Pakistan country profile

[MDresden]

The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.

The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.



Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.


The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma. The west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.
The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.

[MDresden]

Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability.
Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a civilian government that had lost a great deal of public support.
The coup leader, General Pervez Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's fortunes, but faced economic challenges as well as an increasing polarisation between Islamist militancy and the modernising secular wing of Pakistani politics.
Under growing pressure to reintroduce democratic rule, Mr Musharraf relinquished his army post in November 2007, but at parliamentary elections in February 2008, his supporters were defeated by the opposition Pakistan People's Party and former PM Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League.

[MDresden]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asi...es/1157960.stm

[MDresden]

Losing faith


In delaying its payment the IMF has jeopardised billions of dollars of loans from other agencies.

These include the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as large bilateral support from Japan, the EU and US.

Economic mismanagement has been one of the main reasons why the PPP's coalition parties have lost faith in the government.

There have been four finance ministers in the last three years.
Mr Gilani is now a lame duck prime minister, making it impossible for him to impose new taxes or tough austerity measures.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12110235

[MDresden]

High alert

Germany is on high alert for possible terrorist attacks by its nationals who may also have been trained in Pakistan. At least a dozen alleged German extremists were arrested in December.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani seems likely to hold on to his job - for now at least
Also last month, a suicide bomber in the Swedish capital Stockholm killed himself as he tried to explode a bomb among Christmas shoppers.
The bomber, of Arab origin, was linked to Pakistan-born extremists in Luton, near London.

Senior American and European officials said recently they had warned Islamabad that any major successful terrorist strike in the West that is traced back to the Pakistani tribal bad lands would lead to enormous but unspecified repercussions.

[randolph85]

what, after more than 60 yrs of support to the israel of south asia u are finally turning ur back on the unofficial 51st state?

[ghundal]

Im not Pakistani fool

YouTube - Spiegel TV: "Kill Team" Documentary 1/2

[MDresden]

Who is talking to the mule? I know I never mentioned him.

[Karachi]

why are you on a anti pakistani raid???

[MDresden]

why are you on a anti pakistani raid???

Why not? I'm attacked by mules everyday...and I've ran out of carrot sticks for them.

[faye]

so, i see we're on the anti pakistan propaganda bandwagon this evening, drezy. hardly original.
has your superiors given you the order to help promote hatred on these forums or is this what is being done to you so you can feel good about when you get sent in there, to slaughter more muslims?

[MDresden]

If you took a second to read my original posts rather then join the bandwagon of me being an american...you may talk with some sense.

[ScimitarXEdge]

Faye ...MDresden is trying to do what they call in American State Department Protocol as :"Damage Control" he's trying to make it appear that America is really there to rescue Afghans from the clutches of Pakistan

but everyone knows the Pakistani Military and State complex is essentially galvanized and extension of CIA trained and assisted cadres which make it essentially a proxy.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.

The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.



Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.


The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma. The west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.
The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.

Matt its a little more complex this than this. For example, the key part of Pakistan in question, the former NWFP now KP has been a Pashtun centered land for generations now. In fact, I would assume, and others more historically grounded can correct me, but Islam has been the dominant religion, in its various forms, in this particular region for a while now. I think its a little wrong to make it appear that in the last 100 years Muslims colonized the NWFP or other Muslim heavy regions of Pakistan to take it from Hindus and Buddhists. In fact, Buddhists have not had open pagodas there for centuries.

[MDresden]

Matt its a little more complex this than this. For example, the key part of Pakistan in question, the former NWFP now KP has been a Pashtun centered land for generations now. In fact, I would assume, and others more historically grounded can correct me, but Islam has been the dominant religion, in its various forms, in this particular region for a while now. I think its a little wrong to make it appear that in the last 100 years Muslims colonized the NWFP or other Muslim heavy regions of Pakistan to take it from Hindus and Buddhists. In fact, Buddhists have not had open pagodas there for centuries.

That was a BBC news article...not my words.