Capital: Islamabad
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Introduction Pakistan was created in 1947 after the Indian subcontinent gained independence from Britain. Since its creation, it has had a strained relationship with neighbouring India. Tension over Kashmir and nuclear weapons has dominated relations between the two countries. Pakistan is a key US ally in the war against terror.
Issues
History What is now Pakistan was part of British-controlled India from the mid 19th century. Demands for a separate Muslim state gained in momentum in the 1930s and 40s as tensions between Muslims and Hindus grew. In 1947 the sub-continent was divided into the Muslim state of Pakistan - made up of East Pakistan and West Pakistan - and the secular state of India, with a Hindu majority. What followed was the biggest mass migration of people in modern history. However, partition came at a heavy price, with at least 250,000 people killed during the relocation of more than 10 million people. Relations between India and Pakistan quickly soured after the partition, with a war breaking out in 1948 over the Muslim-dominated region of Kashmir. In 1949 Kashmir was divided between the two countries, but the issue remains unresolved, with both sides claiming the region in full. The two countries fought another war over Kashmir in 1965, and in 1971 the rivals went to war again when India backed East Pakistan's successful independence bid, which resulted in the separate state of Bangladesh. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became Pakistan's new president and took over as prime minister under a new constitution passed in 1973. He began opening up Pakistan to the West and relations with other Muslim nations improved. Bhutto was ousted in a military coup in 1997 and army chief General Zia ul-Haq ruled for the next 11 years until his death in a plane crash in 1988, when military rule ended. For the next 10 years, government oscillated between the Pakistan People's Party, under Bhutto's daughter, Benazir Bhutto, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) led by Nawaz Sharif. The PML won an election in 1997, triggering a power struggle with the army. In mid-1999, a dispute emerged over Pakistan's actions in Kashmir between Mr Sharif and the head of the Pakistan army, General Pervez Musharraf. The military staged a coup and in October General Musharraf seized power, promising to bring true democracy to Pakistan. The country's Supreme Court validated the military takeover the following year, giving General Musharraf three years to achieve his political and economic reform agenda, and to hold general elections. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in America, President Musharraf had to choose between supporting US military intervention in Afghanistan and maintaining Pakistan's official policy of support for Afghanistan's Taliban regime. He chose the US, granting it permission to use Pakistani military bases. The decision was not supported by conservative Islamist parties. In 2002 General Musharraf gave himself another five year term as president and the power to dismiss an elected parliament. Pakistan's relationship with India remains tense and the issue of Kashmir is unresolved. The two countries upped the stakes in 1998 when they both conducted nuclear tests. Tensions again hit dangerous levels in 2001 following a deadly attack on India's parliament, which India blamed on Pakistan-backed extremists. A massive military buildup by both sides on their shared border followed. However, in 2003 relations improved, with the resumption of diplomatic links, sporting ties and transportation services. The two sides have held a number of high-level bilateral talks. Government The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has a federal system of government with two houses of parliament, the lower house and the senate. The prime minister is the directly elected leader of the majority party in the National Assembly. On October 12, 1999, Pakistan's army chief, General Pervez Musharraf, staged a bloodless military coup, taking over as president and suspending Pakistan's constitution. In 2002, he gave himself another five year term as president and the power to dismiss an elected parliament. Pakistan is made up of four provinces - Sindh, Punjab, North-West Frontier and Baluchistan. In addition, the federal government administers seven areas (agencies) on the border with Afghanistan. These are known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Pakistan also administers approximately one-third of the area of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This area is split into two regions, the populated area known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which has its own parliament, prime minister, president and judicial system but is overseen by Islamabad. Economy Pakistan is a poor country with a large population. At the time of independence it was largely an agricultural nation, but is now a lot more diversified with one of the highest annual growth rates in South Asia. Despite this, Pakistan faces significant development challenges and poverty. The government faces the challenges of a rising population, diminishing plot sizes, low yields, water logging and salination. However, it has so far managed to match output with population growth. Agriculture employs almost half of Pakistan's work force. Pakistan is one of the world's largest producers of cotton. Other significant crops include grain, sugar cane, pulses, oil seeds, tobacco, fruit and vegetables. It also has large leather and shellfish export industries. The mining and manufacturing industries employ 18 per cent of the workforce. Pakistan processes much of its own agriculture output and also produces cement, fertiliser, steel and chemicals. The service industry employs around 17 per cent of the workforce. Pakistan's main exports include cotton yarn, cotton fabric, knitwear, ready-made clothes and rice. Its main imports are machinery, chemicals, minerals, fuel oil and palm oil. |
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