Pakistan is a Muslim federal parliamentary republic that has a history of conflict. It is a front-line state in the war against terrorism.
The country’s polarized political system has prevented it from becoming a stable nation. Whether it will succeed depends on its ability to reconcile economic and social inequities, and the imperatives of national integration and security.
Etymology
Etymology is the branch of linguistics that studies the origin and derivation of words. It draws on morphology, semantics, and semiotics to explore how the words we use are related to each other.
The name Pakistan derived from Urdu and Persian pkhstn (literally “Land of the Pure”), and is an acronym for Punjab, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan–the traditional five northern units of Pakistan. It is also a pun, with the letter ‘i’ added to ease pronunciation.
Human settlements in Pakistan believed to have started around 50 – 70,000 years ago. Archaeological finds include a neolithic society and Harappan civilization.
In addition to a Muslim majority, the country has a population of Hindus and Sikhs, with smaller numbers of Ahmadis, Buddhists, Jews and Zoroastrians. The religious demographics of Pakistan affected by the Partition of India in 1947, the wars in Afghanistan and migrations of refugees.
History
The history of Pakistan has been a turbulent one. It has burdened by full-scale wars with India, a strategically exposed north western frontier and series of economic crises.
The political system in Pakistan is based on a federal arrangement with Islam as the State Religion. The country characterized by its diverse population and linguistic diversities. There are over twenty languages and over 300 distinct dialects.
Although a majority of the population is Muslim, other religions such as Hinduism, Sikhs and Jews are also present in Pakistan. The ethnic and racial diversity of the people in the country has contributed to chronic regional tensions.
In 1947 Pakistan formed when the British split up India into three parts. The Muslim League formed the first government of Pakistan.
The Muslim League’s political influence decreased after independence. With the rise of other parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in West Pakistan and the Awami League in East Pakistan, which eventually led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement was the movement to establish a Muslim state. During the 1940s and early 1950s, Muslim leaders advocated the idea of creating a separate Islamic state.
The demand for a separate state widely accepted in the Muslim community, but many Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis and Jews in Muslim-dominated regions of India were not supportive of this concept. Eventually, the Indian Muslims came to accept the notion of a separate state in 1947.
When Pakistan founded, many Hindus in India also felt that their rights and beliefs would threaten under the new nation. In response, the government passed legislation protecting them from discrimination and giving them equal rights.
After the death of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, Zia took over power and began a series of repressive policies intended to Islamize society. He portrayed the MRD, which was a mostly nonviolent movement that was strongest among PPP supporters in Sindh Province, as an Indian conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan. However, Zia’s attempt to discredit the MRD was not successful and the movement died a year and a half later.
Independence
Pakistan gained independence on August 14, 1947, after a long struggle with Britain. The end of British rule marked the final phase of the Indian subcontinent’s long colonial period, and a new era began for the nation’s Muslims.
Since then, however, Pakistan has faced many serious challenges that have threatened to derail its development and prosperity. These include the influx of Afghan refugees into the North-West Frontier Province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Balochistan, which disrupted local economies; the war in Afghanistan, which left Pakistan with a large military force and a “Kalashnikov culture” among its citizens; and daily fall in the national currency, which has exacerbated inflation.
The country has a complex political structure that is prone to regional and ethnic tensions. It has also characterized by repeated military coups, martial law, and violent deaths of national leaders. In addition, Pakistan plagued by an insufficient allocation of national funds to critical sectors like education, health and social services.
Role of Islam
Islam is the state religion of Pakistan and about 90% of the population adheres to it. It practiced by both Sunni and Shia Muslims, but the majority of Pakistanis are Sunni.
The role of Islam in Pakistan is important because it has been a significant influence on the country’s socio-cultural and political development. It is a faith that teaches that moral and material powers must welded together. It also emphasizes the importance of social and spiritual salvation.
However, Islamic law often misunderstood by many people in the country. In particular, it has blamed for promoting religious fundamentalism and encouraging violence.
A key issue is the role of independent religious institutions, such as schools of legal ruling (darul iftas) and producers of jurists (muftis). These institutions are primarily responsible for shaping the religio-political attitudes of Muslims in the country.
This has led to some controversial outcomes, such as Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. These laws have contributed to sectarian strife in the country and have also impeded the rule of law.
Geography environment and climate
Pakistan is a region with varied landscapes and a vast number of natural attractions including a 1000-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea, the mountains of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush in the north and preserved beautiful moist temperate forests. The country also features a large variety of wildlife, particularly endangered species such as the wild dog.
The climate of Pakistan varies considerably between the southern coast and the mountain regions, with hot summers and cold winters with little rainfall. These differences in climate can traced back to the topography of the country, causing chilly nights in valleys and an elevated temperature in cities due to the presence of concrete buildings.
The physical environment of Pakistan is a complex web of human interactions and relationships with natural systems. Changing weather patterns alter hydrological processes, biogeochemical turnover rates and landscape dynamics, imposing fundamental research challenges.
Flora and fauna
Pakistan’s flora and fauna is diverse and complex. The country is home to around 174 mammal species, 668 bird species and 177 reptile species.
Asiatic jackals, striped hyenas and wild cats inhabit the desert scrublands and sandy plains of central and western Pakistan. Besides these, mongooses, small Indian civets, hares and mugger crocodiles found in these regions.
In addition, the mountains of northern and eastern Pakistan and the mountainous regions of Balochistan have rich flora and fauna. The country is a home to endemic plants and many genera of agricultural and horticultural importance.
Despite the diversity of wildlife and flora, many endangered species threatened by human activity. Some of these include the Pakistan sand cat, snow leopard and markhor.
Government and politics
Pakistan is a constitutionally democratic state with an elected National Assembly (lower house of the federal legislature) and an indirectly elected president. The president serves a five-year term.
The president has a variety of powers, including the power to dissolve the National Assembly when a government cannot carry out its mandate or appeal to voters. In addition, he is responsible for the military and acts on advice from the prime minister.
Members of the National Assembly elected by universal adult suffrage. They allocated seats in the four provinces, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Islamabad Capital Territory on a proportional basis.
The government headed by a prime minister who commands the majority of votes in the National Assembly. He is also the head of the Cabinet, which consists of ministers. The prime minister and the Cabinet are responsible for implementing government policies and overseeing the budget.
Cultural heritage
Pakistan’s cultural heritage consists of a variety of sites, including archaeological sites, forts, shrines, tombs, buildings, monuments, and places of worship. Many of these sites are under federal government protection due to the Eighteenth Amendment, which transferred control over some sites to the federal government.
The National Library of Pakistan has a vast collection of original manuscripts, reports, and field surveys on Pakistani culture. An expert proposal for an inventory committee has been submitted to the relevant Ministry. There is also an informal inventory of intangible cultural heritage in Pakistan. In this inventory, the elements of the intangible cultural heritage are entered by different sources. The elements are rated for their viability and their compatibility with the 2003 Convention.
Before the independence of Pakistan, the country had an organizational structure for the management of its cultural heritage. While the federal government protects historic monuments and archaeological sites, most of the country’s heritage remains unprotected and uncatalogued. This issue has been addressed in recent years by the Heritage Foundation, which has worked to pass the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994. Through this act, approximately 600 heritage sites in Karachi were catalogued and protected.
Pakistan is home to many museums dedicated to the arts. The Lahore Museum, founded in 1894, houses an extensive collection of arts and crafts, sculpture, and jewelry. The National Museum of Pakistan, founded in 1950, has galleries dedicated to the Indus civilization and Gandhara art. It also hosts the National College of Arts, which was founded in 1872 and is the only institution dedicated to fine arts in the country.
Pakistan’s history is rich in diversity. In fact, its territory was the site of various ancient civilizations, ranging from the Neolithic age to the Bronze Age of the Indus Valley Civilization. As a result, the country has produced several distinct cultures with unique identity and values. By combining these diverse cultures, Pakistan is considered a cultural mosaic.
Pottery is another important aspect of Pakistan’s cultural heritage. The country’s pottery is ancient and boasts unique designs from different regions. The city of Peshawar has a special style, with hand-etched copper and brass decorations that display floral and arabesque patterns. In addition, the city of Kashmir has hand-woven wool shawls and chain-stitched embroidered fabrics.
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