The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان, islāmī jamhūriya i pākistān), or Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان, pākistān) is a country located in South Asia that overlaps onto the Greater Middle East and Central Asia. The country borders India, Afghanistan, Iran (Persia), China and the Arabian Sea. The name of the country "Pakistan" in Urdu and Persian means Land of the Pure. With around 163 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country with the second largest Muslim population. It is a member of the UN, Commonwealth of Nations, SAARC and the OIC.
Coat of Arms
Motto: Yaqeen-e-muhkam, ittihād, nazm
(Urdu: Faith (self confidence), Unity, Discipline)
Anthem: Pak Sarzamin Shad Bad (Blessed Be The Sacred Land)
Capital: Islamabad
Largest City: Karachi (also financial capital), Lahore
Official Language: Urdu, English
Government: Federal Republic
President: General Pervez Musharraf
Prime Minister: Shaukat Aziz
Independence: From the United Kingdom
- Declared August 14, 1947
- Republic March 23, 1956
Area:
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Total 803,940 km˛ ( 34th Country of the World)
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Water 3.1 %
Population:
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2005 estimate: 162 Million (6th in the world)
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Density: 188/km˛ (38th in the world)
GDP (PPP): (2004 estimate)
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Total: $360.8 billion (26th in the world)
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Per Capita $2,567 (135th in the world)
HDI (2003): .057 (135th) - medium
Currency: Rupees (Rs.) (PKR: Pak Rupees)
Time Zone: PST (UTC +5:00)
Internet TLD: .pk
Calling Code: +92
History of Pakistan
(Including pre-history, civilizations of the region, and modern events to date)
Pakistan is the birthplace of some of the most ancient civilizations and a strategic center of historic trade routes, including the Silk Road. It exists in a region whose history has overlapped that of many empires (e.g. Mughals) and also of countries including India, Afghanistan and Persia (Iran). As one of the cradles of human civilization, the Pakistani region has long been at the crossroads of history. Pakistan was the site of the Indus Valley civilization and was subsequently conquered by many groups, including Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, White Huns, and Scythians. This period saw the country advance in trade and culture to a level where the Gandhara region and the great city of Taxila (Takshashila) became a great center of learning and development.
Ruins of Mohen-jo-Daro, 80 km southwest of Sukkur, was center of Indus Valley Civilization, 2600 BCE – 1800 BCE
Ancient History
Nearly all of ancient Pakistan was ruled by the Persian Achaemenid dynasty for over two hundred years beginning in 540 BCE. In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great defeated the Punjabi king Porus (Paurava) at the Hydaspes near Jhelum. After Alexander's death and brief Seleucid control, Chandragupta Maurya gained control of the territory. His grandson Ashoka is known as to have been one of the greatest benefactors and major proselytizers of Buddhism which spread throughout the region. After the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty was overthrown in 185 BCE,
Demetrius (205-171 BCE), founder of the Indo-Greek kingdom
Demetrius of Bactria conquered Gandhara and Punjab in 184 BCE, establishing an Indo-Greek kingdom that lasted nearly two centuries, until around 10 BCE. To the south, this kingdom captured Sindh and extended to the coast of the Arabian Sea. One of the prominent Greco-Bactrian kings was Menander, who ruled from 155 to 130 BCE and is believed to have been a convert to Buddhism. His territories covered the eastern dominions of the divided Greek empire of Bactria (from the areas of the Panjshir and Kapisa, now in Afghanistan) and extended to the Pakistani province of Punjab with diffuse tributaries to the south and east, possibly even as far as Mathura in modern India. Sagala (modern Sialkot) became his capital and prospered greatly under Menander's rule. The last Greek king to rule independently was probably Strato II, whose reign ended about 10 CE. Various Greek kings ruled into the beginning of the 1st century CE, as petty rulers (such as Theodamas) and as administrators, after the area was conquered by various Central Asian groups, most notably the Tocharian Kushans.
The Kushan kingdom stretched from modern-day Uzbekistan to northwestern India. The kingdom was founded by King Heraios, and greatly expanded by his successor, Kujula Kadphises. Kadphises' son Vima Takto conquered territory now in India, but lost much of the western parts of the kingdom, including Gandhara, to the Parthian king Gondophares.
Later invaders included the Scythians, and White Huns. While the Punjab remained under the Huns and Scythians, the Sassanian Persian Empire then came to control most of western Pakistan and Sind came under the rule of Hindu rajas.
Arrival of Islam
In the eighth century CE, the arrival of the Arab Muslims to the provinces of Sindh and Punjab set the stage for the geographic boundaries of the modern state of Pakistan and formed the foundation for Islamic rule which quickly spread across much of South Asia. Following the rule of various Islamic empires, including the Ghaznavid Empire, the Ghorid kingdom, and the Delhi Sultanate, the region was controlled by the Mughals from 1526 until 1739. From 1739 until the early 19th century the entire area was ruled briefly by Nadir Shah and then by the Afghans and then later the Baluchis and Sikhs came to control Sind and the Punjab.
British rule
To the east, the British had arrived and formed the British East India Company which would eventually spearhead a colonial dominion over South Asia. The Mughal Empire was then at a decline and the eventual collapse of the anti-British struggle by the Muslim leader Tipu Sultan from 1749 to 1799 left the remnants of the Mughal Empire vulnerable. The British did not gain strong footholds in the Pakistani region until the early 19th century and annexed the entire area during the Great Game rivalry with the Russian empire.
The Indian War of Independence in 1857 was the last South Asian armed struggle against the British, while the Anglo-Afghan wars continued into the 20th century. After crushing the struggle the British dubbed the event the "Sepoy Mutiny". Even though the War of Independence was a joint Muslim-Hindu struggle to oust the British, the brunt of British retaliation was directed at the Muslim population of the empire employing the infamous "Divide and rule" policy. This suppression and subjugation helped set the stage for the creation of Pakistan - an Islamic state for the Muslims of British India. The greatest proponent of this became Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who later earned the title of Quaid-e-Azam (Urdu: قائد اعظم) meaning "great leader" and founder of Pakistan.
Independence and After Independence
After a 60 year formal and generally unarmed struggle for independence, Pakistan came into existence on 14th August1947 from the British Empire. The British divided up the Indian empire into three parts: the central part, with a Hindu majority, became modern-day India, the western part along with parts of the Punjab became West Pakistan, while East Bengal (the Muslim majority part of Bengal) became East Pakistan. The Partition of India is believed by many to have been mishandled by the British since it resulted in the worst ever recorded communal riots in the region and perhaps one of the worst in modern history. An estimated 1 to 5 million Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and others in former British India lost their lives as a direct consequence and millions more became refugee migrants to the newly formed Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Due to a hasty British retreat and mishandling of the independence of its former colonies, various disputes would remain between India and Pakistan involving Kashmir and the Rann of Kutch (Sir Creek) regions. Both nations have fought three all out wars due to these unsettled issues. Other inherited legacies of British rule included the Durand Line debate regarding the border with Afghanistan.
In 1971, economic and political discontent in East Pakistan – geographically separated from West Pakistan by India – and violent political repression escalated into a civil war (Bangladesh Liberation War) in East Pakistan and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, resulting in the secession of East Pakistan, which formed the independent state of Bangladesh.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 created a large influx of refugees fleeing to Pakistan from Afghanistan; the largest in the world. In one of the largest covert operations in history, Pakistan and the United States supported anti-Soviet freedom fighters in Afghanistan, and the Soviets withdrew in the late 1980s.
Politically since its formation, Pakistan has oscillated between democratic and military rule, while making some impressive recent economic strides.
PAKISTAN'S POSTAGE STAMPS LISTING
1947 - 2005
Stamp Issues
1947 - 1997
- 1947
- 1948
- 1949
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997, August 14. 50th anniversary of Independence.
- 3r Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
- 3r Allama Mohammad Iqbal.
- 3r Portrait.
- 3r Portrait.
- 1997, November 26. The Pakistan Motorway Project.
- 10r Map of part of Pakistan showing motorway route.
This stamp was also issued in a miniature sheet.
- 10r Map of part of Pakistan showing motorway route.
- 1997, December 3. International Day of the Disabled.
- 4r Disabled people.
1998 - 2002
- 1998, February 15. Anniversary of the death of Mirza Asadullah Khan
Ghalib.
- 2r Portrait.
- 1998, March 23. 50th anniversary of Pakistan Armed Forces.
- 7r Armed Forces personnel and flag of Pakistan.
- 1998, March 27. Centenary of the death of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
- 7r Portrait.
- 1998, April 22. National Games.
- 7r Games emblem and sports emblems.
- 1998, April 27. Medicinal Plants of Pakistan.
- 2r Plant.
- 1998, August 6. 50th anniversary of the Senate of Pakistan.
- 2r Arms and scroll.
- 5r Arms and scroll.
- 1998, August 14. Centenary of Government College, Faisalabad (1997).
- 5r College building.
- 1998, September 11. Ophthalmological Congress, Islamabad.
- 7r Eye seen through lens, butterfly and cross-section of eye.
- 1998, September 11. 50th Anniversary of the Death of Mohammad Ali
Jinnah, Quaid-e-Azam.
- 15r Portrait of Mohammad Ali
Jinnah.
This stamp was also issued in a miniature sheet.
- 15r Portrait of Mohammad Ali
Jinnah.
- 1998, October 1. Centenary of the birth of Syed Ahmed Shah Patrus
Bukhari.
- 5r Portrait, emblems and book.
- 1998, October 4. 50th Anniversary of Philately in Pakistan.
- 6r "50" and Stamps.
- 1998, October 16. Women in Agriculture.
- 6r Woman and F.A.O. Emblem.
- 1998, November 21. Scientists of Pakistan.
- 2r Dr. Abdus Salam, Nobel laureate in physics.
- 1998, November 27. The Pakistan 2010 Programme for a Better
Pakistan.
- 2r People.
- 2r Satellite dish.
- 2r Combine harvester.
- 2r.
- 1998, December 10. 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
- 6r Globe and anniversary emblem.
- 1998, December 11. 50 Years of
U.N.I.C.E.F. in Pakistan.
- 2r Clean water for all.
- 2r Educate the girl child.
- 2r No more polio.
- 2r Eliminate iodine deficiency disorders.
- 1998, December 15. International Year of the Ocean and the
Environment.
- 5r Part of globe and U.N.E.S.C.O. emblem.
- 1998, December 16. The National Flag March, Khyber to
Chaghi.
- 2r Marchers and map of Pakistan.
- 1999, January 27. International Conference on the Centenary of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- 2r Emblem on sand.
- 15r Emblem on carpet.
One of these stamps was also issued in a miniature sheet.
- 1999, April 14. Scientists of Pakistan.
- 5r Portrait of Dr. Salimuz Zaman Siddiqui (1897 - 1994).
- 1999, May 28. 1st Anniversary of the Pakistani Nuclear Test,
Yaum-e-Takbeer.
- 5r Nuclear test, flag and slogan.
- 1999, May 31. Completion of the Data Darbar Mosque Complex.
- 7r Views of the Mosque Complex.
- 1999, July 21. Archaeological Heritage of Pakistan. Gandhara Art.
- 7r Front view of Statue of the Fasting Siddharatha.
- 7r Three-quarter view of Statue of the Fasting
Siddharatha.
These two stamps were also issued, together, in a miniature sheet.
- 1999, August 12. 50th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
- 5r Geneva Conventions emblem and "50 Years of Saving Lives".
- 1999, August 14. Pioneers of Freedom.
- 2r Chaudhry Muhammad Ali (1905 - 1980) (first Secretary General of Pakistan).
- 2r Sir Adamjee Haji Dawood (1880 - 1949) (financier).
- 2r Maulana Abdul Hamid Badayuni (1898 - 1970) (religious scholar).
- 1999, August 16. 2nd Anniversary of the Death of Ustad Nusrat Fateh
Ali Khan.
- 2r Portrait of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (singer).
- 1999, September 18. 25th Anniversary of the Islamic Development
Bank.
- 5r Islamic Development Bank building.
- 1999, September 21. 50th Anniversary of the People's Republic of
China.
- 2r Celebrations.
- 15r Arms of the People's Republic of China and portrait of Mao Tse-tung.
- 1999, September 28. 9th Asian Sailing Championships, Pakistan.
- 2r Enterprise class.
- 2r 470 A class.
- 2r Laser class.
- 2r Mistral class.
- 2r Optimist class.
- 1999, October 7. 10th Asian Optimist Class Sailing Championships,
Pakistan.
- 2r Optimist class dinghies.
- 1999, October 9. 125th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union.
- 10r U.P.U. Emblem.
- 1999, October 17. 1st Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Hakim Mohammed
Said.
- 5r Portrait of Hakim Mohammed Said (herbalist, physician, scholar and researcher).
- 1999, November 8. Golden Jubilee of the National Bank of Pakistan.
- 5r National Bank building.
- 1999, November 15. Centenary of Shell in Pakistan.
- 4r Shell company logos through the years.
- 1999, November 20. 10th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child.
- 2r "10" and Emblem.
- 1999, November 20. 25th Anniversary of Allama Iqbal Open University,
Islamabad.
- 2r Arms and symbols of education.
- 3r Symbols of education.
- 5r Arms and map of Pakistan.
- 1999, December 5. Poets of Pakistan. Centenary of the Birth of
Shabbir Hassan Khan Josh Malihabadi.
- 5r Portrait of Shabbir Hassan Khan Josh Malihabadi.
- 1999, December 6. 25th Anniversary of the Death of Professor Dr.
Muhammed Afzal Hussain Qadari.
- 3r Portrait of Professor Dr. Muhammed Afzal Hussain Qadari and insects.
- 1999, December 10. Men of Letters. 50th Anniversary of the Death of
Ghulam Bari Aleeg.
- 5r Ghulam Bari Aleeg (journalist).
- 1999, December 20. Medicinal Plants of Pakistan.
- 5r Spogell Seeds (Plantain).
- 1999, December 24. Eid-ul-Fitr Festival.
- 2r Walled City.
- 15r Walled City.
- 2000, March 12. S.O.S. Children's Villages of Pakistan.
- 2r Child on Adult's Shoulders.
- 2000, April 14. Centenary of the International Cycling Union.
- 2r Cyclists and emblem.
- 2000, April 21. Pakistan Convention on Human Rights and Human
Dignity.
- 2r Doves and emblem.
- 2000, April 24. Centenary of Edwardes College, Peshawar.
- 2r College buildings.
- 2000, May 15. 96th Anniversary of the Birth of Mohamed Ali
Habib.
- 2r Portrait of Mohamed Ali Habib (founder of Habib Bank Ltd.).
- 2000, June 23. 50th Anniversary of the Institute of Cost and
Management Accountants in Pakistan.
- 2r Graph and emblems.
- 15r Globe and emblems.
- 2000, August 9. Birth Anniversary of Ahmed
E.H. Jaffer.
- 10r Portrait of Ahmed E.H. Jaffer (politician) (1909 - 1990).
- 2000, August 14. History of Pakistan.
- 5r Marchers.
- 5r Marchers and tree.
- 5r Marchers with tree in background.
- 5r Marchers.
- 2000, September 6. Defence Day.
- 5r Medal and portrait of Captain Muhammad Sarwar.
- 5r Medal and portrait of Major Tufail Muhammad.
- 2000, September 20. Olympic Games, Sydney.
- 4r Running.
- 4r Hockey.
- 4r Weightlifting.
- 4r Cycling.
- 2000, October 28. 125th Anniversary of the National College of Arts,
Lahore.
- 5r Emblem and silhouette of buildings.
- 2000, November 4. "Creating the Future" Conference.
- 5r Conference logo.
- 2000, November 14. International Defence Exhibition and Seminar.
- 7r "Ideas 2000" logo.
- 2000, November 28. Medicinal Plants of Pakistan.
- 2r Liquorice (Mulathi).
- 2000, December 13. A World Without Polio.
- 2r Polio victim and Rotary emblem.
- 2000, December 14. 50th Anniversary of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.
- 2r U.N.H.C.R. emblem as sun, anniversary emblem and refugees.
- 2001, January 14. Poets of Pakistan.
- 2r Portrait of Abul Asar Hafeez Jalandhri (1900 - 1982).
- 2001, March 20. Habib Bank AG Zurich.
- 5r Habib Bank AG Zurich building.
- 2001, March 29. Chashma Nuclear Power Plant.
- 4r View of Chashma Nuclear Power Plant.
- 2001, April 9. 9th South Asian Games, Islamabad.
- 4r Games emblem and "Rising Above". Background in purple.
- 4r Games emblem and "Rising Above". Background in blue.
- 2001, May 12. 50th Anniversary of Friendship between Pakistan and
China.
- 4r "Two Pakistani Women Drawing Water" (painting by Yao Youduo).
- 4r "Ma Gu's Birthday Offering" (painting by Yao Youduo).
- 4r Two girls, and flags of China and Pakistan.
- 2001, August 14. Quaid Year 2001. 125th anniversary of the birth of
Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
- 4r Portrait of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Quaid-e-Azam), first Governor General of Pakistan.
- 2001, September 6. Nishan-e-Haider Series.
- 4r Portrait of Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed and medal.
- 4r Medal and portrait of Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed.
- 2001, September 22. Sindh Festival 2001, Karachi.
- 4r Exhibition emblem and view of buildings.
- 2001, September 25. Poets of Pakistan.
- 5r Portrait of Khawaja Ghulam Farid (1845 - 1901).
- 2001, October 9. United Nations Year of Dialogue among
Civilisations.
- 4r Figures, globe and forms of communication.
- 2001, October 13. Men of Letters.
- 5r Portrait of Dr. Imtiaz Ali Taj.
- 2001, October 27. 10th Anniversary of the Independence of
Turkmenistan.
- 5r Portrait of President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan.
- 2001, November 12. Medicinal Plants of Pakistan.
- 4r Peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.).
- 2001, November 15. 125th Anniversary of the Convent of Jesus and
Mary, Lahore.
- 4r Convent Building.
- 2001, November 20. Men of Letters.
- 4r Portrait of Prof. Dr. Ishtiaq Husain Qureshi.
- 2001, November 25. Birds.
- 4r Large Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pteroclea alchata).
- 4r Bluethroat (Luscima avecica).
- 4r Hoopoe (Upupa epops).
- 4r Indian Magpie Robin (Copsychus sanlaris).
- 2001, December 2. 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with the
United Arab Emirates.
- 5r Flags of the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, and handshake.
- 2001, December 20. Golden Jubilee of Nishtar Medical College,
Multan.
- 5r Nishtar Medical College Buildings.
- 2001, December 25. Quaid Year, 2001.
- 4r Scene.
- 4r Scene.
- 4r Scene.
- 4r Scene.
- 4r Scene.
- 2001, December 28. Golden Jubilee of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories
(P.O.F.).
- 4r Military ordnance.
- 2002, January 17. Poets of Pakistan.
- 5r Portrait of Samandar Khan Samandar.
- 2002, February 15. Medicinal Plants of Pakistan.
- 5r Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).
- 2002, April 28. 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with Japan.
- 5r Flags of Japan and Pakistan, and statues of Buddha.
- 2002, May 27. 10th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with
Kyrgyzstan.
- 5r Flags of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, and emblem.
- 2002, June 18. Fruits of Pakistan. Mangoes.
- 4r Two mangoes.
- 4r Two mangoes.
- 4r Two mangoes.
- 4r Mango.
- 2002, August 14. 55th Independence Day Celebrations.
- 4r Portrait of Noor Us Sabah Begum of Sherpur (1908 - 1978).
- 4r Portrait of Ismail I. Chundrigar (1897 - 1960).
- 4r Portrait of Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola (1912 - 1991).
- 4r Portrait of Qazi Mureed Ahmed (1913 - 1989).
- 2002, August 26. World Summit on Sustainable Development.
- 4r Mountain and emblem ("Protecting our Watersheds").
- 4r Flag, river and people.
- 2002, August 31. Mohammad Aly Rangoonwala Commemoration.
- 4r Portrait of Mohammad Aly Rangoonwala.
- 2002, September 6. Nishan-e-Haider Series.
- 4r Portrait of Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed and medal.
- 4r Medal and portrait of Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed.
- 2002, November 9. 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Allama Muhammad
Iqbal.
- 4r Portrait of Allama Muhammad Iqbal as a young man.
- 4r Portrait of Allama Muhammad Iqbal as an old man.
- 2002, November 14. Eid-ul-Fitr Festival.
- 4r Crescent and slogans.
- 2002, December 20. Hakim Muhammad Hasan Qarshi Commemoration.
- 4r Tree and portrait of Hakim Muhammad Hasan Qarshi.
