Pakistan: Its Ancient History, Its Government, and
Where it is Today

            Pakistan is a country located in Southeast Asia, bordered by Afghanistan and Iran to the west, China to the north, and India to the west.  The name means “Land of the Pure” in Urdu, one of the countries official languages.  Their currency is rupees, their motto is “Faith, Unity Discipline,” and their anthem is “Blessed Be The Sacred Land.” The capital is Islamabad, their largest city is Karachi, and the country’s overall area is 339,778 kilometers.  Pakistan is also considered part of the Middle East.  It has a coastline of 1000 kilometers along the Arabian Sea in the south.  Their population is estimated at 163,985,373.  In ancient times, Pakistan was part of the Indus Valley civilization, which was based along the Indus River.
            In ancient times, a prosperous trade route called the Silk Road connected Pakistan with most of Asia, even some areas in Europe.  This trade route was why many ancient civilizations, like the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia, prospered so much – the great trade throughout Eurasia.
            After the Indus Valley civilization collapsed without warning, the Vedic civilization took over most of the area.  It stretched from most of India and Pakistan.  The Vedas, the sacred text of this civilization, are the roots of Hinduism.  Pakistan has since been under control of the Afghans, Greeks, Persians, and the Arabs.
            In 712 CE, the Arabs conquered most of Pakistan, making part of many Muslim empires including the Ghaznavid, Ghorid, Delhi Sultanate, and Mughal empires.
            Pakistan was under the British rule until 1947, when on August 14th, they became a country.  Separating India and Pakistan caused a problem; most of the Hindus in Pakistan moved to India, and most of the Muslims moved to Pakistan.  There were fights between the nations for the smaller territories, and in the end they had part of what they were fighting for.
            Up until 1956, they were part of the Commonwealth of Nations.  In 1958, Pakistan became a people’s republic.  The process was slowed down by a coup d’etat lead by Ayub Khan, who became president from 1958 to 1969.  During his presidency, there was a second war with India.  After his presidency, Yahya Khan took over and ruled from 1969 to 1979.  During his presidency, there was a cyclone which caused 5,000 deaths.
            The government has had its share of constitutions; the first one was suspended by Ayub Khan.  The second one was instated in 1973, but suspended in 1977.  This constitution was reinstated in 1991 and is the foundation of the country.  Pakistan is a federal republic; Islam is the official religion of the country.  The semi-presidential government goes like this: there is a two-house legislature, one being the Senate with 100 members, and the National Assembly with 342 members.  The president is in charge, and the Commander in Chief of the armed forces is elected by an electoral college.  Their prime minister, currently Shaukat Aziz, is in charge of the largest party in the National Assembly.
            Pakistan is a member of the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and the Economic Cooperation Organization.  We are good allies with Pakistan, even more so since they ended their support of the Taliban rule in Kabul.  As implied by the wars, they have shaky relations with India.
            The country is divided into three groups: provinces, territories, and federally administered tribal regions. The provinces include Balochistan, the North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, and Sindh.  The territories include Islamabad Capital Territory, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  The Federally Administered Tribal Areas include Azad Kashmir, and the Northern Areas.
            The geography is diverse, ranging from sandy beaches to lagoons and mangrove swamps.  The only river in Pakistan is the Indus, but its many tributaries take up a lot of area.  Deserts include the hilly Balochistan, and to the east the Thar desert with its sand dunes.  There are also fertile plains.
            The climate varies with cold winters and hot summers to the north and extremely hot summers in the central areas.  Unlike in India, where the monsoons bring good weather, they bring little more than 49.2 inches.  Water shortages, however, are not big because of the dams on the rivers.
            There are a lot of different types of wildlife in Pakistan; in the south, they have alligators, deer, and porcupines.  In central areas they have animals more suited to a desert-like climate, like jackals, hyenas, wild cats, and leopards.  To the north, the mountains, they have a lot of endangered animals like Marco Polo sheep, Urial Sheep, and Ibex goats.
            The national religion is Muslim, due to the large population of Sunnis; a small population of Shiite Muslims also exists.  Other cultures include Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Animists.  Their society has many people that use different languages, and they have traditional family values.  Like India, Pakistan has its own movie business, called Lollywood.  Many Pakistanis live outside of Pakistan, there are almost a half-million in America alone!
            Tourism is becoming large because of the many cultures living there.  Ruins like Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa and Taxila also attract people.  In addition, winter sports are popular there.  North Pakistan has lots of old architectural sites, like towers and fortresses.
            There are many holidays in national holidays in Pakistan, like Independence Day and Defense of Pakistan Day.  Independence Day occurs on August 14th, and Defense of Pakistan Day occurs on September 6th.
            Like India, their national sport is field hockey.  Cricket is also popular and widely supported by the country.  There is the Tour de Pakistan, which is a cycling competition that goes through all of Pakistan.  Hockey is their strongest sport, which is understandable because it is their national sport.
            Closing: Pakistan has had its ups and downs, but it seems to me that it’s going good right now.