MDL 4

• Pakistan


  South Asian country in the Indian sub-continent, Islam is the religion followed by many of its citizens, Pakistani rupee is their currency
• Pakistan

  • Populous multi-ethnic country of South Asia, Predominantly Indo-Iranian speaking population, Historically and culturally associated with neighbours Iran, Afghanistan, and India, Overwhelmingly Muslim population (as opposed to the predominance of Hindus in India), Struggled throughout its existence to attain political stability and sustained social development, Capital is Islamabad, Largest city is Karachi
• Geographical regions of Pakistan

  • The northern highlands
  • The Indus plain
  • Balochistan
• Northern highlands


  • Include parts of the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram Range, and the Himalayas, More than one-half of the summits are over 4,500 meters, More than fifty peaks reach above 6,500 meters, Travel through the area is difficult and dangerous, Formidable barriers to movement into Pakistan throughout history
• Indus plain

  • Fertile alluvial plain formed by silt from the Indus River, Inhabited by agricultural civilizations for at least 5,000 years
• Balochistan


  • Geographically the largest of the four provinces, Composes 48% of the total land area of Pakistan, Population density is very low due to the mountainous terrain and scarcity of water, Southern region is known as Makran, Central region is known as Kalat, Sulaiman Mountains dominate the northeast corner, Bolan Pass is a natural route into Afghanistan towards Kandahar, Much of the province south of the Quetta region is sparse desert terrain, Largest desert is the Kharan Desert, Region surrounding Quetta is highly prone to earthquakes
• Water resources

  • Pakistan's largest river is the Indus River, Solar power is now flourishing but it is still installed on a small scale, Pakistan is considering to develop wind turbines to fulfill the demand for electricity, Indus River system is divided into two plains: Upper Indus Plain and Lower Indus Plain
• Fuel resources


  • Pakistan has extensive energy resources, including fairly sizable natural gas reserves, petroleum oil reserves, coal fields and large hydropower potential
• Agriculture


  • Pakistan has extensive mineral resources, including gypsum, limestone, chromites, iron ore, rock salt, silver, gold, precious stones, Forests of Pakistan are a main source of food, lumber, paper, fuel wood, latex, medicine, and used for wildlife conservation and Eco tourism
• Environment and conservation

  • Environmental issues are a great problem for the nature and nation of Pakistan, Ministry of Environment of Government of Pakistan takes responsibility to conserve and protect the environment, Current issues: water pollution, limited natural fresh water resources, deforestation, soil erosion, desertification
• Natural disasters

  • Pakistan is subject to frequent earthquakes, especially in north and west, Severe flooding along the Indus after heavy rains, Landslides are common in the northern mountains
• Protected areas

  • 15 national parks, 72 wildlife sanctuaries, 66 game reserves, 9 marine and littoral protected areas, 19 protected wetlands, Protected grasslands, shrub lands, woodlands and natural monuments
• People and society

  • Family organization is strongly patriarchal, Women's place in society has been secondary to men, Practice of keeping women in seclusion (purdah) is still common in some parts, Women have duties on the farm as well as in the house, "Honour killings" of women by male relatives,
• Cultural institutions


  • Lahore Museum has a splendid collection of arts and crafts, jewelry, and sculpture, National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi has displays of objects from the Indus civilization and Gandhara art, Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations, National College of Arts in Lahore is the only degree-granting institute of fine arts in the country
• Sports and recreation


  • Cricket is a national favourite, Pakistan has produced some of the world's best players, Pakistani national team won the World Cup in 1992
• Government and society

  • In 1947 Pakistan consisted of East and West Pakistan, 1971 East Pakistan seceded and became Bangladesh, Domestic conflicts: between political actors, regional groups, over economic resources, between landed aristocracy and urban elite, campaign of terror by religious forces opposed to secular modernism
• Constitutional framework

  • First constitution enacted in 1956, Abrogated in 1958, New constitution promulgated in 1962, Provided for the election of the president
• Since 2001 the country has been confronted by a campaign of ceaseless terror, generally but not exclusively cast in religious terms, that has been mounted by religious forces opposed to secular modernism in all its forms
• A climate of virtually irreconcilable forces has emerged, much of it manifested by external militant Islamic elements led by the al-Qaeda organization and a revived Afghan Taliban
• Pakistan's first constitution

  Enacted by the Constituent Assembly in 1956, followed the form of the 1935 act, allowed the president far-reaching powers, included a "parity formula" for representation in the National Assembly
• 1958 constitution


  Abrogated, martial law instituted
• 1962 constitution


  Provided for the election of the president and national and provincial assemblies by an electoral college, federal form of government retained but assemblies had little power
• 1973 constitution


  Adopted, suspended in 1977, restored in 1988 after military rule ended
• Burkina Faso's constitution


  Suspended in 1997, reinstated in 2002 following a national referendum, most of the Legal Framework Order provisions formally incorporated in 2003
• Amended constitution of Pakistan

  Provides for a president and prime minister who must be Muslims, president elected for 5 years, prime minister elected by National Assembly
• National Assembly composition


  • 272 seats for Muslim candidates
  • 10 seats for non-Muslims
  • 60 seats reserved for women
• One-third of the senators relinquish their seats every two years, in 2008 the Senate elected its first female president and vice-president
• Local government in Pakistan

  Provinces divided into divisions, districts, and subdistricts (tehsils) run by a hierarchy of administrators
• During British rule, the deputy commissioner was the symbol and embodiment of central government in remote locations, increasing emphasis on self-help programs for the rural populace post-independence
• Components of Pakistan's judicial system


  • Supreme Court
  • Provincial high courts
  • District courts that hear civil cases
  • Sessions courts that hear criminal cases
• District magistrate


  Deals with cases brought by the police, hears appeals from magistrates under him, appeals may go from him to the sessions judge
• Supreme Court


  Has original, appellate, and advisory jurisdictions, highest court in the land
• Sir Muhammad Iqbal advocated for the establishment of an independent Islamic state on the Indian subcontinent in 1930, comprising Sind, Balochistan, Punjab, and the North-West Frontier Province
• Failure of other Muslim leaders like Abul Kalam Azad, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and Khizar Hayat Khan Tiwana can be attributed to Iqbal's vision not taking into account the interests of those seeking independence from colonial rule who were not members of the Muslim League and not adhering to Islamic expressions of a single Muslim community (ummah) or people (qawm)
• Pakistan

  Name created as an acronym for Punjab, Afghania (North-West Frontier Province), Kashmir, and Indus-Sind, united with the -stan suffix from Baluchistan (Balochistan), may also mean "Land of the Pure"
• All India Muslim League

  Founded in 1906 to give Muslims a voice in opposition to the Hindu minority's expanding prominence under British rule, Mohammed Ali Jinnah took over as league head after splitting from Congress leader Mohandas K. Gandhi
• Two-nation theory

  Proposed by Jinnah and the Muslim League, claimed Indian Muslims were entitled to and required a separate, self-governing state in a reconfigured subcontinent due to the threat of Hindu assertiveness
• The 1935 Government of India Act made clear the British intended to give India self-government modeled after British parliamentary democracy
• After the British opened the public service to the local populace, Hindus essentially monopolized the postings, despite prominent Muslims like Sayyid Ahmad Khan urging Muslims to pursue European education and entrance into the colonial civil service
• Jinnah


  Lawyer, more disposed to support the rule of law in his quest for independence from imperial domination than Gandhi, more receptive to a negotiated agreement, initially did not suggest the dissolution of the Indian Union in the Lahore (later Pakistan) Resolution of 1940