his article is about the country in South Asia. For other uses, see Pakistan (disambiguation).

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

‫ج‬
 ‫ ِاسالمی مہوری ہ پ ا ِكست ان‬ (Urdu)
 Islāmī Jumhūriyah Pākistān[1]

Flag

State emblem

Motto: Īmān,
‫ ت ن‬Ittihād, Nazam
‫ ظ م‬،‫ ا حاد‬،‫ای مان‬ (Urdu)
"Faith, Unity, Discipline"[2]
Anthem: Qaumī Tarānah
‫ق ت‬
‫َومی ران ہ‬
"The National Anthem"

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Land controlled by Pakistan shown in dark green; land

claimed but not controlled shown in light green
Islamabad
Capital
33°41′30″N 73°03′00″E
 Karachi
Largest city
24°51′36″N 67°00′36″E
Official languages English • Urdu (7%)[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Recognised Punjabi (39%) • Pashto (18%) • Sindhi
regional languages (15%) • Balochi (3%)
Saraiki (12%) • Brahui (1%) • Shina •
Sub-provincial
Kashmiri (0.17%)
Hindko (2%) • Balti • Khowar •
Burushaski • Kohistani • Wakhi •
Other languages
Yidgha • Dameli • Kalasha • Gawar-
Bati • Domaaki
 44.7% Punjabis
 15.4% Pashtuns
 14.1% Sindhis
 8.4% Saraikis
Ethnic groups
 7.6% Muhajirs
 3.6% Balochs
 6.3% others[9]

 96.0% Islam (official)[10]

 1.85% Hinduism
Religion  1.6% Christianity[11]
 0.6% others

Demonym(s) Pakistani
Federal parliamentary constitutional
Government
republic
• President Arif Alvi
• Prime Minister Imran Khan
• Chairman of the
Sadiq Sanjrani
Senate
• Speaker of the
Asad Qaiser
National Assembly
• Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed
Legislature Parliament
• Upper house Senate
• Lower house National Assembly
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
• Dominion 14 August 1947
• Islamic Republic 23 March 1956
• Withdrawal of East
12 January 1972
Pakistan
• Current constitution 14 August 1973
Area
881,913 km2 (340,509 sq mi)[a][13]
• Total
(33rd)
• Water (%) 2.86
Population
 • 2018 estimate 212,228,286[14][15] (5th)
• 2017 census 207.8 million (6th)
• Density 244.4/km2 (633.0/sq mi) (56th)
GDP (PPP) 2019 estimate
• Total $1.202 trillion[16] (24th)
• Per capita $5,872[16] (132nd)
GDP (nominal) 2019 estimate
• Total $284.2 billion[16] (42nd)
• Per capita $1,388[16] (151st)
33.5[17]
Gini (2015)
medium
 0.560[18]
HDI (2018)
medium · 152nd
Currency Pakistani rupee (₨) (PKR)
Time zone UTC+5 (PST)
Driving side left[19]
Calling code +92
ISO 3166 code PK
Internet TLD .pk
Website
www.pakistan.gov.pk
a. See also Pakistani English.:^α

b. ^ The Arabic language is officially recognised by the

constitution of Pakistan.[20]

Pakistan,[b] officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,[c] is a country in South Asia. It is the
world's fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212.2 million. By area, it is the
33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles). Pakistan has a
1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is
bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the
northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in the
northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.

The territory that now constitutes Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures and
intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent. The ancient history involves the
Neolithic site of Mehrgarh and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and was later home to
kingdoms ruled by people of different faiths and cultures, including Hindus, Indo-Greeks,
Muslims, Turco-Mongols, Afghans and Sikhs. The area has been ruled by numerous empires and
dynasties, including the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander III of Macedon, the Seleucid
Empire, the Indian Maurya Empire, the Kushan Empire, the Gupta Empire,[21] the Arab Umayyad
Caliphate, the Ghurid Sultanate, the Ghaznavids Empire, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mongol
Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Afghan Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire (partially) and, most
recently, the British Indian Empire.[22][23]
Pakistan was created during the partition of India as a Muslim-majority region.[22][23] It is an
ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with similarly diverse geography and wildlife.
Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. An
ethnic civil war and Indian military intervention in 1971 resulted in the secession of East
Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.[24] In 1973, Pakistan adopted a new constitution
which stipulated that all laws are to conform to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the
Quran and Sunnah.[25]

A middle power,[26][27][28][29][30][31] Pakistan has the sixth-largest standing armed forces in the world
and is also a nuclear power as well as a declared nuclear-weapons state. It is ranked among the
emerging and growth-leading economies of the world,[32][33] and is backed by one of the world's
largest and fastest-growing middle class populations.[34][35] Pakistan's political history since
independence has been characterized by periods of military rule, political instability and conflicts
with India. The country continues to face challenging problems, including overpopulation,
terrorism, poverty, illiteracy, and corruption.[36][37][38][39] As of 2008 Pakistan has transitioned to
civilian rule.[40] As of 2010 Pakistan is a parliamentary republic with periodic elections.[41][42]
Pakistan is a member of the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the OIC, the
Commonwealth of Nations, the SAARC, the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, an