The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
 General Information | Cultural Arts and Entertainment |
Please feel free to e-mail me if you feel that any link not present here should be added to this page.
NOTE: The links under each category are in no particular orderof herarchy.
General Information
An Introduction - basic information about Pakistan and its geography.
Governments And Politics
Government of Pakistan - The Official Government of Pakistan homepage.
Government - Government of Pakistan: Names of Executive Officers.
Parlimentary Affairs - Parlimentary Affairs by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Business and Economy
Habib Bank AG Zurich -all the info that you need about this bank including its branches.
NCR Pakistan - the official website of NCR Corporation, Pakistan. Info an NCR activities..
Pakistan Business Network- information on economical conditions in Pakistan.
General Information- Economy - nice page with information about Pakistan's economy.
ABN-AMRO Bank - the bank'sown homepage with all the info that you need about it.
Jamal's Yellow Pages of Pakistan- a trade directory of over 125,000 categorized listings.
ONE7 - find anyone in Pakistan including your business listings.
FPCCI Homepage- Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
SPARK - Pakistan's First Internet Directory - info on Pakistan's economy and finance.
Stock Markets- a list of stock markets in Pakistan.
PakBiz - Pakistan's Business Directory, a product of Intersoft Systems.
Futuresoft - a software development company that developes commercial applications.
Information Superhighway
Brain NET - one of the leading internet providers in Pakistan.
NetAsia - internet provider in Pakistan.
Digicom - Digicom is an internet provider with a nation-wide network in Pakistan.
COMSATS - COMSATS InternetService.
P.T.C.L (PakNet) - Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).
Cyber Internet Services (Pvt) Ltd- internet provider.
CompuNet On-Line - internet services.
SuperNet - internet services.
Fascom - internet services forKarachi.
AsterNet Online - internet servicesby CGS (Computer Graphics & Services Ltd.)
Net Access Communication Systems(PVT) Ltd. - internet service providers, web publishers, intranet solution providers.
IBM - internet services for Karachi.
PKNIC - Internet Domain Registryfor Pakistan - that's exactly who they are...
Education
Allama Iqbal Open University- the first open university in Asia established at Islamabad.
University of Punjab- Department of Mass Communication.
University of Sind- Faculty of Education.
University of Baluchistan- Department of Physics and Computer Sciences.
Cultural Arts and Entertainment
Literature
Urdu- the official language of Pakistan.
UrduDictionary - meanings to a lot of Urdu words.
Poetry- ghazals and poems by distinguished poets like Ghalib, Faiz, Iftikh Ararif, etc...
Hamid Syed's Urdu Poetry Page - info on the urdu language, poetry...
Mariam's Story Park - lots of good stories from around the world.
Mariam'sPoetry Park - a nice page with works of poetry that are not easy tofind.
Music
Pakistani Music Homepage - lots of Pakistani songs...and properly categorized too.
Zeeshan's Pakistani Music Page - info on Pakistani bands, songs, solos, albums, etc.
Pakistani Music - an effort to provide links to most of the songs present onthe 'net.
Fashion
Zarposh International Magazine
The News International Fashion Page - published by jung-group.
Pakistani Fashion by IDS - neatly categorized...a very nicely put page!
Libas - Pakistani fashion.
Mirage Collection- a collection of latest Pakistani fashions. Established in the US.
Jewelers Listing for Pakistan - a list of various jewelers' shops all over Pakistan.
Culture
Pakistani Culture- from the pages of the Official Pakistan Government homepage.
Pakistani Wedding - from the eyes of a foreigner.
Recipes for Pakistani Food - and tons of them too.
Pakistani Cuisine- more recipes for Pakistani food.
Sports
Pakistan Cricket - a comprehensive page on Cricket in Pakistan.
CricInfo- all the latest cricket information from around the world.
Pakistan Cricket Page - info on Pakistani cricket and its players.
The InternetCricketer - cricket news regarding Pakistan cricket team, interviews...
The Cricketer- Pakistan's number one cricket magazine now online.
Cricket- a homepage on cricket by Humayun Hassan.
Eastern American Cricket Association (EACA) - many former test and nationalsfrom Pakistan, West Indies and India.
PakistanHockey - a Pakistan power page on field hockey.
The Internet Squash Federation - the official squash homepage.
Squash- a Pakistan power page on squash.
Polo- links to different homepages with information on this game.
News and Media
Pakistan Television Corporation Limited(PTV)
Hina Presents - Pakistan Television- PTV drama reviews, cast info and story descriptions.
Pakistani Dramas- find out which dramas are worth watching and which are not, reviews...
Pakistan BroadcastingCorporation (PBC) - Pakistan Radio.
The News- published by the Jung Group.
Pakistan Today - a weeklypaper published in the united states.
Pakistan Link - a weeklypak-american paper - now in urdu too.
Herald - a monthly magazine from Dawn.
Organizations
Pakistan's Homepage at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Lots of info about Pakistan.
Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC
PACAWOM Homepage- an international group commited to advancement of women in Pakistan.
Travel and Tourism Information
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)- Pakistan's National Flag Carrier.
TourismInformation - a resourceful page regarding tourism in Pakistan.
Tourism - tourism information from the pages of Official Pakistan Government homepage.
Hotels and Travel in Pakistan - a very comprehensive guide for travel and tourism.
Introduction:Pakistan is situated in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, with Afghanistan and Iran on the west, India on the east, and the Arabian Seaon the south. The name "Pakistan" is derived from two Persian words "Pak" (meaning pure) and "stan" meaning country.It also denotes the variety of people residing in this land. The "P"stands for "Punjabis", "A" for "Afghanis, "K"for "Kashmiris", "S" for "Sindhis" and "TAN"for "Baluchistanis", thus making up the name "Pakistan".
Nearly twice the size of California, Pakistan consists of towering mountains,including the Karakuram (K2) range in the north, which is the second highest peak in the world, the Hindu Kush mountains in the west, a desert areain the east, the Punjab plains and an expanse of alluvial plains. The 1,000mile long (1,609 km.) Indus River flows through the country from Kashmire to the Arabian Sea.
Government: Pakistan is a federal republic with a bicameral legislature - a 217 member National Assemblyand an 87 member Senate.
History: Pakistan was one of the two original successor states to British India. For almost 25 years following the independence on August 14, 1947, it consisted of two separate regions, East and West Pakistan, but now comprises only thewestern sector. It lost its Eastern territory in the war of 1971 to Indian treachery and Bengali rebellion. The Western territory consists of Sind,Baluchistan, the North-West Frontier Province and The Punjab.
The Bristish became the dominant power in the region in 1757 following Lord Clive's military victory, but rebellious tribes kept the northwest in turmoil. In the northeast, the formation of the Muslim League in 1906 estranged the Muslims from the Hindus. In 1930, the League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, demanded creation of a Muslim state wherever Muslims were in the majority. He supported Britian during the war. Afterward, the League received an almost unanimous Muslim vote in 1946, and Britian agreed to the formation of Pakistan as a separate dominion.
Pakistan was proclaimed as a republic March 23, 1956. The election of1970 set the stage for civil war when Shaikh Muuibur told East Pakistanis(now Bengalis) to stop paying taxes to the central government. West Pakistantroops moved in and fighting began. The treachorous intervention of Indian troops and the rebellion of the Bengalis resulted in the loss of Pakistan'seastern territory. The independent state of Bengladesh, or Bengali nation,was proclaimed March 26, 1971 and brought President Yahya Khan down. ZulfiqarAli Bhutto took over and accepted Bengladesh as an independent entity.Diplomatically, 1976 saw the resumption of formal relations between Pakistanand India.
Pakistan's first elections under civilian rule took place in March 1977and provoked bitter opposition protest when Bhutto's party was declaredto have won 155 of the 200 elected seats in the 216 member National Assembly.A rising tide of violent protest and political deadlock let to a militarytakeover on July 5. General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq became Chief Martial LawAdministrator.
Bhutto was tried and convicted for the 1974 murder of a political opponent.He was hanged on April 4, 1979. Zia became president on Sept. 16, 1978,a month after Fazel Elahi Chaudhry left office upon the completion of his5-year term.
A measure of representative government was restored with the electionof a new National Assemble in February 1985. On December 30, 1985, Ziaended martial law.
On August 19, 1988, President Zia was killed in a mid-air explosionof a Pakistani Air Force C130 plane. Elections at the end of 1988 broughtlongtime Zia opponent Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto,into office as prime minister.
In August 1990, Pakistan's president dismissed Prime Minister Bhuttoon charges of corruption and incompetence and dissolved parliament. NawazShareef's coalition, the Islamic Democratic Alliance, won the electionsof October 1990.
October 1993 elections gave a plurality of parliamentary seats to Ms.Bhutto's Pakistani People's Party, ensuring her the prime ministry oncemore. Ethnic violence flared during 1995, particularly in Karachi. Theeconomy, however, showed signs of improving, and a deal was struck withthe IMF in September. The elections of early 1997 turned the prime ministryback over to Nawaz Shareef.
Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
President: Rafeeq Tarar (1997)
Prime Minister: Nawaaz Shareef (1997)
Area: 310,400 sq. mi. (803,936 sq km. excluding Jammu and Kashmir)
Population (est. 1996): 129,275,660 (average annual growth rate:2.49%); birth rate: 36.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 96.8/1000; densityper square mile: 416
Capital (1981 census): Islamabad, 201,100
Largest Cities (1981 census for metropolitan area): Karachi,5,208,100; Lahore, 2,952,700; Faisalabad, 1,920,000; Rawalpindi, 920,000;Hyderabad, 795,000
Monetary Unit: Pakistani Rupee
Principal Languages: Urdu (national), English (official), Punjabi,Sindhi, Pashtu and Baluchi
Religions: Islam, 97%; Hindu, Christians, Buddhist, Parsi
Literacy Rate: 35%
Economic Summary: Gross national product (1994 est.): $248.5billion; $1,930 per capita; real growth rate 4%; inflation (FY93/94) 12%;unemployment (FY90/91 est.) 10%. Arable land: 26%. Principal products:wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane. Labor force (1987): 28,900,000; agriculture,54%; services, 33%. Major products: cotton, textiles, processed foods,petroleum products, construction materials. Natural resources: naturalgas, limited petroleum, iron ore. Exports: $6.7 billion (1993): cotton,rice, textiles, clothing. Imports: $9.5 billion (1993): edible oil,crude oil, machinery, chemicals, transport equipment. Major trading partners:U.S., E.U., Japan, Hong Kong.
This page has been accessed