Pakistan

Government

Military rule was instituted in Oct. 1999; a nominal democracy was declared in June 2001 by the ruling military leader, Pervez Musharraf.

Geography

Pakistan is situated in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, with Afghanistan and Iran on the west, India on the east, and the Arabian Sea on the south. The Baluchistan Plateau lies to the west, and the Thar Desert and an expanse of alluvial plains, the Punjab and Sind, lie to the east. The 1,000-mile long (1,609 km) Indus River and its tributaries flow through the country from the Kashmir region to the Arabian Sea.

Historical Background

In 1947, a new state of Pakistan was created after partition of India & became independent. Despite partition Pakistan adopted antagonistic approach towards India on the issue of Kashmir. In 1971, Pakistan was fregmented into two- a new country Bangladesh was created out of it after it’s war with India. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Since 1999, Gen. Pervez Musharaff has been ruling country with heavy hands. The Pakistani military launched a three-week-long cross-border air assault into Afghanistan's Bajaur region throughout August 2008, which resulted in more than 400 Taliban casualties. The continuous airstrikes forced many al- Qaeda and Taliban militants to retreat from towns formally under their control.

Facts & Figures

Name

PAKISTAN

Capital

Islamabad

Government

Federal Parliamentary republic

Language

Urdu (national) English

Area

796,095 km2 (36th) 307,374 sq mi

Population

2011 estimate 170.6 million

Currency

Pakistani Rupee (Rs.)

GDP(PPP)

2010 estimate Total $451.972 billion

GDP(nominal)

2010 estimate Total $177.901 billion

Time Zone

PST (UTC+5) Summer (DST) PDT (UTC+6)

National Anthem

Qaumī Tarāna