Comparative law and justice/Pakistan

Basic Information
Pakistan is a country located in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north. The name "Pakistan" is came from two Persian words "Pak" meaning pure and "stan" meaning country. Pakistan covers 796,095 sq.km with a population of 176,242,949 according to population census July 2009. It is divided into four provinces:


 * Sindh,
 * Punjab,
 * North West Frontier Province
 * Balochistan

Climatically, Pakistan enjoys a considerable measure of variety. North and north western high mountainous ranges are extremely cold in winter while the summer months of April to September are very pleasant. The country has an agricultural economy with a network of canals irrigating a major part of its cultivated land, Wheat, cotton, rice, and sugar cane are the major crops. Among fruits: mangos, oranges, bananas and apples are grown in abundance in different parts of the country. The main natural resources are natural gas, coal, salt and iron. The country has an expanding industry. Cotton, Textiles, sugar, cement, and chemicals play an important role in its economy. National Hazards are frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August).

Brief History
Pakistan was one of the two original successor states to British India. In August 1947, Pakistan was faced with a number of problems, some immediate but others long term. The most important of these concerns was the role played by Islam. The territory of Pakistan was divided into two parts at independence, separated by about 1,600 kilometers of Indian territory. The 1940 Lahore Resolution had called for independent "states" in the northwest and the northeast. This objective was changed, by a 1946 meeting of Muslim League legislators to a call for a single state. Pakistan lacked the machinery, personnel, and equipment for a new government. Even its capital, Karachi, was a second choice Lahore was rejected because it was too close to the Indian border. Pakistan's economy seemed enviable after severing ties with India, the major market for its commodities. And much of Punjab's electricity was imported from Indian power stations.