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|president =Asif Ali ZardariMamnoon Hussain

|pm =Raja Pervaiz AshrafNawaz Sharif

The '''Islamic Republic of Pakistan''' is a country of south [[Asia]] created in 1947 as a state for [[Muslim]]s on August 14, 1947. It is bordered by [[Iran]], [[Afghanistan]], [[India]] and [[China]], and has a coastline on the [[Arabian Sea]]. Its capital is [[Islamabad]]; other major centres include [[Karachi]], [[Lahore]] and [[Peshawar]]. The nation is about 97% Muslim .<ref>http://www.uh.edu/~sriaz/religion/index.html</ref>. Pakistan, a large poor country with a weak economy--but economy—but with nuclear weapons--is weapons—is friendly to the U.S. but hostile to neighboring India, a much larger country. Pakistan has an unstable political system, with [[Taliban]] terrorists growing in strength in remote mountain regions, where they support the insurgency in neighboring [[Afghanistan]].

The majority of Pakistan's population lives in the Indus River valley and in an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and Peshawar. Although Urdu (Hindustani) is an official language of Pakistan, it is spoken as a first language by only 8% of the population; 48% speak Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 10% Saraiki, 8% Pushtu, 3% Baloch, and 3% other. Urdu, Punjabi, Pushtu, and Baloch are Indo-European languages. English is the other official language, and is widely used in government, commerce, the officer ranks of the military, and in many institutions of higher learning.

*Work force (2004 est.): Agriculture--42Agriculture—42%; services--38services—38%; industry--20industry—20%.

Both Musharraf and Zardari are friendly to the United States, and hostile to the Taliban, which has strong support in remote mountainous districts. Indeed , the growing strength of the Taliban is one of the major reasons for the strength of the insurgency it sponsors in neighboring Afghanistan, Inside Pakistan terrorism has grown more severe, with suicide bombers targeting police, government offices and public places.

The Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) are national political parties, while the Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)--an umbrella group of six religious parties, including the Jamaat-il-Islami--gained Islami—gained significant influence during the 2002 election. After those elections, the Pakistani political system remained highly fragmented, with no group winning a substantial majority of seats in the national assembly, and religious groups banding together in the MMA to earn a significant portion of seats for the first time. In the 2008 elections, the PPP won 121 seats, the PML-N won 91, and Mushariff's supporters won only 54 sears.

The prime minister is selected by the National Assembly for a four-year term. The bicameral parliament--or parliament—or Majlis-e-Shoora--consists Shoora—consists of the Senate (100 seats; members are indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve four-year terms) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for minorities; members elected by popular vote serve four-year terms). Each of the four provinces--Punjabprovinces—Punjab, Sindh, Northwest Frontier, and Balochistan--has Balochistan—has a Chief Minister and provincial assembly. The Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are administered by the federal government but enjoy considerable autonomy. The cabinet, National Security Council, and governors serve at the president's discretion.

*President--Asif Ali Zardari<ref name="CIA World Factbook">https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html</ref>President—Mamnoon Hussain*Prime Minister (head of government)--Raja Pervaiz AshrafNawaz Sharif

India's nuclear test in 1974 generated great uncertainty in Pakistan and is generally acknowledged to have been the impetus for Pakistan's nuclear weapons development program. In 1983, the Pakistani and Indian Governments accused each other of aiding separatists in their respective countries--Sikhs countries—Sikhs in India's Punjab state and Sindhis in Pakistan's Sindh province. In April 1984, tensions erupted after troops were deployed to the Siachen Glacier, a high-altitude, desolate area close to the China border not demarcated by the cease-fire agreement (Karachi Agreement) signed by Pakistan and India in 1949.

Musharraf and Singh last met in September 2006, when they condemned all acts of terrorism and agreed to continue the search for options acceptable to both sides for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. The foreign secretaries of both nations opened the fourth round of the Composite Dialogue in Islamabad on March 13-1413–14, 2007.

===Relations with the United States===

Several incidents of violence against American officials and U.S. mission employees in Pakistan have marred the relationship. In November 1979, false rumors that the United States had participated in the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca provoked a mob attack on the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad in which the chancery was set on fire resulting in the loss of life of American and Pakistani staff. In 1989, an attack on the American Center in Islamabad resulted in six Pakistanis being killed in crossfire with the police. In March 1995, two American employees of the consulate in Karachi were killed and one wounded in an attack on the home-to-office shuttle. In November 1997, four U.S. businessmen were brutally murdered while being driven to work in Karachi. In March 2002 a suicide attacker detonated explosives in a church in Islamabad, killing two Americans associated with the Embassy and three others. There were also unsuccessful attacks by terrorists on the Consulate General in Karachi in May 2002. Another bomb was detonated near American and other businesses in Karachi in November 2005, killing three people and wounding 15 others. On March 2, 2006, a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives as a vehicle carrying an American Foreign Service officer passed by on its way to Consulate Karachi. The diplomat, the Consulate’s locally-employed driver and three other people were killed in the blast; 52 others were wounded.

On May 2, 2011, United States special forces raided a private compound in [[Abbottabad]], Pakistan, 62 miles north of [[Islamabad]]. That evening, President Obama announced that [[Osama bin Laden]] had been killed in the raid. <ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama</ref> Reaction within Pakistan was mixed, with some calling it a welcome end to the life of a mass murderer, and others calling it a disturbing violation of national sovereignty. <ref>http://www.christiannewstoday.com/Christian_News_Report_5080.html</ref>

Although the Pakistani government had long declared that Osama bin Laden was not hiding in their country,<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/03/brown-praises-pakistan-terrorism-fight</ref> <ref>http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-02-07/pakistan/27281957_1_al-qaeda-pakistan-president-pervez-musharraf-state-colin-powell</ref>U.S. intelligence estimated in 2011 that bin Laden had been hiding there for five to six years,<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13268517</ref> and counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan said it was "inconceivable that Bin Laden did not have a support system" in the country. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari responded with an op-ed to the Washington Post, rejecting claims that his government helped Al-Qaeda by writing "such baseless speculation may make exciting cable news, but it doesn’t reflect fact."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pakistan-did-its-part/2011/05/02/AFHxmybF_story.html</ref>

Low levels of spending in the social services and high population growth have contributed to persistent poverty and unequal income distribution. The trends of resources being devoted to socioeconomic development and infrastructure projects have been improving since 2002, although expenditures remain below global averages. Pakistan's extreme poverty and underdevelopment are key concerns, especially in rural areas. The government has reined in the fiscal mismanagement that produced massive foreign debt, and officials have committed to using international assistance--including assistance—including a major part of the $3 billion five-year U.S. assistance package--to package—to address Pakistan's long-term needs in the health and education sectors.

*Agriculture: Products--wheatProducts—wheat, cotton, rice, sugarcane, eggs, fruits, vegetables, milk, beef, mutton.*Industry: Types--textiles Types—textiles & apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, shrimp, fertilizer, and paper products.*Trade (2005 est.): Exports--$14.85 billion: textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, and yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, carpets, rugs, chemicals & manufactures. Major partners--Upartners—U.S. 22.6%, United Arab Emirates 8.9%, U.K. 5.8%, China 5.4%, Germany 4.7%. Imports--$21.26 billion: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, paper and paper board, transportation equipment, edible oils, pulses, iron and steel, tea. Major partners--China partners—China 14.0%, Saudi Arabia 10.5%, United Arab Emirates 9.0%, Japan 6.2%, U.S. 5.1%, Kuwait 5.1%, Germany 4.9%.

Although the economy became more structurally sound, it remained vulnerable to external and internal shocks, such as in 1992-93, when devastating floods and political uncertainty combined to depress economic growth sharply. The Asian financial crisis seriously affected Pakistan's major markets for its textile exports. For example, average real GDP growth from 1992 to 1998 dipped to 4.1% annually. Economic reform also was set back by Pakistan's nuclear tests in May 1998, and the subsequent economic sanctions imposed by the G-7. International default was narrowly averted by the partial waiver of sanctions and the subsequent reinstatement of Pakistan's IMF enhanced structural adjustment facility/extended fund facility in early 1999, followed by Paris Club and London Club re-schedulingrescheduling. After taking power in late 1999, President Musharraf instituted policies to stabilize Pakistan's macroeconomic situation. Pakistan continues to struggle with these reforms, having mixed success, especially in reducing its budget and current account deficits.

Pakistan emerged from an extended period of agitation by Muslims in the subcontinent to express their national identity free from British colonial domination as well as domination by what they perceived as a Hindu-controlled Indian National Congress. Muslim anti-colonial leaders formed the All-India Muslim League in 1906. Initially, the League adopted the same objective as the Congress--selfCongress—self-government for India within the British Empire--but Empire—but Congress and the League were unable to agree on a formula that would ensure the protection of Muslim religious, economic, and political rights.

The idea of a separate Muslim state in the British India Raj first emerged in the 1930s. On March 23, 1940, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, formally endorsed the "Lahore Resolution," calling for the creation of an independent state in regions where Muslims constituted a majority. At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom moved with increasing urgency to grant India independence. The Congress Party and the Muslim League, however, could not agree on the terms for a Constitution or establishing an interim government. In June 1947, the British Government declared that it would bestow full dominion status upon two successor states--India states—India and Pakistan, formed from areas in the subcontinent in which Muslims were the majority population. Under this arrangement, the various princely states could freely join either India or Pakistan. Accordingly, on August 14, 1947 Pakistan, comprising West Pakistan with the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), and East Pakistan with the province of Bengal, became independent. East Pakistan later became the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971.

====Independence====

In the October 1993 elections, the PPP won a plurality of seats in the National Assembly, and Benazir Bhutto was asked to form a government. However, because it did not acquire a majority in the National Assembly, the PPP's control of the government depended upon the continued support of numerous independent parties, particularly the PML/J (Pakistan Muslim League-Junejo). The unfavorable circumstances surrounding PPP rule--the rule—the imperative of preserving a coalition government, the formidable opposition of Nawaz Sharif's PML/N (Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz) movement, and the insecure provincial administrations--presented administrations—presented significant difficulties for the government of Prime Minister Bhutto. However, the election of Prime Minister Bhutto's close associate, Farooq Leghari, as President in November 1993 gave her a stronger power base. [[File:Faisal mosque Pakistan.jpg|thumb|290px|Faisal mosque, [[Islamabad]].]]

== See also == * [[Big government]] [[Welfare state]] leads to [[socialist]] [[Nanny state]], leads to [[communist]] [[Police state]] - Don't think [[Communism]] is incompatible with [[Islam]].* [[Gun control]] - key element to create a [[Muslim]] [[Jihadism|jihadist]] police state*[[Asian painting]]