PAKISTAN. Islamic Republic of Pakistan
A country in South Asia, in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent. Area - 803.9 thousand km². Capital - Islamabad (over 800 thousand), largest cities: Karachi (over 15 million), Lahore (over 5 million). Administratively, the country includes 4 provinces (Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan), a federal capital territory, a tribal area, the so-called "Northern Territories," and Azad Kashmir - part of the territory of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir controlled by Pakistan. Population - 150 million (as of early 2004, growth 3%), main nationalities: Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch, Brahui. Official languages - Urdu and English. State religion - Islam, 97% of the population are Muslims. Currency - Pakistani Rupee = 100 Paisa.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR in May 1948).
National holidays: August 14 - Independence Day (1947) and March 23 - Pakistan Day (1956).
Pakistan is a parliamentary federal republic. According to the 1973 constitution (with amendments), the president (elected by an electoral college from members of parliament and representatives of the legislative assemblies of the 4 provinces for a term of 5 years) as the head of state essentially has broad powers, including the ability to dissolve the government and the lower house of parliament. Since June 2001, the president has been General P. Musharraf. Legislative power belongs to a bicameral parliament: the National Assembly (342 members) and the Senate (100 members). The composition of the Senate is renewed every 3 years. The executive body is the government headed by the Prime Minister, who is elected by a majority of votes from the members of the National Assembly.
On the territory of Pakistan, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Harappan civilization, existed in the 3rd millennium BC.
From the 8th century AD, this territory was conquered by neighboring Muslim states spreading Islam. In the 18th century, large feudal states were established.
The state of Pakistan was formed in August 1947 as a result of the division based on religious criteria of the former colony - British India. Until the end of 1971, it consisted of 2 parts - West and East, separated by Indian territory.
In 1954, Pakistan joined the military bloc SEATO, and in 1959 - CENTO. Until March 1956, it was a dominion of Great Britain. In March 1956, the first constitution was adopted, proclaiming Pakistan as an Islamic republic. The government of Ayub Khan (1958-69), which came to power through a military coup, faced increasing internal political instability. In March 1969, a military regime was established in Pakistan under General Yahya Khan. In the first general elections in December 1970, parties advocating democratic reforms won: in West Pakistan - the Pakistan People's Party (PPP - founded in 1967), in East Pakistan - the Awami League. The refusal of the authorities to meet the latter's demand for autonomy for East Pakistan contributed to the emergence of a liberation movement. In December 1971, an armed Indo-Pakistani conflict occurred, ending with the surrender of the Pakistani army in East Pakistan (East Bengal), where the state of Bangladesh was proclaimed. In the western part (the state of Pakistan), the PPP government led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power, continuing socio-economic reforms, including the nationalization of key industries and banks, and agrarian reforms.
In July 1972, a peace agreement was signed between Pakistan and India in Simla, and diplomatic relations were restored in May 1976. In 1973, Pakistan withdrew from the SEATO bloc. In February 1974, it recognized Bangladesh. The results of the parliamentary elections in 1977, which confirmed the PPP's right to govern the country, were not recognized by the opposition. As a result, in July 1977, a military coup brought the administration of General Zia-ul-Haq to power (who died in a plane crash in August 1988). The 1973 constitution was suspended (restored in December 1985), parliament was dissolved, political parties were banned, and Prime Minister Z. A. Bhutto was executed. The principle of gradual Islamization of society was laid as the basis of Pakistan's internal policy. In 1979, Pakistan withdrew from the CENTO bloc.
During the civil war in Afghanistan, the territory of Pakistan was used as a base for training and supplying arms to Afghan opposition groups.
In November 1988, parliamentary elections were held in Pakistan on a party basis. As a result, the leader of the PPP, Benazir Bhutto (daughter of the executed Z. A. Bhutto), was appointed Prime Minister, remaining in power until August 1990. After her removal by the president, under pressure from the opposition, along with the dissolution of the National Assembly, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, one of the leaders of the Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA), was appointed as the acting head of government. In the parliamentary elections in October 1990, this bloc of parties, led by Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, obtained a relative majority of seats and formed a government with the support of other parties. The indecisiveness of a number of socio-economic and political problems and the confrontation between political parties led to periodic clashes among the population on an ethnic and religious basis. In 1993, in the extraordinary elections to the National Assembly, the PPP won. B. Bhutto became the head of government, and Sardar Farooq Ahmed Leghari became the president of the country. In November 1996, the president dissolved the National Assembly and dismissed B. Bhutto's government. In the elections to the National Assembly in February 1997, the Pakistan Muslim League (135 seats; founded in 1906, in power in 1947-56, in 1957 and 1986-88, banned in 1958-62, restored in 1988) won.
The government was headed by its leader - M. N. Sharif. The PPP received 19 seats. In the presidential elections in December 1997, M. R. Tarar was elected head of state.
As a result of a military coup on October 12, 1999, an administration led by General P. Musharraf was formed in Pakistan, who proclaimed himself the head of the executive branch. A state of emergency was declared in the country while maintaining constitutional guarantees of basic rights and freedoms of citizens, legislative bodies at the federal and provincial levels were dissolved, and a number of restrictions were imposed on the public activities of socio-political organizations. The legitimacy of the military regime was confirmed by the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which determined a 3-year transitional period to civilian rule.
In October 2002, extraordinary parliamentary elections were held in Pakistan for the National Assembly and the provincial legislative assemblies. The leading positions were occupied by the pro-presidential faction of the PML and the main opposition PPP of B. Bhutto. A significant surprise for P. Musharraf's administration was the success of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) - a coalition of 6 Islamist parties. Unlike the traditional 5% for Islamists, the coalition managed to obtain 16% of the votes. At the end of 2002, amid acute internal political struggle, federal and provincial authorities were formed on a broad coalition basis.
At the end of 2003, President P. Musharraf secured the approval of his constitutional amendments by parliament, legally consolidating his positions as head of state and chief of army staff. In November 2004, parliament approved the bill "On preserving the second post for the president," which allowed the president to continue to combine both positions. Since September 2004, the Prime Minister of Pakistan has been Shaukat Aziz.
In the political life of the country, nationalist and Islamist forces are widely represented: the National Movement of Mohajirs, the Awami National Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, and others.
Trade union associations: All-Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions, Pakistan National Federation of Trade Unions, Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions.
The internal political situation is characterized by permanent instability. The influence of feudal and tribal institutions, as well as the military-bureaucratic apparatus, is strong. The army essentially remains the main arbiter on the Pakistani political scene. Periodic clashes on ethnic and religious grounds negatively affect the situation, and the problem of terrorism is acute.
The main focus of Pakistan's foreign policy is its relations with India. The period of relative normalization (1988-89) was replaced by a worsening of the long-standing (since 1947) dispute over the ownership of the Kashmir territory, on which the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir was formed, part of which came under Pakistan's control. Due to the anti-government protests supported by Pakistan in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the troops of both countries were repeatedly put on heightened alert in this area. Since January 2004, positive trends have again emerged in Pakistan-India relations - a political dialogue aimed at strengthening confidence-building measures has resumed.
Pakistan is a member of the UN (since 1947), the Non-Aligned Movement (since 1979), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (since 1970), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (since 1985). It is part of the Commonwealth led by Great Britain. In July 2005, Pakistan joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an observer. On key contemporary issues, Islamabad speaks from the positions of the majority of developing countries. At the same time, it refused to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, characterizing it as "discriminatory." After conducting its own nuclear tests in May 1998, Islamabad declared a moratorium on further nuclear tests.
Pakistan is an agrarian-industrial country. In agriculture, about 25% of GDP is produced (69 billion dollars, growth - about 5%), with over 47% of the self-employed population engaged. Pakistan is generally self-sufficient in food. Annual production of wheat is 17 million tons, rice - about 4 million, sugarcane - 35 million, cotton - 1.5 million tons. Land is mainly concentrated in the hands of landlords and farmers. Peasant farms are characterized by a low level of capitalization, and outdated semi-feudal forms of land relations persist.
There are reserves of natural gas, oil, rock salt, coal, copper, marble, uranium ore, and others.
In industry, 28% of GDP is created, employing 14% of the labor force. Main sectors: textile, food, chemical, cement, steelmaking, gas, oil refining. In the public sector (about 50% of industrial production), the production of electricity, steel, coal, oil and petroleum products, and fertilizers is concentrated.
Currently, denationalization and privatization of the public sector are being implemented in the economy. The role of private monopolistic associations is increasing.
Foreign exchange reserves amount to about 12 billion dollars. For the 2004/05 financial year, a budget of approximately 15.5 billion dollars has been planned, with a deficit of about 4%. The main expenditure items remain defense, as well as payments on external and internal debt, which account for 35% of all budget allocations. The armed forces number 600 thousand people.
Foreign trade (about 23 billion dollars) is characterized by a deficit. Exports include cotton, rice, fish and seafood, cotton fabrics, sports goods, carpets, leather and leather goods, and ready-made clothing.
There is widespread practice of labor force export to Middle Eastern countries. Imports include oil and petroleum products, industrial raw materials and equipment, vegetable oils, tea, chemical industry products, fertilizers, and others. Leading trading partners: Japan, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Iran, Germany, Great Britain, UAE. The main suppliers of military equipment are the USA, China, France.
External debt amounts to 35 billion dollars. Pakistan is among the most active borrowers from international financial organizations (about 2 billion dollars annually).
Annual income per capita is 652 dollars, 32% of Pakistanis live below the poverty line, and the number of unemployed exceeds 1 million.
The length of railways, including narrow-gauge, is 8.8 thousand km, and highways - over 100 thousand km (60% of all passenger and freight transport). Work is underway to construct the Pakistan Transport Highway, which will connect the south and north of the country; it is expected to play an important role in ensuring economic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries of the CIS in the future. Sea ports: Karachi, Qasim, Gwadar.
In Pakistan, more than 1200 newspapers and magazines are published. The largest newspapers are "Nawai Waqt" (400 thousand copies), "Jang" (over 750 thousand), "Mashriq" (in Urdu), "News," "Nation," "Dawn" (in English). There is a government information agency - Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and several private ones: Pakistan Press International (PPI), News Network International (NNI), etc., as well as national broadcasting and television corporations.