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

agricultural land:

35.2%;

• arable land 27.6%;
• permanent crops 1.1%;
• permanent pasture 6.5%

forest:

2.1%

other:

62.7% (2011 est.)

total:

183.5 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)

per capita:

1,038 cu m/yr (2008)

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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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

noun:

Pakistani(s)

adjective:

Pakistani

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

1.06 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

animal contact disease:

rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form:

Pakistan

local long form:

Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan

local short form:

Pakistan

former:

West Pakistan

name:

Islamabad

geographic coordinates:

33 41 N, 73 03 E

time difference:

UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of 2 administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan

• Pakistan Day (also referred to as Pakistan Resolution Day or Republic Day), 23 March (1940);
• note - commemorates both the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the All-India Muslim League during its 22-24 March 1940 session, which called for the creation of independent Muslim states, and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 during the transition to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

• several previous;
• latest endorsed 12 April 1973, passed 19 April 1973, entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times);
• amended many times, last in 2015 (2015)

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

chief of state:

President Mamnoon HUSSAIN (since 9 September 2013)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF (since 5 June 2013)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the Electoral College consisting of members of the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies for a 5-year term (eligible for reelection);
• election last held on 9 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018);
• prime minister selected by the National Assembly

election results:

Mamnoon HUSSAIN elected president; Mamnoon HUSSAIN (PML-N) 432 votes, Wajihuddin AHMED (PTI) 77 votes

description:

bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (104 seats; members indirectly elected by the 4 provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 70 members - 60 women and 10 non-Muslims - directly elected by proportional representation vote; all members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

Senate - last held on 5 March 2015 (next to be held in March 2018); National Assembly - last held on 11 May 2013 (next to be held by 2018)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - PPPP 27, PML-N 26, MQM 8, ANP 7, PTI 6, JUI-F 5, PML-Q 4, BNP-A 3, NPP 1, PML-F 1, other 10, independent 6;
• National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA;
• seats by party as of June 2013 - PML-N 126, PPPP 31, PTI 28, MQM 18, JUI-F 10, PML-F 5, other 22, independent 25, unfilled seats 7;
• 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims;
• seats by party as of April 2015 (includes women and non-Muslim seats) - PML-N 188, PPPP 46, PTI 33, MQM 23, JUI-F 13, PML-F 5, other 25, independent 9

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of Pakistan (consists of the chief justice and 16 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

justices nominated by an 8-member parliamentary committee upon the recommendation of the Judicial Commission (a 9-member body of judges and other judicial professionals), and appointed by the president of Pakistan; justices can serve until age 65

subordinate courts:

• High Courts;
• Federal Shariat Court;
• provincial and district civil and criminal courts;
• specialized courts for issues such as taxation, banking, customs, etc.

• Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]
• Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A
• Balochistan National Party-Hayee Group or BNP-H [Dr. Abdul Hayee BALOCH]
• Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Akhtar Jan MENGAL]
• Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Sirajul HAQ]
• Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Talal Akbar BUGTI]
• Jamiat Ahle Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]
• Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Fazl-ur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazl-ur REHMAN]
• Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Sami-ul HAQ or JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ]
• Jamiat-i Ulema-i Pakistan or JUP [Abul Khair ZUBAIR]
• Tehreek-e-Jafferia Pakistan [Allama Sajid NAQVI]
• Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]
• Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]
• Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]
• Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO or Syed ShahMardan SHAH-II]
• Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]
• Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i Azam or PML-Q [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]
• Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali ZARDARI, president]
• Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]
• Quami Watan Party or QWP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]

note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

other:

• military;
• ulema (clergy);
• landowners;
• industrialists;
• small merchants

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jalil Abbas JILANI (since 10 March 2014)

chancery:

3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 243-6500

FAX:

[1] (202) 686-1544

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles

consulate(s):

Louisville (KY), San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Richard OLSON (since 31 October 2012)

embassy:

Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

mailing address:

8100 Islamabad Place, Washington, DC 20521-8100

telephone:

[92] (51) 208-0000

FAX:

[92] (51) 227-6427

consulate(s) general:

Karachi

consulate(s):

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

name:

"Qaumi Tarana" (National Anthem)

lyrics/music:

Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez JULLANDHURI/Ahmed Ghulamali CHAGLA

note: adopted 1954; also known as "Pak sarzamin shad bad" (Blessed Be the Sacred Land)

agriculture:

44%

industry:

22%

services:

33% (FY2013 est.)

lowest 10%:

4.2%

highest 10%:

25.6% (FY2011)

general assessment:

• the telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments in fixed-line and mobile-cellular networks;
• system consists of microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks;

domestic:

• mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, exceeding 110 million by the end of 2011, up from only about 300,000 in 2000;
• more than 90 percent of Pakistanis live within areas that have cell phone coverage, and more than half of all Pakistanis have access to a cell phone;
• fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth;
• fixed line availability has risen only marginally over the same period, and there are still difficulties getting fixed-line service to rural areas

international:

• country code - 92;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
• 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 (2011)

• media is government regulated;
• 1 dominant state-owned TV broadcaster, Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), operates a network consisting of 5 channels;
• private TV broadcasters are permitted;
• to date 69 foreign satellite channels are operational;
• the state-owned radio network operates more than 40 stations;
• nearly 100 commercially licensed privately owned radio stations provide programming mostly limited to music and talk shows (2007)

total:

7,789 km

broad gauge:

7,477 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

312 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 27

total:

262,256 km

paved:

189,218 km (includes 708 km of expressways)

unpaved:

73,038 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 20

total:

11

by type:

bulk carrier 5, cargo 3, petroleum tanker 3

registered in other countries:

11 (Comoros 5, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 1, Panama 3, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 111

major seaport(s):

Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim

container port(s) (TEUs):

Karachi (1,545,434)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Port Qasim

• 16-23 years of age for voluntary military service;
• soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age 18;
• the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors;
• the Pakistan Air Force recruits aviation technicians at age 15;
• service obligation (Navy) 10-18 years;
• retirement required after 18-30 years service or age 40-52 (2012)

males age 16-49:

48,453,305

females age 16-49:

44,898,096 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

37,945,440

females age 16-49:

37,381,549 (2010 est.)

male:

2,237,723

female:

2,104,906 (2010 est.)

• various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region;
• Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most 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);
• UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949;
• India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964;
• India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease-fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed standoff in the Siachen glacier region;
• Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries;
• to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea;
• Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State;
• since 2002, with UN assistance, Pakistan has repatriated 3.8 million Afghan refugees, leaving about 2.6 million;
• Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan, which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities;
• Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps

refugees (country of origin):

3 million (1.6 million registered, 1.4 million undocumented) (Afghanistan) (2015)

IDPs:

more than 1.8 million (primarily those who remain displaced by counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations and violent conflict between armed non-state groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber-Paktunkwa Province; more than one million displaced in Northern Waziristan in 2014; individuals also have been displaced by repeated monsoon floods) (2015)

current situation:

• Pakistan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• the country’s deteriorating security situation and weak economy have dominated the government’s resources and attention;
• the largest human trafficking problem is bonded labor in agriculture, brickmaking and, to a lesser extent, mining and carpet-making;
• children are bought, sold, rented, and placed in forced begging rings, domestic service, small shops, brick kilns, or prostitution;
• militant groups also force children to spy, fight, or die as suicide bombers, kidnapping the children or getting them from poor parents through sale or coercion;
• women and girls are forced into prostitution or marriages;
• Pakistani adults migrate to the Gulf States and African and European states for low-skilled jobs and sometimes become victims of forced labor, debt bondage, or prostitution;
• foreign adults and children from Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tanzania, and Bangladesh may be subject to forced labor, and foreign women may be sex trafficked in Pakistan, with refugees and minorities being most vulnerable

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Pakistan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• officials continue to focus on trafficking as a transnational problem and lack the political will to address the issue unless pressured by the media and activists;
• the government does not prohibit and penalize all forms of trafficking and has not submitted a draft anti-trafficking bill to the National Assembly or Senate;
• authorities have yet to convict any offenders under the Bonded Labor System Act since it came into force in 1992;
• trafficking and smuggling continue to be conflated, with trafficking victims often prosecuted for prostitution or other crimes committed as a result of trafficking;
• Pakistan does not have systematic methods for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable population and referring them to protective services (2014)

• significant transit area for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Iran, Western markets, the Gulf States, Africa, and Asia;
• financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems;
• opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in 2007 with 600 of those hectares eradicated;
• federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced eradication, fines, and arrests