PAKISTAN: BASIC FACTS

 

Official Name

 

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

 
Father of the Nation
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948)
National Poet
Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938)

Head of the State

Asif Ali Zardari

Head of Government 

Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani

Capital

Islamabad

Area

Total

 803, 940 Sq. km.  

Punjab

 205,344   Sq. km.  

Sindh

 140,914    Sq. km.

North West Frontier Province

 74,521   Sq. km.  

Balochistan

 347,190 Sq. km.  

Federally Administered Tribal Areas

 27,220   Sq. km.  

Islamabad (Capital)

 906 Sq. km.

Population

163417500 (May 30, 2008)

Administrative Setup

Pakistan is divided into four provinces viz., North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. The tribal belt adjoining NWFP is managed by the Federal Government and is named FATA i.e., Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have their own respective political and administrative machinery, yet certain of their subjects are taken care of by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas. Provinces of Pakistan are further divided into Divisions and Districts

 

Divisions

Districts

NWFP

 7

24

Punjab

 8  

34

Sindh

 5

21

Balochistan

 6

22

While FATA consist of 13 Areas/Agencies and Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas have 7 and 5 Districts respectively.

Religion

97% Muslims, (77 % Sunni, 20% Shi'a) Christian Hindu 3%

Annual Per capita income

US $736

GDP

8.4%

Currency

Pak. Rupee.

Imports

Industrial equipment, chemicals, vehicles, steel, iron ore,  petroleum, edible oil, pulses, tea.

Exports

Cotton, textile goods, rice, leather items  carpets, sports goods, handi-crafts, fish and fish prep. and fruit

Languages

Urdu (National)   and English (Official)

Literacy rate

53%

Government 

Parliamentary form

Parliament

Parliament consists of two Houses i.e., the Senate (Upper House) and the National Assembly (Lower House).   

The Senate is a permanent legislative body and symbolises a process of continuity in the national affairs. It consists of 100 members. The four Provincial Assemblies, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Federal Capital form its electoral college.  

The National Assembly has a total membership of 342 elected through adult suffrage (272 general seats, 60 women seats and 10 non-Muslim seats).

Pakistan National Flag

Dark green with a white vertical bar, a white crescent and a five-pointed star in the middle. The Flag symbolizes Pakistan's profound commitment to Islam, the Islamic world and the rights of religious minorities.

National Anthem

Approved in August, 1954

Verses Composed by: Abssul Asar Hafeez Jullundhri  

Tune Composed by: Ahmed G. Chagla

Duration: 80 seconds

State Emblem

The State Emblem consists of:  

  1. The crescent and star which are symbols of Islam  
  2. The shield in the centre shows four major crops  
  3. Wreath surrounding the shield represents cultural heritage and
  4. 4. Scroll contains Quaid's motto: Unity Faith, Discipline
Pakistan's Official Map

Drawn by Mian Mahmood Alam Suhrawardy (1920-1999)

National Flower

Jasmine.

National Tree

Deodar (Cedrus Deodara).

National Animal

Markhor.

National Bird

Chakor (Red-legged partridge)

Flora

Pine, Oak, Poplar, Deodar, Maple, Mulberry

Fauna

The Pheasant, Leopard, Deer, Ibex, Chinkara, Black buck, Neelgai, Markhor, Marco-Polo sheep, Green turtles, River & Sea fish, Crocodile, Waterfowls

Popular games

Cricket, Hockey, Football, Squash.

Tourist's resorts

Murree, Quetta, Hunza, Ziarat, Swat, Kaghan, Chitral and Gilgit

Archaeological sites

Moenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila, Kot Diji, Mehr Garh, Takht Bhai.

Major Cities

Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot

Major Crops

Cotton, Wheat, Rice and Sugarcane

Agricultural Growth Rate

7 % in 2007
Total cropped area

22.94 million hectares

Industry

Textiles, Cement, Fertiliser, Steel, Sugar, Electric Goods, Shipbuilding

Energy

Major sources

Electricity ( Hydel, Thermal, Nuclear) Oil, Coal,  and Liquid Petroleum Gas   

Power Generating Capacity

 19,389 MW

Health

Hospitals

 916

Dispensaries

 4,600

Basic Health Units (BHUs)

 5,301

Maternity & Child Health Centres

 906

Rural Health Centres (RHCs)

 552

Tuberculosis (TB) Centres

 289

Hospital Beds

 99,908 

Doctors (registered)

 113,206 

Dentists (registered)

 6,127 

Nurses (registered

 48,446

Paramedics

 23,559

Lady Health Workers

 6,741

Education

Primary Schools

155,000

Middle Schools

28,728 

High Schools

16,100

Secondary Vocational Institutions

636

Arts & Science Colleges

1,066

Professional Colleges

382

Universities

51

Transport & Communication

Total length of roads

 259, 758 km  

Pakistan Railway network

 7,791 km  

Locomotives

580

Railway stations

 781  

Pakistan International Airlines

Covers 38 international and 24 domestic stations with a fleet of 49 planes.

Major Airports

 8 (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad and Gwadar)

Seaports

International

 2 (Karachi and Bin Qasim) Gwadar deep sear port is under construction

Fish Harbors -Cum-Mini

Ports

 3 (Minora, Gawadar, and Keti Bandar)

Communications

Post Offices

 12,170

Telephone connections

 5,052,000

Public Call Offices

 217,597

Telegraph offices

 299

Internet Connections

2 million

Mobile Phones

10,542,641

Employment

Total Labour force

 46.84 million

Employed Labour Force

 43.22 million

Agriculture Sector

 18.60 million

Manufacturing & Mining sector

 5.96 million

Construction

 2.52 million

Trade

 6.39 million

Transport

 2.48 million 

Others

 6.98 million

Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronic Media

Print Media (In accordance with Central Media List)

 
 

Dailies

 540

Weeklies

 444 

Fortnightlies

 55

Monthlies

 268

 

News Agencies

 

Official

 APP

 

Private

PPI, NNI, On Line and Sana.

 

TV Channels

State Owned

Pakistan Television Network (PTV) is a state owned television station which operates on both terrestrial & satellite. PTV offers six channels: 

    • PTV
    • PTV World
    • PTV National - Regional Languages Channel
    • PTV Bolan - Baluchi Language Channel
    • AJK TV - Azad & Jammu Kashmir TV

Educational

  • Virtual University is also state owned and operate two channels.
    • Virtual Television 1 (VTV 1)
    • Virtual Television 2 (VTV 2)

Private

  • Aaj TV
  • ARY Digital
  • ARY One World
  • ATV
  • Business Plus
  • Channel G - Music Channel
  • Dhoom TV
  • Filmazia - Pakistani Movies Channel
  • Fortune TV
  • Geo TV
  • Hum TV
  • Indus Music
  • Indus Plus/Indus News
  • Indus Vision
  • Labbaik TV
  • Mashriq TV
  • nVibe
  • TV One
  • QTV
  • Roshni TV
  • Rung TV
  • Sun Biz - Business Channel
  • TV 2 Day
  • The City Channel
  • The Musik
  • Uni Plus
  • Dawn TV
  • Dhoom TV
  • APNA
  • Vection TV
  • Busines Plus
  • Asian TV
  • Khyber TV
  • KTN
  • Sindh TV
  • CNBC
  • Royal
  • Vibe TV

Regional

  • KTN - Sindhi Language Channel
  • Sindh TV - Sindhi Language Channel
  • Kashish TV - Sindhi Language Channel
  • Apna Channel - Punjabi Language Channel
  • Ravi TV - Punjabi Language Channel
  • Punjab TV - Punjabi Language Channel
  • AVT Khyber - Pushto Language Channel

International

  • HBO - Part of ARY Digital Network
  • Fashion TV Pakistan
  • Al-Jazeera Urdu
  • CNBC Pakistan
  • Cartoon Network
  • STAR Plus
  • Ten Sports
  • B4U
  • B4U Movies
  • STAR Movies

 

Pakistani radio channels

Following are radio channels in Pakistan .

Sindh

  • Radio Pakistan AM820 Karachi
  • Radio Pakistan AM1000 Hyderabad
  • Radio Pakistan AM1000 Larkana
  • Radio Pakistan AM920 Khairpur
  • City FM89 Karachi
  • RadioActive FM96 Karachi
  • FM100 Karachi
  • FM101 Karachi
  • FM101 Hyderabad
  • APNA Radio FM107 Karachi
  • HUM FM106 Karachi
  • HUM FM106 Sukkar
  • FM106.2
  • FM89

Punjab

  • Radio Pakistan AM630 Lahore
  • Radio Pakistan AM1080 Lahore
  • Radio Pakistan AM1260 Rawalpindi
  • Radio Pakistan AM792 Rawalpindi
  • Radio Pakistan FM92 Rawalpindi
  • Radio Pakistan AM1030 Multan
  • Radio Pakistan AM1320 Bahawalpur
  • Radio Pakistan AM1476 Faisalabad ( Lyallpur )
  • City FM89 Lahore
  • City FM89 Rawalpindi
  • City FM89 Faisalabad ( Lyallpur )
  • FM100 Lahore
  • FM101 Lahore
  • FM101 Faisalabad ( Lyallpur )
  • FM101 Sialkot
  • FM101 Sargodha
  • FM95 Mianwali
  • MAST FM103 Lahore
  • Radio Buraq FM104 Sialkot
  • AWAZ Radio FM105 Gujrat
  • AWAZ Radio FM106 Gujranwala
  • HUM FM106.2 Lahore

 

Islamabad Capital Territory

  • Radio Pakistan AM585 Islamabad
  • City FM89 Islamabad
  • FM99 Power Radio Islamabad
  • FM100 Islamabad
  • FM101 Islamabad
  • HUM FM106.2 Islamabad

Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP)

  • Radio Pakistan AM540 Peshawar
  • Radio Pakistan AM1400 Dera Ismail Khan
  • Radio Pakistan AM1600 Abbottabad
  • Radio Pakistan AM1580 Chitral
  • UPesh Radio FM107 Peshawar
  • Radio Buraq FM104 Peshawar
  • Radio Buraq FM104 Mardan
  • FM101 Peshawar
  • FM101 Bannu
  • FM101 Kohat

Balochistan

  • Radio Pakistan AM750 Quetta
  • Radio Pakistan AM1580 Sibi
  • Radio Pakistan AM560 Khuzdar
  • Radio Pakistan AM1580 Turbat
  • FM101 Quetta
  • FM101 Gwadar

 

Banks

Central Bank

 

State Bank of Pakistan  

 
Nationalized Scheduled Banks

First Woman Bank Ltd.

 

 

National Bank of Pakistan

 

Specialized Banks

Zari Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL) Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Ltd

 

Private Scheduled Banks

Askari Commercial Bank Limited

 

 Bank Al-Falah Limited
 

Bolan Bank Limited

 

Faysal Bank Limited

 

Bank Al-Habib Limited

 

Metropolitan Bank Limited

 

KASB Commercial Bank Limited

 

Prime Commercial Bank Limited

 

PICIC Commercial Bank Limited

 

Soneri Bank Limited

 

Union Bank Limited

 

Meezan Bank Limited

 

Saudi-Pak Commercial Bank Limited

 

Crescent Commercial Bank Limited

 

Dawood Bank Limited

 

NDLC-IFIC Bank Limited (NIB)

 

Allied Bank of Pakistan Limited

 

United Bank Limited

 

Habib Bank Limited

 

SME Banks

 
Foreign Banks

ABN Amro Bank N.V

  Albaraka Islamic Bank BSC (EC)
 

American Expresss Bank Limited

 

Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi Limited

 

Citibank N.A

 

Deutsche Bank A.G.

 

Habib Bank A.G. Zurich

 

Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp Limited

 

Oman International Bank S.O.A.G

 

Rupali Bank Limited

 

Standard Chartered Bank Limited

 

Development Financial

Institutions

Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corp. Limited

  Pak Kuwait Investment Company (Pvt) Limited
 

Pak Libya Holding Company (Pvt) Limited

 

Investment Banks

Crescent Investment Bank Limited

 
First International Investment Bank Limited
 
Atlas Investment Bank Limited
 

Security Investment Bank Limited

 

Fidelity Investment Bank Limited

 

Prudential Investment Bank Limited

 

Islamic Investment Bank Limited

 

Asset Investment Bank Limited

 

Al-Towfeek Investment Bank imited

 

Jahangir Siddiqui Investment Bank Limited

  Franklin Investment Bank Limited
  Orix Investment Bank (Pak) Limited

 

Famous Mountain Peaks

 

Height

World Rating

K-2 (Chagori)

 8616 m

2nd

Nanga Parbat

8125 m

8th

Gasherbrum-I

8068 m

11th

Broad Peak

8065 m

12th

Gasherbrum-II

8047 m

14th

Gasherbrum-III

7952 m

15th

Gasherbrum-IV

7925 m

16th

Disteghil Sar

7885 m

20th

Kunyang Kish

7852 m

22nd

Masherbrum (NE)

7821 m

24th

Rakaposhi

7788 m

27th

Batura I

7785 m

28th

Kanjut  Sar

7760 m

29th

Saltoro Kangri

7742 m

33rd

Trivor

7720 m

36th

Tirich Mir

7708 m

41st

 

Famous Mountain Passes

 

Location

 

Province

The Khyber Pass

 NWFP

The Kurram Pass

 FATA 

The Tochi Pass

 FATA 

The Gomal Pass

 NWFP 

The Bolan Pass

 Balochistan 

The Lowari Pass

 Chitral (NWFP) 

The Khunjrab Pass

 Northern Areas 

Rivers

 

 

 

Length

The Indus

2,896 km

Jhelum

825 km

Chenab

1,242 km

Ravi

901 km

Sutlej

1,551 km

Beas (tributary of Sutlej)

398 km

Famous Glaciers

 

 

Length

Siachin

75 km

Batura

55 km

Baltoro

65 km

Deserts

 

Name

 

Location/Province

Thar

 Sindh 

Cholistan

 Punjab 

Thal

 Punjab

Lakes

 

Name

 

Location/Province

Manchar

Sindh

Keenjar

Sindh

Hanna

Balochistan

Saif-ul-Maluk

NWFP

Satpara

Northern Areas

Kachura

Northern Areas

Major Dams

 

Name

 

Location/Province

Mangla Dam

 Punjab

Tarbela Dam

 NWFP

Warsak Dam

 NWFP