PAKISTAN

(My Home Land)

introduction
Pakistan, officially theIslamic Republic of
Pakistan, is a country inSouth Asia. It was founded
by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 14 th August
1947 with assistance of Allama Muhammad Iqbal,
Khan Liaqat Ali Khan and many more. The state was
named Pakistan by Chaudary Rehmat Ali. The
namePakistanliterally means Land ofthe Pure
inUrdu. It comes from the word
PakmeaningpureinPersian while the wordistanis
a Persian word meaningplace of.

The history of Pakistan is actually very vast

and complicated so Ill be just summarizing it up.

History
In 1905,the Bengal (which was once part of Pakistan)was
divided into two parts under British crown but on Hindus
outrage the government was cowed and the king emperor
George V announced the annulment of partition on 12th
December 1911 at Dehli. It was the first time the Muslims
realized that they could neither trust Hindus nor British for
protection of their political rights so in 1905, a party known as
Indian Muslim league was founded by Sir Agha Khan. The aim
of this party was to safeguard interests and rights of Muslims in
sub-continent and maintain peace within Muslims and other
communities in Sub-Continent .In 1913 Quaid-e-Azam joined
Muslim league and started working for the Muslims. The Allama
iqbal was the first person who officially demanded a separate
homeland for Muslim (In famous Allahabad speech,1930) where
they can live there life according to teachings of Islam. After
many hardships and struggle against extremist Hindus and
British the Quaid was able to make Muslim league the
strongest Muslim majority party of sub-continent .in 1946, a
convention adopted Dehli Resolution which demanded that

Geography
Pakistan is a vast country, situated in Southeast Asian
region. It is the 36th largest country in the world in
terms of area covering 881,913km2(340,509 sq mi).
Pakistan has a 1,046 kilo-metre (650mi)coastlinealong
theArabian Seaand theGulf of Omanin the South.
Pakistan lies between latitude of 24 to 36.75 degrees
north and between longitudes of 61 to 75.5 degrees
east. The land of Pakistan streches over 1600km north
to south and it is about 850 km wide from east to west.
It shares 2250km border with Afghanistan (Durand Line)
, 800 km border with Iran , 16 km border with Tajikistan ,
520 km border with People Republic of China and 1600
km border with India.

Provinces & Capital city

There are 4 provinces of Pakistan:
-Sindh(its capital is Karachi also called
as mini
Pakistan )
-Balochistan(its capital is Quetta)
-Khber Pakhtunkhwa(its capital is
Peshawar)
-Punjab(its capital is Lahore)
Islamabad is the capital city of
Pakistan and is located in the
province of Punjab.

Flag
The Pakistani flag is white and green
in colour. It has a white Crescent
moon and five stars in centre of
green field. A white strip on the side
represents the minority non Muslim
(Hindus ,Christians ,Sikhs ,Buddhists)
population in Pakistan while the
green field shows the majority
Muslim population living in Pakistan.

Architecture
In the British colonial age, the
buildings developed were designed in
Indo-European style, with a mixture
of European and Indian-Islamic
components. Post-independence
architecture of Pakistan is used in
modern structures like theFaisal
Mosque, theMinar-e-Pakistanand
theMazar-e-Quaid. Islamabad
monument is one of the latest

Sports
The official national sport of Pakistan isfield hockey,
butcricketandsquashare the most popular sports.
ThePakistan national field hockey teamhas won
theHockey World Cup a record four times.
At the international level, Pakistan has competed many
times at theSummer Olympicsin field
hockey,boxing,athletics,swimming, andshooting.
Hockey is the sport in which Pakistan has been most
successful at the Olympics, winning three gold medals
(1960,1968, and1984
Cricket has always been one of the most played sport in
Pakistan. Now football is also become very popular all
over Pakistan.

National dress
Thenational dressof Pakistan is
shalwar kameezfor both men and
women. It consists of a long, loose
fitting tunic with trousers baggy
enough to not to see the shape of
their legs.

Music
The variety ofPakistani musicranges
from diverse provincial folk music
and traditional styles such
asQawwaliandGhazal Gayakito
modern forms fusing traditional
andWestern music, such as the
synchronization of Qawwali and
Western music by the worldrenowned Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Practices & Festivals

Ramadan:
Ramadan, the holiest month of theIslamic calendar, is a month
of fasting from dawn to sunset. It is widely observed by Pakistan's
Muslim majority. Muslims during this month fast, attend mosques with
increased frequency, and offer "Namaz-travi" every day with Isha
prayer and recite Qur'an. Special foods are cooked in greater
quantities, parties are held, and special accommodation is made by
workplaces and educational institutes.
Chand Raat:
Chand Raatis theMoon nightwhencrescent moonis sighted on
last day of Islamic month ofRamadanand next day isEid ul-Fitr. In
the night known as Chand Raat, people celebrate by various means.
People buy gifts and sweets that will be given to friends and families
who come over to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The streets, major
buildings and landmarks, even outside of malls and plazas, put on
displays of elaborate decorations and colourful light shows. There are
large crowds in the city center to celebrate the beginning of Eid, and
it is usually a boom time for business.

 Eid celebrations:
The two Eids,Eid ul-FitrandEid ul-Adha, On the passing of the month of
fasting, Ramadan, and the willingness ofIbrahimto sacrifice his
sonIsmaelforAllah. On these days, there are national holidays and many
festival events that take place to celebrate Eid. As Pakistan is a Muslim state,
there are three days off for all businesses and government offices.
On the night before Eid, people search for thenew moonto mark the end of
Ramadan and arrival of Eid ul-Fitr. The day starts with morning prayers, then
returning home for a large breakfast with family members. The day is spent
visiting relatives and friends and sharing gifts and sweets with everyone. During
the evening, Pakistanis often party, visit restaurants, or relax in city parks.
On Eid ul-Fitr, money is given forcharityand as gifts to young children.
On Eid ul-Adha, people may also distribute meat to relatives and neighbours and
donate food for charity.
Milaad un Nabi:
Itis a known religious festival which is celebrated in many parts of
Pakistan. The Milaad is the celebration for the birthday of the Islamic
prophetMuhammad(S.A.W).

Facts about Pakistan

K-2 (Mount Godwin-Austen),the 2nd largest
mountain in world is located in Pakistan.
World's largest irrigation system is in Pakistan.
World's largest deep sea port is Gawadar in
Pakistan.
Pakistan is the only muslim nuclear power.
1st country to be declared as an Islamic country.
About 50% of the world's footballs are made in
Pakistan.
Pakistan's national anthem tune ranks first in the
top three tunes of the world.

 Second largest salt mines of the world are Khewra Mines in

Pakistan.
Pakistan has the worlds highest paved international road ,
The Karakoram Highway, which is said to be the 8 thwonder of
the world.
The worlds largest Volunteer Ambulance Service Providing
Organization operates in Pakistan that was founded by A.
Sattar Edhi, a social worker of international fame.
Pakistan treasures one of the rare species of dolphin known as
Blind Dolphin in waters of Indus River, one of the longest
rivers in the world.
More than 60 languages are spoken in Pakistan.
Markhor is the national animal while Chakor is the national
bird of Pakistan .