Pakistan

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

agricultural land:

35.2%;

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

forest:

2.1%

other:

62.7% (2011 est.)

• 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:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.88 male(s)/female

total population:

1.06 male(s)/female (2016 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 (2016)

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form:

Pakistan

local long form:

Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan

local short form:

Pakistan

former:

West Pakistan

etymology:

the word "pak" means "pure" in Persian or Pashto, while the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Pakistan literally means "Land of the Pure"

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

history:

several previous; latest endorsed 12 April 1973, passed 19 April 1973, entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times)

amendments:

• proposed by the Senate or by the National Assembly;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership of both houses;
• amended many times, last in 2015 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Pakistan

dual citizenship recognized:

yes, but limited to select countries

residency requirement for naturalization:

4 out of the previous 7 years and including the 12 months preceding application

• 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 Shahid Khaqan ABBASI (since 1 August 2017); Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF resigned 7/28/17

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 (limited to 2 consecutive terms);
• election last held on 9 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018);
• prime minister elected 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 6, PTI 7, JUI-F 5, PML-Q 4, BNP-A 2, NP 1, PML-F 1, other 7, independent 10;
• National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA;
• seats by party - 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 July 2016 (includes women and non-Muslim seats) - PML-N 188, PPPP 46, PTI 33, MQM 24, JUI-F 13, PML-F 5, other 21, independent 12

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 [Mian Iftikhar HUSSAIN]
• Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A [Mir Israr Ullah ZEHRI]
• Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Akhtar Jan MENGAL]
• Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Sirajul HAQ]
• Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Fazl-ur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazlur REHMAN]
• Muttahida Quami Movement or MQM [Farooq SATTAR]
• Muttahida Quami Movement-London or MQM-L [Nadeem NUSRAT]
• Pakhtun khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]
• Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO or Syed Shah Mardan SHAH-II]
• Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]
• Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI and Asif Ali ZARDARI]
• Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]
• Pak Sarzameen Party or PSP [Mustafa KAMAL]
• Quami Watan Party or QWP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]

note: political alliances in Pakistan shift frequently

chief of mission:

Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad CHAUDHRY (since 24 April 2017)

chancery:

3517 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 243-6500

FAX:

[1] (202) 686-1534

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

consulate(s):

Louisville (KY), San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador David M. HALE (since 3 December 2015)

embassy:

Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

mailing address:

8100 Islamabad Place, Washington, DC 20521-8100

telephone:

[92] (51) 208-0000/[92] (51) 201-4000

FAX:

[92] (51) 233-8071

consulate(s) general:

Karachi, Lahore

consulate(s):

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:

42.3%

industry:

22.6%

services:

35.1% (FY2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

4%

highest 10%:

26.1% (FY2013)

general assessment:

• the telecommunications infrastructure is improving, with investments in mobile-cellular networks increasing, but fixed-line subscriptions declining;
• system consists of microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks;
• 3G and 4G mobile services introduced

domestic:

• mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed;
• more than 90% of Pakistanis live within areas that have cell phone coverage;
• fiber-optic networks are being constructed throughout the country to increase broadband access, though broadband penetration in Pakistan is still relatively low

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 (2015)

• media is government regulated;
• 1 dominant state-owned TV broadcaster, Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), operates a network consisting of 8 channels;
• private TV broadcasters are permitted;
• to date 69 foreign satellite channels are operational;
• the state-owned radio network operates more than 30 stations;
• nearly 200 commercially licensed, privately owned radio stations provide programming mostly limited to music and talk shows (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

4; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 67

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

8,467,827

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

183,177,313 mt-km (2015)

total:

11,881 km

broad gauge:

11,492 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

389 km 1.000-m gauge (2015)

country comparison to the world: 22

total:

263,942 km

paved:

185,063 km (includes 708 km of expressways)

unpaved:

78,879 km (2014)

country comparison to the world: 21

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;
• women serve in all three armed forces;
• reserve obligation to age 45 for enlisted men, age 50 for officers (2017)

• 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):

2 - 2.4 million (1.4 million registered, 600,000 - 1.0 million undocumented) (Afghanistan) (2017)

IDPs:

464,000 (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 and Khyber-Paktunkwa Province; more than 1 million displaced in northern Waziristan in 2014; individuals also have been displaced by repeated monsoon floods) (2016)

current situation:

• Pakistan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• the largest human trafficking problem is bonded labor in agriculture, brickmaking and, to a lesser extent, fishing, mining and carpet-making;
• children are bought, sold, rented, and placed in forced begging rings, domestic service, small shops, brick-making factories, 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, particularly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, may be subject to forced labor, and foreign women may be sex trafficked in Pakistan, with refugees and ethnic 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;
• the government lacks political will and capacity to fully address human trafficking, as evidenced by ineffective law enforcement efforts, official complicity, penalization of victims, and the continued conflation of migrant smuggling and human trafficking by many officials;
• not all forms of trafficking are prohibited;
• an anti-trafficking bill drafted in 2013 to address gaps in existing legislation remains pending, and a national action plan drafted in 2014 is not finalized;
• feudal landlords and brick kiln owners use their political influence to protect their involvement in bonded labor, while some police personnel have taken bribes to ignore prostitution that may have included sex trafficking;
• authorities began to use standard procedures for the identification and referral of trafficking victims, but it is not clear how widely these methods were practiced;
• in other instances, police were reluctant to assist NGOs with rescues and even punished victims for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked (2015)

• 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 930 hectares in 2015;
• federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced eradication, fines, and arrests