The nation of Pakistan came into existence in 1947. Before that time, the region formed part of the British Indian Empire.
Pakistan’s history dates back nearly 5,000 years to one of the world’s first urban (city-based) civilizations, which grew up along the Indus River. Pakistan was settled by peoples of varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In the Urdu language, the namePakistantranslates as “Land of the Pure.”
At the beginning of the eleventh century, rulers from Afghanistan mounted military campaigns over the mountain passes into the region that is India and Pakistan today. For over 650 years, a Muslim government based in Delhi ruled much of the area that makes up modern Pakistan. Toward the end of the sixteenth century, one emperor, Akbar, made Lahore the capital of his empire. Lahore is a major city in modern Pakistan.
Britain took over the plains of the Punjab in 1849. Over the next hundred years, the British colonial government in India gained control over virtually all the lands and peoples that were to make up Pakistan.
The modern state of Pakistan was created in 1947, when the British colonial possessions were divided between Pakistan and India. Pakistan’s capital city is Islamabad. The traditional conflict with India has led to several military confrontations, with wars fought in 1947, 1965, and 1971.
Location
Pakistan lies in the northwest part of the Indian subcontinent. It has an area of 307,304 square miles (796,095 square kilometers). Pakistan occupies the territories of Jammu and Kashmir, which officially belong to India. In size, Pakistan is slightly larger than the state of Texas. Its southern border is formed by a 650-mile (1,046-kilo-meter) stretch of coastline along the Arabian Sea. From there, the country extends northward for 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to the mountains that lie along its northern border with China. To the west, Pakistan shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan. India lies to the east, and in the northeast is the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Pakistan’s western boundary was established by the British as part of their Indian Empire. The eastern boundary was set in the mid-twentieth century. When the British were preparing to give up control of their Indian Empire, Muslims living there were concerned that they would be a minority in a Hindu-controlled independent country. They demanded their own country. When the British left India, the Muslim majority areas in the north—one in the west and the other in the east—were separated to form Pakistan.
Pakistan was then made up of two “wings” separated by 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of land belonging to India. East Pakistan, even though it had a Muslim majority, was culturally different from the West Pakistan. Eventually, civil war erupted. East Pakistan broke away (with Indian help) and became the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971.
The boundary between India and West Pakistan divided the region of the Punjab in two. In 1947 when the boundary was set, many people moved to live closer to people who were like them—Sikhs and Hindus moved into India, and a Muslims moved into Pakistan. This process was not peaceful, and an estimated 1 million people died in the process.
In the territory known as Jammu and Kashmir (usually called simply “Kashmir”), there have been tensions. In 1947, Kashmir had more Muslims in its population. But the ruler was Hindu, and he was reluctant to join either Pakistan or India. From 1947–49, there was armed conflict. A ceasefire was negotiated by the United Nations in 1949, but Kashmir remains divided, with Pakistani and Indian troops facing each other across the ceasefire line.
The 140.5 million people of Pakistan encompass a range of distinct ethnic groups. Baluchis are found in the southwest, and Sindhis, in the south. The Punjabis of the northern plains of the Indus River make up the largest, and most politically influential, group in the country. In the northwest, Pashtun (also called Pakhtun or Pathan) are the main group. Tribal areas are administered by the federal government rather than by provincial governments. The ethnic mix of Pakistan is further modified by themuhajirs(Muslims from India who crossed into Pakistan in 1947, along with their descendants), who represent perhaps 10 percent of Pakistan’s population. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979–88), there were an estimated 3 million Afghani refugees (mainly Pashtuns) in northwestern Pakistan.
Pakistan is roughly divided into three geographic regions: the Indus plains, the northern mountains, and the hills and plateaus that extend from the Khyber Pass to Baluchistan. The Indus plains, and especially the northern region of the Punjab, form the heart of the country. In spite of the dry climate (Karachi receives about 8 inches, or 20 centimeters, of rain a year) and maximum temperatures that may hover above 104°F(40°C) for months at a time, the plains support the largest part of Pakistan’s population. Agriculture depends heavily on irrigation from the waters of the Indus River system.
The northern mountain zone has some of the most rugged land found anywhere in the world. Nearly all the region lies above 7,800 feet (approximately 2,400 meters). The Karakoram Mountains contain some of the highest peaks in the world. More than fifty peaks are over 21,000 feet (6,500 meters) in elevation. The area is difficult to cross, especially in the winter months. It is sparsely populated with tribespeople who display a fierce sense of independence.
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