Portal:Pakistan

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THE PAKISTAN PORTAL

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The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان, islāmī jamhūriya i pākistān), or Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان, pākistān), is a country located in South Asia and Central Asia and was a part of Ancient Pakistan and became a subject to British rule in the 1800s. The country borders India, Afghanistan, Iran (Persia), China and the Arabian Sea. With around 162 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country, the second most populous Muslim-majority nation. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the OIC.

Pakistan was made into a separate nation from Britain on 14th August, 1947 for Muslims of the sub-continent, but the region has a long history of settlement and civilisation that includes some of the most ancient cultures. The region was invaded by Greeks, Persians and Arabs, before being invaded by the British Raj in the Eighteenth century. Following independence, Pakistan has seen the loss of East Pakistan in 1971, repeated military coups, widespread Islamic fundamentalism and significant military and economic growth, with the second-fastest growing economy amongst the ten most populous countries in the world in 2005 and the twenty-fifth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Pakistan has the seventh largest armed forces in the world and is one of eight declared nuclear weapons states.

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Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (Urdu: ابراہیم اسماعیل چندریگر) (commonly known as I. I. Chundrigar) was Prime Minister of Pakistan for approximately 2 months from October 17, 1957 to December 16, 1957. He was born in 1897 in Midnapore, and educated at Bombay University. He first came to prominence in 1946, when Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the All-India Muslim League, was asked to nominate several members of Muslim League for the interim government of India under the transfer of power from British rule to independence. Chundrigar was appointed Minister for Trade and Commerce in the first cabinet of independent Pakistan in 1947. He later served as ambassador to Afghanistan, governor of the North West Frontier Province, governor of West Punjab, and Minister for Law. President Iskander Mirza appointed I. I. Chundrigar as the interim Prime Ministerin October 1957. Being a nominated Prime Minister, Chundrigar held a weak position from the very beginning. He headed a coalition government including the Krishak Sramik Party, Nizam-i-Islam Party, the Muslim League and the Republican Party. Karachi's main business street, I I Chundrigar Road, has been named after him.

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The National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi, Pakistan. At present there are a total of 11 Galleries in the Museum including an exquisite “Quran Gallery”, Indus Civilization artifacts, Gandhara Civilization Sculptures, Islamic Art, Miniature Paintings, Ancient Coins and Manuscripts documenting Pakistan's Political History.

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... that in 1881 in the village of Bakhshali in northern Pakistan, the Bakhshali manuscript, the oldest surviving example of Indian mathematics, was discovered written on birch bark? (1 September, 2008)

... that the original images of Lord Swaminarayan at the Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Karachi, Pakistan were removed and taken to India during the turbulent times of its partition? (1 September, 2008)

... that Saudi Arabia promised to supply 50,000 barrels of free oil per day to help Pakistan if economic sanctions were imposed after its 1998 nuclear tests? (1 September, 2008)

... that Pakistani actress Veena Malik has emerged as one of the leading women on Pakistani television with her abilities in improvisational mimicry? (1 September, 2008)

... that in a major improvement in bilateral relations in 2008, Pakistan proposed sharing nuclear technology with Bangladesh? (31 August, 2008)

... that Ayesha Omar sparked controversy in Pakistan when she painted two semi-nude self-portraits? (31 August, 2008)

... that Abdur Rashid Kardar, a pioneer of the Pakistani film industry in Lahore, was a calligraphist who prepared posters for foreign-made films? (11 July 2008)

... that the Nigar Awards are the oldest awards of merit in the Pakistani film industry? (10 July 2008)

... that Syed Wajid Ali was the longest serving President of the Pakistan Olympic Association with a tenure of 26 years? (7 July 2008)

... that the 1948 film Teri Yaad was the first feature film to be released in Pakistan after the partition of India? (06 July 2008)

... that almost all Pakistani pop music videos were forbidden to air on local television after Zia-ul-Haq's military coup in 1977? (01 June 2008)

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Today is September 11, 2008

September 6
- The Electoral College of Pakistan elects Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People's Party as the next President of Pakistan. (New York Times)
- A car bomb in Peshawar in northwest Pakistan kills at least thirty people. (BBC)
- The Parliament of Pakistan starts voting for a new President of Pakistan with Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People's Party considered to be the frontrunner. (Xinhua)
September 5

Pakistan reinstates Supreme Court judges ousted by former President Pervez Musharraf. (CNN)

September 4

Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest against a raid on a Pakistani border village in which officials said 20 people, including women and children were killed. (Reuters)

September 3
- United States Army troops cross the Pakistan border and launch a raid in the Angoor Ada region of Waziristan. Twenty civilians die. (ABC News)
- Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani survives an assassination attempt. (BBC)
August 30

The Pakistan Army claims that 30 militants have been killed in Swat, NWFP, in heavy fighting in recent days. (AP via the Guardian)

August 28

Karachi Stock Exchange has set a floor for stock prices to halt a plunge that has wiped out $36.9 billion of market value since April. (Bloomberg)

August 27

Electricity crises in the country are getting worse. (Dawn)

August 25

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has pulled his PML-N party - the country's second biggest - out of the multi-party governing coalition. (BBC News)

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17 August 1988 - General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (Urdu:محمد ضياء الحق), the president and military ruler of Pakistan was killed along with several of his top generals and the then United States Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel in a mysterious aircraft crash near Bahawalpur (Punjab) on August 17, 1988, the circumstances of which remain unclear. His death with the American Ambassador gave rise to many conspiracy theories. (More...)