A Country Study

A few facts about

Pakistan
 Founded by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

 Pakistan emerged as an independent sovereign state on

August 14th 1947.

 Capital City: Islamabad

 Total Area: 796,095 sq km

 Population: 167,421,000

 Language: Urdu (National) English (official)

 Divided into 4 provinces: Sindh, Punjab, North West Frontier

Province, and Balochistan.
 A few facts… continued.

•Pakistan relies on its network of canals

to run its agricultural economy.
•Major Crops: Wheat, cotton, rice, millet,
sugar canes.
•Major Fruits: mangos, oranges, bananas,
apples
•Main Resources: natural gas, coal, salt &
iron.
•Cotton, textiles, sugar, cement &
chemicals play an important role in the
economy.
 Pakistan has a parliamentary form government, it consists
of two houses, the senate (upper house) and the national
assembly (lower house)
 The senate consists of 100 members and the national
assembly has a total of 342 elected members (272
general seats, 60 women, and 10 Non-Muslim seats)
 The President is elected for a 5 year term by the electoral
college. The electoral college is made up of the four
provincial assemblies, the federally administered tribal
areas & the federal capital form.
 The President MUST be Muslim.
 The President may be reelected but for no more than two
consecutive terms.
 Government Continued..

 The Chairman of Senate is next in line to act as the

President.
 The Prime Minister is appointed by the president from
among the members of the National Assembly.
 Only the National Assembly can approve federal
budget and finance bills.
 The Senate and National Assembly can initiate and
pass legislation.
 Each province has a govenor, and a council of
ministers headed by a chief minister appointed by the
govenor and a provincial assembly.
Who’s who in Pakistan’s Government
Today:

President: Asif Ali

Zadari

Prime Minister: Yousaf Rasa

Gilani

Chairman of the Senate: Farooq

Hamid Naek
 97% of all Pakistanis are Muslims.
 77% of the population are Sunni Muslims.
 20% are adherents of Shia Islam.
 Christians, Hindus and other religions make up only 1%.
 The central belief of Islam is that there is one God, Allah
and the prophet, Mohammed is his final messenger.
 Islam is derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition and
considers Abraham and Jesus as prophets.
 The Islamic religion recognizes both the Old & New
Testaments.
 Religion continued…

 The Quran is the holy scripture of Islam and is

recognized as the holy word of God.
 The Muslim people follow the Five Pillars:
1. Shahada: (testimony) “There is no god but God,
and Mohammad is his Prophet.”
2. Salat: Mulims must pray five times a day.
3. Zakat: The obligation to provide alms for the
poor and disadvantaged.
4. Sawm: The obligation to fast from sunrise to
sunset during Ramadan.
5. Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca, this must be
done at least once in an adult Muslim’s lifetime.
The pilgrimage occurs during the last month of
the Muslim lunar calender.
 Women in Pakistan

 Pakistani women are considered subordinate to men.

 A women’s actions are held responsible for the
reputation of the family.
 Women are allowed only limited mobility and contact
with the opposite sex so they do not dishonor their
families.
 Women live under the constraints of veiling.
 Women spend most of their lives in their homes and
can only go out for serious and approved reasons.
 If a women has a small job their income is credited to
their husband or man of the house.
 Media

 The major news agencies in Pakistan are the Associated

Press of Pakistan and Pakistan Press International.
 The Government took over The Associated Press of
Pakistan in 1960.
 Radio is an effective method for spreading news in
Pakistan because the literacy rate is not as high as it is
in countries like the United States.
 The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation spreads
information about government policy and promotes
Islamic principles.
 By the mid 1990’s television reached 80% of the
Pakistan population.
 Media continued…

 Until 1990 the government owned Pakistan Television

Corporation was the only channel available. PTV then
bought Cable News Network (CNN) to Pakistan.

 The government owned t.v channels and newspapers

show ideas from the governments view point.

 There are a lot of restrictions in the media, frequently

controversial songs are banned from the radio.

 The government required women to wear scarves over

their heads during newscasts and other television shows.
 Education
 Education is Pakistan is very poor.

 The government only sets aside 3%of the annual budget for
education.

 There are three types of schools: Private for the wealthy,

Public which is government run, and Religious schools.

 The government run schools do not teach English and many

of them exist only on paper.

 Many poor families try to send their children to Private

schools for the public ones are so terrible.

 The Pakistani government estimates the literacy rate of

Pakistan to be at 47% but outside spectators beg to differ
claiming the rate must be around 20%.
Top Stories
in Pakistan
Today
 Flour Giveaway in Pakistan Turns Into Deadly
Stampede. (CNN) 18 women are dead after a
mob scene broke out at a flour giveaway in
Karachi.
 US Missile Strike Kills Four in Pakistan (LA
Times). An unmanned US plane fired a missile
and hit a moving car killing four citizens of
Pakistan by the Afgan border.
 Pakistan Army Said to Be Linked to Swat
Killings (NY Times). Hundreds of dead bodies
are being dumped onto the streets locals and
politicians believe it to be the work of the
army because of their desire to “silence any
enthusiasm of Taliban supporters.
 Pakistan and the Millennium
Development Goals

Here is the progress Pakistan has made in reaching the Millennium

Development Goals:
-Nearly 1.4 million children have been enrolled in primary school.
-9,121 community based schools have been established.
-1.4 million women have been trained different techniques to save children
from dehydration.
-300,000 women and children have received vaccinations.
-9,000 adult literacy centers have been established.
-Volunteers from more than 30,000 villages have been enlisted to help
support human development at the grassroots level.

This information was found on the United Nation’s Millennium Development

Goals Website.
Thanks A
lot