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| Quick Facts About Pakistan |
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| Official Name: |
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Islamic Republic of Pakistan. |
| Capital: |
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Islamabad. |
| Area: |
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796,096-sq. km. [Punjab 205,344; Sindh 140,914;
Northwest Frontier Province 74,521; Balochistan 347,190;
Federally Administered Tribal Areas 27,220 and Islamabad
(Capital) 906 sq. km.] |
| Population: |
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130.60 million (1998 Census) |
| Ethnic Composition: |
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95%
Muslims, 5% others |
| Per Capita Income: |
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US $ 460 |
| Currency: |
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Pak. Rupee |
| Language: |
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Urdu (National language), English
(Official) |
| Archaeological Sites: |
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Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Taxila, Kot Diji, Mehar Garh, and
Takht Bahi |
| Major Cities: |
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Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar,
Quetta, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and
Multan. | |
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| About Pakistan |
A trip
through Pakistan is a face to face encounter with a fascinating land
that has withstood countless invasions and preserved the essence of
its conquerors in the form of present day monuments and
archaeological heritage.
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See
for yourself the excavated sites at Mohenjodaro and Taxila - seats
of the ancient Indus Valley and Gandhara civilizations; the
architectural monuments of the Moghuls; the Khyber Pass - the
historic inlet to South Asia - or the ancient unchanging traditions
of the Kafir Kalash of the Chitral Valley.
For those with an intrinsic love of
mountains, Pakistan offers the unique pleasure of its northern
mountain ranges, the Himalayas, the Hindukush and the Karakorams - a
mountain wonderland unrivalled in the entire world with such
formidable peaks as the K-2, the Nanga Parbat, the Rakaposhi, and
the Trichmir. These ranges present an awesome challenge for those
looking for trekking, mountaineering, angling, or jeep safaris. The
resorts in these remote valleys make for an ideal summer
get-away.
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About
Pakistan Update :
| Country
name: |
conventional long form: Islamic
Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form: Pakistan
local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan
local short form: Pakistan
former: West Pakistan |
| Government
type: |
federal republic |
| Capital: |
name: Islamabad
geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time) |
| Administrative
divisions: |
4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1
capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal
Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province,
Punjab, Sindh
note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and
Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir
and Northern Areas |
| Independence: |
14 August 1947 (from British India) |
| National
holiday: |
Republic Day, 23 March (1956) |
| Constitution: |
12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977,
restored 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in
stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007;
restored on 15 December 2007 |
| Legal
system: |
based on English common law with
provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal; joint
electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and
non-Muslims |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President Asif Ali
ZARDARI (since 9 September 2008)
note: following President Pervez MUSHARRAF's resignation on 18
August 2008, elections were held on 6 September in which Asif Ali
ZARDARI won a clear majority; ZARDARI'S inauguration as president of
Pakistan on 9 September solidified the country's return to civilian
government after more than eight years of military rule
head of government: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI (since 25
March 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the
prime minister
elections: the president is elected by secret ballot through an
Electoral College comprising the members of the Senate, National
Assembly, and the provincial assemblies for a five-year term;
election last held on 6 September 2008 (next to be held not later
than 2013); note - any person who is a Muslim and not less than 45
years of age and is qualified to be elected as a member of the
National Assembly can contest the presidential election; the prime
minister is selected by the National Assembly; election last held on
24 March 2008
election results: Asif Ali ZARDARI elected president; ZARDARI 481
votes, SIDDIQUE 153 votes, SYED 44 votes; Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI
elected prime minister; GILANI 264 votes, Pervaiz ELAHI 42 votes;
several abstentions |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral parliament or
Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats; members
indirectly elected by provincial assemblies and the territories'
representatives in the National Assembly to serve six-year terms;
one half are elected every three years) and the National Assembly
(342 seats; 272 members elected by popular vote; 60 seats reserved
for women; 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; to serve five-year
terms)
elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in
March 2009); National Assembly - last held on 18 February 2008 with
by-elections on 26 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PML 38, MMA 18, PPPP 10, MQM 6, PML-N 4, PKMAP 3, ANP 2,
PPP-S 2, BNP-A 1, BNP-M 1, JWP 1, NA 1, PML-F 1, independents 12;
National Assembly results (as of 26 June 2008) - percent of votes by
party - NA; seats by party - PPPP 124, PML-N 91, PML 54, MQM 25, ANP
13, MMA 7, PML-F 5, BNP-A 1, NPP 1, PPP-S 1, independents 17; note -
3 seats remain unfilled |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court (justices appointed by
the president); Federal Islamic or Sharia Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar
Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National Party-Hayee Group or BNP-H [Dr.
Hayee BALOCH]; Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A [Moheem
Khan BALOCH]; Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar
Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat Ahle Hadith or
JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat
Ulema-i Islam Fazlur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i
Islam Sami-ul HAQ or JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i Pakistan or
JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e Amal or MMA [Qazi Hussain
AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]; National
Alliance or NA [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI] (merged with PML); National
Peoples Party or NPP; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood
Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI];
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz Sharif or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim
League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; Pakistan Peoples Party-SHERPAO
or PPP-S [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan Peoples Party
Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali
ZARDARI, co-chairman]; Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];
Tehrik-i Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]
note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
other: military (most important
political force); ulema (clergy); landowners; industrialists; small
merchants |
| International
organization participation: |
ADB, ARF, C (reinstated 2004), CP,
ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN,
UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI,
UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Husain
HAQQANI
chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York, Sunnyvale (California) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Anne W.
PATTERSON
embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200
telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000
FAX: [92] (51) 2276427
consulate(s) general: Karachi
consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar |
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