Pakistan

§1. Pakistan Introduction

Background:
  The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan
  (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never
  satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in
  1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between
  these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's
  marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East
  Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian
  nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The
  dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and
  confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002.

§2. Pakistan Geography

Location:
  Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and
  Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Geographic coordinates:
  30 00 N, 70 00 E

Map references:
  Asia

Area:
  total: 803,940 km²
  land: 778,720 km²
  water: 25,220 km²

Area - comparative:
  slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:
  total: 6,774 km
  border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran
    909 km

Coastline:
  1,046 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  contiguous zone: 24 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:
  mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Terrain:
  flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan
  plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
  highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

Natural resources:
  land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal,
  iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Land use:
  arable land: 24.44%
  permanent crops: 0.84%
  other: 74.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  180,000 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west;
  flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

Environment - current issues:
  water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural
  runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population
  does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion;
  desertification

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
    Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
    Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
    Ship Pollution, Wetlands
  signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
  controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between
  Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

§3. Pakistan People

Population:
  165,803,560 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 39% (male 33,293,428/female 31,434,314)
  15-64 years: 56.9% (male 48,214,298/female 46,062,933)
  65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,256,065/female 3,542,522) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 19.8 years
  male: 19.7 years
  female: 20 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.09% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  29.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 70.45 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 70.84 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 70.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 63.39 years
  male: 62.4 years
  female: 64.44 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  74,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  4,900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and
    typhoid fever
  vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis
    are high risks depending on location
  animal contact disease: rabies (2005)

Nationality:
  noun: Pakistani(s)
  adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups:
  Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India
  at the time of partition and their descendants)

Religions:
  Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%

Languages:
  Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu
  (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official and
  lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries),
  Burushaski, and other 8%

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 48.7%
  male: 61.7%
  female: 35.2% (2004 est.)

§4. Pakistan Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  conventional short form: Pakistan
  former: West Pakistan

Government type:
  federal republic

Capital:
  Islamabad

Administrative divisions:
  4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan,
  Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**,
  North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh
  note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir
    region consists of two administrative
  entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas

Independence:
  14 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday:
  Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Constitution:
  12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December
  1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored 31 December 2002; amended 31
  December 2003

Legal system:
  based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's
  status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary
  seats for women and non-Muslims

Executive branch:
  note: following a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of Army Staff
    and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Pervez
    MUSHARRAF, suspended Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional
    title of Chief Executive; on 12 May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court
    unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF
    executive and legislative authority for three years from the coup date;
    on 20 June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself as president and was sworn in,
    replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; in a referendum held on 30 April 2002,
    MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years; on 1 January
    2004, MUSHARRAF won a vote of confidence in the Senate, National
    Assembly, and four provincial assemblies
  chief of state: President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001)
  head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004)
  cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
  elections: the president is elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
    note - in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was
    extended by five more years (next to be held in 2007); the prime minister
    is selected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (next to be
    held in 2009)
  election results: AZIZ elected by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004
    with 191 of the votes

Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats -
  formerly 87; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve
  six-year terms - half the members retire after three years; and the
  National Assembly (342 seats - formerly 217; 60 seats represent women; 10
  seats represent minorities; members elected by popular vote to serve
  five-year terms)
  elections: Senate - last held 24 and 27 February 2003 (next to be held in
    March 2006); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be
    held by October 2007)
  election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
    party - PML/Q 40, PPPP 11, MMA 21, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, NA 3, PML/F 1, PkMAP
    2, ANP 2, PPP/S 2, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1, BNM/H 1,
    independents 4; National Assembly results - percent of votes by party -
    NA; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63, PML/N 19, MQM/A 17, NA
    16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP 1, JWP 1, PAT 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, MQM/H
    1, PkMAP 1, independents 3

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or
  Shari'a Court

Political parties and leaders:
  Awami National Party or ANP [Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National
  Movement/Hayee Group or BNM/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH]; Baluch National
  Party/Awami or BNP/Awami [Moheem Khan BALOCH]; Baluch National Party-Mengal
  or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Akbar Khan
  BUGTI]; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi
  Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F
  [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami
  ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida
  Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi
  Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A [Altaf HUSSAIN]; Muttahida Quami Movement,
  Haqiqi faction or MQM/H [Afaq AHMAD]; National People's Party or NPP
  [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI]; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood
  Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed Afzal KHAN]; Pakistan
  Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan Democratic Party or PDP
  [Mehbooba Mufti SAYEED]; Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F
  [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz
  SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; note -
  as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J,
  PML/Z, and NA; Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO]; Pakistan
  People's Party or PPP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan People's Party
  Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan Tehrik-e- Insaaf or PTI
  [Imran KHAN]; Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]
  note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  military remains most important political force; ulema (clergy),
  landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential

International organization participation:
  ARF, AsDB, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
  IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC,
  ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
  WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Jehangir KARAMAT
  chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500
  FAX: [1] (202) 686-1534
  consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California)
  consulate(s): Chicago, Houston

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan CROCKER
  embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
  mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200
  telephone: [92] (51) 2080-0000
  FAX: [92] (51) 2276427
  consulate(s): Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar

Flag description:
  green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious
  minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered
  in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional
  symbols of Islam

§5. Pakistan Economy

Economy - overview:
  Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from
  decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment,
  and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However,
  IMF-approved government policies, bolstered by generous foreign assistance
  and renewed access to global markets since 2001, have generated solid
  macroeconomic recovery the last four years. The government has made
  substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000, although progress on more
  politically sensitive reforms has slowed. For example, in the budget for
  fiscal year 2006, Islamabad did not impose taxes on the agriculture or real
  estate sectors, despite Pakistan's chronically low tax-to-GDP ratio. While
  long-term prospects remain uncertain, given Pakistan's low level of
  development, medium- term prospects for job creation and poverty reduction
  are the best in more than a decade. Islamabad has raised development
  spending from about 2% of GDP in the 1990s to 4% in 2003, a necessary step
  towards reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. GDP
  growth, spurred by double-digit gains in industrial production over the
  past year, has become less dependent on agriculture, and remained above 7%
  in 2004 and 2005. Inflation remains the biggest threat to the economy,
  jumping to more than 9% in 2005. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank
  announced that they would provide US $1 billion each in aid to help
  Pakistan rebuild areas hit by the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir.
  Foreign exchange reserves continued to reach new levels in 2005, supported
  by steady worker remittances. In the near term, growth probably cannot be
  sustained at the 7% level; however, massive international aid, increased
  government spending, lower taxes, and pay increases for government workers
  will help Pakistan maintain strong GDP growth over the longer term.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $384.9 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $89.79 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  7.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $2,400 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 21.6%
  industry: 25.1%
  services: 53.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  46.84 million
  note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of
    child labor (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 42%, industry 20%, services 38% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  6.6% plus substantial underemployment (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  32% (FY00/01 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 4.1%
  highest 10%: 27.6% (FY96/97)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  41 (FY98/99)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  9.2% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  15.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $15.45 billion
  expenditures: $20.07 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Public debt:
  54.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton,
  eggs

Industries:
  textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction
  materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Industrial production growth rate:
  10.7% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  76.92 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  71.54 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  63,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  365,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  341.8 million bbl (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:
  23.8 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  23.8 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  759.7 billion m³ (2005)

Current account balance:
  $-1.43 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $14.85 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods,
  sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs

Exports - partners:
  US 23.5%, UAE 7.4%, UK 7.3%, Germany 5%, Hong Kong 4.4% (2004)

Imports:
  $21.26 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation
  equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea

Imports - partners:
  Saudi Arabia 11.6%, UAE 10%, US 9.7%, China 8.4%, Japan 6.5%, Kuwait 5.6%
  (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $11.71 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $39.94 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $2.4 billion (FY01/02)

Currency (code):
  Pakistani rupee (PKR)

Exchange rates:
  Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752
  (2003), 59.724 (2002), 61.927 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

§6. Pakistan Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  4,502,200 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  5,022,900 (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, but improving; service
    is adequate for government and business use, in part because major
    businesses have established their own private systems; since 1988, the
    government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications
    system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity;
    despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication
    services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural
    population
  domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,
    cellular, and satellite networks
  international: country code - 92; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1
    Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway
    exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to
    neighboring countries (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .pk

Internet hosts:
  38,309 (2005)

Internet users:
  7.5 million (2005)

§7. Pakistan Transportation

Airports:
  134 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 91
  over 3,047 m: 13
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 22
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
  914 to 1,523 m: 16
  under 914 m: 8 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 43
  over 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
  914 to 1,523 m: 12
  under 914 m: 21 (2005)

Heliports:
  18 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 9,945 km; oil 1,821 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 8,163 km
  broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
  narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 254,410 km
  paved: 152,646 km (including 367 km of expressways)
  unpaved: 101,764 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 14 ships (1000 GRT or over) 343,630 GRT/570,518 DWT
  by type: cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4
  registered in other countries: 12 (Belize 1, Comoros 2, North Korea 3,
    Malta 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim

§8. Pakistan Military

Military branches:
  Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Air Force (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
  16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed
  for combat until age of 18 (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 39,028,014 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 29,428,747 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 1,969,055 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $4.26 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  3.9% (2005 est.)

§9. Pakistan Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to
  defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005
  earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the
  world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions
  under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and
  Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military
  Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group
  of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding
  historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; in 2004, India and Pakistan
  instituted a cease-fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005 restored bus service
  across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its
  dispute on the impact of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab
  River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration and in general
  the two states still dispute Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions
  and prepare discussions on a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan
  resurveyed a portion of the disputed the Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of
  the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in
  India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, had
  repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and had undertaken a census to
  count the remaining million or more, many of whom remain at their own
  choosing; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to control the
  border with Afghanistan and stem organized terrorist or other illegal
  cross-border activities; regular meetings with Afghan and Coalition allies
  aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 960,041 (Afghanistan)
  IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South
    Waziristan); 3 million (October 2005 earthquake) (2005)

Illicit drugs:
  opium poppy cultivation declined 58% to 3,147 hectares in 2005; federal and
  provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that force
  eradication - fines and arrests will take place if the ban on poppy
  cultivation is not observed; key transit point for Afghan drugs, including
  heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Western markets, the Gulf
  States, and Africa; financial crimes related to drug trafficking,
  terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems


<Factbook 2006>
