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| Pakistan Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see katas raj katas raj asif iftikhar Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( Urdu: ?????? ??????? ??????? ), is a country located in South Asia and the Greater Middle East. It has a 1046 kilometer coastline along the Arabian Sea in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and the People's Republic of China in the far northeast. Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and is the second most populous country with a Muslim majority. Its territory was a part of the pre-partitioned British India and has a long history of settlement and civilisation including the Indus Valley Civilisation. Most of it was conquered in the 1st millennium BCE by Persians and Greeks. Later arrivals include the Arabs, Afghans, Turks, Baloch and Mongols. The territory was incorporated into the British Raj in the nineteenth century. Since its independence, the country has experienced both periods of significant military and economic growth, and periods of instability, with the secession of East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh). Pakistan is a declared nuclear weapons state. ___________Sights Edit This oen Jo Daro oen Jo Daro Jamal Panhwar ADVENTUREFULL MOMENTES [Add Sight] www.karakorumexplorers.com Edit This KARAKORUM EXPLORERS An exciting overland journey from Islamabad over Karakorum Highway to Hunza Valley & Khunjerab Pass, then over the scenic Shangla Pass to the fertile Swat valley. The trip end at Peshawar, the historic gateway to Indian sub-continent. As you travel on Karakorum Highway, reputed as eighth wonder of the world, you enjoy fascinating views of challenging peaks rising above 7,000 meters. Nanga Parbat, at 8,125 m is the highest of peaks we see during our journey. Then you arrive at the meeting place of the three highest mountain more.. type: Palaces World66 rating: [rate it] tel: +92514441258 url: www.karakorumexplorers.com address: P.O.BOX #2994 Islamabad pakistan email: arifkke@gmail.com Moen Jo Daro Edit This Moen Jo daro is the site of 5000 years old Indus civilization. It is located 400 kilometers from Karachi and 26 Kilometers from the town of Larkana. There a 4 main archelogical areas to see in Moen Jo daro. SD are which was the administrative area, DK area which was rich residential area, VS area which was poor residential area and HR area which was the Industerial area. You can reach Moen Jo Daro by air from Karachi there are 3 flights a week to Moen Jo daro. You cal also take an overnight train from karachi to Moen Jo daro. There is a more.. type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] accessibility: Air, road & Rail tel: 92215218098 openingHours: 9-8 url: www.travel-culture.com address: Suite 702 Panorama Center I Fatima Jinnah Road email: panhwar@gmail.com ________History Edit This Quaid -e-Azam Muzar Quaid -e-Azam Muzar Nomi Khan Pakista, the Indus land, is the child of the Indus in the same way as Egypt is the gift of Nile. The Indus has provided unity, fertility, communication, direction and the entire landscape to the country. Its location marks it as a great divide as well as a link between central Asia and south Asia. But the historical movements of the people from Central Asia and South Asia have given to it a character of its own and have established closer relation between the people of Pakistan and those of Central Asia in the field of culture, language, literature, food, dress, furniture and folklore. However, it is the Arabian Sea that has opened the doors for journey beyond to the Arabian world through the Gulf and Red Sea right into the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia and Egypt. It is this Sea voyage that gave to the Indus Land its earliest name of Meluhha because the Indus people were characterized as Malahha (Sailor) in the Babylonian records. It is for this reason that the oldest civilization of this land, called Indus Civilization, had unbreakable bonds of culture and trade link with the Gulf States of Dubai, Abu Dabi, Sharja, Qatter, Bahrain and right from Oman to Kuwait. While a Meluhhan village sprang up in ancient Mesopotamia (Modern Iraq), the Indus seals, painted pottery, lapis lazuli and many other items were exchanged for copper, tin and several other objects from Oman and Gulf States. It is to facilitate this trade that the Indus writing was evolved in the same proto-symbolic style as the contemporary cuneiform writing of Mesopotamia. Much later in history it is the pursuit of this seaward trade that introduced Islam from Arabia in to Pakistan. The twin foundations of cultural link have helped build the stable edifice of Islamic civilization in this country. All these cultural developments are writ-large in the personality of the people of Pakistan. As in many other countries of the world, man in Pakistan began with the technology of working on old stone by using quartzite and flint found in Rohri hills and stone pebbles found in the Soan Valley. The oldest stone tool in the world, going back to 2.2 million years old, has been found at Rabat, about fifteen miles away from Rawalpindi, thus breaking the African record. The largest hand Axe has also been found in the Soan Valley. Although man is still hiding in some corner, the Soan pebble stone age culture show a link with the Hissar Culture in Central Asia. Later about fifty thousand B.C. at Sangho Cave in Mardan District man improved his technology for working on Quartz in order to chase the animal in closed valleys. Still later he worked on micro quartz and chert or flint and produced arrows, knives, scrapers and blades and hunted the feeling deer and ibexes with bow and arrow. Such an hunting scene is well illustrated on several rock carvings, particularly near Chilas in the Northern Areas of Pakistan along the Karakorum Highway - a style of rock art so well known in the trans- Pamir region of Tajikistan and Kirghizstan. However, the first settled life began in the eight millennium B.C. when the first village was found at Mehergarh in the Sibi districts of Balochistan comparable with the earliest villages of Jericho in Palestine and Jarmo in Iraq. Here their mud houses have been excavated and agricultural land known for the cultivation of maize and wheat. Man began to live together in settled social life and used polished stone tools, made pots and pans, beads and other ornaments. His taste for decoration developed and he began to paint his vessels, jars, bowls, drinking glasses, dishes and plates. It was now that he discovered the advantage of using metals for his tools and other objects of daily use. For the first time in seventh millennium B.C. he learnt to use bronze. From the first revolution in his social, cultural and economic life. He established trade relation with the people of Turkamenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and other Arab world. He not only specialized in painting different designs on pottery, made varieties of pots and used cotton and wool but also made terracotta figurines and imported precious stones from Afghanistan and Central Asia. This early bronze age culture spread out in the country side of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and North West Frontier Province. And this early beginning led to the concentration of population into small towns. Such as Kot-Diji in Sindh and Rehman Dheri in Dera Ismail Khan District. It is this social and Cultural change that led to the rise of the famous cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappra, the largest concentration of population including artisans, craftsman, businessmen and rulers. This culminated in the peak of the Indus Civilization, which was primarily based on intensive irrigated land agriculture and overseas trade and contact with Iran, Gulf States, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Dams were built for storing river water, land was Cultivated by means of bullock- harnessed plough - a system that still prevails in Pakistan, granaries for food storage were built, furnace were used for controlling temperature for making red pottery and various kinds of ornaments, beads of carnelian, agate and terracotta were pierced through, and above all they traded their finished goods with Central Asia and Arab world. It is these trade divided that enriched the urban populace who developed a new sense of moral honesty, discipline and cleanliness, and above all a social stratification in which the priests and the mercantile class dominated the society. The picture of high civilization can be gathered only by looking at the city of Mohenjodaro, the first planned city in the world, in which streets are aligned straight, parallels to each other, with a cross streets cutting at right angles. It is through these wide streets that wheeled carriages, drawn by bulls or asses, moved about, carrying well-adorned persons seated on them, appreciating the closely aligned houses, made of pucca bricks, all running straight along the streets. And then through the middle of the streets ran stone dressed drains covered with stone slabs - a practice of keeping the streets clean from polluted water, for the first time seen in the world. The Indus Civilization is the first literate Civilization of the subcontinent. The cities were centres of art and craft. Where the artisan produced several kinds of goods that were exported to other countries. Sailing boats sailed out from Mohenjodaro and anchored in the port of the Gulf, which region was perhaps known as Dilmin. However, it was the city administration that managed the urban life in strict discipline and controlled the trade in their hands. The discipline is derived from the strict practice of meditation (yoga) that was practiced by the elite of the city, who appear to have trimmed their beard and hair combed and tied with golden fillets. The body was covered with a shawl bearing trefoil designs on them. Such a noble man with a sharp nose and long wish eyes shows a contrast with a bronze figurine of a dancing and singing girl, plying music with her fully bang led hand, as we find today with the Cholistan ladies having bangled hands. Obviously there were distinctive ethnic groups of people in Mohenjodaro but the dominant class of rulers and merchants appear to be distinctive from the rest of the population. It is these literate people who inter- acted with the Arabian people and continued to maintain strict discipline in the society. It is they who developed astronomy, mathematics, and science in the country along with numerical symbols, weights and measures but they thoroughly intermixed in the society and also believed in the local cult of tree and tree deities and animal totems. The most prominent animals as attested in the seals are bull, buffalo, elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, alligator and deer and ibexes. However, Mesopotamian influences are seen in the figures of Gilgamash, Enkidu, joint statue of the bull and man and other animals with several heads and bodies. However, the unique local concept is that of highly meditative man, seated in his heels, with three or four heads, and combining in himself the power to control the animals probably with a crown of horns or some times a tree overhead. It is this supreme deity, depicted on Seals, that draws the serpent worshippers and overpowers the animals. A part from these there was no concept of nature worship as we find in the Vedas of the Aryans. The ritual consisted of offerings through the intermediary of mythological composite animals to the tree deity. These dose not appear to have been any concept of animals sacrifice nor worship of any idol or idols. The Indus civilization lasted for nearly five hundred years and flourished up to 1750 B.C. when we notice the movements of nomadic tribes in Central Asia. As a result the Asian trade system was greatly disturbed. Consequently the trade and industry of the Indus people greatly suffered with the result that led to the end of the Civilization. The cities vanished, the noble lost their position. The writing finished. The common people met with the influx of new horse-riding pastoralists who hardly understood the system of irrigated agriculture and hence the value of dams. Such nomadic tribes are known from the large number of graves and their village settlements all over Swat, Dir and Bajaur right up to Taxila. In the Northern Areas of Pakistan different group of such tribes, known as Dardic people are known from their graves. The tribes of the plains are recognized as different groups of the Aryans from the hilly tribes of the North- the ancestors of the Kalash people and those who now speak Shina, Burushaski and other Kohistani languages. They had nothing to do with the cities as we find them building small villages nor did they know irrigation. Infect they believed in nature gods, one of them Indra destroyed the dams and spelled disaster on the local Dasyus who differed from them in colour, creed and language. These Aryans conquerors developed there own religion of the Vedas, practiced animal sacrifice and gradually built up tribal kingdoms all over the Indus Valley. The most prominent being that of Gandhara with capitals at Pushkalavati (modern Charsadda) and Taxila, the last having been the older capital of Takshaka, the king of serpent worshippers. Taksha-sila (a Sanskrit word, literally translated in to Persian Mari-Qila) survive in modern Margala. It become the strong hold of the Aryans, whose great epic book Mahabharata was for the first time recited here. Since that time Takshka-sila or Taxila lying on the western side of Margala remained the capital of the Indus land, which was called Sapta- Sindhu (the land of seven rivers) by the Aryans. It because of this central location, en routs from Central to South Asia that the new capital of Pakistan has been established at Islamabad on the eastern side of Margala hill , thus giving a historical link from the most ancient to modern time and new significance to Pakistan as a link between Central and South Asia. The city of Taxila began to grow from 6th century B.C. onward when Achaemenian kings by name Cyrus and Darius joined this city by road and postal services with their own capital at Persepolis in Iran. Here one can see the Aryan village at Hatial mound lying above the pre-Aryan bronze age capital of Takshakas (Serpent worshippers). One can also visit the Achaemenian city at Bhir mound, where old bazaars and royal palace, with long covered drain, have been discovered. Land rout trade with Iran and the west once again started with the issue of coin currency for the first time in the Indus land. But the most important was the great use of iron technology, which produced several kind of iron tools, weapons and other objects of daily use as known as from the excavations at Taxila. Above all a new writing known as Kharoshti was developed here. At the same time the oldest University of the world was founded at Taxila, where taught the great grammarian Panini, born at the modern village of Lahur in Sawabi district of the Frontier Province. It is the basis of this grammar that modern linguistics has been developed. It is in this University that Chandra Gupta Maurya got his education, who later founded the first sub continental empire in South Asia. He developed the Mauryan city at Bhir mound in Taxila, where ruled his grandson, Ashoka, twice as governor. He introduced Buddhism in Gandhara and built the first Buddhist monastery, called Dharmarajika Vihara, at Taxila. Ashoka has left behind his Rock Edicts at two palaces, one at Mansehra and another at Shahbazgari, written in Kharoshti. Long before the rise of Chandra Gupta Maurya the Achaemenian empire, that had extended from Pakistan to Greece and Egypt, had collapsed under the onslaught of Alexander of Macedonia. He first finished with the Greek city states, united the Greeks, and dashed forward to annex the Achaemenian empire and hence proceeded to all those places where the Achaemenian had ruled. In this march they come to Taxila in 326 B.C. where he was welcomed by the local king Ambhi in his palace at Bhir mound. It is here as well as at Bhira in Jhelum district that Alexander's remains can be seen. However, he fought the greatest battale on the bank of the Jhelum river opposite the present village of Jalalpur Sharif against Porus, the head of the heroic Puru tribe, whose descendents still supply military personal to the Pakistan army. Alexander's battle place was at Mong, where he founded a new city, called Nikea, the city of victory. The other city which he founded was called Bucaphela after the name of his horse that died here. However, the most captivating site is at Jalalpur Shaif, laying on the bank of rivulet Gandaria, perhaps Sikanaria, where Alexander's monument has now been built on the spot where he stopped for about two months before launching his attack on Porus. The Achaemenian and Alexander's contacts with Pakistan are very important from the point of view of educational and Cultural history. The Achaemenian brought the learning and science of Mesopotamia Civilization that enriched the University of Taxila. They also introduced their administrative system here, on the basis of which the famous book on political science, called Arthasastra was written in Sanskrit language in Taxila by Kautilya, known as Chanakya, the teacher of Chandra Gupta Maurya. It is this book that was adapted for the administrative of the Mauryan empire. On the basis of Achaemenian currency the Mauryan punch marked coins. So well known in Taxila, were produced. It is their Aramaic writing, used by Achaemenian clerks, that led to the development of Kharoshti in Pakistan and trade with the Semitic world that created the Brahmi writing in India. On the other hand Alexander brought Greek knowledge and science to Taxila and introduced Greek type of coin currency. It is Taxila that philosophers and men of learning of the two countries met and developed science, mathematics and astronomy. Above all Alexander left behind large number of Greeks in Central Asia, who founded the Bactrian Greek kingdom in mid-third century B.C. it is the descendants of these Bactrian Greeks who later advanced in to Pakistan and built up the Greek kingdom here and built up their own city at Sirkap in Taxila. This is the second well planned city in Pakistan. The Greeks introduced their language, art and religion in the country of Gandhara, where ruled thirteen Greek kings and queens. Their language lasted more than five hundred years and their art and religion and considerable influence on the flourish of Gandhara Civilization. This civilization was the result of interaction of several peoples who followed the Greeks, the Scythians, the Parthians and Kushans who came one the other from Central Asia along the Silk Road and integrated them selves into the local society. It is under their patronage that Buddhism evolved here into its new Mahayana form and this become the religion of the contemporary people in Pakistan. Under their encouragement the Buddhist monks moved along the Silk Road freely and carried this religion to central Asia, China, Korea and Japan. It is again the trade along the silk road that was particularly controlled by the Kushana emperors, who built a mighty empire with Peshawar as their Capital, the boundaries of which extended from the Aral Sea to the Arabian Sea and from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal. It is the dividends of trade that enriched Pakistan and led to the development of Gandhara Art, which mirrors the social, religious and common man's life of the time. It is an art that was blend of the Greek classical and local arts, which created the finest statues of Buddha and Buddhisatttvas that today decorate the museums all over the world. At the same time the sculpture depict the whole life of the Buddha in a manner that is unsurpassed. Many Greek themes, their gods, typical toilet trays, Greek life scenes showing musicians, drinking bouts and love making are presented in there natural fashion. The Kushanas period was the golden age of Pakistan as the Silk Road trade brought unparalleled prosperity to the people of the country. The luxury items produced in the country enrich the museum at Taxila at that show the Cultural and trends of life of the time. Gandhara art is the high water achievement of the people of Pakistan. Mahayana Buddhism was the inspiring ideal of the time and the Buddhist stupas and monasteries survive in every nook and corner of the hills. It was this time that the country was known as Kushana-shahar, the land of the Kushanas, to which came the Romanships to carry the luxury goods in exchange for Roman Siler and Gold, that were used by the Kushana emperors and as a result their gold currency flooded the country and all along the Silk road. It is these Kushana kings who have gifted the national dress of shalwar and kamiz and sherwani to Pakistan. Their dress and decorations are deeply imprinted on the Indus land, that is now Pakistan. Then came from Central Asia the Huns and the Turks who gave to Pakistan the present ethnic, their Culture, Food and Adab. The Jats, Gakkhars, Janjuas (Jouanjouan of the Chinese) and Gujars all trekked into Pakistan and made their home here. The Rajput rose and founded the feudal system in Punjab and Sindh in the same way the Pashtuns, who borrowed the surname of Gul and later the title of Khan from the Mongols, their Sardari system in Balochistan, and slowly developed the Wadera practice in the Indus delta region of Sindh. This feudal arrangements, which was the result of confederated tribes of the Huns, led to new administrative system in the country and created a new form of land management that has lasted until today. The tribes have fused into the agricultural society but their brotherhoods have survived and they have given a permanent character to Pakistan. In the early eight Century A.D. the Arabs brought Islam in Sindh and Multan built up the kingdom of Al-Mansurah in Sindh. At the same time their east ward Sea trade introduced porcelain and called on were from China and popularized glass were from Iran Syria- new materials that can be seen in the excavations at Bambhore in Sindh. With the Muslims Turks came the Sufis and Dervishes from Central Asia. Iran and Afghanistan and they spread Islam all over the country. It is Sultan Mahamud of Ghazni who made Lahore- the city of Data Sahib as his second capital. However, the city of Multan become famous as the city of Saints although it lay en route the camel caravan that carried on trade between Pakistan and Central Asia right up to Baku in Azerbaijan. It is these cities that the famous Muslims monuments of old are to be seen. As a result of the Saintly activity Pakistan become a land of Islamic Civilization. In several villages and cities we now find the Dargah of these Muslims Saints. While Shahbaz Kalandar is a well known in Sindh, Baba Farid Shakarganj resided over Pak Pattan in Punjab, Buner Baba rules over the Frontier region, and Syed Ali Hamdani is the real Sufi Saint in Kashmir. The capital city of Islamabad enshrines the well known Golra Sharif and Barri Imam. It is in these Saints who influenced the development of Sufi literature in all the languages of Pakistan and their monumental tombs that attract the people from all the country. In the old city of Thatta at Makli hill several tombs and Mausoleums are spread over the place that surpass in the beauty of stone carving but much more than this they evidence the historical evolution of architecture from 12th century A.D. to the Mughal time. This was a period of great change in the historical integration of the people in Pakistan when the country was brought closer to Central Asia and the Arab world. The mixing of several tribes from both these regions transformed the ethnic complex of the country. Just as in the period of Kushanas of Mahayana type rose here and the Buddhist monks out from this land along the Silk road to carry the massage of the Buddha, now it was the Arabs and the Muslims Saints from Central Asia who came in the reverse direction and flocked in the prosperous land of Pakistan. New trade route were opened in the reverse direction from those countries into the Indus land. From the Huns to the Turks the age of cavalry dominated the life scene. Many Rock carvings in Central Punjab show men riding, even standing on horse back and brandishing their swords and shooting arrows. Hence forward Polo game become common and sword dance was common, as seen in the Rock carving near Chilas. The foundation of Muslims state was firmly laid, in which the dominate position first occupied by the Arabs in Sindh and Multan and later by the Gaznavid and Ghorid Sultans who made the Indus country as their spring board from the onward conquest of India. A beautiful monument in memory of sultan Ghori can be seen at Suhawa on the National Highway. It was therefore in the fitness of things that the first missile made in Pakistan was named after Ghori. Several Muslims kingdoms grew up in this country. Beginning from north we find the Tarkhan ruling dynasty, who came from trans-pamir region here and become supreme in the Gilgit area. The descendent of Shah Mir founded the Muslims Sultanate in Kashmir maintained its independents until the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar. The Pushtun tribes made their movements and asserted their independence in the land watered by the western branch of the Indus River. The Langhas and later the Arghuns become the Master of Multan. The Sama ruling dynasty started a new era of Cultural development and prosperity in Sindh. The Baluchis in concert with Brahuis leapt forward not only to build their kingdom in Balochistan but also migrated eastward and northward. Apart from these political shape of the country, there was an unparalleled development in art and architecture, literature and music, and particularly new social integration took place on the basis of the patronage of local languages, such as Baluchi, Sindhi, Panjabi, Pashto, Kashmiri, Shina and Burushaski. All these languages received literary form with the support of the Muslims rulers and the first time their literatures began to take shape. They received influence from Arabic and Persian and added many themes from the Folklores as well as from those of Central Asia. Such an unusual developments transformed the society with the stories from Shahnama and Hazar Dastan and with the Folk-tales from Lila-Majnun, Sassi-Punnu and Hir-Ranjha. The stringed instruments, the dholak and the dhap and also flute and trinklets gave a new tone to the life of the people of Multan, Thatta, Marha Shrif in D.I. Khan, Swat and Kashmir, and finally Gilgit, Hunza and Baltistan created the finest architecture of the time. That was the period of new religious activity in the country side when Islam become the dominant religion of the people who were directly linked in religious ties with the people of Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Arab world. The migrant people had brought the new technology of straining the horse from Central Asia and Iran. Were ever the horse galloped right up the corner of Bengal and Orissa, the Turks and Afghans advanced from Pakistan and established new empires. Here the artisans and craftsman gathered in new centre, cities began to grow with new craft mohallas, and they began to specialise in the products of Shawl and carpets in Kashmir, chapkan, chadar and dopatta in Punjab and Chitral and Northern Areas, tile work in Multan, Hala and Hyderabad, block printing in Sindh and fine carpentry in Chiniot, Bhira and Dera Ismail Khan. As a result several families occupied themselves in traditional crafts and passed them on to their own children. Then came the Mughal emperors, descendent of Amir Timur, who, following the Mongol ruler Changiz Khan, had embarked on building a new world empire on the basis of organizing a new type of cavalry and making a new disciplined army in the unites of hundred and thousand. The later still survive in the name of Hazara both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The first Mughal emperor, Zahiruddin Muhammad Baber, who had to come out from Farghana, brought a new taste of poetry, baghicha and architectural forms from the natural environment and landscape from Farghana and Samarqand, latter city reflecting the delicious water of Zarafshan (golden) river. Baber built his first terraced garden in Kabul and then choose the beautiful spot at Kalda or Kallar Kahar in Chakwal district and built here Bagh-i-Safa on the very spot marked by this throne seat. It was again terraced garden watered by a near by spring. At the old Bhira on the bank of Jhelum he built a fort and then proceeded to Shah Dara (the Royal pass Gate) that opened his route the city of Lahore. At Shah Dara several garden were laid by by the Mughal noblemen but only one is preserved inside Jahangir tomb that was built by his queen Nur Jehan who lies buried in another mausoleums. The tomb along with the garden is now desolate. There is also Kamran's baradari, without the garden, that still defies the flood of the Ravi river. When the Mughal emperors followed Baber one after the other, they choose the old Lahore on the bank of Ravi to their main Urban centres in Punjab. It was developed as a city of gardens with numerous gardens around but the main Mughal fortress was built in an Island, surrounded by the Ravi on the three sides and only on the east it was joined to the city proper. Here third Mughal emperor Akbar transferred his capital from Agra to meet the challenge of cousin Mirza Hakim. Here he laid the foundation of a typical Mughal citadel with royal residences, called Akbari Mahal and Jahangiri Mahal, with a prominent Diwan-i-Aam built in the traditional Iranian style, all constructed in red sand stone imported from Rajistan. Later Akbar's grandson Shah Jehan, the King of architecture, transformed many buildings and renewed to his taste with white marble. He added Diwan-i-Khas that overlooked Ravi, his palace and Turkish Bath and still more important the Moti Masjid, the gem of monuments, with beautiful decorative designs in precious stones set in marble. However, his choicest building is the Shish Mahal, the Mirror Palace that was the constructed by the side of a Char-bagh style garden with running water channel and fountains, but later destroyed by the Sikhs, and quadrangles remodelled. Such garden, called Mehtab, can be seen in other quadrangles in the Fort. The Shish Mahal is the luxurious place of resort particularly during summer months with rest rooms of a long hall at its either end, opening on to the brilliantly dazzling Veranda that looks at the marble paved quadrangle with a fountain in the middle side. The mirror reflects the stars and the bedrooms presents, in its ceiling, the panorama of a star lit Sky. On the western side there is a unique building of Bengali style, called Naulakha, whose brilliance of precious stone outshone the natural setting of flowers and tree leaves that decorate the walls. Alas ' the Sikh and British soldiers have robbed many of the precious stones. Even then the Shish Mahal, even in its changed character by the Sikhs, presents a dazzling brilliance in its perfect creation by the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan. It is the climax of Mughal luxury surpassed nowhere in the world. The exterior wall of the Shish Mahal one can see the beautiful mosaic paintings that depict everyday sport of the Mughal princes for the enjoyment of the people who used to gather below the fort not only to have a view of the emperor sitting in the Jharokha but also to admire the brilliance of colour on the wall. Here one can observe galloping horses, humped camels, elephant ride, hunting scene, animal fights, horse man plying polo or chaughan, camel fights, figures of angels, demon head sand moving clouds, horse and elephant riders crossing Swords and verities of floral and geometrical designs. There are three gates to enter the fort, all three of them showing different tastes. The Masti (or correctly Masjid) Gate on the east shows Akbar's taste of red sand stone. The Shahburj gate on the west presents the fine mosaic decorations of the time of Janhangir. The last is the Alamgiri gate built by Emperor Aurangzeb, showing tasteful simple entrance with multiple facetted Tower at either end, crowned by Kiosks. From Shish Mahal one can have a magnificent view of the Badashahi Masjid built by Aurangzeb on a spot regained after the river Ravi shifted further away. Its magnificent Stair way leading to the elegant red sand stone gate way on the east is highly impressive. It is on the left side that later the tomb of Allama Iqbal was built. The gate way, which is preserved the relic of the Prophet and also in one of the copy of the Holy Qur'an with brilliant calligraphy, leads into a wide open courtyard, having a washing pond in its middle, and rows of cells on its sides. On its west is the main prayer chamber of oblong shape marked by four tall corner towers. On its roof are three marble dooms of bulbous shape that attract the eye from a long distance. The interior of the mosque has chaste decoration in the mehrab chamber that opened in to equally well decorated side aisles. It has a Verandah on the front that is again tastefully decorated. But the most elegant are the tall towers at four corners of the quadrangle, from the top of which one can have an unforgettable view of the city of Lahore. There are two other beauties in the city of which the greatest monumental gems of Lahore. The first is the most chaste fully painted mosque of Wazir Khan, which was once the centre of religious and educational activities during the Mughals period. In its original design the mosque was fronted by an open maidan that presented from a distance a marvellous view of the mosque. It was built by Ilmuddin Ansari, hailing from the old trading city of Chiniot, but later he gave rise to the city of Wazirabad. He was raised to the high post of governor by Shah Jehan for his devoted service and great skill of Hikmat. But of greater importance in his taste of decorative architecture which he has translated into this mosque. The mosque plan, which is typical Mughals style but for its squat domes has tall minarets crowned by tasteful Chhatris. The most attractive is the mosaic ornamentation of the facade, the minars, and particularly the mihrab, which remains unsurpassed in its setting and choice of decorations and calligraphic work. In its charging decoration the mosque symbolises high sense of taste and marks a magnificent attraction in Lahore, to which both Shah Jehan as well as his officials gave a new face of colour and charm. And yet the greatest jewel of the city of Lahore is the Shalimar Bagh, the unique pleasure resort that has been gifted to the world by the Mughal emperors. With paying a visit to this garden one can hardly understand the Mughal love for pleasances. In its creation what a real pleasure they have bestowed to the people of Lahore. The garden sumbolises the elixir of life that the Mughals alone could imagine. They had long left Farghana but the beauteous charm of its terraced fields lingered behind that has been recaptured in the Char bagh style of the garden in Shalimar, as Taj Mahal in Agra is the symbol of unforgettable love of emperor Shah Jehan, in the form of unique architectural creation, for the beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal, so is the Shalimar, the epitome, of Shala (fire of love), the embodiment of the highest playful joy in life that the emperor and empress could have in this world. The garden is a combination of Char baghs, water channels, fountains, Cascades, water falls and bathing hall in three different terraces, each terrace headed by beautiful pavilions for a pause of pleasurable enjoyment and then to pass on the other ponds of joy, inset with showering fountains, each terrace presenting varieties in scenic complex. Starting from a elaborate gate way in the south , with a water fountain in its middle chamber, we enter the open space, surrounded on right and left, by residential quarters, having long walkways, in the middle of either side of a channel marked by fountain, that join together on the four sides on a watery platform. And then we pass to the first pavilion that looks at a square pond remarkable sitting a cascade of a water falling down below the pavilion, series of fountains around a central seat for musicians and dancers and smaller pavilions at the four corners. From the top pavilion the elite royalties draw their pleasure from the scenic panorama in front and from the corner pavilions guests could roll in pleasance and enjoy the music of the running fountains coupled with the music of the singers and dancers. The next lower terrace begin with a rare bathing hall in the middle with water fountains lower down and lighted lamps in the arched niches of the walls. Here one could cool the legs during summer months- a novel way of cooling the atmosphere in the days when there were no electricity and air conditioners. And thus we find here a thrilling atmosphere where natural art has been channelised in the service of man. What a creation of charming loveliness that is combined with cooling water in various forms to soothe the evening of warm Lahore. That is not all of Mughal architecture. If one likes to see the Mughal fondness for hunting, one can go to Sheikhupura, not far from Lahore , and admire the construction of Hiran Minar by Emperor Jahangir on the spot where his dearly loved deer died. That minar stands by the side of a tank which has in its middle a three storied pavilion for a general view around. If one is interested to see the defence arrangements of the Mughals, one can go to Attock on the bank of the Indus River, where Akbar built a magnificent fort, made arrangements for crossing the river by boat-bridge and laid a new road south of the Kabul river leading to Peshawar through the Khyber pass to Kabul. And then come to Attock the empress Nur Jahan, who constructed here a caravan serai, known as Begum Ki Serai, with a platform at its four corners and living rooms cooled by the Indus breeze. It is from one of the top platform that one could look at the magnificent expanse of the Indus River, full of flowing life and natural beauty, that perhaps will remain as the lasting memory of the Indus land, that is Pakistan. WHEN BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGIST Sir Mortimer Wheeler was commissioned in 1947 by the government of Pakistan to give a historical account of the then new country he entitled his work Five Thousand Years of Pakistan . Indeed Pakistan has a history that can be dated back to the Indus Valley civilization (ca. 2500-1600 B.C.) the principal sites of which lay in present-day Sindh and Punjab provinces.Meanwhile in Baluchistan and North West Front Province(NWFP) have a great historical significance. Many acheological sites in Baluchistan have ben discovered which dates back 8000 even before Indus valley civilization. The Baravies speak the language which is not indo-european means the language dates back to earliest languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent. Also the NWFP and adjacent southern Afganistan is the area where the people so called "vedic people" lived who wrote the Rig Veda and founded the earliest Hindu relegion, and these(aryans) are the people who invaded Indus valley basin and then to rest of the Indian and spreaded their relegion language and traditions. These intermixed with local relgion language and traditions and formed the modern Indian languages relegion(Hinduism) and customs. So the history of Pakistan is in fact ancient history of India. Pakistan was later the entryway for the migrating pastoral tribes known as Indo-Aryans or simply Aryans who brought with them and developed the rudiments of the religio-philosophical system of what later evolved into Hinduism. They also brought an early version of Sanskrit the base of Urdu Punjabi and Sindhi languages that are spoken in much of Pakistan today. Hindu rulers were eventually displaced by Muslim invaders who in the tenth eleventh and twelfth centuries entered northwestern India through the same passes in the mountains used earlier by the Indo-Aryans. The culmination of Muslim rule in the Mughal Empire (1526-1858 with effective rule between 1560 and 1707) encompassed much of the area that is today Pakistan. Sikhism another religious movement that arose partially on the soil of present-day Pakistan was briefly dominant in Punjab and in the northwest in the early nineteenth century. All of these regimes subsequently fell to the expanding power of the British whose empire lasted from the eighteenth century to the midtwentieth century until they too left the scene yielding power to the successor states of India and Pakistan. The departure of the British was also a goal of the Muslim movement championed by the All-India Muslim League (created in 1906 to counter the Hindu-dominated Indian National Congress) which in turn wanted both political independence and cultural separation from the Hindu-majority regions of British India. These objectives were reached in 1947 when British India received its independence as two new sovereign states. Pakistan remained a dominion until it became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1956. The Muslim-majority areas in northwestern and eastern India were separated and became Pakistan divided into the West Wing and East Wing respectively. The placement of two widely separated regions within a single state did not last and in 1971 the East Wing broke away and achieved independence as Bangladesh. The pride that Pakistan displayed after independence in its long and multicultural history has disappeared in many of its officially sponsored textbooks and other material used for teaching history (although the Indus Valley sites remain high on the list of the directors of tourism). As noted anthropologist Akbar S. Ahmed has written in History Today In Pakistan the Hindu past simply does not exist. History only begins in the seventh century after the advent of Islam and the Muslim invasion of Sindh. _________Practical Information Edit This Here are a few things you should know about Pakistan. Languages: Official languages Urdu & English Other languages Nearly all Pakistanis speak mutually related provincial Indo-Iranian languages of the Indo-European family. The most widely spoken is Punjabi, followed by Pashto, Sindhi and Balochi. Other Indo-European languages spoken in Pakistan include Seraiki, Dari, Hindko, Pothohari, Gujarathi, Shina, Wakhi, Kashmiri, Khowar and many others. In addition, small groups of non-Indo-European languages are also spoken including Brahui which is a Dravidian language and Burushaski which is a language isolate. Contributors September 25, 2007 change by maztek (1 point) December 28, 2005 change by reen August 31, 2006 change by giorgio August 26, 2004 new by amanat Currency The local currency is the Pakistan Rupee (PKR) [Add Practical address] Seraiki Edit This Cultural heritage Cultural heritage photo by: rashid aziz bhutta According to Pakistan's census, Seraikis, with a population figure of 10.53%, comprise the 4th largest ethnic group in the country, after Punjabis (44.15%), Pashtuns (15.42%) and Sindhis (14.1%). Seraiki is the 61st largest language out of more than 6000 languages in the world. It has a very rich culture and is the representative language of Sindh Valley Civilization. There are nearly forty million people in Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, more.. type: Tourist information World66 rating: [rate it] Urdu & English Edit This Urdu and English are both recognized as the official languages of Pakistan. English is used in government and corporate business and by the educated urban elite. Private as well as public universities use English as the medium of instruction for degree courses. Urdu is the lingua franca of the people, being widely spoken as a second language, although it is the mother tongue of only 7.57% of the population, mainly Muhajirs (Muslim refugees from India after 1947), while an unknown more.. type: Tourist information World66 rating: [rate it] ________Getting There Edit This dfwfd dfwfd wsf [Add Global transport mode] To Northern Areas (Kaghan, Saiful-Malook etc). Edit This Lake Safe-ul-Malook Lake Safe-ul-Malook photo by: TARIQ ALI From Islamabad to Northern Areas, by Road on Public Transport :) Well, reaching Islamabad is not a problem. Almost every kind of transport is available to Islamabad. So lets start from Islamabad to Northern Areas. Its not difficult now.:) Presently, as far I know, there is no direct Public Transport from islamabad to Northern Areas accept for Aero Plan. From Islamabad, you can get transport, Van, Coach etc from many Stations, like Karchi Company etc. for Mansehra. In addtion, at the border of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, you can more.. type: By Road World66 rating: [rate it] email: farrukh1@gmail.com Ansoo Lake (At about 16,490 ft) Edit This A view of Ansoo lake in July A view of Ansoo lake in July photo by: Azhar Hussain To reach Ansoo Lake, situated at about 16,490 ft Requirments: Must be prepared for Heavy rain at any time, keep the extra cloaths at safe from rain, because you may need them, even in August you may feel freezing at Ansoo if caught in the rain.Try water proof Cloaths specially Care about proper shoes and socks, must have a separe. (Ansoo means, Tear in more.. type: By Road World66 rating: [rate it] url: www.flickr.com email: farrukh1@gmail.com ___________Economy Edit This Economy—overview: Today, Pakistan's economy is in much better shape than it was ever before. Pakistan is poised to catch China in terms of growth for the fiscal year of 2005-2006. In 2004-2005, Pakistan's economy grew by 8.4%, which is one of the fastest in the region.Progress is taking place throughout society. Thanks to the widespread reforms introduced by the President, Pervez Musharraf. Foreign companies are investing billions of dollars to pursue the opportunities of a market of world's sixth largest population. A change is evident throughout the society. GDP: purchasing power parity—$344 billion (1997 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 8.4% (2005 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$2 600 (1997 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 24.2% industry: 26.4% services: 49.4% (1997) Inflation rate—consumer price index: 11.8% (FY96/97) Labor force: total: 37.8 million (1998) by occupation: agriculture 47% mining and manufacturing 17% services 17% other 19% note: extensive export of labor mostly to the Middle East and use of child labor Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues: $9.6 billion expenditures: $13.6 billion including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97) Industries: textiles food processing beverages construction materials clothing paper products shrimp automotive Industrial production growth rate: 18% (FY04/05 est.) Electricity—capacity: 13.169 million kW (1995) Electricity—production: 58.1 billion kWh (1997) Electricity—consumption per capita: 436 kWh (1997) Agriculture—products: cotton wheat rice sugarcane fruits vegetables; milk beef mutton eggs Exports: total value: $15 billion (FY04/05) commodities: cotton textiles clothing rice leather carpets partners: EU US Hong Kong Japan Imports: total value: $11.4 billion (FY96/97) commodities: petroleum petroleum products machinery transportation equipment vegetable oils animal fats chemicals partners: EU Japan US China Debt—external: $33 billion (1997 est.) Economic aid: recipient: $2.2 billion from all bilateral and multilateral sources (FY96/97) Currency: 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1—44.050 (January 1998) 41.112 (1997) 36.079 (1996) 31.643 (1995) 30.567 (1994) 28.1 (1993); note—annual average of official rate; parallel market rate is higher Fiscal year: 1 July—30 June ______-Day Trips Edit This KARAKORUM EXPLORERS Karakorum Highway & The Silk Road An exciting overland journey from Islamabad over Karakorum Highway to Hunza Valley & Khunjerab Pass, then over the scenic Shangla Pass to the fertile Swat valley. The trip end at Peshawar, the historic gateway to Indian sub-continent. As you travel on Karakorum Highway, reputed as eighth wonder of the world, you enjoy fascinating views of challenging peaks rising above 7,000 meters. Nanga Parbat, at 8,125 m is the highest of peaks we see during our journey. Then you arrive at the meeting place of the three highest mountain ranges of the world: The Karakorum, Himalayas and Hindukush. As you arrive at Khunjerab Pass at 4,733 m you are on the border of not only China & Pakistan, but also of Pamir and Karakorum ranges. A trip to Swat & Peshawar will introduce you to the historic Gandhara Buddhist heritage and traditions of Pathan culture. Itinerary: Day 1 Islamabad - Besham Day 2 Sharkol - Gilgit Meet The Indus Day 3 Gilgit - Hunza karimabad Day 4 Hunza Full day excursion Day 5 Karimabad - Passu Upper Hunza Valley Day 6 Gulmit - Chilas Day 7 Chilas - Swat Day 8 Swat Day 9 Swat - Peshawar Day 10 Peshawar (Khyber pass day excursion) Day 11 Peshawar - Islamabad Day 12 Departure Contributors April 27, 2008 change by arif hussain (1 point) [Add Day Trip] Silk Road Adventure Edit This Hunza valley, Hiking from Gulmit to Ghulkin village than crossing Ghulkin glacier into borith lake back from Hussaini village en-route visit the suspension bridge great stuff. World66 rating: [rate it] url: www.silkroad-adventure.com address: Melbourne email: faizaimmi@hotmail.com KARAKORUM EXPLORERS Edit This Karakorum Highway & The Silk Road An exciting overland journey from Islamabad over Karakorum Highway to Hunza Valley & Khunjerab Pass, then over the scenic Shangla Pass to the fertile Swat valley. The trip end at Peshawar, the historic gateway to Indian sub-continent. As you travel on Karakorum Highway, reputed as eighth wonder of the world, you enjoy fascinating views of challenging peaks rising above 7,000 meters. Nanga Parbat, at 8,125 m is the highest of peaks we see during our journey. Then you arrive at the meeting place of the more.. World66 rating: [rate it] tel: +92514441258 url: www.karakorumexplorers.com address: P.O BOX 2994 Islamabad pakistan email: arifkke@yahoo.co.uk __________People Edit This K 2 Track K 2 Track Nawaz Ali Khan 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 est.) 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.) ________Beaches Edit This Rahim Yar Khan ???? ??? ??? Rahimyar Khan or Rahim Yar Khan (Urdu: ???? ??? ???) is a city in the south of Punjab province in Pakistan. Rahim Yar Khan city is one of the few cities in the world that are still at their pioneering places since the formation. It has been renamed customarily amid last 5000 years, first available (on record) name was AROR or ALOR, and then it became City of Pattan, Phul Wada, Noshehra and now Rahim Yar Khan. In 1883 Nawab Sadiq Khan-IV of Bahawalpur renamed it after his son Rahim Yar Khan. Formerly Rahimyar Khan was also one of the names of the three districts of the former princely State of Bahawalpur until 1955. Today, Rahimyar Khan lies on an important train route which runs south to Sukkur and north to Bahawalpur. According to the 1998 census, the city population was 233,537 with an annual growth rate of 4.04%. As of January 2007, it is around 330,000. Most notably the former President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had a residence built for him just outside the city, and is called 'Desert Palace' or Abu Dhabi Palace. It is now owned by his son and successor Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The most important road in Rahim Yar Khan is Shahi Road, which is surrounded by many notable businesses. There are many high schools which are run by the Government. There are 5 Government High schools for boys and 6 for girls. Among leading private schools are, Army Public School and Sheikh Zayed High School. There are separate post-graduate colleges for boys and girls. A campus of Islamia University Bahawalpur is also located in the city. (copy from wikepedia 21/04/2008) |
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GNU Free Documentation License Esso utilizza materiale tratto da http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan Cronologia/Autori: http://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pakistan&action=history PakistanDa Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera.
La Repubblica Islamica del Pakistan (پاکستان in Urdu), o Pakistan, è uno stato dell'Asia meridionale. Il Pakistan confina con l'India, l'Iran, l'Afghanistan, la Cina ed è bagnato dal Mare arabico. Con più di 150 milioni di abitanti è il sesto stato più popoloso del mondo, oltre ad essere il secondo maggior stato musulmano nel mondo, è un membro importante della Conferenza islamica. Il Pakistan è anche una delle poche nazioni che posseggono ufficialmente armi nucleari.
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Origine del nomeIl nome è stato coniato dallo studente di Cambridge e nazionalista musulmano Choudhary Rahmat Ali. Inventò la parola e la rese pubblica per la prima volta il 28 gennaio 1933 nel pamphlet Now or Never. Il nome era un acronimo dei differenti stati/patrie/regioni: P=Punjab, A=Afghania (il nome preferito da Ali per la Provincia di frontiera del nord-ovest), K=Kashmir, S=Sindh e TAN=BalochisTAN, formando così Pakstan. Una i fu aggiunta in seguito per semplificare la pronuncia inglese, formando così «Pakistan». Rahmat Ali espanse in seguito l'acronimo nel suo libro del 1947 Pakistan: the Fatherland of the Pak Nation. Esso divenne: P=Punjab, A=Afghania K=Kashmir, I=Iran, S=Sindh, T=Turkharistan (più o meno gli stati moderni dell'Asia centrale), A=Afghanistan e N=BalochistaN. Si può aggiungere ancora un altro significato prendendo l'aggettivo Urdu Pak, che significa «puro»: in questo modo il nome viene a significare «terra del Puro». L'uso del nome divenne gradualmente comune durante la campagna per la creazione di uno stato musulmano in quella che era allora l'India britannica.
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ValutaLa moneta del Pakistan è la Rupia, divisa in 100 paisa. Un euro equivale a circa 75 rupie.
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StoriaLa nazione che oggi è il Pakistan è stata parte dell'India fino al 14 agosto 1947. I primi proponenti l'indipendenza di una nazione musulmana iniziarono ad apparire al tempo dell'India coloniale britannica. Tra essi vi era lo scrittore e filosofo Allama Muhammad Iqbal, che argomentava che una nazione separata per i musulmani era essenziale in un subcontinente altrimenti dominato dagli Indù. La causa trovò una guida in Muhammad Ali Jinnah, che divenne noto come Padre della nazione e riuscì a convincere gli inglesi a dividere la regione in due parti: il Pakistan a maggioranza musulmana e l'India a maggioranza indù. Dal 14 agosto 1947 fino al 1971 la nazione consistette nel Pakistan occidentale e nel Pakistan orientale, i cui territori erano separati dall'India. Nel 1971 il Pakistan orientale si ribellò, e con l'aiuto di truppe indiane divenne lo stato indipendente del Bangladesh. Dall'indipendenza, il Pakistan è anche sempre stato in disputa con l'India sul territorio del Kashmir. Subito dopo l'indipendenza, India e Pakistan entrarono in guerra tra loro, a seguito dell'invasione di Jammu e Kashmir da «tribali» Pakistani. Ulteriori guerre furono combattute nel 1965 e nel 1971 su quel territorio. Nonostante le numerose battaglie, lo status del Kashmir rimane in un limbo: tale disputa ha complicato le relazioni tra Pakistan e India. Il Pakistan ha anche avuto una disputa - relativamente dormiente da quando la guerra fredda terminò con il ritiro delle truppe sovietiche - con l'Afghanistan sulla Durand Line. Dopo l'intervento americano in Afghanistan, la viabilità della Durand Line è molto più importante per la sicurezza globale. La storia politica pakistana è divisa in periodi alternati di dittatura militare e governo democratico parlamentare. Lo status di dominion terminò nel 1956 con la formazione di una Costituzione e la dichiarazione del Pakistan come una repubblica islamica; i militari presero però il controllo nel 1958 e tennero il potere per più di 10 anni. Il governo civile ritornò ad essere eletto dopo la Guerra indo-pakistana del 1971, ma alla fine degli anni '70, con l'esecuzione di Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, che fu dichiarato colpevole d'avere assassinato un oppositore politico, in una controversa decisione presa dalla Corte Suprema pakistana. Negli anni '80, il Pakistan ricevette sostanziosi aiuti dagli USA, e assorbì milioni di rifugiati afghani, soprattutto Pashtun, che fuggivano a causa dell'intervento sovietico. L'influsso di così tanti rifugiati - il più grande gruppo mondiale di rifugiati - ha avuto un grande impatto sul Pakistan. La dittatura del generale Muhammad Zia ul-Haq vide un'espansione della legge islamica, oltre a un afflusso di armi e droghe dall'Afghanistan. Nel 1988 il generale morì in un incidente aereo, e il Pakistan ritornò ad avere un governo eletto, con l'elezione di Benazir Bhutto. Dal 1988 al 1998 il Pakistan ebbe un governo civile, guidato alternativamente da Benazir Bhutto e Nawaz Sharif, che furono entrambi eletti due volte e deposti con l'accusa di corruzione. La crescita economica declinò verso la fine di questo periodo, tarpata da politiche economiche errate associate a corruzione politica e clientelismo. Altri fattori limitanti sono stati la crisi finanziaria asiatica e le sanzioni economiche imposte al Pakistan dopo i suoi primi test nuclari nel 1998. Questi test avvennero poco dopo che anche l'India aveva testato armi nucleari, accrescendo le paure di una corsa agli armamenti nucleari nell'Asia meridionale. L'anno successivo, il conflitto del Kargil in Kashmir minacciò di sfociare in una guerra su vasta scala. Nell'elezione del 1997 che portò nuovamente Nawaz Sharif ad essere Primo Ministro, il suo partito ricevette un'ampia maggioranza dei voti, ottenendo abbastanza seggi nel parlamento per modificare la costituzione, per eliminare i controlli formali che limitavano il potere del primo ministro. Le sfide istituzionali portate all'autorità di Sharif dal capo della Corte Suprema Sajjad Ali Shah e dal capo militare Jehangir Karamat furono rintuzzate, nel primo caso con un'invasione della Corte Suprema da parte di attivisti del partito. Il crescente autoritarimo e corruzione del governo di Sharif portarono a una vasta sollevazione popolare, culminata nel colpo di stato militare del generale Pervez Musharraf. Attualmente (2004) Musharraf ha iniziato una serie di passi per far ritornare la nazione a una certa qual democrazia, essendosi impegnato a dimettersi da capo militare per la fine del 2004. Si ritiene comunque che manterrà il controllo effettivo del Pakistan come suo presidente fino al 2007, visto il supporto dell'esercito pakistano e degli Stati Uniti. Mentre le sue riforme economiche hanno portato alcuni benefici, il programma di riforme sociali sembra avere incontrato una certa resistenza. Il potere di Musharraf è minacciato dai fondamentalisti islamici, che si sono rafforzati dopo gli attacchi dell'11 settembre 2001 e sono particolarmente irritati dalla stretta alleanza politica e militare di Musharraf con gli Stati Uniti. Ironicamente, tale alleanza si è creata proprio in seguito all'attacco alla Torri Gemelle, quando gli statunitensi cercarono un appoggio contro l'Afghanistan.
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Politica
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Partiti politiciI due principali partiti in Pakistan sono il Partito del popolo pakistano (Pakistan People's Party) e la Lega musulmana pakistana (Pakistan Muslim League). Ci sono poi vari altri partiti politicamente significativi.
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Tipo di governoUfficialmente una repubblica federale, e democratica a intermittenza, il Pakistan ha avuto una lunga storia di dittature militare, comprendente il generale Ayub Khan negli anni ’60, il generale Zia ul Haq negli anni '80, e il generale Pervez Musharraf dal 1999. Sono state tenute delle elezioni generali nell'ottobre 2002. Il 22 maggio 2004, il Gruppo di Azione Ministeriale del Commonwealth ha riammesso all'interno del Commonwealth il Pakistan, riconoscendo formalmente i suoi progressi nel tornare alla democrazia.
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Storia politica recenteNell'ottobre 1999 il generale Pervez Musharraf rovesciò il governo civile dopo avere affermato che il primo ministro Nawaz Sharif aveva dirottato il volo commerciale sul quale Musharraf stava viaggiando, tentando d'impedire il suo atterraggio a Karachi. Musharraf assunse il potere esecutivo. Furono tenute delle elezioni locali nel 2000; Musharraf si autoproclamò presidente nel 2001. Un referendum nazionale tenutosi nell'aprile 2002 approvò la nomina di Musharraf come presidente, ma il voto fu macchiato da accuse di brogli, e l'opposizione ha vivacemente contestato la legittimità della presidenza di Musharraf fino alla sua vittoria nel Collegio Elettorale Pakistano del gennaio 2004. Nel 2002 sono state tenute delle elezioni parlamentari nazionali, con Zafarullah Khan Jamali della Lega Musulmana Pakistana (LMP) che conquistò la carica di primo ministro. Dopo oltre un anno di battaglie politiche nelle due camere, Musharraf siglò un compromesso con alcuni dei suoi oppositori parlamentari, ottenendo la maggioranza dei due terzi necessaria per modificare la costituzione Pakistana nel dicembre 2003; il suo colpo di stato del 1999 fu retroattivamente legalizzato, e gli viene data la possibilità di rimanere presidente se alcune condizioni fossero state soddisfatte. Un Collegio Elettorale - che consisteva dell'Assemblea Nazionale, del Senato e delle assemblee provinciali - diede a Musharraf un voto di fiduciail 1° gennaio 2004, legittimando pertanto la sua presidenza fino al 2007. Il primo ministro Jamali si è dimesso il 26 giugno 2004. Il leader della LMP Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain divenne premier ad interim, e gli succedette il ministro delle finanze e ex-vicepresidente di Citibank Shaukat Aziz, che divenne primo ministro il 28 agosto 2004. Nonostante il suo impegno formale a dimettersi dalla carica di capo delle forze armate, il 14 ottobre 2004 il Parlamento pachistano ha approvato una legge che consente al presidente Musharraf di mantenere entrambe le cariche, «per continuare la lotta al terrorismo e salvaguardare l'integrità territoriale del Pakistan».
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Divisioni territorialiIl Pakistan comprende 4 province, 2 territori, e amministra anche parte del Kashmir. Le province sono ulteriormente suddivise in un totale di 105 distretti. Province: Territori:
Parti della regione di Jammu e Kashmir sotto amministrazione pakistana:
L'Azad Kashmir ha il suo governo democratico, dove i cittadini eleggono un proprio presidente e primo ministro per la gestione statale. Insomma, è più o meno uno stato indipendente all'interno del Pakistan.
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GeografiaLa superficie complessiva del Pakistan è di 803.940 chilometri quadrati, leggermente maggiore di Francia e Gran Bretagna insieme, e più di due volte e mezzo quella dell'Italia. Il Pakistan si trova nell'Asia meridionale. A sud è bagnato dal Mare arabico, con 1046 km di costa. A est confina con l'India per 2912 km. A ovest, l'Iran ha 909 km di confine con il Pakistan. A nord ovest si trova l'Afghanistan, il cui confine comune misura 2430 km. Infine a nord est ci sono 523 km di confine con la Cina. Il maggior corso d'acqua del Pakistan è l'Indo, che nasce in Cina, e scorre per la maggior parte del suo corso in Pakistan, toccando tutte le province eccetto il Baluchistan. Diversi fiumi importanti, interconnessi mediante il maggior sistema mondiale di canali, si immettono nell'Indo prima che esso sfoci nel mare Arabico. Le aree settentrionale e occidentale del Pakistan sono montagnose. La parte del Kashmir amministrata dal Pakistan comprende alcune delle montagne più alte del mondo, tra cui la seconda in altezza, il K2. Il Pakistan del nord tende ad avere precipitazioni maggiori della parte meridionale del paese, e ha alcune aree in cui resiste la foresta pluviale. Nel sudest, il confine con l'India passa per un deserto piatto, noto come deserto del Cholistan o Thal. Il Baluchistan centro-occidentale ha un altipiano desertico, circondato da montagne non molto alte. La maggior parte del Punjab, e parti del Sindh, sono pianure fertili dove l'agricoltura riveste molta importanza. All'interno del paese, nelle valli dove sorgono le città di Jacobabad e Sibi, si raggiungono le temperature più alte dell'interno continente asiatico con punte, alla fine della stagione primaverile anche di +52°C/+53°C.
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EconomiaIl Pakistan è il sesto paese più popoloso nel mondo, con una serie di sfide sui fronti politico ed economico. Storicamente, il confronto con la vicina India è risultato in una percezione negativa del Pakistan, soprattutto nei paesi occidentali, il che ha portato a una scarsità d'investimenti stranieri diretti nella nazione. Occorre però tenere conto che lo stato economico del Pakistan è migliorato negli ultimi anni, in parallelo a un grande miglioramento nella sua posizione nel mercato dei cambi: più precisamente, l'attivo della bilancia dei pagamenti e la rapida crescita delle sue riserve monetarie. Inoltre, il ridursi della tensione con l'India e il processo di pace in corso danno nuove speranze per la prosperità e stabilità dell'Asia meridionale. L'economia pakistana, che si pensava essere altamente vulnerabile agli choc esterni e interni, si è dimostrata inaspettatamente forte durante una serie d'eventi potenzialmente distruttivi come la crisi finanziaria asiatica, la recessione globale, la carestia, l'azione militare in Afghanistan dopo l'11 settembre, e le tensioni con l'India. Nei due anni e mezzo seguenti agli attacchi dell'11 settembre, l'indice KSE-100 della borsa pakistana è stato quello con la maggiore performance mondiale. Ultimamente il settore manufatturiero pakistano ha avuto tassi di crescita in doppia cifra, con la manifattura su larga scala cresciuta del 18% nel 2003. Una riduzione del deficit fiscale ha portato a una minore richiesta statale di denaro nel mercato monetario domestico, minori tassi d'interesse e un'espansione nei prestiti a privati e aziende. L'economia pakistana è stata anche abbastanza stabile nel lungo periodo: l'ultimo anno di crescita negativa nel prodotto nazionale lordo è stato il 1951. Il governo pakistano ha garantito negli ultimi anni numerosi incentivi alle compagnie tecnologiche che intendessero fare affari in Pakistan. Una combinazione di esenzioni fiscali per più di dieci anni, l'azzeramento dei dazi sulle importazioni di calcolatori, incentivi governativi per i venture capital e una varietà di programmi per finanziare l'educazione tecnica hanno dato un grande impeto alla nascente industria dell'Information Technology. Molte aziende tecnologiche pakistane forniscono software e servizi alle maggiori corporation mondiali.
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DemograficaIl Pakistan ha la sesta maggior popolazione mondiale. Ciò, unito a un alto tasso demografico, significa che il Pakistan dovrebbe nel prossimo futuro superare altre nazioni, e potrebbe diventare la terza nazione più popolosa del mondo entro il 2050, se le misure di controllo delle nascite fallissero. La maggior parte dei pakistani sono musulmani sunniti, con una minoranza consistente di musulmani sciiti. C'è anche una piccola minoranza di non musulmani, per la maggior parte cristiani, indù, e gruppi minori di buddisti e animisti nelle zone più remote delle Northern Areas. Ci sono stati degli episodi di intolleranza verso i cristiani dopo gli attentati dell'11 settembre 2001, in particolare www.persecutions.org riporta:
L'urdu è la lingua nazionale del Pakistan, mentre l'inglese è la lingua ufficiale, usato negli atti governativi e negli affari, oltre che dall'elite urbana. Anche le università pubbliche usano l'inglese come lingua per l'istruzione. L'urdu è invece la lingua franca della popolazione. Oltre a queste due lingue, quasi tutti i pakistani ne parlano una d'un gruppo di lingue indoeuropee mutualmente correlate, tra le quali la più comune è il punjabi, seguito dal sindhi, il pashto e il balochi. Il gruppo etnico più numeroso è il punjabi; altri gruppi importanti comprendono i sindhi, i pashtun, i balochi e i muhajir. Ci sono anche apprezzabili minoranze di altri gruppi etnici immigrati come i bengali, concentrati a Karachi.
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CulturaIl Pakistan ha una tradizione culturale molto ricca che risale alla civilizzazione della valle dell'Indo, 2800–1800 aC. La regione che oggi corrisponde al Pakistan nel passato è stata invasa e occupata da molte popolazioni, tra cui gli unni bianchi, i persiani, gli arabi, i turchi, i mongoli e vari gruppi europei. La cultura pakistana ha pertanto le sue origini nella miscela di varie culture. Ci sono differenze in cultura tra i diversi gruppi etnici in materie come vestiti, cibo e religione, specialmente dove gli usi preislamici differiscono dalle pratiche islamiche. Nonostante le relazioni tese con l'India, i film indiani sono popolari nel Pakistan, dove possono essere reperiti con facilità nonostante siano ufficialmente illegali. Esiste anche un'industria cinematografica indigena, soprannominata «Lollywood», che produce più di 40 lungometraggi l'anno. Anche la musica è molto popolare in Pakistan; gli stili variano da quelli tradizionali come il Qawwali a gruppi più moderni, che cercano di fondere la musica tradizionale pakistana con quella occidentale. La crescente globalizzazione ha accresciuto l'influenza della «cultura occidentale» nel Pakistan, specialmente tra la parte più ricca della popolazione che ha facile accesso a prodotti, televisione, mass media e cibi occidentali. Molte catene di ristoranti occidentali sono entrate nel mercato pakistano, e si possono trovare nelle principali città. Allo stesso tempo, c’è anche un movimento reazionario all'interno del Pakistan che vuole allontanarsi dalle influenze occidentali, tornando alle radici più tradizionali dell'Islam. C'è una notevole diaspora pakistana, soprattutto nel Regno Unito, negli USA, in Canada e Australia ma anche nelle nazioni scandinave. Molti pakistani vivono anche nel Medio oriente. Questi emigranti e la loro prole influenzano culturalmente ed economicamente il Pakistan, sia con i loro viaggi interni alla nazione, che in particolare tornando in patria o facendo degli investimenti. Lo sport più popolare in Pakistan è il cricket: milioni di pakistani assistono alla TV alle partite della nazionale nelle competizioni internazionali, specialmente contro la storica rivale India. I pakistani hanno anche vinto la coppa del mondo di cricket nel 1992. Un altro sport molto importante è l'hockey su prato, dove il Pakistan ha conquistato più volte la medaglia d'oro olimpica. Il calcio (sport) è praticato, ma non è molto popolare. Si pensa che il polo (sport) sia nato nelle parti settentrionali del Pakistan: esso continua ad essere uno sport importante, con molte competizioni durante l'anno. Lo shopping è un passatempo assai popolare per molti pakistani abbienti. Le città di Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad, Faisalabad e Quetta sno specialmente note per i grandi contrasti nelle esperienze d'acquisto - dai fiorenti bazar ai moderni centri commerciali multipiano. In particolare, Lahore e Karachi sono costellate di colorate aree con all'interno centinaia di negozi di tecnologia. Molti di questi sono piccoli, con offerte speciali incredibili e servizi di riparazione per praticamente ogni prodotto tecnologico. Ci si può trovare di tutto, dagli ultimi telefonini a CD e DVD davvero economici. Il bazar tecnico più famoso di Lahore è l'Hafeez Center, situato sul Gulberg Main Boulevard.
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Collegamenti esterniI siti indicati nel seguito sono tutti in inglese, se non indicato diversamente.
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Siti governativi
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Notizie
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Tecnologia
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