Why is Pakistan Important?

A. HISTORY

• Pakistan's history goes back to the Indus Civilization of 2500 B.C. (Bronze Age). Ruins at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus River Valley have revealed a great deal about these ancient cultures, among the earliest civilizations in known human history.


• Through its history Pakistan has been invaded by the Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Afghans, Turks, and Mongols and latterly was incorporated into the Bristish Empire as part of India.


• Pakistan's modern history begins with the British partition of India in August 1947 when Britain formed two additional nations out of India, viz. West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) creating homelands for the Muslims who were concerned with domination by the much larger Hindu population (see map). Millions of people moved across the borders in both directions according to their religion and about 500,000 were killed in clashes. Pakistan's first president was Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his party was the Muslim League

B. GEOGRAPHY

• Pakistan enjoys a coast line on the Arabian Sea and common borders with Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India, and is only a few miles from Tajikistan.


• This location makes it strategic both as a communication route and to provide balance to some of the major powers in the region.

C. PEOPLE

• Pakistan has a an estimated population of 165 million divided into the following major ethnic groups: Punjabis(44.68% of the population), Pashtuns (15.42%), Sindhis (14.1%), Seraikis (10.53%), Muhajirs (7.57%), Balochis (3.57%) and others (4.66%).


• Ethnicity plays a major role - most of the military personnel are Punjabis, the Pakistan People's Party (Benazir Bhutto's party) draws from the Sindhis, etc. etc.


• Ninety six percent of Pakistanis are Muslim (76% Sunni and 20% Shia). Pakistan is the second most populous Muslim-dominated country in the world and has the largest population of Shia Mulsims. Christians and Hindus comprose less than 2% each.

D. POLITICS

The military has dominated the government for the 60 years that Pakistan has been independent.

• 1947-58 First Democratic Era


• 1958-71 First Military Era


• 1971-77 Second Democratic Era : Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto's father, formed the Pakistan People's Party in the 1970's and as brought to power by General Yahya Khan in 1972. However in 1977 General Zia -ul-Haqq took power in a bloodless coup after declaring invalid an election which Bhutto had won. Bhutto was later hanged.


• 1977-88 Second Military Era: General Zia introduced strict Islamic law in 1978 which is often cited as a root cause for the current climate of sectarianism and fundementalism. Zia was killed in a plane crash, later shown to be sabotage. This as also the era of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.


• 1988-99 Third Democratic Era: Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif each twice led governments and were both removed on charges of corruption


• 1999-2007 Third Military Era: When Nawaz Sharif tried to replace army chief Pervez Musharraf the military ousted Sharif in a coup. Sharif was exiled, with pressure from the US, to Saudi Arabia. Musharraf took over the presidency.


• 2007 Pervez Musharraf resigned from the military so that he could continue as President. Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan in late 2007 to run in elections set for January 2008. On December 27th, 2007 Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.

D. NUCLEAR POWER

• The father of Pakistan's nuclear industry is Abdul Qadeer (A. Q.) Khan. In the early 1970's when working as a translator for URENCO, a European nuclear research institute, he stole key secrets which he took back to Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was Prime Minister enlisted him to develop Pakistan's capabilities to counteract India's similar attempts. The A. Q. Khan Research Laboratory, using enriched uranium, was built at Kahuta, near Islamabad and after years of development conducted its first nuclear test in May 1998.


• As a means of generating income Pakistan has exported its technology to Iran, North Korea, and Libya and A. Q. Khan has become a national hero


• The possession of nuclear capabilities by Pakistan adds a serious concern during any time of political unrest.

E. THE WAR ON TERROR

• Pakistan has appeared to work on both sides of the war on terror. In past years it recognized the Taliban government of Afghanistan and provided the schools (madrassas) at which Taliban-type philosphy was taught and indoctrinated.


• The tribal areas bordering Afghanistan are largely uncontrolled by the central government and have provided refuge for the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other insurgent groups.


• The central government needs to be influenced and assisted to keep the radical groups in check.

Pakistan presents an enigma to the west. It occupies a key role in a very unstable and ever changing region. Thus much that is negative is overlooked and much aid is given to attempt to assist it to make right decisions which will be helpful to its people and to the region.

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