CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION OF PAKISTAN: Stop the hanging of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian for Blasphemy

ABOUT PAKISTAN

Pakistan

Official Name :
conventional short form:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan

In reality, and verified by numerous sources, Pakistan is a composition of two words "PAK" and "ISTAN". PAK is a word of Persian and Urdu and it means "Holy/Pure/Clean" and "ISTAN" stands for "HOMELAND". Then the true meanings come to "Homeland of Holy People".
Father of the Nation : Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Independence Day : 14 August (1947)
Republic Day : 23 March (1940)
Head of State : Gerneral Pervez Musharaf
Prime Minister
Head of Government : Mir . Shoukat Aziz
Capital : Islamabad
Area : Total: 803,940 sq km
Land: 778,720 sq km
Water: 25,220 sq km
Land boundaries : Total: 6,774 km
Border Countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Population : 135,135,195 (July 1998 est.)
National Language : Urdu
Official Lanaguage : English
National Flower : Jasmine
National Game : Hockey
National Bird : Chakor Partridge
National Currency : Pak Rupee; Rs. 1 = 100 Passa

People of Pakistan

Population: 135 135 195 (July 1998 est.)

note: population figures based on 1981 national census results—1998 census results are pending

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42% (male 29 083 284;

female 27 425 172)

15-64 years: 54% (male 37 432 059; female 35 731 170)

65 years and over: 4% (male 2 716 739; female 2 746 771) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 34.38 births/1 000 population (1998 e
Death rate: 10.69 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.71 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 93.48 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 59.07 years

male: 58.23 years

female: 59.96 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.91 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Pakistani(s)

adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups: Punjabi Sindhi Pashtun (Pathan) Baloch Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendants)

Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77% Shi'a 20%) Christian Hindu and other 3%

Languages: Punjabi 48% Sindhi 12% Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10% Pashtu 8% Urdu (official) 8% Balochi 3% Hindko 2% Brahui 1% English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries) Burushaski and other 8%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 37.8%

male: 50%

female: 24.4% (1995 est.)

Festivals of Pakistan

Pakistan's main festivals are listed:

1 . Eid-ul-Fitr

Religious festival celebrating end of fasting month on 1st of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic Calendar. Special prayer after sun-rise, exchange of sweet dishes, visits. read more.....

2. Eid-ul-Azha

Religious festival commemorating the great sacrifice offered by Prophet Abraham. Celebrated on 10 Zilhaj, 12th month of Islamic Calendar. Collective prayers after sun set, sacrifice of goats, sheep, cows or camels and distribution of meat among relatives, friends and poor. read more....

3. Shab-e-Barat

Religious festival celebrated on 14th of Shaaban, the 8th Islamic month. Prayers, fire works, exchange of sweet dishes and visits.

4. Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi
(Birthday of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad,p.b.u.h. on 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal - the 3rd month of Islamic Calendar.
read more....

5 Christmas

In Pakistan 25 December is a public holiday it is however in memory of Jinnah the founder of Pakistan.
In christian homes they celebrate christmas with the exchanging of gifts and cards, the wearing of new clothes and the visiting of houses of friends.
They have a chruch service which is packed on Christmas day which is called Bara Din the big day. read more....

7 Basant (Spring festival of Colors and Kite-flying)

The festival is held on the second weekend of February. The skies over Lahore explode in a kaleidoscope of color. As the first kite rises over the horizon, a joust for supremacy begins that brings millions of kites of all shapes and sizes, soaring to challenge it. This is a time for festivities that reflect the true Lahori spirit of good-natured competition and appetite for celebration. read more .......

For a visitor, Basant is the ideal time to appreciate the mood and magic of Lahore. From the floodlit skies, the manic beat of the 'dhol' and cries of 'Bo kata!' each time the opposition loses a kite, to a constant feast that lasts an entire week. Lahore displays a charm and hospitality unmatched and unrivalled by any other city in the world

8 . Sibi Festival
At Sibi (Balochistan). Traditional sports, handicrafts exhibition, folk music and dances.

9 . Sindh Horse & Cattle Show
At Jacobabad (Sindh). Similar activities as in Sibi Festival.

10 . Jashan-e-Larkana
At Larkana (Sindh). Traditional sports, exhibition of handicrafts, folk music and dances.

11. Nauroze
Celebrated only in Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chitral. Polo, foot-ball, volley-ball and hockey matches, folk dances and music.

12. Mela Chiraghan
(Festival of lamps in memory of sufi-poet Madhu La'l Hussein in March)
Held for 01 week outside Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.

13. Horse & Cattle Show
At Dera Ismail Khan. Local games, folk dances, music, cattle races and exhibition of local handicrafts.

14.Besakhi

15.Holli

16.Dewali

17. Jashan-e-Shikarpur
At Shikarpur, Sindh. Cultural activities, local sports and handicrafts exhibition.

18. Joshi or Chilimjusht
Kalash festival of welcoming spring, held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Folk dances, music and exchange of dishes.

19. Shandur Polo Festival
Traditional polo tournament between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit is being held on the highest polo ground of the world - The Shandur Pass (Chitral district). Allied activities include fold music, folk dances and other competitions. A tent village along Shandur Lake will be set up in cooperation with the local administration.

20 . Utchal

A harvest festival, celebrated by Kalash people in Kalash Valleys, Chitral.

21. Phool

Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Reaping grapes and walnuts, dancing and singing.

22. Lok Mela

Folk Festival held at Islamabad. Folk Music, songs, music contests, folk dances, craftsmen at work, exhibition and sale of handicrafts. The festival presents a unique opportunity to watch the culture and craft of the whole country at one place.

23. Chowmas

Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Welcoming of winter with first snow-fall. Activities restrict to indoor.

24. Karakoram Car Rally

PTDC Rally from Islamabad to Khunjerab Pass (the highest point - 4733 m above sea level). A closing event will be held in Hunza Valley.

25. Pakistan Day

Commemorating the anniversary of Pakistan Resolution passed on March 23, 1940 at Lahore during the public rally of All India Muslim League. Military parade at provincial capitals and Islamabad.

26 . Independence Day : (14 August)

Meeting, processions, rallies, decorations and illustrations all over the country.

27 . Defence Day of Pakistan : (06 September)

Parades and exhibitions of military equipment at Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. Visits to the war memorials. (No national holiday except Armed Forces)

28. National Industrial Exhibition Islamabad

26.Exhibition and sale of Pakistan's industrial products and handicraft items.

29. National Industrial Exhibition Lahore

Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Exhibition and sale of industrial products and handicrafts of Pakistan.

30 . National Horse & Cattle Show Lahore

Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Cattle races, cattle dances, tent-pegging, tattoo show, folk music, dances, bands, cultural floats and folk games.

Major Cities of Pakistan

The first inhabitants of Pakistan were Stone Age peoples in the Potwar Plateau (northwest Punjab). They were followed by the sophisticated Indus Valley (or Harappan) civilisation which flourished between the 23rd to 18th centuries BC. Today the major cities of Pakistan are modern with business centres, latest infrastructural facilities and modern lifestyle which contrasts with the old customs and traditions of the small towns around these cities.

Pakistan Cities:
» Islamabad
» Peshawar
» Karachi
» Lahore
» Multan

Calture of Pakistan

Culture” can be defined in many
different ways.

Culture may be defined as behavior
peculiar to human beings, together
with material objects used.

Culture consists of language,ideas,values,attributes,beliefs
,customs, codes,institutions,tools,works
and arts , religion, law, morality ,
ceremonies and festivals.

According to Muller-Layer, Culture can
be defined as “Culture is an aggregate
means of achievement and of progress”.

Culture” can be defined in many different ways. Culture may be defined as behavior peculiar to human beings, together with material objects used. Culture consists of language,ideas,values,attributes,beliefs,customs, codes,institutions,tools,works and arts , religion, law, morality ,ceremonies and festivals. According to Muller-Layer, Culture can be defined as “Culture is an aggregate means of achievement and of progress”.

Silent Features of Pakistan Culture and Pakistani People:

Pakistan is a Muslim country and Islam is the official religion. Islam is the religion which is professed and practiced by the people of Pakistan. Pakistani culture can be called as “Mixed Culture”. Although the majority of people in Pakistan are Muslims by birth and faith, there is a strong influence of Hindu culture on the present Pakistani culture. The shadows of this influence are quite visible on the marriage ceremonies and festivals like “Basant”.Dowry Systems and heavy expenditures on the marriage of girls is done, which is inherited from Hindu society because in Hindu society there is no share of women in the inheritance of their parents. Although women are given a share in the inheritance of their parents in Pakistani society, there are huge expenditures on the marriages of daughters. English is the official language in Pakistan, but the national language is Urdu, which is widely spoken and understood throughout the country. Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi, Baluchi and Kashmiri are the regional languages.Pakistani society is a “Male Oriented Society”, where they are given full protection and great respect. The family is headed by a male member, usually the oldest male member of the group. He guides the other members. Old people are given positions of prestige, honor and respect in Pakistani culture.
Social life is simple. Social customs and traditions reflect Islamic touch: people are very much conscious about their social traditions and feel pride in following them.Dress in a Muslim society like Pakistan is designed and intended to cover human body, as nudity is prohibited in Islam. So, people of Pakistan prefer to wear simple dresses according to their climate.
Pakistani handicrafts are gaining popularity in the world market day by day, as Pakistani craftsman are considered as the best in their craftsmanship. Pakistan is famous for its high standard items of glass, silver, wooden furniture, pottery, marble goods and things made of camel skin.
Cricket, Hockey, Football, Kabbadi, squash, badminton, and wrestling are the major sports in Pakistan.Ulema, Mushaikh and Sufi poets occupy highly honored places in Pakistani culture.People of Pakistan are extremely humble simple and Islamic people. Image of Islam portrayed by the terrorist as Islam is is to tarnish the name of the Last Religion. In Pakistan you can clearly see the real image of simple and pure people and understand what the basis of Islam really are. The Pakistani Society runs around the reigns of Islam, not that people understand Islam very well but well at least try to do as much as they can to be good.

Following things are to be known about the people in Pakistan:

The National Dress of People is Shalwar Kameez
The National Language is Urdu, Official Language is English, The Regional Languages are Numerous for Example Punjabi in Punjab, Sindi in Sind, Balochi or Brahwi in Balochistan People in Pakistan are very very much linked together by family bonds or by the place where they live or just friendship. Specially in Lahore. They live in Large Families and are very proud of their family background like the British. Such a bond only exists between our people who keep others interests above their personal interests.
The western concept of clubs is so well implemented in the local cultures of the Pakistani People that they are asked to come to a community center Five times a day and that is what is called the Mosque. Where we go to say our prayer five times a day and meet those people who live in the same community and socialize. Then every one also gathers at community centers and socialize and further listen to the state sermon.

Pakistan Flag - The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
The National Flag of Pakistan is dark green in colour with a white bar, a white crescent in the centre and a five-pointed star. The significance of the colour and symbols used in the Pakistan Flag is as follows:

* The white and dark green field represents Minorities & Muslim majority, respectively.
* The crescent on the Flag represents progress.
* The five-rayed star represents light and knowledge.

History of Pakistan

Introduction

Pakistan emerged on the world map on August 14, 1947. It has its roots into the remote past. Its establishment was the culmination of the struggle by Muslims of the South-Asian subcontinent for a separate homeland of their own and its foundation was laid when Muhammad bin Qasim subdued Sindh in 711 A.D. as a reprisal against sea pirates that had taken refuge in Raja Dahir's kingdom. The advent of Islam further strengthened the historical individuality in the areas now constituting Pakistan and further beyond its boundaries.

Advent of Islam

The first followers of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), to set foot on the soil of the South-Asian subcontinent, were traders from the coast land of Arabia and the Persian Gulf, soon after the dawn of Islam in the early seventh century A.D

The first permanent Muslim foothold in the subcontinent was achieved with Muhammad bin Qasim's conquest of Sindh in 711 A.D. An autonomous Muslim state linked with the Umayyed, and later, the Abbassid Caliphate was established with jurisdiction extending over southern and central parts of present Pakistan. Quite a few new cities were established and Arabic was introduced as the official language.

At the time of Mahmud of Ghazna's invasion, Muslim rule still existed, though in a weakened form, in Multan and some other regions. The Ghaznavids (976-1148) and their successors, the Ghaurids (1148-1206), were Central Asian by origin and they ruled their territories, which covered mostly the regions of present Pakistan, from capitals outside India.

It was in the early thirteenth century that the foundations of the Muslim rule in India were laid with extended boundaries and Delhi as the capital. From 1206 to 1526 A.D., five different dynasties held sway. Then followed the period of Mughal ascendancy (1526-1707) and their rule continued, though nominally, till 1857.

From the time of the Ghaznavids, Persian more or less replaced Arabic as the official language. The economic, political and religious institutions developed by the Muslims bore their unique impression. The law of the State was based on Shariah and in principle the rulers were bound to enforce it. Any long period of laxity was generally followed by reinforcement of these laws under public pressure.

The impact of Islam on the South-Asian subcontinent was deep and far-reaching. Islam introduced not only a new religion, but a new civilization, a new way of life and new set of values. Islamic traditions of art and literature, of culture and refinement, of social and welfare institution, were established by Muslim rulers throughout the subcontinent.

Emergence of Urdu Language

A new language, Urdu, derived mainly from Arabic and Persian vocabulary and adopting indigenous words and idioms, came to be spoken and written by the Muslims and it gained currency among the rest of the Indian population. Urdu is the National Language of Pakistan. Apart from religion, Urdu also enabled the Muslim community during the period of its ascendancy to preserve its separate identity in the subcontinent.

Muslim Identity

The question of Muslim identity, however assumed seriousness during the decline of Muslim power in South Asia. The first person to realize its acuteness was the scholar theologian, Shah Waliullah (1703-62). He laid the foundation of Islamic renaissance in the subcontinent and became a source of inspiration for almost all the subsequent social and religious reform movements of the nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.

His immediate successors, inspired by his teachings, tried to establish a modest Islamic state in the north-west of India and they, under the leadership of Sayyed Ahmad Shaheed Barelvi (1786-1831), persevered in this direction.

British Expansionism and Muslim Resistance

Meanwhile, starting with the East India Company, the British had emerged as the dominant force in South Asia. Their rise to power was gradual extending over a period of nearly one hundred years. They replaced the Shariah by what they termed as the Anglo-Muhammadan law whereas Urdu was replaced by English as the official language.

These and other developments had great social, economic and political impact especially on the Muslims of South Asia. The uprising of 1857, termed as the Indian Mutiny by the British and the War of Independence by the Muslims, was a desperate attempt to reverse the adverse course of events.

Religious Institutions

The failure of the 1857 War of Independence had disastrous consequences for the Muslims as the British placed all the responsibility for this event on them. Determined to stop such a recurrence in future, the British followed deliberately a repressive policy against the Muslims. Properties and estates of those even remotely associated with the freedom fighters were confiscated and conscious efforts were made to close all avenues of honest living for them.

The Muslim response to this situation also aggravated their plight. Their religious leaders, who had been quite active, withdrew from the mainstream of the community life and devoted themselves exclusively to imparting religious education. Although the religious academies especially those of Deoband, Farangi Mahal and Rai Bareilly, established by the Ulema, did help the Muslims to preserve their identity, the training provided in these institutions hardly equipped them for the new challenges.

Educational Reforms

The Muslims kept themselves aloof from western education as well as government service. But, their compatriots, the Hindus, did not do so and accepted the new rulers without reservation. They acquired western education, imbibed the new culture and captured positions hitherto filled in by the Muslims. If this situation had prolonged, it would have done the Muslims an irreparable damage.

The man to realise the impending peril was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1889), a witness to the tragic events of 1857. He exerted his utmost to harmonize British Muslim relations. His assessment was that the Muslims' safety lay in the acquisition of western education and knowledge. He took several positive steps to achieve this objective. He founded a college at Aligarh to impart education on western lines.

Of equal importance was the Anglo-Muhammadan Educational Conference, which he sponsored in 1886, to provide an intellectual forum to the Muslims for the dissemination of views in support of western education and social reform. Similar were the objectives of the Muhammadan Literary Society, founded by Nawab Adbul Latif (1828-93), active in Bengal.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's efforts transformed into a movement, known as the Aligarh Movement, and it left its imprint on the Muslims of every part of the South-Asian subcontinent. Under its inspiration, societies were founded throughout the subcontinent which established educational institutions for imparting education to the Muslims. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was averse to the idea of participation by the Muslims in any organized political activity which, he feared, might revive British hostility towards them. He also disliked Hindu Muslim collaboration in any joint venture.

His disillusionment in this regard stemmed basically from the Urdu Hindi controversy of the late 1860s when the Hindu enthusiasts vehemently championed the cause of Hindi to replace Urdu. He, therefore, opposed the Indian National Congress when it was founded in 1885 and advised the Muslims to abstain from its activities.

His contemporary and a great scholar of Islam, Syed Ameer Ali (1849-1928), shared his views about the Congress, but, he was not opposed to Muslims organizing themselves politically. In fact, he organised the first significant political body of the Muslims, the Central National Muhammadan Association. Although, its membership was limited, it had more than 50 branches in different parts of the subcontinent and it accomplished some solid work for the educational and political advancement of the Muslims. But, its activities waned towards the end of the nineteenth century.

The Muslim League

At the dawn of the twentieth century, a number of factors convinced the Muslims of the need to have an effective political organization. Therefore, in October 1906, a deputation comprising 35 Muslim leaders met the Viceroy of the British at Simla and demanded separate electorates. Three months later, the All-India Muslim League was founded by Nawab Salimullah Khan at Dhaka, mainly with the objective of safeguarding the political rights and interests of the Muslims.

The British conceded separate electorates in the Government of India Act of 1909 which confirmed the Muslim League's position as an All-India party. Attempt for Hindu Muslim Unity The visible trend of the two major communities progressing in opposite directions caused deep concern to leaders of All-India stature. They struggled to bring the Congress and the Muslim League on one platform. Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) was the leading figure among them.

After the annulment of the partition of Bengal and the European Powers' aggressive designs against the Ottoman Empire and North Africa, the Muslims were receptive to the idea of collaboration with the Hindus against the British rulers. The Congress Muslim League rapprochement was achieved at the Lucknow sessions of the two parties in 1916 and a joint scheme of reforms was adopted.

In the Lucknow Pact. as the scheme was commonly referred to, the Congress accepted the principle of separate electorates, and the Muslims, in return for `weightage' to the Muslims of the Muslim minority provinces, agreed to surrender their thin majorities in the Punjab and Bengal. The post Lucknow Pact period witnessed Hindu Muslim amity and the two parties came to hold their annual sessions in the same city and passed resolutions of identical contents.

Khilafat Movement

The Hindu Muslim unity reached its climax during the Khilafat and the Non-cooperation Movements. The Muslims of soothsayer, under the leadership of the Ali Brothers, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali, launched the historic Khilafat Movement after the First World War to protect the Ottoman Empire from dismemberment.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) linked the issue of Swaraj (self-government) with the Khilafat issue to associate the Hindus with the Movement. the ensuing Movement was the first countrywide popular movement. Although the Movement failed in its objectives, it had a far-reaching impact on the Muslims of South Asia.

After a long time, they took united action on a purely Islamic issue which momentarily forged solidarity among them. It also produced a class of Muslim leaders experienced in organizing and mobilizing the public. This experience was of immense value to the Muslims later during the Pakistan Movement.

The collapse of the Khilafat Movement was followed by a period of bitter Hindu Muslim antagonism. The Hindus organized two highly anti Muslim movements, the Shudhi and the Sangathan. The former movement was designed to convert Muslims to Hindusim and the latter was meant to create solidarity among the Hindus in the event of communal conflict.

In retaliation, the Muslims sponsored the Tabligh and Tanzim organizations to counter the impact of the Shudhi and the Sangathan. In the 1920s, the frequency of communal riots was unprecedented. Several Hindu-Muslim unity conferences were held to remove the causes of conflict, but, it seemed nothing could mitigate the intensity of communalism.

Muslim Demand Safeguards

In the light of this situation, the Muslims revised their constitutional demands. They now wanted preservation of their numerical majorities in the Punjab and Bengal, separation of Sindh from Bombay, constitution of Balochistan as a separate province and introduction of constitutional reforms in the North-West Frontier Province.

It was partly to press these demands that one section of the All-India Muslim League cooperated with the Statutory commission sent by the British Government under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon in 1927. The other section of the League, which boycotted the Simon Commission for its all-White character, cooperated with the Nehru Committee, appointed by the All-Parties Confernece, to draft a constitution for India.

The Nehru Report had an extremely anti-Muslim bias and the Congress leadership's refusal to amend it disillusioned even the moderate Muslims.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Several leaders and thinkers, having insight into the Hindu-Muslim question proposed separation of Muslim India. However, the most lucid exposition of the inner feeling of the Muslim community was given by Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) in his Presidential Address at the All-India Muslim League Session at Allahabad in 1930.

He suggested that for the healthy development of Islam in South-Asia, it was essential to have a separate Muslim state at least in the Muslim majority regions of the north-west.

Later on, in his correspondence with Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, he included the Muslim majority areas in the north-east also in his proposed Muslim state. Three years after his Allahabad Address, a group of Muslim students at Cambridge, headed by Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, issued a pamphlet, Now or Never, in which drawing letters from the names of the Muslim majority regions, they gave the nomenclature of "Pakistan" to the proposed State.

Very few even among the Muslim welcomed the idea at the time. It was to take a decade for the Muslims to embrace the demand for a separate Muslim state.

Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Meanwhile, three Round Table Conferences were convened in London during 1930-32, to resolve the Indian constitutional problem. The Hindu and Muslim leaders, who were invited to these conferences, could not draw up an agreed formula and the British Government had to announce a ' Communal Award' which was incorporated in the Government of India Act of 1935.

Before the elections under this Act, the All-India Muslim League, which had remained dormant for some time, was reorganized by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who had returned to India in 1934, after an absence of nearly five years in England.

The Muslim League could not win a majority of Muslim seats since it had not yet been effectively reorganized. However, it had the satisfaction that the performance of the Indian National Congress in the Muslim constituencies was bad. After the elections, the attitude of the Congress leadership was arrogant and domineering. The classic example was its refusal to form a coalition government with the Muslim League in the United Provinces. Instead, it asked the League leaders to dissolve their parliamentary party in the Provincial Assembly and join the Congress.

Another important Congress move after the 1937 elections was its Muslim mass contact movement to persuade the Muslims to join the congress and not the Muslim League. One of its leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru, even declared that there were only two forces in India, the British and the Congress.

All this did not go unchallenged. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah countered that there was a third force in South-Asia constituting the Muslims. The All-India Muslim League, under his gifted leadership, gradually and skillfully started organising the Muslims on one platform.

Towards a Separate Muslim Homeland

The 1930s witnessed awareness among the Muslims of their separate identity and their anxiety to preserve it within separate territorial boundaries. An important element that brought this simmering Muslim nationalism in the open was the character of the Congress rule in the Muslim minority provinces during 1937-39. The Congress policies in these provinces hurt Muslim susceptibilities. There were calculated aims to obliterate the Muslims as a separate cultural unit.

The Muslims now stopped thinking in terms of seeking safeguards and began to consider seriously the demand for a separate Muslim state. During 1937-39, several Muslim leaders and thinkers, inspired by Allama Iqbal's ideas, presented elaborate schemes for partitioning the subcontinent according to two-nation theory.

Pakistan Resoluation [1940]

The All-India Muslim League soon took these schemes into consideration and finally, on March 23, 1940. The All-India Muslim League, in a resolution, at its historic Lahore Session, demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims in the Muslim majority regions of the subcontinent. The resolution was commonly referred to as the Pakistan Resolution.

The Pakistan demand had a great appeal for the Muslims of every persuasion. It revived memories of their past greatness and promised future glory. They, therefore, responded to this demand immediately.

Cripps Mission

The British Government recognized the genuineness of the Pakistan demand indirectly in the proposals for the transfer of power after the Second World War which Sir Stafford Cripps brought to India in 1942. Both the Congress and the All-India Muslim League rejected these proposals for different reasons. The principles of secession of Muslim India as a separate Dominion was however, conceded in these proposals.

After this failure, a prominent Congress leader, C. Rajgopalacharia, suggested a formula for a separate Muslim state in the Working Committee of the Indian National Congress, which was rejected at the time, but later on, in 1944, formed the basis of the Jinnah-Gandhi talks.

Demand for Pakistan

The Pakistan demand became popular during the Second World War Every section of the Muslim community - men, women, students, Ulema and businessmen - were organized under the banner of the All-India Muslim League. Branches of the party were opened even in the remote corners of the subcontinent.

Literature in the form of pamphlets, books, magazines and newspapers was produced to explain the Pakistan demand and distributed widely. The support gained by the All-India Muslim League and its demand for Pakistan was tested after the failure of the Simla Conference, convened by the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, in 1945.

Elections were called to determine the respective strength of the political parties. The All-India Muslim League election campaign was based on the Pakistan demand. The Muslim community responded to this call in an unprecedented way. Numerous Muslim parties were formed making united parliamentary board at the behest of the Congress to oppose the Muslim League. But the All-India Muslim League swept all the thirty seats in the Central Legislature and in the provincial elections also, its victory was outstanding. After the elections, on April 8-9, 1946, the All-India Muslim League called a convention of the newly-elected League members in the Central and Provincial Legislatures at Delhi.

This convention, which constituted virtually a representative assembly of the Muslims of South Asia, on a motion by the Chief Minister of Bengal, Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, reiterated the Pakistan demand in clearer terms.

Cabinet Plan

In early 1946, the British Government sent a Cabinet Mission to the subcontinent to resolve the constitutional deadlock. The Mission conducted negotiations with various political parties, but failed to evolve an agreed formula. Finally, the Cabinet Mission announced its own Plan, which among other provisions, envisaged three federal groupings, two of them comprising the Muslim majority provinces, linked at the Centre in a loose federation with three subjects.

The Muslim League accepted the plan, as a strategic move, expecting to achieve its objective in not-too-distant a future. The All-India Congress also agreed to the Plan, but, soon realising its implications, the Congress leaders began to interpret it in a way not visualized by the authorities of the Plan. This provided the All-India Muslim League an excuse to withdraw its acceptance of the Plan and the party observed August 16, 1946, as a ' Direct Action Day' to show Muslim solidarity in support of the Pakistan demand.

Partition Scheme

In October 1946, an Interim Government was formed. The Muslim League sent its representative under the leadership of its General Secretary, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, with the aim to fight for the party objective from within the Interim Government. After a short time, the situation inside the Interim Government and outside convinced the Congress leadership to accept Pakistan as the only solution of the communal problem. The British Government, after its last attempt to save the Cabinet Mission Plan in December 1946, also moved towards a scheme for the partition of India.

The last British Viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, came with a clear mandate to draft a plan for the transfer of power. After holding talks with political leaders and parties, he prepared a Partition Plan for the transfer of power, which, after approval of the British Government, was announced on June 3, 1947.

Emergence of Pakistan

Both the Congress and the Muslim League accepted the Plan. Two largest Muslim majority provinces, Bengal and Punjab, were partitioned. The Assemblies of West Punjab, East Bengal and Sindh and in Balochistan, the Quetta Municipality, and the Shahi Jirga voted for Pakistan. Referenda were held in the North-West Frontier Province and the District of Sylhet in Assam, which resulted in an overwhelming vote for Pakistan.

As a result, on August 14, 1947, the new state of Pakistan came into existence. May Allah keep Pakistan safe from enemy.

Provinces of Pakistan

Short name PAKISTAN
ISO code PK
FIPS code PK
Language Urdu (ur), English (en)
Time zone +5
Capital Islamabad

In 1900, the name Pakistan didn't exist. The land was part of India, which was a collection of British provinces under the direct sovereignty of the British crown, along with small states ruled by Indian princes under British hegemony. When India obtained its independence on 1947-08-15, the area hitherto known as India was divided into two countries along religious lines. Majority-Muslim areas were to go to Pakistan, majority-Hindu areas to India. As it worked out, Pakistan was created as two pieces on opposite sides of the Indian subcontinent. Pakistan became a Dominion of the British Commonwealth on 1947-08-14. Pakistan's eastern and western sections had conflicting interests. On 1971-03-26, East Pakistan declared its independence from Pakistan. A war ensued between India and Pakistan. On 1971-12-15, Pakistan accepted defeat, and East Pakistan became a separate country, now known as Bangladesh.

Other names of country:

1. Danish: Pakistan
2. Dutch: Pakistan, Islamitische Republiek Pakistan (formal)
3. English: Islamic Republic of Pakistan (formal)
4. Finnish: Pakistan
5. French: Pakistan m
6. German: Pakistan n
7. Italian: Pakistan m
8. Norwegian: Den islamske republikk Pakistan (formal) (Bokmål), Den islamske republikken Pakistan (formal) (Nynorsk), Pakistan
9. Portuguese: Paquistão, República f Islâmica do Paquistão m (formal)
10. Spanish: Pakistán, República f Islámica de Pakistán (formal)
11. Swedish: Pakistan
12. Urdu: Islami Jamhuriya e Pakistan (formal)

Origin of name:

Land of the spiritually pure: coined in 1933. It has been widely reported that the name was also chosen as an acronym for Punjab, Afghan (borderlands), Kashmir, Sind, and BaluchISTAN.
Primary subdivisions:

Pakistan is divided into four provinces, two centrally administered areas, one territory, and one capital territory.
Division Typ HASC FIPS Population Area(km.²) Area(mi.²) Capital
Azad Kashmir a PK.JK PK06 2,800,000 11,639 4,494 Muzaffarabad
Balochistan p PK.BA PK02 6,565,885 347,190 134,051 Quetta
Federally Administered Tribal Areas t PK.TA PK01 3,176,331 27,220 10,510 Islamabad
Islamabad c PK.IS PK08 805,235 906 350 Islamabad
Northern Areas a PK.NA PK07 910,000 72,520 28,000 Gilgit
North-West Frontier p PK.NW PK03 17,743,645 74,521 28,773 Peshawar
Punjab p PK.PB PK04 73,621,290 205,344 79,284 Lahore
Sindh p PK.SD PK05 30,439,893 140,914 54,407 Karachi
8 divisions 132,352,279 796,096 307,374

* Typ: p = province, a = centrally administered area, t = territory, c = capital territory.
* HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. If periods are replaced by hyphens,
these are the same as the parish codes from the draft standard ISO/DIS 3166-2.
* FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4. (Codes PK06-PK08 were added as recently as 1991.)
* Population: 1998-03-02 census. Figures for Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas are estimates
provided by Karem Abdalla.
* Area: Totals exclude Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas, which are disputed with India.
* Note: Some sources include Federally Administered Tribal Areas in North-West Frontier
province, and combine Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir into a single unit (Kashmir).

Postal codes:

Pakistan uses five-digit postal codes.
Further subdivisions:

See the Divisions of Pakistan page.

The four provinces are each subdivided into divisions. Federally Administered Tribal Areas is equivalent to a single division. The divisions (including the territory) are subdivided into districts. The districts are further subdivided into tahsils.
Territorial extent:

The modern divisions are fairly close counterparts of the pre-independence divisions listed here.

1. Azad Kashmir: part of Kashmir state
2. Balochistan: Baluchistan province, Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela, and Mekran states
3. Federally Administered Tribal Areas: Khyber, Kurram, Malakand, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan agencies
4. Islamabad: part of Punjab province
5. Northern Areas: Baltistan and Gilgit states
6. North-West Frontier: North-West Frontier province, Amb, Chitral, Dir, Nagir Phulra, and Swat states
7. Punjab: part of Punjab province, Bahawalpur state
8. Sindh: Sind province, Khairpur state

Origins of names:

1. Azad Kashmir: Urdu azad: free
2. Balochistan: Land of the Baluch people
3. Punjab: Persian panj: five, ab: river (the area is drained by five tributaries of the Indus)
4. Sindh: from Sanskrit sindhu: river, district of the lower Indus River

Change history:

In 1900, India included over 500 native states (also called princely states); the British provinces of Assam, Bengal, Berar, Bihar, Burma, Central Provinces, Orissa, Punjab, and North Western Provinces and Oudh; and the presidencies of Bombay and Madras. The presidency of Bombay contained the provinces of Bombay, Sind, and Aden. Burma was divided into Lower Burma and Upper Burma. The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh contained Oudh province and North Western Provinces.

1. 1901: North-West Frontier Area split from Punjab by taking parts of the districts of Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Hazara, Kohat, and Peshawar.
2. 1936-04-01: Status of Sind division of Bombay presidency changed to province.
3. 1947-08-14: Pakistan created. It consisted of East Bengal province (formed from part of Bengal province and most of Sylhet district of Assam); West Punjab province (part of Punjab province); and the entire provinces of Beluchistan, North-West Frontier, and Sind. The capital was Karachi. The native states and agencies became effectively independent. They were allowed to decide whether to accede to (merge with) India or Pakistan.
4. 1948-07-23: Federal Capital territory formed from Karachi and surrounding areas, totaling 2,103 sq. km.
5. ~1948: Baluchistan States Union formed as a part of Pakistan from the native states of Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela, and Mekran.
6. 1950: Native states of Amb and Nagir Phulra merged with North-West Frontier province. Name of West Punjab province changed to Punjab.
7. 1955: Name of East Bengal province changed to East Pakistan.
8. 1955-10-14: West Pakistan province of Pakistan formed by merging Bahawalpur state, Baluchistan province, Baluchistan States Union, Chitral state, Dir state, Hunza state, Karachi province, Khairpur state, Northwest Frontier province, Punjab province, Sind province, Swat state; i.e., all of Pakistan west of India except the Federal Capital territory. Its capital was Lahore.
9. 1958-09-08: Gwadar annexed to West Pakistan (Baluchistan) from Oman.
10. 1960-08-01: Capital of Pakistan moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi (provisional capital).
11. 1961: Federal Capital territory merged with West Pakistan province.
12. 1967: Capital of Pakistan moved from Rawalpindi to Islamabad.
13. 1970-07-01: West Pakistan split into the provinces of Baluchistan, Northwest Frontier, Punjab, and Sind, and the centrally administered area of Islamabad.
14. 1971-12-15: Secession of East Pakistan recognized by West Pakistan.
15. 1981: Status of Islamabad administered area changed to capital territory.
16. ~1990: Spelling of Baluchistan changed to Balochistan; Sind changed to Sindh.

Other names of subdivisions:

1. Azad Kashmir: Cachemira (Portuguese); Cachemire libre (French); Kaschmir (German)
2. Balochistan: Baloutchistan, Béloutchistan (French); Baluchistan, Beluchistan (variant); Baluchistão (Portuguese); Belucistan (Italian); Belutschistan (German)
3. Federally Administered Tribal Areas: Áreas tribais sob administração federal (Portuguese); F A T A (variant); Zones tribales sous administration fédérale (French)
4. Islamabad: Federal Capital Territory, Federal Capital Territory Islamabad (variant); Territoire de la Capitale fédérale (French); Território da Capital Federal (Portuguese)
5. Northern Areas: Zones du Nord (French)
6. North-West Frontier: Fronteira Noroeste (Portuguese); Frontière du Nord-Ouest (French); Nordwestlich-Grenzprovinz (German); N.W.F.P. (variant); Provincia Fronteriza del Noroeste (Spanish)
7. Punjab: Panjab (German); Pendjab, Penjab (French)
8. Sindh: Sind (French, German, obsolete)

Population history:

See India for earlier years.
Division 1951-03-01 1961-02-01 1972-09-16 1981-03-01 1998-03-02
Azad Kashmir 1,300,000 2,542,000 3,710,000
Balochistan 1,174,036 1,353,000 2,409,000 4,332,376 6,565,885
Federally Administered Tribal Areas 1,126,417 1,847,000 2,507,000 2,198,547 3,176,331
Islamabad 94,000 235,000 204,364 805,235
North-West Frontier 5,899,905 5,731,000 8,402,000 11,061,328 17,743,645
Punjab 20,651,110 25,488,000 37,374,000 47,292,441 73,621,290
Sindh 4,928,057 8,367,000 13,965,000 19,028,666 30,439,893
Totals 33,779,525 42,880,000 66,192,000 86,659,722 132,352,279

CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION OF PAKISTAN

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Stop the hanging of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian for Blasphemy

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