ú©Ø±Ø§Ú†ÙŠ) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... Peshawar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Faisal Mosque, located in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, was built in 1986. ... FaisalÄbad is the third largest city in Pakistan. ... Quetta is the capital of the province Balochistan in Pakistan. ... A bazaar is a market, often covered, typically found in areas of Muslim culture. ... The Mall, an out-of-town shopping centre at Patchway, near Bristol, England. ... Plaza is a Spanish word related to field which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. ...

Issues

See Status of minorities in Pakistan, Status of women in Pakistan, Federalism and devolution in Pakistan, Secularism in Pakistan, etc. Pakistan is a very diverse society. ... Pakistan is the first Muslim country to elect a woman (Benazir Bhutto) as a Head of Government. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

Pakistan

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

Economic and demographic data

World Bank Facts and Figures

Wild Life

Wild Life Of Pakistan

Pakistani Government Links

The Official Web Gateway to the Government of Pakistan
Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC
Government of Pakistan
Official Website of the President of Pakistan (Pervez Musharraf)
Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation

General Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: ; born August 11, 1943, Near Delhi, India) became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup dÃ©tat. ...

Pakistani IT Industry

Pakistan Software Houses Association
Pakistan Software Export Board

Pakistani Publications & News

Pakistani and Defense News, updated daily
Pakistan Air Force Updated News, updated
Business Recorder: Financial Daily
Daily Times
Dawn Newspaper
Herald Monthly Magazine
Newsline Monthly Magazine
Pak Tribune
Pakistan Link
Pakistan News
Pakistan Times
Pakpositive Daily Pakistani News
The Friday Times Weekly Newspaper
The News International
Spider - Pakistan's Internet Magazine

Maps of Major Cities

Maps on Pakistan

History

History of Pakistan
Story of Pakistan

Collections of images of Pakistan

Flikr. Many images reusable under a Creative Commons license.
Pakistan Photos and Picture gallery
Streetphotos.net: everyday photographs from all around Pakistan, and a weblog focusing on perceptions of Pakistan
Worldisround
Picture Page on Pakistan

Version 2 of Some Rights Reserved logo Some Rights reserved logo No Rights reserved logo The Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others to legally build upon and share. ...

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Politics

Domestic politics

Form of Government

Political Parties

Recent Political History

Foreign relations

Geography

Economy

Overview

Macroeconomic reform and prospects

Large middle class

Economic resilience

Stock market

Currency

Manufacturing and finance

Tax incentives for IT industry

Technology and the Internet

Demographics

Population statistics

Religion

Languages

Ethnic groups

Subdivisions

Society and culture

Roots

Film and television

Globalization

Sports

Mercantile culture

Issues

See also

External links

Economic and demographic data

Wild Life

Pakistani Government Links

Pakistani IT Industry

Pakistani Publications & News

Pakistani TV Channels

Maps of Major Cities

History

Collections of images of Pakistan

Other external links

History