Pervez Musharraf


(pronounced "PEAR-vezz moos-HAR-off")

"I would like to move away from the sham democracy we have had in Pakistan. I want a true democracy…"

Pakistan, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is located in the northwest corner of the Indian subcontinent, and is surrounded by Afghanistan, Iran, China, India, and the Arabian Sea. It is comprised of four provinces: Sind, Baluchistan, the North West Frontier Province, and Punjab. Major urban centers include its capital Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. The currency unit is the rupee . Pakistan's total geographical area, excluding the disputed Jammu and Kashmir regions controlled by India, is 803,940 sq km (310,400 sq mi).

The population, estimated at 147,663,429 in 2002, is composed of five ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, and Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendants). Ethnic and linguistic groups generally coincide. Urdu, which is the official language, is mainly spoken by the Muhajirs. The dominant language is Punjabi (48%), followed by Sindhi (12%), Pashtu (8%) and Urdu (8%). English is widely used in business, higher education, government and the military. About 43% of the population is literate. The state religion is Islam. It is professed by 97% of the population (of which 77% is Sunni, and the remainder Shi'a). Other religious groups are Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists.

Pakistan's natural resources include extensive natural gas reserves, quality coal, iron ore, salt, and limestone. Its economy is primarily agricultural. About one-fourth of the gross national product (GNP) comes from the agricultural sector. The principal crops are cotton, wheat, barley, sugarcane, millet, rice, and maize. The industrial sector occupies 24% of the formal work force. Textiles make up the largest manufacturing industry, followed by cement, sugar, and rubber industries. Pakistan's primary exports are textile and agricultural products. The average annual growth is the economy was estimated at 3.3% and the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was approximately US $2,100 in 2001, with about 35% of the population living in poverty.


Chief Executive Secretariat
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

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