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PAKISTAN. Location. Located: mountainous region adjoining Central Asia and the Middle East . Coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south
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Location • Located: mountainous region adjoining Central Asiaand the Middle East. • Coastline along the Arabian Seaand Gulf of Omanin the south • Bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, the Republic of Indiain the east and the People's Republic of Chinain the far northeast.
Capital- Islamabad Largest city- Karachi Currency- Pakistani Rupee The estimated population of Pakistan is 172,800,000. World's sixth most-populous country, behind Brazil and ahead of Russia.
Languages • Multilingual country • English is the official language • Urdu is the national language • Punjabi is the most commonly spoken language of Pakistan. (About 61 million people)
Religion • Majority of the Pakistanis are Muslim • Almost 85% of Pakistani Muslims are Sunni Muslimsand 15% are Shi'a Muslims • 2nd largest religion is Hinduism • 3rd largest is Christianity
Politics • In the current semi-presidential system, the President of Pakistan is the head of state. • The Prime Minister is the head of government. • There is a multi-party system.
President Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani
Economy • Is the 26th largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power, and the 47th largest in terms of absolute dollars
Suffering Economy • Economy suffered from decades of internal political disputes • a fast growing population • mixed levels of foreign investment • a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India
History of the Conflict • The territory of Kashmir • The territory was handed over to India after they gained independence from the British in 1947.
The Problem • The Kashmir area was predominantly Muslim. • The ruler of Kashmir fled to India and agreed to place Kashmir under Indian rule if India would protect Kashmir from invasion. • If there had been a vote in Kashmir, the majority probably would have voted to become part of Pakistan for religious reasons.
War • Three major wars between India and Pakistan have been fought over the Kashmir territory • 1947-1948 • 1965 • 1971 • A fourth war almost took place when Pakistan invaded and attempted to capture Kargil.
The Importance of Kashmir to India and Pakistan • The geography is mostly rural, with large mountains, deserts, and valleys. • The region could have natural resources such as oil, gold, or silver that has not yet been discovered.
Control of the Indus River • The Indus begins in Kashmir, flows through Pakistan, then flows into mainland India. • Since Kashmir is part of India, they could dam the Indus and change the flow of the river. • Without fertile land to grow crops, Pakistan would become a desert and its people would starve.
Religious Sites • Both Pakistan and India have sites in Kashmir that are important to their respective religions. • Pakistan is predominately Muslim. Kashmir is predominately Muslim. • India is predominately Hindu.
Strategic Location • India-Kashmir acts as a buffer. • Pakistan-Kashmir offers a fertile roadway into India for possible invasion.
War & Terrorism • Both India and Pakistan are convinced that they are right and that they will prevail • In the past 60 years, Pakistan and India have fought three wars over ownership of Kashmir. India won all three. • Today, the fight continues with acts of terrorism. • The people of Kashmir are probably wondering why the UN and U.S. won't help them
Why doesn't the U.S. lend a helping hand with the Kashmir conflict? • The U.S. wants to be allies with both Pakistan and India. • Pakistan shares a border with Afghanistan so need Pakistan’s help with war on terrorism. • We do a great deal of trade with India that is mutually advantageous.