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Pakistan News, Pakistani News, Pakistan capital: Islamabad |
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Afghanistan
China
India
Iran
International Disputes: "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; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal activities" CIA Factbook #Facts
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PAKISTAN News:
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News Search <Pakistan> in: <Pakistan News> in: <Pakistani News> in: Search Google:
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US
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- 
Military
- 
Terrorism
- 
Intelligence
- 
2008
Election - 
Illinois
- "Obama
says he would target Pakistan." ... "[2008 election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Barack Obama on
Wednesday said he would not hesitate to order military strikes against
al-Qaeda targets on Pakistani soil with or without the permission of General
Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler." ... "His remarks follow a
US national intelligence estimate that says al-Qaeda has reconstituted
itself in havens along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. "Let me make
this clear," said Mr Obama. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains
who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. If we
have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President
Musharraf won't act, we will."" ... "The 45-year-old senator criticised
the Bush administration's support for Gen Musharraf, who faces general
elections later this year. "We must not turn a blind eye to elections that
are neither free nor fair – our goal is not simply an ally in Pakistan,
it is a democratic ally," he said. "Pakistan needs more than F16s to combat
extremism."" -FT.com
via -MSN
Pakistan
- 
Justice
- Military
- 
Politics
- "Chief
Justice Is Reinstated in Pakistan." ..."The ground
beneath Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s feet unsettled considerably today, as the
Supreme Court ruled that his suspension of the country’s chief justice
earlier this year was “illegal.”" ... "The seemingly abstruse constitutional
case over the fate of the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, is
a watershed for the nation. Mr. Chaudhry’s very challenge to the president,
who summoned him to Army headquarters on March 9 and pressed him to resign,
had come to be seen as a proxy protest against nearly seven and a half
years of military rule." ... "The case also bears on the fate of General
Musharraf, one of Washington’s most enduring allies in the war on terror.
The general, who took power in a coup in 1999, is likely to be challenged
in the Supreme Court if he seeks re-election as president while continuing
to hold the title of army chief of staff. He is also likely to face a legal
challenge if he insists on being re-elected by the sitting parliament before
his term expires this year." ... "General Musharraf’s critics had accused
him of sidelining Mr. Chaudhry so he could install a judge who would be
more likely to bend to his authority." -By Somini
Sengupta with contributions by Salman Masood
-NYTimes
US
- Pakistan
- Afghan
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "U.S.
threatens action in Pakistan." ... "An ambush of
a military convoy that killed 17 troops near the Afghan border Wednesday
pushed the death toll in a series of attacks to at least 101 Pakistanis
in the past five days — and brought President Pervez Musharraf, according
to a local newspaper headline, to a "Moment of Truth."" ... "The [Republican
President] Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf
rein in militants linked to al Qaida, on Wednesday threatened to launch
attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit." ... "Facing domestic
political pressure for staying in power while in uniform — he is also the
nation's top general — Musharraf has relied heavily on the Bush administration
as a source of political support. But with Washington now demanding that
Musharraf use force in tribal areas, he is struggling to appear decisive
while avoiding a civilian bloodbath or more military carnage." ... "Musharraf
recently moved thousands of Pakistani troops to volatile tribal strongholds
like North Waziristan, where a Taliban council said earlier this week it
was abandoning a peace deal with the government." ... "The latest U.S.
intelligence reports say the border regions have become a sanctuary for
al Qaida and Taliban leadership planning future attacks against the United
States and its allies." -By Tom Lasseter
-McClatchyDC.com
US
- 
Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Osama
bin Laden
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Political
- Analysis
- "Intelligence
Puts Rationale For War on Shakier Ground." ... "The
White House faced fresh political peril yesterday in the form of a new
intelligence assessment that raised sharp questions about the success of
its counterterrorism strategy and judgment in making Iraq the focus of
that effort." ... "Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush
has been able to deflect criticism of his counterterrorism policy by repeatedly
noting the absence of any new domestic attacks and by citing the continuing
threat that terrorists in Iraq pose to U.S. interests." ... "But this line
of defense seemed to unravel a bit yesterday with the release of a new
National Intelligence Estimate that concludes that al-Qaeda "has protected
or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability" by reestablishing
a haven in Pakistan and reconstituting its top leadership. The report also
notes that al-Qaeda has been able "to recruit and indoctrinate operatives,
including for Homeland attacks," by associating itself with an Iraqi subsidiary."
... "These disclosures triggered a new round of criticism from Democrats
and others who say that the administration took its eye off the ball by
invading Iraq without first destroying Osama bin Laden's organization in
Afghanistan." ... "Some terrorism analysts say Bush has used inflated rhetoric
to depict al-Qaeda in Iraq as part of the same group of extremists that
attacked the United States on Sept. 11 -- noting that the group did not
exist until after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. These analysts
say Bush also has overlooked the contribution that U.S. actions have made
to the growth of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has been described as kind of
a franchise of the main al-Qaeda network headed by bin Laden." -By
Michael Abramowitz -WashingtonPost
US
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Osama
bin Laden
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- 
Money
- 
Communications
- Politics
- 
Nev
- "U.S.
Warns Of Stronger Al-Qaeda: Administration Report
Cites Havens in Pakistan." ... "Six years after the Bush administration
declared war on al-Qaeda, the terrorist network is gaining strength and
has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan
for training and planning attacks, according to a new Bush administration
intelligence report to be discussed today at a White House meeting." ...
"The report, a five-page threat assessment compiled by the National Counterterrorism
Center, is titled "Al-Qaida Better Positioned to Strike the West," intelligence
officials said. It concludes that the group has significantly rebuilt itself
despite concerted U.S. attempts to smash the network." ... "Although the
officials declined to discuss the assessment's content because it is classified,
the CIA's deputy director for intelligence, John A. Kringen, told a House
committee yesterday that al-Qaeda appears "to be fairly well settled into
the safe haven in the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan."" ... ""We see more
training. We see more money. We see more communications," Kringen said."
... "Citing news reports about the intelligence assessment, Senate Majority
Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement
that "it is a travesty that Osama bin Laden remains at large . . . and
appears to have found new sanctuary to operate freely in the Afghanistan-Pakistan
border regions." Several House" (1, 2)
-By Spencer S. Hsu and Walter Pincus with contributions
by Dan Eggen, Joby Warrick and Alice Crites
-WashingtonPost
 HavenWorks.com/world/pakistan/#weblog
Pakistan Weblog: Pakistani Weblog: Pakistan Blog: |
Google Search: Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
| HavenWorks.com/world/pakistan/#facts
Pakistan Facts: |
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Economy
Afghanistan
- China
- India
- IranReligion
Languages
Education
From the U.S. Department of State, Background Note: Pakistan (22 June 2007 - information may have changed. For informational purposes only)
OFFICIAL NAME:
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan Geography
Area: 803,943 sq. km. (310,527 sq.
mi.); almost twice the size of California.
Cities: Capital--The city of
Islamabad (pop. 800,000) and adjacent Rawalpindi (1,406, 214) comprise
the national capital area with a combined population of 3.7 million. Other
cities--Karachi (11,624,219) (2005 est.), Lahore (6,310,888) (2005
est.), Faisalabad (1,977,246) and Hyderabad (1,151,274).
People
Pakistan People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Pakistan(i).
Population (2007 est.): 164,741,924.
Annual growth rate (2006 est.): 2.09%.
Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtun,
Baloch, Muhajir (i.e., Urdu-speaking immigrants from India and their descendants),
Saraiki, and Hazara.
Religions: Muslim 97%; small minorities
of Christians, Hindus, and others.
Languages: Urdu (national and official),
English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtu, Baloch, Hindko, Brahui, Saraiki (Punjabi
variant).
Education: Literacy (2004 est.)--48.7%;
male 61.7%; female 35.2%.
Health: Infant mortality rate
(2006 est.)--68.84/1,000. Life expectancy (2006 est.)--men 62.73
yrs., women 64.83 yrs.
Work force (2004 est.): Agriculture--42%;
services--38%;
industry--20%.
Government
Pakistan Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: August 14, 1947.
Branches: Executive--president
(chief of state), prime minister (head of government). Legislative--Bicameral
Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora (100-seat Senate, 342-seat National Assembly).
Judicial--Supreme
Court, provincial high courts, Federal Islamic (or Shari'a) Court.
Political parties: Pakistan Muslim
League (PML), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (umbrella
group) (MMA), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Political subdivisions: 4 provinces
(Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Northwest Frontier); also the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (composed of 7 tribal agencies--Bajaur, Mohmand,
Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan) and the
Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region
(Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas).
Economy
Pakistan Economy
GDP (2005 est., current U.S. $): $110.7
billion.
Real GDP growth rate (2005): 7.8%.
Per capita GDP (2005 est., current
U.S. $): $690.
Natural resources: Arable land, natural
gas, limited oil, substantial hydropower potential, coal, iron ore, copper,
salt, limestone.
Agriculture: Products--wheat,
cotton, rice, sugarcane, eggs, fruits, vegetables, milk, beef, mutton.
Industry: Types--textiles &
apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, shrimp,
fertilizer, and paper products.
Trade (2005 est.): Exports--$14.85
billion: textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, and yarn), rice,
leather goods, sports goods, carpets, rugs, chemicals & manufactures.
Major
partners--U.S. 22.6%, United Arab Emirates 8.9%, U.K. 5.8%, China 5.4%,
Germany 4.7%. Imports--$21.26 billion: petroleum, petroleum products,
machinery, plastics, paper and paper board, transportation equipment, edible
oils, pulses, iron and steel, tea. Major partners--China 14.0%,
Saudi Arabia 10.5%, United Arab Emirates 9.0%, Japan 6.2%, U.S. 5.1%, Kuwait
5.1%, Germany 4.9%.
People
Pakistan PEOPLE
The majority of Pakistan's population
lives in the Indus River valley and in an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad,
Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and Peshawar. Although Urdu is an official
language of Pakistan, it is spoken as a first language by only 8% of the
population; 48% speak Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 10% Saraiki, 8% Pushtu, 3% Baloch,
and 3% other. Urdu, Punjabi, Pushtu, and Baloch are Indo-European languages.
English is the other official language, and is widely used in government,
commerce, the officer ranks of the military, and in many institutions of
higher learning.
History
Pakistan HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Pakistan, along with parts of western
India, contains the archeological remains of an urban civilization dating
back 4,500 years. Alexander the Great included the Indus Valley in his
empire in 326 B.C., and his successors founded the Indo-Greek kingdom of
Bactria based in what is today Afghanistan and extending to Peshawar. Following
the rise of the Central Asian Kushan Empire in later centuries, the Buddhist
culture of Afghanistan and Pakistan, centered on the city of Taxila just
west of Islamabad, experienced a cultural renaissance known as the Gandhara
period.
Pakistan's Islamic history began with the arrival of Muslim traders in the 8th century in Sindh. The collapse of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century provided an opportunity for the English East India Company to extend its control over much of the subcontinent. The Sikh adventurer, Ranjit Singh, carved out a dominion that extended from Kabul to Srinagar and Lahore, encompassing much of the northern area of modern Pakistan. British rule replaced the Sikhs in the first half of the 19th century. In a decision that had far-reaching consequences, the British permitted the Hindu Maharaja of Kashmir, a Sikh appointee, to continue in power.
Pakistan emerged from an extended period of agitation by Muslims in the subcontinent to express their national identity free from British colonial domination as well as domination by what they perceiv
