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Country profile: Pakistan
The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.
The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.
OVERVIEW
Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.
The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma and the west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.
War with India over the disputed northern territory of Kashmir came shortly after independence - the two countries fought again in 1965.
A marble edifice honours Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah
The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.
Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability.
Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a civilian government which had lost a great deal of public support. The coup leader, General Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's fortunes, but faced economic challenges and law and order problems.
The latter are a major concern in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab, where thousands have been killed since the early 1980s in violence between Sunni and Shia factions.
Pakistan's place on the world stage shifted after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. It dropped its support for the Taleban regime in Afghanistan and was propelled into the frontline in the fight against terrorism, becoming a key ally of Washington.
Pakistani forces say they have arrested hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban-linked militants in the rugged, restive tribal regions along the Pakistani-Afghan border. Tens of thousands of troops are deployed in the area, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security forces and suspected militants.
Tensions with India over Kashmir remain and have fuelled fears of a regional arms race. However, an ongoing peace process has brought the two nuclear-armed powers back from the brink of renewed conflict.
FACTS
Full name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Population: 161.1 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Islamabad
Area: 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq miles), excluding Pakistani-administered Kashmir (83,716 sq km/32,323 sq miles)
Major languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 63 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Pakistani Rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Textile products, rice, cotton, leather goods
GNI per capita: US $690 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .pk
International dialling code: +92
LEADERS
President: General Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 which was widely condemned and which led to Pakistan's suspension from the Commonwealth until 2004.
President Musharraf has retained his military role
But he shook off his pariah status and gained foreign acceptance after he backed the US-led campaign against terror following the attacks on America on 11 September 2001.
The president has waged a campaign against Islamic extremists, banning several groups. But his stance against militancy has not been well received in some quarters; the general has survived a number of assassination attempts.
In 2002 General Musharraf awarded himself another five years as president, together with the power to dismiss an elected parliament. The handover from military to civilian rule came with parliamentary elections in November 2002, and the appointment of a civilian prime minister.
General Musharraf has retained his military role, reneging on a promise to give up his army post and to become a civilian president.
Unlike many of the top military men in Pakistan, General Musharraf's origins are in India. Born in Delhi in 1943, his family emigrated to Pakistan after the partition of the Indian sub-continent.
His military career began in 1964 and included spells of training in the UK. He became head of military operations when Benazir Bhutto was prime minister, and then head of the army in 1998 after the resignation of General Karamat.
During the 1999 Kashmir crisis with India, he regularly briefed journalists and appeared on state television.
But tension developed with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he ordered a withdrawal of Pakistani-backed militants in Kashmir.
Prime minister: Shaukat Aziz
Shaukat Aziz, PM and former finance minister
A close ally of President Musharraf, former banker Shaukat Aziz was sworn in as prime minister in August 2004 having won a parliamentary vote in which the opposition abstained.
Mr Aziz oversaw a period of economic recovery during his previous role as finance minister and has promised to push for the privatisation of Pakistan's state-owned companies.
Foreign minister: Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
Defence minister: Rao Sikandar Iqbal
Finance minister: Shaukat Aziz
MEDIA
President Pervez Musharraf's rule has been marked by increased freedom for the print media and a liberalisation of broadcasting policies.
The expansion of private radio and television stations brought to an end more than five decades of the state's virtual monopoly of broadcasting.
Licences for more than 20 private satellite TV stations have been awarded, signalling increased competition for the state-run Pakistan Television Corporation. But there are no private, terrestrial TV stations.
By 2005 around 100 licences had been issued for private FM radio stations. Pakistan's media regulator has estimated that the country can support more than 800 private radio stations. Private stations are not allowed to broadcast news.
There are regular reports of private FM stations operating illegally, particularly in the tribal areas of North-West Frontier Province. Some of the stations have been accused of fanning sectarian divisions.
Many Pakistanis watch international satellite TV channels, via a dish or an often-unlicensed cable TV operator.
Indian channels such as Zee TV and STAR TV are popular with those who can receive them. The channels circumvent censorship in Pakistan that is far more restrictive than in India.
Pakistan and India regularly engage in a war of words via their respective media, occasionally banning broadcasts from the other country.
The government uses a range of legal and constitutional powers to curb press freedom. The country's law on blasphemy has been used against journalists. Nevertheless, Pakistan's print media are among the most outspoken in South Asia.
The press
Daily Jang - Karachi-based, Urdu-language
The Dawn - Karachi-based, English-language
The Nation - Lahore-based, English-language
The Frontier Post - Peshawar-based, English-language
The News - English-language daily
Daily Ausaf - Islamabad-based, Urdu-language
Pakistan and Gulf Economist - business weekly
The Friday Times - Lahore-based weekly, English-language
Country profile: Pakistan
The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.
The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.
OVERVIEW
Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.
The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma and the west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.
War with India over the disputed northern territory of Kashmir came shortly after independence - the two countries fought again in 1965.
A marble edifice honours Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah
The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.
Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability.
Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a civilian government which had lost a great deal of public support. The coup leader, General Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's fortunes, but faced economic challenges and law and order problems.
The latter are a major concern in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab, where thousands have been killed since the early 1980s in violence between Sunni and Shia factions.
Pakistan's place on the world stage shifted after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. It dropped its support for the Taleban regime in Afghanistan and was propelled into the frontline in the fight against terrorism, becoming a key ally of Washington.
Pakistani forces say they have arrested hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban-linked militants in the rugged, restive tribal regions along the Pakistani-Afghan border. Tens of thousands of troops are deployed in the area, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security forces and suspected militants.
Tensions with India over Kashmir remain and have fuelled fears of a regional arms race. However, an ongoing peace process has brought the two nuclear-armed powers back from the brink of renewed conflict.
FACTS
Full name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Population: 161.1 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Islamabad
Area: 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq miles), excluding Pakistani-administered Kashmir (83,716 sq km/32,323 sq miles)
Major languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 63 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Pakistani Rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Textile products, rice, cotton, leather goods
GNI per capita: US $690 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .pk
International dialling code: +92
LEADERS
President: General Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 which was widely condemned and which led to Pakistan's suspension from the Commonwealth until 2004.
President Musharraf has retained his military role
But he shook off his pariah status and gained foreign acceptance after he backed the US-led campaign against terror following the attacks on America on 11 September 2001.
The president has waged a campaign against Islamic extremists, banning several groups. But his stance against militancy has not been well received in some quarters; the general has survived a number of assassination attempts.
In 2002 General Musharraf awarded himself another five years as president, together with the power to dismiss an elected parliament. The handover from military to civilian rule came with parliamentary elections in November 2002, and the appointment of a civilian prime minister.
General Musharraf has retained his military role, reneging on a promise to give up his army post and to become a civilian president.
Unlike many of the top military men in Pakistan, General Musharraf's origins are in India. Born in Delhi in 1943, his family emigrated to Pakistan after the partition of the Indian sub-continent.
His military career began in 1964 and included spells of training in the UK. He became head of military operations when Benazir Bhutto was prime minister, and then head of the army in 1998 after the resignation of General Karamat.
During the 1999 Kashmir crisis with India, he regularly briefed journalists and appeared on state television.
But tension developed with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he ordered a withdrawal of Pakistani-backed militants in Kashmir.
Prime minister: Shaukat Aziz
Shaukat Aziz, PM and former finance minister
A close ally of President Musharraf, former banker Shaukat Aziz was sworn in as prime minister in August 2004 having won a parliamentary vote in which the opposition abstained.
Mr Aziz oversaw a period of economic recovery during his previous role as finance minister and has promised to push for the privatisation of Pakistan's state-owned companies.
Foreign minister: Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
Defence minister: Rao Sikandar Iqbal
Finance minister: Shaukat Aziz
MEDIA
President Pervez Musharraf's rule has been marked by increased freedom for the print media and a liberalisation of broadcasting policies.
The expansion of private radio and television stations brought to an end more than five decades of the state's virtual monopoly of broadcasting.
Licences for more than 20 private satellite TV stations have been awarded, signalling increased competition for the state-run Pakistan Television Corporation. But there are no private, terrestrial TV stations.
By 2005 around 100 licences had been issued for private FM radio stations. Pakistan's media regulator has estimated that the country can support more than 800 private radio stations. Private stations are not allowed to broadcast news.
There are regular reports of private FM stations operating illegally, particularly in the tribal areas of North-West Frontier Province. Some of the stations have been accused of fanning sectarian divisions.
Many Pakistanis watch international satellite TV channels, via a dish or an often-unlicensed cable TV operator.
Indian channels such as Zee TV and STAR TV are popular with those who can receive them. The channels circumvent censorship in Pakistan that is far more restrictive than in India.
Pakistan and India regularly engage in a war of words via their respective media, occasionally banning broadcasts from the other country.
The government uses a range of legal and constitutional powers to curb press freedom. The country's law on blasphemy has been used against journalists. Nevertheless, Pakistan's print media are among the most outspoken in South Asia.
The press
Daily Jang - Karachi-based, Urdu-language
The Dawn - Karachi-based, English-language
The Nation - Lahore-based, English-language
The Frontier Post - Peshawar-based, English-language
The News - English-language daily
Daily Ausaf - Islamabad-based, Urdu-language
Pakistan and Gulf Economist - business weekly
The Friday Times - Lahore-based weekly, English-language
