Pakistan

• mostly hot, dry desert;
• temperate in northwest;
• arctic in north

• flat Indus plain in east;
• mountains in north and northwest;
• Balochistan plateau in west

• water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff;
• limited natural fresh water resources;
• a majority of the population does not have access to potable water;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Life Conservation

0-14 years:

40.2% (male 32,919,441; female 31,058,929)

15-64 years:

55.8% (male 45,381,469; female 43,377,613)

65 years and over:

4.1% (male 3,123,594; female 3,335,290) (2004 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.94 male(s)/female

total population:

1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Pakistani(s)

adjective:

Pakistani

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form:

Pakistan

former:

West Pakistan

• 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**;
• Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh

note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas

• 18 years of age;
• universal;
• joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

• Awami National Party or ANP [Wali KHAN];
• Balochistan National Movement/Hayee Group or BNM/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH];
• Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL];
• Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/Awami [Moheem Khan BALOCH];
• Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Akbar Khan BUGTI];
• Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR];
• Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN];
• Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ];
• Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED];
• Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]];
• Millat Party or MP [Farooq LEGHARI];
• Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A [Altaf HUSSAIN];
• Muttahida Quami Movement, Haqiqi faction or MQM/H [Afaq AHMAD];
• Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED];
• National People's Party or NPP [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI];
• Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI];
• Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed Afzal KHAN];
• Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI];
• Pakistan Democratic Party or PDP [Mehbooba Mufti SAYEED];
• Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO];
• Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF];
• Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN];
• note - as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J, PML/Z, and NA;
• Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO];
• Pakistan People's Party or PPP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO];
• Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO];
• Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];
• Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]

note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jehangir KARAMAT

chancery:

3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 243-3277

FAX:

[1] (202) 686-1534

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston (Honarary)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ryan CROCKER

embassy:

Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

mailing address:

P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200

telephone:

[92] (51) 2080-0000

FAX:

[92] (51) 2276427

consulate(s):

Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar

• green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side;
• a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field;
• the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

lowest 10%:

4.1%

highest 10%:

27.6% (FY96/97)

general assessment:

• the domestic system is mediocre, but improving;
• service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems;
• since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity;
• despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population

domestic:

microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks

international:

• country code - 92;
• satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean);
• 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad);
• microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (1999)

total:

8,163 km

broad gauge:

7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

445 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

total:

254,410 km

paved:

109,396 km (including 339 km of expressways)

unpaved:

145,014 km (1999)

total:

17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 329,486 GRT/512,506 DWT

by type:

cargo 11, container 2, petroleum tanker 4

registered in other countries:

16 (2004 est.)

• Kashmir remains the world's largest and most highly 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), but recent discussions and confidence-building measures among the parties are beginning to defuse tensions;
• India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement;
• disputes with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing and the terminus of the Sir Creek Estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary delimitation;
• Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State;
• despite largely successful UN efforts at voluntary repatriation, 2-3 million Afghan refugees continue to reside in Pakistan, many at their own choosing;
• Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to control the border with Afghanistan to stem organized terrorist and other illegal cross-border activities;
• regular meetings with Afghan and coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments

refugees (country of origin):

1,064,230 (Afghanistan)

IDPs:

undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan) (2004)

• opium poppy in Federally Administered Tribal Areas, North-West Frontier Province, and Balochistan Province has rebounded since it was nearly eliminated in 2001;
• key transit point for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Western markets, the Gulf States, and Africa;
• financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems