Etymology

[p]The name Pakistan (Urdu pronunciation:[Pa ː kɪsta ː n]  ( listen)) Means Land of(The)Pure inUrduandPersian(Farsi). It was coined in 1934 as Pakstan byChoudhary Rahmat Ali, A Pakistan movement activist, who published it in his pamphlet Now or Never. The name is aportmanteaurepresenting the "thirty million Muslims of PAKISTAN, who live in the five Northern Units ofBritish Raj-Punjab,Afghania(Now known as North-West Frontier Province),Kashmir,Sindh, AndBalochistan[/p]

History

Mainarticles:History of PakistanandHistory of South Asia"ThePriestKing" Wearing Sindhi Ajruk, ca. 2500 BC.National Museum, Karachi, PakistanMenander Iwas one of the rulers of theIndo-Greek Kingdomwhich existed in present-day Pakistan. [p]TheIndus region, Which covers a considerable amount of Pakistan, was the site of several ancient cultures including the Neolithic era'sMehrgarhand the bronze eraIndus Valley Civilisation(2500 BCE - 1500 BCE) atHarappaandMohenjo-Daro.[/p] [p]Waves of conquerors and migrants from the west - including Harappan,Indo-Aryans,Persians,Greeks,Sakas,Parthians,Kushans,Hephthalites,Afghans,Arabs,TurksandMughals- Settled in the region throughout the centuries, influencing the locals and being absorbed among them. Ancient empires of the east - such as theNandas,Mauryas,Sungas,Guptasand thePalas- Ruled these territories at different times fromPatliputra.[/p] [p]However, in the medieval period, while the eastern provinces of Punjab and Sindh grew aligned withIndo-Islamic civilisation, The western areas became culturally allied with theIranian civilisationofAfghanistanandIran. The region served as a crossroads of historic trade routes, including theSilk Road, And as a maritime entreport for the coastal trade betweenMesopotamiaand beyond up toRomein the west andMalabarand beyond up to China in the east.[/p] [p]Modern day Pakistan was at the heart of the Indus Valley Civilisation; that collapsed in the middle of the second millennium BCE and was followed by theVedic Civilisation, Which also extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plains. Successive ancient empires and kingdoms ruled the region: theAchaemenidPersian empire around 543 BCE, the Greek empire founded byAlexander the Greatin 326 BCE and theMauryanempire thereafter.[/p] [p]TheIndo-Greek Kingdomfounded byDemetrius of BactriaincludedGandharaandPunjabfrom 184 BCE, and reached its greatest extent underMenander, Establishing theGreco-Buddhistperiod with advances in trade and culture. The city ofTaxila(Takshashila) became a major centre of learning in ancient times - the remains of the city, located to the west ofIslamabad, Are one of the country's majorarchaeological sites. TheRai Dynasty(C.489-632) ofSindh, At itszenith, ruled this region and the surrounding territories.[/p] [p]In 712CE, The Arab generalMuhammad bin QasimconqueredSindhandMultanin southernPunjab. The Pakistan government's official chronology states that "its foundation was laid" as a result of this conquest. ThisArabandIslamicvictory would set the stage for several successive Muslim empires in South Asia, including theGhaznavid Empire, TheGhoridKingdom, theDelhi Sultanateand theMughal Empire. During this period,Sufimissionaries played a pivotal role in converting a majority of the regional Buddhist and Hindu population toIslam.[/p]17th CenturyBadshahi Masjidbuilt duringMughalrule [p]The gradual decline of the Mughal Empire in the early eighteenth century provided opportunities for theAfghans,BalochisandSikhsto exercise control over large areas until theBritish East India Companygained ascendancy over South Asia. TheIndian Rebellion of 1857, Also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, Was the region's last major armed struggle against the British Raj, and it laid the foundations for the generally unarmed freedom struggle led by theIndian National Congressin the twentieth century. In the 1920s and 1930s, a movement led by theHindupoliticianMahatma Gandhi, And displaying commitment to long enshrinedHindutenet of ahimsa, Or non-violence, engaged millions of protesters in mass campaigns ofcivil disobedience.[/p] [p]TheAll India Muslim Leaguerose topopularityin the late 1930s amid fears of under-representation and neglect of Muslims in politics. On 29 December 1930,Allama Iqbal'S presidential address called for an autonomous "state in northwestern India for Indian Muslims, within the body politic of India."Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnahespoused the Two Nation Theory and led the Muslim League to adopt the Lahore Resolution of 1940, popularly known as thePakistan Resolution. In early 1947,Britainannounced the decision to end itsrule in India. InJune1947, the nationalist leaders ofBritish India- Including Nehru andAbul Kalam Azadon behalf of theCongress, Jinnah representing the Muslim League, andMaster Tara Singhrepresenting theSikhs- Agreed to the proposed terms of transfer of power and independence.[/p]The firstGovernor GeneralQuaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnahdelivering the opening address on 11 August 1947 to the new state of Pakistan. [p]The modern state of Pakistan wasestablishedon 14 August 1947 (27Ramadan1366 in theIslamic Calendar), Carved out of the two Muslim-majority wings in the eastern and northwestern regions ofBritish Indiaand comprising the provinces ofBalochistan,East Bengal, TheNorth-West Frontier Province,West PunjabandSindh. The controversial, and ill-timed,division of the provincesof Punjab and Bengal caused communal riots across India and Pakistan - millions of Muslims moved to Pakistan and millions of Hindus andSikhsmoved to India. Disputes arose over severalprincely statesincluding Muslim-majorityJammu and Kashmir, WhoseHinduruler had acceded to India following an invasion by Pashtun tribal militias, leading to theFirst Kashmir Warin 1948.[/p] [p]From 1947 to 1956, Pakistan was aDominionin theCommonwealth of Nations. It became a Republic in 1956, but the civilian rule was stalled by acoup d'étatby GeneralAyub Khan, Who was president during 1958-69, a period ofinternalinstability and asecond warwith India in 1965.Hissuccessor,Yahya Khan(1969-71) had to deal with a devastatingcyclone- Which caused 500,000 deaths in East Pakistan - and also face a civil war in 1971. Economic grievances and political dissent inEast Pakistanled to violent political tension andmilitary repressionthat escalated into acivil war. After nine months of guerrilla warfare between thePakistan Armyand the Indian backed BengaliMukti Bahinimilitia, Indian intervention escalated into theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971, And ultimately to the secession of East Pakistan as the independent state ofBangladesh.[/p]The two wings of Pakistan in 1970;East Pakistanseparated from the West wing in 1971 as an independentBangladesh. [p]Civilian rule resumed in Pakistan from 1972 to 1977 underZulfikar Ali Bhutto,Untilhe was deposed and later sentenced to death in 1979 by GeneralZia-ul-Haq, Who became the country's third military president.Ziaintroduced the IslamicSharialegal code, which increased religious influences on the civil service and the military. With the death of President Zia in a plane crash in 1988,Benazir Bhutto, Daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was elected as the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. Overthe nextdecade, she fought for power withNawaz Sharifas the country's political and economic situation worsened. Pakistan got involved in the 1991Gulf Warand sent 5,000 troops as part of a US-led coalition, specifically for the defence ofSaudi Arabia.[/p] [p]Military tensions in theKargil conflictwith India were followed by aPakistani military coup d'état in 1999in which GeneralPervez Musharrafassumed vast executive powers. In 2001, Musharraf becamePresidentafter the controversial resignation ofRafiq Tarar. After the 2002 parliamentary elections, Musharraf transferred executive powers to the newly-elected Prime MinisterZafarullah Khan Jamali, Who was succeeded in the 2004 prime-ministerial election byShaukat Aziz. On 15 November 2007, theNationalAssembly, for the first time in Pakistan's history, completed its tenure and new elections were called. The exiled political leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were permitted to return to Pakistan. However, theassassination of Benazir Bhuttoduring the election campaign in December led to postponement of elections and nationwide riots. Bhutto'sPakistan Peoples Party(PPP) won the largest number of seats in the elections held in February 2008 and its memberYousaf Raza Gillaniwas sworn in as Prime Minister. On 18 August 2008, Pervez Musharraf resigned from the presidency when threatened to faced withimpeachment, and was succeeded by current presidentAsif Ali Zardari. By the end of 2009, more than 3 million Pakistani civilians have been displaced by the on goingconflict in North-West Pakistan between the government and Taliban militants[/p]