ive divisions 3.2 Military 3.3 Kashmir conflict 4 Geography and climate 4.1 Flora and fauna 5 Infrastructure 5.1 Economy 5.2 Transport 5.3 Science and technology 5.4 Education 6 Demographics 7 Culture and society 7.1 Media and entertainment 7.2 Literature 7.3 Architecture 7.4 Cuisine 7.5 Sports 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links Etymology The name Pakistan literally means Land of (the) Pure in Urdu and Persian. It was coined in 1933 as Pakstan by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, a Pakistan Movement activist, who published it in his pamphlet Now or Never.[10] Figuratively, the name is an acronym representing the "thirty million Muslim brethren who live in PAKSTAN" — referring to the names of the five northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, viz.: Punjab, North-West Frontier Province (Afghan Province), Kashmir, Sind, and Baluchistan".[11][12][13] The letter 'i' became the defacto addition to ease pronunciation and form the linguistically correct name.[14] History Main articles: History of Pakistan and History of South Asia Early and medieval age Standing Buddha from Gandhara, Pakistan, 1st century AD Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in South Asia originated from areas encompassing present-day Pakistan. The earliest known inhabitants in the region were the Soanians who settled in the Soan Valley of Punjab.[15] The Indus region, which covers most of Pakistan, was the site of several successive ancient cultures including the Neolithic era's Mehrgarh (7000–3200 BCE)[16] and the bronze era Indus Valley Civilisation (2800–1800 BCE) at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.[17][18] The Vedic Civilization (1500–500 BCE) characterized by Indo-Aryan culture laid the foundations of Hinduism, which would become well established in the region.[19][20] Multan was considered an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.[21] The Vedic civilization flourished in the ancient Gandharan city of Tak?asila, now Taxila in Punjab.[22] Successive ancient empires and kingdoms ruled the region: the Achaemenid Persian empire around 519 BCE, the Greek empire founded by Alexander the Great in 327 BCE and the Mauryan empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya and extended by Ashoka the Great, until 185 BCE.[22] The Indo-Greek Kingdom founded by Demetrius of Bactria in 184 BCE included Gandhara and Punjab and reached its greatest extent under Menander, establishing the Greco-Buddhist period with advances in trade and culture. The city of Taxila became a major centre of learning in ancient times—the remains of the city, located to the west of Islamabad, are one of the country's major archaeological sites.[23] Taxila is considered to be amongst the earliest universities and centers of higher education in the world.[24][25][26][27] Mughal emperor Aurangzeb seated on a golden throne in the Durbar The Medieval period (642–1219 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.[28] The Rai Dynasty (489–632 CE) of Sindh, at its zenith, ruled this region and the surrounding territories.[29] In 711 CE, the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in southern Punjab.[30] This Arab and Islamic victory would set the stage for the rule of several successive Muslim empires in the region, including the Ghaznavid Empire (975 -1187 CE), the Ghorid Kingdom and the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526 CE). The last of Delhi Sultanate, Lodi dynasty was replaced by the Mughal Empire (1526–1857 CE). The Mughals transferred Persian literature and high culture, establishing the roots of Indo-Persian culture in the region.[31] The Pakistan government's official chronology has stated Muhammad bin Qasim's conquest of the region as the point where the "foundation" of Pakistan was laid.[30] Colonial period Main articles: Pakistan Movement, Partition of India, and British Raj The Working Committee of the Muslim League in Lahore (1940) The gradual decline of the Mughal Empire in the early eighteenth century provided opportunities for the Afghans, Balochis and Sikhs to exercise control over large areas until the British East India Company gained ascendancy over South Asia.[32] The Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, was the region's last major armed struggle against the British Raj, and it laid the foundations for the largely non-violent freedom struggle led by the Indian National Congress in the twentieth century. In the 1920s and 1930s, a movement led by Congress leader Mahatma Gandhi engaged millions of protesters in mass campaigns of civil disobedience.[33] Founder of Pakistan and the first Governor General, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, delivering the opening address to the new state of Pakistan. The All India Muslim League rose to popularity in the late 1930s amid fears of under-representation and neglect of Muslims in politics. On 29 December 1930, Allama Iqbal's presidential address called for an autonomous "state in northwestern India for Indian Muslims, within the body politic of India."[34] Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, espoused the Two Nation Theory and led the Muslim League to adopt the Lahore Resolution of 1940, popularly known as the Pakistan Resolution.[32] In early 1947, Britain announced the decision to end its rule in India. In June 1947, the nationalist leaders of British India—including Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad on behalf of the Congress, Jinnah representing the Muslim League, and Master Tara Singh representing the Sikhs—agreed to the proposed terms of transfer of power and independence.[35][36] The modern state of Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947 (27 Ramadan 1366 in the Islamic Calendar), carved out of the two Muslim-majority wings in the eastern and northwestern regions of British India and comprising the provinces of Balochistan, East Bengal, the North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab and Sindh.[32][35] Partition of the Punjab and Bengal provinces caused communal riots across India and Pakistan—millions of Muslims moved to Pakistan and millions of Hindus and Sikhs moved to India.[37] Dispute over the princely state, Jammu and Kashmir, lead to the First Kashmir War in 1948.[38] Modern era Minar-e-Pakistan, a symbol of Pakistan's independence From 1947 to 1956, Pakistan was a dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations.[39] It became an Islamic and Parliamentary republic in 1956,[40] but the civilian rule was stalled by a coup d’état by then-Army Commander-in-Chief General Ayub Khan, who was the first Chief Martial Law Administrator and also the President during 1958–69. The country experienced exceptional growth until a second war with India in 1965, which led to economic downfall and internal instability.[41][42] Ayub Khan's successor, General Yahya Khan (1969–71), also an Army Commander, had to deal with a devastating cyclone—which caused 500,000 deaths in East Pakistan—and also face a bitter civil war in 1971. Economic grievances and political dissent in East Pakistan led to violent political tension and military repression that escalated into a civil war.[43] After nine months of guerrilla warfare between the Pakistan Armed Forces and the Indian backed Bengali Mukti Bahini militia, Indian intervention escalated into the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and ultimately to the secession of East Pakistan as the independent state of Bangladesh.[32] General Yahya Khan surrendered his powers to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who became the first and to-date the only civilian Chief Martial Law Administrator. Civilian rule resumed in Pakistan from 1972 to 1977.[44] This period is known for Bhutto's orchestration and authorization of the scientific research on nuclear weapons. In 1972, the country's first atomic power plant was inaugurated.[45][46] Bhutto was removed in a coup d'état and in 1979, General Zia-ul-Haq became the third military president and fourth Chief Martial Law Administrator. Military government lasted until 1988, during which Pakistan's economy became one of the fastest growing economies in South Asia.[47] Zia's tenure further saw the consolidation of nuclear development, the state's Islamization.[48] and a notable foreign policy; the subsidizing and distribution of US resources to factions of the Mujahideen movement during the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Mujahideen resistance led to the Soviet-Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan.[49][50] With the death of Zia in a plane crash in 1988, Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was elected as the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was followed by Nawaz Sharif and over the next decade the two leaders fought for power and alternated as the country's situation worsened; the economic indicators fell sharply in contrast to the 80s. This period is marked with political instability, misgovernance and corruption.[51][52] During Sharif's government in May 1998, India tested five nuclear weapons and tension with India heightened to an extreme, resulting in Pakistan's detonation of six nuclear weapons of its own (see Chagai-I and Chagai-II) half a month later. Military tension in the Kargil with India was followed by the Kargil War, after which General Pervez Musharraf took over through a Bloodless coup d'état and assumed vast executive powers.[53][54] General Musharraf ruled Pakistan as head of state from 1999–2001 and as President from 2001-08. During Musharraf’s government, the economy once again became the top reformer in South Asia.[55] On 15 November 2007, Pakistan's National Assembly completed tenure for the first time in its history and new elections were called.[56] In the 2008 elections, Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the largest number of seats and its member Yousaf Raza Gillani was sworn in as Prime Minister.[57] Musharraf resigned from the presidency when threatened with impeachment on 18 August 2008, and was succeeded by current president; Asif Ali Zardari.[58][59][60] Since 2001 Pakistan has been involved as a front line nation in the war against terrorism, and has suffered losses up to $67.93 billion,[61][62] thousands of casualties and nearly 3 million displaced civilians due to the war.[63] Politics Main articles: Government of Pakistan, Politics of Pakistan, and Foreign relations of Pakistan Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gillani Pakistan is a democratic parliamentary federal republic with Islam as the state religion. The first Constitution of Pakistan was adopted in 1956, but was suspended in 1958 by General Ayub Khan. The Constitution of 1973 – suspended in 1977, by Zia-ul-Haq, but re-instated in 1985  – is the country's most important document, laying the foundations of the current government.[64] The bicameral legislature comprises a 100-member Senate and a 342-member National Assembly. The President is the Head of state and the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and is elected by an electoral college. The prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly. Each province has a similar system of government with a directly elected Provincial Assembly in which the leader of the largest party or alliance becomes Chief Minister. Provincial governors are appointed by the President.[64] The Pakistani military establishment has played an influential role in mainstream politics throughout Pakistan's political history, with military presidents ruling from 1958–1971, 1977–1988 and 1999–2008.[65] Benazir Bhutto (late) was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two terms in office. Her party is currently the elected government The focus of Pakistan foreign policy is security against threats to national identity, territorial integrity and cultivation of close relations with Muslim countries. Pakistan highlights sovereign equality of states, mutuality of interest and non interference in each others domestic affairs as main features of its foreign policy.[66] The country is an active member of the United Nations. It is one of the founder of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and has used it as a forum for Enlightened Moderation.[67][68][69] Pakistan is also a member of Commonwealth of Nations,[70] South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO),[71][72] and G20 developing nations.[73] The need for strategic balance in interest of security lead to Pakistan establishing itself as a nuclear power in the wake of India's nuclear tests. Despite pressure from the world, Pakistan maintains an independent stance to further nuclear development and purchase military weapons.[74] Pakistan maintains good relations with all the Arab and most other Muslim countries. After Sino-Indian War in 1962, Pakistan's closest strategic, military and economic ally has been China. The relationship has sustained through changes of governments and the ups and downs in the regional and global situation.[75][76][77] Pakistan and India continue to share a rivalry. The Kashmir conflict remains the major point of rift; three of the four wars the two nations fought were over this territory.[78] Pakistan has had mixed relations with the United States. As an anti-Soviet power in the 1950s and during the 1980s Soviet-Afghan War, Pakistan was one of the U.S.'s closest allies,[79][66] although relations soured in the 1990s, when sanctions were imposed by the U.S. over Pakistan's refusal to abandon its nuclear activities.[80] The U.S. war on terrorism initially led to an improvement in ties between the two countries, however, the relationship was strained by a divergence of interests and resulting mistrust in the war in Afghanistan and on terrorism related issues.[81][82][83][84] Administrative divisions Main articles: Administrative units of Pakistan and Districts of Pakistan Pakistan is a federation of four provinces; Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as well as a capital territory and a group of federally administered tribal areas including the Frontier Regions. The government of Pakistan exercises de facto jurisdiction over the western parts of the disputed Kashmir region, organised as separate political entities; Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly Northern Areas). The latter has been given a province-like status for self government by the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order, 2009.[85] The local government has a three-tier system of districts, tehsils and union councils with an elected body at each tier.[86] There are 113 districts in Pakistan-proper, each with several tehsils and union councils. The tribal areas comprise seven tribal agencies and six small frontier regions[87] detached from neighbouring districts while Azad Kashmir comprises ten[88] and Gilgit-Baltistan seven districts respectively.[89] A clickable map of the four provinces and four federal territories of Pakistan. Law enforcement in Pakistan is carried out by federal and provincial police agencies. The four provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory each have a civilian police force with jurisdiction limited to the relevant province or territory. At the federal level, there are a number of civilian agencies with nationwide jurisdictions; including the Federal Investigation Agency, the National Highways and Motorway Police, and several paramilitary forces including the Pakistan Rangers and the Frontier Corps.[90] The court system of Pakistan is distributed per hierarchy; Supreme Court is the apex court followed by, High Court, Federal Shariat Court (one in each province and in federal capital), District Courts (one in each district), Judicial Magistrate Courts (in every town and city), Executive Magistrate Courts and Courts of Civil Judge. Pakistan's penal code has limited jurisdiction in tribal areas, where law is largely derived from tribal customs.[90][91] Military Main article: Pakistan Armed Forces Pakistani F-16s in preparation for training with the USAF The armed forces of Pakistan are the seventh-largest in the world in terms of active forces.[92] The three main branches are the Army, Navy and the Air Force, supported by a number of paramilitary forces which carry out internal security roles and border patrols.[93] The National Command Authority is responsible for exercising employment, development control of all strategic nuclear organisations and for Pakistan's nuclear doctrine. Pakistan's defence forces maintain close military relations with China and the United States and predominantly import military equipments from these two countries.[94] The defence forces of China and Pakistan also organise joint military exercises.[95][96] The Pakistan Army came into existence after independence in 1947 and is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.[97] The Pakistani military establishment has frequently been involved in the politics of Pakistan since its inception.[65] It has an active force of about 612,000 personnel and 513,000 men in reserve.[96] Conscription may be introduced in times of emergency, but it has never been imposed.[98] A team of Pakistani Special Service Wing soldiers during training Since independence, the Army has been involved in four wars with neighbouring India. The Pakistan military engaged in combat operations for the first time in the First Kashmir War, gaining control of what is now Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan and India were at war again in 1965 and in 1971.[99] In 1999, Pakistan was involved in the Kargil War.[53] The army has also been engaged in several skirmishes with Afghanistan on the western border; in 1961, it repelled a major Afghan incursion.[100] During the Soviet–Afghan war, Pakistan shot down several intruding pro-Soviet Afghan communist aircrafts and provided covert support to factions of the Afghan mujahideen through the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.[101] In 1970s, the military quelled a Baloch nationalist uprising.[102] Apart from conflicts, the Army has been an active participant in United Nations peacekeeping missions and played a major role in rescuing trapped American soldiers from Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 in Operation Gothic Serpent.[103][104][105] Pakistani armed forces are the second largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions.[106] PNS Shah Jahan and PNS Tippu Sultan during a Pakistan Navy drill Pakistan maintained divisions and brigade strength presences in some of the Arab countries particularly during the Arab–Israeli Wars. During the Six-Day War in 1967 and Yom Kippur War in October 1973 PAF pilots volunteered to go to the Middle East to support Egypt and Syria in a state of war against Israel; Air Force pilots shot down ten Israeli planes in the Six-Day War.[103] In 1979, Pakistani SSG commandos were rushed to help assist Saudi forces in Makkah on the Saudi government's request to lead the operation of the Grand Mosque Seizure. In 1991 Pakistan got involved with the Gulf War and sent 5,000 troops as part of a U.S.-led coalition, specifically for the defense of Saudi Arabia.[107] From 2001, the Pakistan Armed Forces have been engaged in a war in North-West Pakistan against terrorist organizations.[108][109] The major operations undertaken by the Army include Operation Black Thunderstorm and Operation Rah-e-Nijat.[110][111] Kashmir conflict Main article: Kashmir conflict The Kashmir conflict is a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, the northwestern most region of South Asia. The two countries have fought at least three wars over Kashmir, including the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1947, 1965 and 1999, as well as several skirmishes over the Siachen Glacier.[78] India claims the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir and administers approximately 45.1% of the region, including most of Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, and the Siachen Glacier.