| Rank | Language | 2008 estimate: Speakers | 1998 census: Speakers | Percentage | Main areas where spoken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punjabi | 76,367,360 | 58,433,431 | (44.15%) | Punjab |
| 2 | Pashto | 26,692,890 | 20,408,621 | (15.42%) | NWFP |
| 3 | Sindhi | 24,410,910 | 18,661,571 | (14.1%) | Sindh |
| 4 | Seraiki | 18,019,610 | 13,936,594 | (10.53%) | South Punjab |
| 5 | Urdu | 13,120,540 | 10,019,576 | (7.57%) | Karachi |
| 6 | Balochi | 6,204,840 | 4,724,871 | (3.57%) | Balochistan |
| 7 | Others | 8,083,850 | 6,167,515 | (4.66%) | Pakistan |
| 8 | Total | 172,900,000 | 132,352,279 | (100%) | Pakistan |
Pakistan is a multilingual country with more than sixty languages being spoken.[66] English is the official language of Pakistan and used in official business, government, and legal contacts,[24] while Urdu is the national language.
Punjabi is the provincial language of Punjab. Pashto is the provincial language of NWFP. Sindhi is the provincial language of Sindh and Balochi is the provincial language of Balochistan.
Other languages include Aer, Badeshi, Bagri, Balti, Bateri, Bhaya, Brahui, Burushaski, Chilisso, Dameli,Dehwari, Dhatki, Domaaki, Farsi (Dari), Gawar-Bati, Ghera, Goaria, Gowro, Gujarati, Gujari, Gurgula,Hazaragi, Hindko (two varieties), Jadgali, Jandavra, Kabutra, Kachchi (Kutchi), Kalami, Kalasha, Kalkoti, Kamviri, Kashmiri, Kati, Khetrani, Khowar, Indus Kohistani, Koli (three varieties), Lasi, Loarki, Marwari,Memoni, Od, Ormuri, Pahari-Potwari, Pakistan Sign Language, Palula (Phalura), Sansi, Savi, Shina (two varieties), Torwali, Ushojo, Vaghri, Wakhi, Waneci, and Yidgha.[67] Some of these are endangered languages with a relatively small number of speakers and others have hundreds of thousands of speakers.
Most of the languages belong to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. The exceptions areBurushaski, which is a language isolate; Balti, which is Sino-TIbetan; and Brahui, which is Dravidian.
Religions
Pakistan is the second-most populous Muslim-majority country[18][19] and also has the second-largestShi'a population in the world.[20] About 95% of the Pakistanis are Muslim, of which nearly 75% are Sunniand 20% are Shi'a.[24] Although the two groups of Muslims usually coexist peacefully, sectarian violence occurs sporadically.[68]
The religious breakdown of the country is as follows[24]:
- Islam 173,000,000 (96%) (nearly 70% are Sunni Muslims and 20% are Shi'a Muslims).
- Hinduism 3,200,000 (1.85%)
- Christianity 2,800,000 (1.6%)
- Sikhs Around 20,000 (0.001%)
- The remaining are Parsis, Ahmadis, Buddhists, Jews, Bahá'ís, and Animists (mainly the Kalasha of Chitral).[69]
Military
The armed forces of Pakistan are an all-volunteer force and are the sixth-largest in the world. The three main services are the Army, Navy and the Air Force, supported by a number of paramilitary forces which carry out internal security roles and border patrols. The National Command Authority is responsible for exercising employment and development control of all strategic nuclear forces and organizations.
The Pakistan military first saw combat in the First Kashmir War, gaining control of what is now Azad Kashmir. In 1961, the army repelled a major Afghan incursion on Pakistan's western border.[70] Pakistan and India would be at war again in 1965 and in 1971. In 1973, the military quelled a Baloch nationalist uprising. During the Soviet-Afghan war, Pakistan shot down several intruding pro-Soviet Afghan aircraft and provided covert support to the Afghan mujahideen through the Inter-Services Intelligence agency. In 1999, Pakistan was involved in the Kargil conflict with India. Currently, the military is engaged in an armed conflictwith extremist Islamic militants in the north-west of the country.
The Pakistani armed forces were the second largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping efforts, with more than 10,000 personnel deployed in 2007[71] and are the largest contributor now. In the past, Pakistani personnel have volunteered to serve alongside Arab forces in conflicts with Israel. Pakistan provided a military contingent to the U.N.-backed coalition in the first Gulf War.[72]
Pakistan's military employs armaments that include atomic weapons, mobile vehicle ballistic missile systems, laser communication systems, armored cars and tanks, and multi-role fighter/bomber jets.
Geography and climate
Pakistan covers 340,403 square miles (881,640 km2),[73] approximately equalling the combined land areas of France and the United Kingdom. Its eastern regions are located on the Indian tectonic plate and the western and northern regions on the Iranian plateau and Eurasian landplate. Apart from the 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) Arabian Sea coastline, Pakistan's land borders total 6,774 kilometres—2,430 kilometres (1,509 mi) with Afghanistan to the northwest, 523 kilometres (325 mi) with China to the northeast, 2,912 kilometres (1,809 mi) with India to the east and 909 kilometres (565 mi) with Iran to the southwest.[24]
The northern and western highlands of Pakistan contain the towering Karakoram and Pamir mountain ranges, which incorporate some of the world's highest peaks, including K2 (28,250 ft; 8,611 m) and Nanga Parbat (26,660 ft; 8,126 m). The Balochistan Plateau lies to the west, and the Thar Desert and an expanse of alluvial plains, the Punjab and Sind, lie to the east. The 1,000-mile-long (1,609-km) Indus River and its tributaries flow through the country from the Kashmir region to the Arabian Sea.[74]
Pakistan has four seasons: a cool, dry winter from December through February; a hot, dry spring from March through May; the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September; and the retreating monsoon period of October and November. The onset and duration of these seasons vary somewhat according to location.[75] Rainfall can vary radically from year to year, and successive patterns of flooding and drought are also not uncommon.[76]
Flora and fauna
The national animal of Pakistan is the Markhor and the national bird is the Chukar, also known as Chakhoor in Urdu.[77] The wide variety of landscapes and climates in Pakistan allows for a wide variety of wild animals and birds. The forests range from coniferous alpine and subalpine trees such as spruce, pine, and deodar cedar in the northern mountains to deciduous trees such as the mulberry-type Shisham in the Sulaiman range in the south. The western hills have juniper and tamarisk as well as coarse grasses and scrub plants. Along the southern coast are mangrove forests which form much of the coastal wetlands.[78]
In the south, there are crocodiles in the murky waters at the mouth of the Indus River whilst on the banks of the river, there are boars, deer, porcupines, and small rodents. In the sandy scrublands of central Pakistan are found jackals, hyenas, wild cats, panthers, and leopards while the clear blue skies abound with hawks, falcons, and eagles. In the southwestern deserts are rare Asiatic cheetahs. In the northern mountains are a variety of endangered animals including Marco Polo sheep, Urial sheep, Markhor and Ibex goats, black andbrown Himalayan bears, and the rare Snow Leopard. During August 2006, Pakistan donated an orphaned snow leopard cub called Leo to USA.[79] Another rare species is the blind Indus River Dolphin of which there are believed to be about 1,100 remaining, protected at the Indus River Dolphin Reserve in Sindh.[80] In recent years the number of wild animals being killed for fur and leather trading led to a new law banning the hunting of wild animals and birds and the establishment of several wildlife sanctuaries and game reserves. The number of hunters have greatly dwindled since then.[81]
Economy
Despite being a very poor country in 1947, Pakistan's economic growth rate was better than the global average during the subsequent four decades, but imprudent policies led to a slowdown in the late 1990s.[82] Recently, wide-ranging economic reforms have resulted in a stronger economic outlook and accelerated growth especially in themanufacturing and financial services sectors.[82] Since the 1990s, there has been great improvement in the foreign exchange position and rapid growth in hard currencyreserves.[82] The 2005 estimate of foreign debt was close to US$40 billion. However, this has decreased in recent years with assistance from the International Monetary Fund and significant debt-relief from the United States. Pakistan's gross domestic product, as measured by purchasing power parity, is estimated to be US$475.4 billion[83] while its per capita income stands at $2,942.[83] The poverty rate in Pakistan is estimated to be between 23%[84] and 28%.[85] GDP growth was steady during the mid 2000s at a rate of 7%;[86][87] however, slowed down during the Economic crisis of 2008 to 4.7%.[24] A large inflation rate of 24.4% and a low savings rate, and other economic factors, continue to make it difficult to sustain a high growth rate.[88][89][90] Pakistan's GDP is US$167 billions, which makes it the 48th-largest economy in the world or 27th largest by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates
The structure of the Pakistani economy has changed from a mainly agricultural base to a strong service base. Agriculture now only accounts for roughly 20% of the GDP, while the service sector accounts for 53% of the GDP.[91] Significant foreign investments have been made in several areas including telecommunications, real estate and energy.[92][93] Other important industries include textiles (accounts almost 60 % of total GDP), food processing, chemicals manufacture, and the iron and steel industries.[94] Pakistan's exports in 2008 amounted to $20.62 billion (USD).[24] Pakistan is a rapidly developing country.[95][96][97] However, the Economic crisis of 2008 led Pakistan to seek more than $100 billion in aid in order to avoid possible bankruptcy.[98][99] This was never given to Pakistan and therefore it had to depend on a more aggressive fiscal policy, backed by the IMF.
Education
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Education in Pakistan is divided into five levels:primary (grades one through five); middle (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate); intermediate(grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate); and universityprogrammes leading to graduate and advanceddegrees.[102]
Pakistan also has a parallel secondary school education system in private schools, which is based upon the curriculum set and administered by the Cambridge International Examinations, in place of government exams. Some students choose to take the O level and A level[103] exams through theBritish Council.
There are currently 730 technical & vocational institutions in Pakistan.[104] The minimum qualifications to enter male vocational institutions, is the completion of grade 8. The programmes are generally two to three years in length. The minimum qualifications to enter female vocational institutions, is the completion of grade 5.[105] All academic education institutions are the responsibility of the provincial governments. Thefederal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing of research.
English medium education is to be extended, on a phased basis, to all schools across the country.[106] Through various educational reforms, by the year 2015, the ministry of education expects to attain 100% enrolment levels amongst primary school aged children, and a literacy rate of 86% amongst people aged over 10.[107]
Pakistan also has madrassahs that provide free education and also offer free boarding and lodging to students who come mainly from the poorer strata of society.[108] After criticism over terrorists using them for recruiting purposes, efforts have been made to regulate them.[109]
Society and culture
Pakistani society is largely hierarchical, with high regard for traditional Islamic values, although urban families have grown into a nuclear familysystem because of the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional joint family system.[110] Recent decades have seen the emergence of a middle class in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi,Hyderabad, Faisalabad, and Peshawar that wish to move in a more centrist direction, as opposed to the northwestern regions bordering Afghanistan that remain highly conservative and dominated by centuries-old regional tribal customs. Increasing globalization has resulted in ranking 46th on the A.T. Kearney/FP Globalization Index.[111]
The variety of Pakistani music ranges from diverse provincial folk music and traditional styles such asQawwali and Ghazal Gayaki to modern forms fusing traditional and western music, such as the synchronisation of Qawwali and western music by the world renowned Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In addition Pakistan is home to many famous folk singers such as the late Alam Lohar, who is also well known inIndian Punjab. However, majority of Pakistanis listen to Indian music produced by Bollywood and other Indian film industries. The arrival of Afghan refugees in the western provinces has rekindled Pashto andPersian music and established Peshawar as a hub for Afghan musicians and a distribution centre for Afghan music abroad.[112] State-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation were the dominant media outlets, but there are now numerous private television channels. Various American, European, and Asian television channels and films are available to the majority of the Pakistani population via private Television Networks, cable, and satellite television. There are also small indigenous film industries based in Lahore and Peshawar (often referred to as Lollywood). And whileBollywood films have been banned from being played in public cinemas since 1965 they have remained popular in popular culture[113].
The architecture of the areas now constituting Pakistan can be designated to four distinct periods —pre-Islamic, Islamic, colonial and post-colonial. With the beginning of the Indus civilization around the middle of the 3rd millennium[114] B.C., an advanced urban culture developed for the first time in the region, with large structural facilities, some of which survive to this day.[115] Mohenjo Daro, Harappa andKot Diji belong to the pre-Islamic era settlements. The rise of Buddhism and the Persian and Greekinfluence led to the development of the Greco-Buddhist style, starting from the 1st century CE. The high point of this era was reached with the culmination of the Gandhara style. An example of Buddhist architecture is the ruins of the Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in the northwest province. The arrival ofIslam in today's Pakistan meant a sudden end of Buddhist architecture.[116] However, a smooth transition to predominantly pictureless Islamic architecture occurred. The most important of the few completely discovered buildings of Persian style is the tomb of the Shah Rukn-i-Alam in Multan. During the Mughal era design elements of Islamic-Persian architecture were fused with and often produced playful forms of the Hindustani art. Lahore, occasional residence of Mughal rulers, exhibits a multiplicity of important buildings from the empire, among them the Badshahi mosque, the fortress of Lahore with the famousAlamgiri Gate, the colourful, still strongly Persian seeming Wazir Khan Mosque as well as numerous other mosques and mausoleums. Also the Shahjahan Mosque of Thatta in Sindh originates from the epoch of the Mughals. In the British colonial period, predominantly functional buildings of the Indo-European representative style developed from a mixture of European and Indian-Islamic components. Post-colonial national identity is expressed in modern structures like the Faisal Mosque, the Minar-e-Pakistan and the Mazar-e-Quaid.
The literature of Pakistan covers the literatures of languages spread throughout the country, namely Urdu,Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto, Baluchi as well as English[117] in recent times and in the past often Persian as well. Prior to the 19th century, the literature mainly consisted of lyric poetry and religious, mystical andpopular materials. During the colonial age the native literary figures, under the influence of the western literature of realism, took up increasingly different topics and telling forms. Today, short stories enjoy a special popularity.[118] The national poet of Pakistan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, suggested the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of India. However, Iqbal had also wrote the Tarana-e-Hind which stated the belief of a strong united India. His book The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam is a major work of modern Islamic philosophy. The most well-known representative of the contemporary Urdu literature of Pakistan is Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Sufi poetry Shah Abdul Latif, Bulleh Shah and Khawaja Farid are also very popular in Pakistan.[119] Mirza Kalich Beg has been termed the father of modern Sindhi prose.[120]
Holidays
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 23 | Pakistan Day | یوم پاکستان Yom-e-Pakistan | Commemorates Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940 in Lahoreand Republic Day in 1956 |
| May 1 | Labor day (May Day) | یوم مزدور Yom-e-Mazdoor | Labor day in Pakistan |
| August 14 | Independence Day | یوم استقلال Yom-e-Istiqlal | Commemorates Pakistan's independence from the United Kingdom on August 14, 1947 |
| September 6 | Defence Day | یوم دفاع Yom-e-Difa | Defense Day |
| November 9 | Birthday of Muhammad Iqbal | یوم اقبال Yom-e-Iqbal | Birthday of national poet Muhammad Iqbal |
| December 25 | Birthday of Quaid-e-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah; | یوم ولادت قائداعظم Yom-e-Viladat-e-Quaid-e-Azam عيد ميلاد المسيح Eid-ul-Milad-ul-Masseh | Birthday of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah; |
| Dates following the Lunar Islamic calendar | |||
| Dhul Hijja 10 | Eid ul-Adha | عید الاضحٰی | Commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, occurs on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja |
| Shawwal 1 | Eid-ul-Fitr | عيد الفطر | Commemorates end of Ramadan (Ramazan). It occurs on the 1st day of Shawwal |
| Rabi`-ul-Awwal 12 | Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi | عيد ميلاد النبی | Birthday of Prophet Muhammad. It occurs on the 12th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal(holiday this year 21 March 2008) |
| Muharram 10 | Ashura | عاشوراء | Martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain. It occurs on the 10th day ofMuharram |
| Ramadan last Friday | Jumu'ah-tul-Wida | جمعۃ الوداع | It occurs on last Friday in Ramadan before Eid-ul-Fitr |
| Ramadan last ten nights of the month | Laylat al-Qadr | لیلۃ القدر | It occurs on last ten nights in Ramadan |
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