Official name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan (PK)

Capital city  : Islamabad

Important Cities: Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Hyderabad

Area : 881.913 km2

Population          : 212,500,000 (2021)[1]

Ethnic Structure: Pakistan is a country where different ethnic groups live together. The most populous are the Punjabis, who make up about 60 per cent of the population. Some of the Punjabis also live in India. They speak the Punjabi language, which belongs to the Indo-Iranian languages group. Today, Punjabi language is mixed with Urdu. Nearly 99 per cent of Punjabis are Muslims and generally Sunni Hanafi. After the Punjabis come the Sindhis, who make up 11 per cent. They have a language called Sindhi. 93 per cent of the Sindhis in Pakistan are Muslims, the majority of whom are Sunni and a few are Ismaili. After them are the Pashtuns with 9 per cent. After them come the Urdu-speaking peoples with 6.3 per cent. Urdu speakers are not a homogenous ethnic group. They are also spread in India and Bangladesh. 85 per cent of the Urdu peoples in Pakistan are Muslims. After them, the Jats make up 6 per cent. It is possible to characterise the Jats, most of whom live in India, as the gypsies of the Indian subcontinent. The Jats in Pakistan now lead a settled life. Although most of the Indian Jats are Sikhs or Hindus, almost all of those in Pakistan are Muslims. This is followed by the Baloch, who make up 2.6 per cent. Baloch have their own special language. All Baloch in Pakistan are Muslims.

Language: The official languages are Urdu and English. Ethnic languages are also spoken

Religion: The official religion is Islam. 97% of the population is Muslim. 97.5 per cent of the Muslims are Sunnites and the majority of Sunnites are Hanafis. 1.1 per cent are Jafari Shi'a, 1.1 per cent are Ismailiyya Shi'a and 0.3 per cent are Qadianis. Although Qadiyanis are considered Muslims, some of their ideas are contrary to the basic principles of Islam. Therefore, most of the scholars consider them outside Islam. There are 1.4 per cent Christians. Half of the Christians are Protestants and half are Catholics. 1.3 per cent are Hindus. The rest are Zoroastrians and Buddhists.

Geographical Status: Pakistan, one of the South Asian countries, is surrounded by Afghanistan and China from the north, China from the east, the Indian Ocean from the south and Iran from the west. The most important rivers are the Indus River and its tributaries. 26% of its territory is agricultural land, 6% is grassland, 4% is forest and bushland. The arable lands are mostly located in the beds of the Indus River and its tributaries. The northern and western parts are mountainous. Pakistan has a partly arid and hot climate.

Form of government: Form of Government: It is a federal republic governed by a multi-party democratic system. The country is governed by a constitution promulgated on 14 August 1973, which defines the regime as a federal Islamic republic. It has a bicameral parliamentary system. The first chamber consists of 87 members and the second chamber of 217 members, and parliamentarians are elected through free general elections.

International Organisations: UN, OIC[2], British Commonwealth of Nations, IMF, Islamic Development Bank.

Political Parties: There are more than 30 political parties in Pakistan: Pakistan People's Party: Led by Binazir Bhutto, this party advocates a pro-Western secularist approach. It once defended a socialist approach. Today, although it tries to appear as the defender of a socialist ideology, it is closer to the western liberal understanding. Pakistan Islamic Front Party: It is the political organisation of the Jamaat-e-Islami founded by Abu'l-'Ala al-Mawdūdī. Its chairman is Qadi Hussein Ahmed. Islamic Unity Party: Led by Nawaz Sharif, this party has a liberal and conservative approach. The Society of Islamic Scholars: Led by Mawlana Fazlu'r-Rahman, this organisation has a traditional Islamic political approach.

History: Sufis and Muslim traders were the first to bring Islam to the Indian subcontinent. The conquest of the Indian lands by the Islamic state was carried out between 712-714 by the armies under the command of Muhammad bin Qasim sent by Hajjaj ibnu Yusuf es-Sakafi, known as Hajjaj al-Talim. After this conquest, Islam began to spread rapidly in the peninsula. The domination of Muslim Arabs on the peninsula lasted for 300 years. In 1001, after Mahmud of Ghazni won the battle against the ruler of Punjab, the peninsula began to gradually fall into the hands of the Turks. The rule of the Ghaznavids in the region lasted until 1187. The rule of the Timurids lasted until 1858. During the rule of the Timurids in the Indian peninsula, the British colonialists began to threaten the Indian peninsula from the end of the 18th century and started to organise attacks on some important points. In 1800, the city of Allahâbâd was captured by the British invaders. Later, they penetrated further inland and occupied almost the entire peninsula. The popular uprising against the occupation in 1857 was suppressed by the British with violence and much bloodshed. In 1858, the British completely ended the rule of the Timurids and exiled the last Timurid sultan Bahadir Shah to Rangoon. The invaders made the people of India pay for all the financial losses incurred in the 1857 popular uprising. After the British occupation of India, they established a company called the East India Company with the aim of transporting all the material wealth of the peninsula to England. This company was not only a commercial organisation. It had extensive administrative powers and facilities, as well as an army. The British tried to oppress Muslims the most in the Indian peninsula. Because Muslims were the ones who resisted the most against occupation and colonialist practices. Against the British oppression, Muslims also increased their efforts for independence. In 1906, an organisation called the All India Muslim League was founded. The famous Muslim poet Muhammad Iqbal and the influential politician Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined this organisation and it became even stronger. The Muslim League initially fought for Muslims to have the same rights as Hindus. However, in time the idea of a separate state for Muslims gained strength and at the 1940 Lahore meeting it was decided to work for the establishment of an independent state separate from India in the Muslim-majority areas. The Muslim masses, who had always been despised by Hindus in the past and had been reduced to second class citizens during the British occupation, supported the efforts in this direction and on 14 August 1947, the establishment of the state of Pakistan, independent from India, was declared. Initially, Bangladesh was also part of this state under the name of East Pakistan. However, it separated from Pakistan in 1971. The first president after independence was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, known as the "Great Leader". His presidency lasted until 11 September 1948. On 5 July 1977, General Muhammad Zia al-Haq staged a military coup and ended the rule of Bhutto and Chavdara. Bhutto was executed by the military on 4 April 1979. Muhammad Zia al-Haq carried out important activities to reintroduce the Islamic provisions that had been abolished during the Bhutto period, to strengthen the Islamic identity of the country and to increase Islamic studies throughout Pakistan. Zia-ul-Haq's most important service was his support for the Islamic jihad in Afghanistan. Ziau al-Haq died on 17 August 1988, when his plane crashed as a result of an assassination. In the general elections held on 16 November 1988, the Pakistan People's Party, led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter Binazir Bhutto, won 93 seats and became the first party. After the elections, this party was given the task of forming the government. Bhutto formed a government with the support of the Muhajir National Movement and independent MPs. Bhutto's government was dismissed in September 1990 by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan on charges of corruption. The Islamic Democratic Alliance, representing several Islamist and conservative political organisations, including Jamaat-e-Islamiya, won 107 seats. After the elections, Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Islamic Democratic Alliance, formed the government. However, the president dismissed the Nawaz Sharif government on 18 April 1993. On this date, the Nawaz Sharif government was reinstated by the decision of the constitutional court. On 16 July 1993, president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and prime minister Nawaz Sharif resigned together. After this date, a new interim government was formed under the leadership of Muin Qureshi. In the early general elections held on 6 October 1993, the Pakistan People's Party won 86 seats in parliament, becoming the first party, and took over the government on 19 October 1993 in cooperation with independents.[3]

Internal Problems: The separatist political movement that emerged after the establishment of Pakistan in order to direct a group of people who migrated from India and called themselves "muhajirs" constitutes an internal problem in the country.

External Problems: Pakistan is under constant threat from India. Hindus were not satisfied with the creation of Pakistan. Today, the Kashmir issue is at the centre of the dispute between the two countries. A part of Kashmir is under Pakistani administration and it is called "Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir)". However, a significant part is still under Indian occupation. More than 80 per cent of the population of Indian-occupied Kashmir is Muslim. Although the UN has decided to hold a referendum among the people of Kashmir on whether they prefer Pakistan or India, India has not implemented this decision. India keeps the Muslims in Kashmir under severe persecution and torture. India also poses a serious threat to Pakistan with its nuclear weapons power.

Islamism in the Countryet: The most powerful of the Islamic communities in Pakistan is the Jamaat-e-Islamiya. The foundations of this congregation were laid in Lahore by Imam Abu'l-A'lâ al-Mawdudî and 75 of his friends on 26 August 1941, even before the establishment of Pakistan. The Brotherhood is very close to the Muslim Brotherhood in terms of thought and working system. However, it is not a branch of this organisation. Jamaat-e-Islamiya also has activities in Kashmir, India and Bangladesh. Its first emir was its founder Abu'l-A'la al-Mawdudi. When he was unable to take care of the community due to his illness in 1972, Tufayl Muhammad was elected as emir. After he left this position in 1987 due to his old age and illness, Qadi Hussain Ahmad was elected as emir. The aim of Jamaat-e-Islamiya is to make Islamic order dominant in Pakistan. It emphasises on education activities. Before the last elections, it established a political party called Pakistan Islamic Front Party and participated in the elections. However, the results of the elections revealed that the community has not been able to introduce itself sufficiently to the popular base. It is strong among the university youth. The Jamaat-affiliated Pakistan Muslim Students' Union is the most powerful student organisation in the country. After the Jamaat-e-Islamiya, the Islamic group with the widest support among the public is the Tablighi Jamaat. Although this group is not effective among the university youth, it has a wider support among the public. The most important feature of the Tablighi Jama'at is that it emphasises the Sunnah and stays away from political activities.

Economy: Since the British neglected the Muslim-majority lands of today's Pakistan during their occupation period, Pakistan started its economic development from scratch after its establishment. The economy of today's Pakistan is largely based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The share of income from these sectors in the gross domestic product is 23 per cent and 44.5 per cent of the working population is employed in these fields. The main agricultural products are rice, grain, jute, tea, rubber and various fruits and vegetables. Irrigated agriculture is widespread as agricultural areas are generally in river beds. The state also emphasises irrigation technology. Fishing is also common.

Currency: Pakistan Rupee (PKR)

National Income per Capita: 1,260 USD[4]

Foreign Trade: The main exports are jute, natural gas, agricultural raw materials and some foodstuffs. The main imports are machinery, defence equipment, transport equipment and spare parts, chemicals, foodstuffs and consumer durables. Japan ranks first in foreign trade. After Japan, the USA and various European countries follow.

Industry: Existing industrial establishments are generally light and medium industrial establishments. Jute processing factories are the leading ones. There are sugar, textile, chemical, cement, yarn, fertiliser, paper factories and similar factories. There are also factories producing agricultural machinery and shipbuilding workshops. Small industrial organisations are spread all over the country.

Energy: 60.5 per cent of electricity is obtained from thermal power plants, 38.7 per cent from hydroelectric power plants and 0.8 per cent from nuclear power plants. The average annual electricity consumption per capita is 390 kw/hour.

Transportation: There are 35 airports with scheduled flights, including those in Peshawar, Karachi and Ravalpindi, which are open to international traffic. Karachi and Chitagong each have a major port used for import and export. Pakistan has 75 ships capable of carrying cargoes over 100 gph, 8800 km. of railways, 140.100 km. of highways, 65.000 km. of which are asphalted. In this country, there is one motorised transport vehicle for 132 people on average.

Health: Pakistan has 11.700 hospitals, 54.200 doctors, 2100 dentists, 20.100 nurses. There is one doctor for 2.362 people.

Education: Education is free of charge. There are 130 thousand primary schools, 14 thousand general secondary education institutions, 950 vocational secondary education institutions and 740 higher education institutions including 21 universities. The rate of university enrolment among university-age youth is 5 per cent,

Administrative Division: It consists of 5 states and 17 provinces. The provinces are: Punjab (capital: Lahore), Sindh (capital: Karachi), Pathanistan (capital: Peshawar), Balochistan (capital: Keta), Azad Kashmir (capital: West Kashmir).

[1]   www.ticaret.gov.tr(November-2021 Access)

[2]     www.oic-oci.org

[3]    www.enfal.de(November-2021 Access)

[4]   www.ticaret.gov.tr(Accessed November-2021)