PAKISTAN

Pakistan,[c] officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,[d] is a country in South Asia. It is the
world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the
world's second-largest Muslim population.[15] Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country by area,
spanning 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles). It 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 north, and also shares a
maritime border with Oman.Pakistan is also amongst the world’s top ten producers of wheat,
cotton, sugarcane, mango, dates and kinnow oranges, and is ranked 10th in rice production.
Major crops (wheat, rice, cotton and sugar cane) contribute around 4.9 per cent, while minor
crops contribute 2.1 percent to the country’s total GDP.

The economy of Pakistan is a low income developing economy. It is the 23rd-largest worldwide
in terms of GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP). According to a 2021 estimate, the
Country has a population of 227 million people (5th-largest worldwide). As of FY22, the nominal
GDP of Pakistan stands at US$376 billion with a nominal GDP per capita of US$1,658 (177th
worldwide); its GDP based on PPP stands at US$1.512 trillion with a GDP (PPP) per capita of
US$6,662 (168th worldwide).

Pakistan is a developing country with a semi-industrial economy. Primary export commodities

include textiles, leather goods, sports equipment, chemicals, and carpets/rugs.

The growth poles of Pakistan's economy are situated along the Indus River;the diversified
economies of Karachi and major urban centres in Punjab, co-existing with lesser developed
areas in other parts of the country. The Pakistani economy has suffered in the past from internal
political turmoil, a rapidly growing population, and mixed levels of foreign investment.

INDUS RIVER

The Indus provides the key water resources for the economy of Pakistan - especially the
breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production,
and Sindh. It also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable
water in Pakistan.

Satellite image of the Indus River basin.

Enlarge
Satellite image of the Indus River basin.
The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet; it begins at the confluence of the Sengge and Gar
rivers that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan mountain ranges. The Indus then
flows northwest through Ladakh- Baltistan into Gilgit, just south of the Karakoram range. The
Shyok, Shigar and Gilgit streams carry glacieral waters into the main river.
PRODUCTS THAT ARE MARKETED GLOBALLY

The major exports of Pakistan include textiles, leather and sports goods, chemicals, carpets,
and rugs. Meanwhile, Pakistan also exports significant quantities of rice, sugar, cotton, fish,
fruits, and vegetables. The country ranks among Asia’s largest camel market, second-largest
apricot and ghee (oil), and third-largest cotton, onion, and milk market. Here’s a look at some
exports that help Pakistan stand out in the exporting community across the world:

Rice
Mangoes
Oranges
Cotton
Surgical Instruments
Leather Goods
Furniture
Football
Sea Food

THE ECONOMY OF PAKISTAN

After several experiments in economic restructuring, Pakistan currently operates a mixed

economy in which state-owned enterprises account for a large portion of gross domestic product
(GDP). The country has experimented with several economic models during its existence. At
first, Pakistan’s economy was largely based on private enterprise, but significant sectors of it
were nationalized beginning in the early 1970s, including financial services, manufacturing, and
transportation. Further changes were made in the 1980s, under the military government of Zia
ul-Haq.Specifically, an “Islamic” economy was introduced, which outlawed practices forbidden
by Sharīʿah (Muslim law)—e.g., charging interest on loans (ribā )—and mandated such
traditional religious practices as the payment of zakāt (tithe) and ʿushr (land tax). Though
portions of the Islamic economy have remained in place, the state began in the 1990s to
privatize—in whole or in part—large sectors of the nationalized economy. The economy, which
was primarily agricultural at the time of independence, has become considerably diversified.

FINANCIAL SERVICES
Finance contributes a relatively small value to GDP, though its growth rate in the late 20th and
early 21st centuries has been considerable. Pakistan has a variety of state banks, state-run
banks (though more-recent trends have been toward privatizing these), scheduled (i.e.,
commercial) banks, private banks, and foreign banks. Noteworthy has been the spread of banks
that operate within the principles of Islamic law. A number of such institutions were established
beginning in the 1980s, and, more recently, several established Western-style banks have
opened up divisions offering Islamic banking services.Pakistan has a fairly well-developed
system of financial services. The State Bank of Pakistan (1948) has overall control of the
banking sector, acts as banker to the central and provincial governments, and administers
official monetary and credit policies, including exchange controls. It has the sole right to issue
currency (the Pakistani rupee) and has custody of the country’s gold and foreign-exchange
reserves.

AGRICULTURE

Overall, approximately one-fourth of Pakistan is arable land, although only small fractions of that
are in permanent crops (about 1 percent) or permanent pastures (6 percent). Roughly 5 percent
of the country is forested. Nonetheless, agriculture, forestry, and fishing still provide
employment for the single largest proportion of the labour force and a livelihood for an even
larger segment of the population. Land-reform programs implemented in 1959, 1972, and 1977
began to deal with the problems of large-scale, often absentee ownership of land and the
excessive fragmentation of small holdings by introducing maximum and minimum area
limits.Agriculture, now no longer the largest sector, contributes roughly one-fifth of GDP, while
manufacturing provides about one-sixth. Trade and services, which combined constitute the
largest component of the economy, have grown considerably. In terms of the structure of its
economy, Pakistan resembles the middle-income countries of East and Southeast Asia more
than the poorer countries of the Indian subcontinent.

ECONOMIC SECTOR
Pakistan enjoys a natural endowment in agriculture and minerals. Pakistan's economy has three
main sectors – agriculture, manufacturing and services. The largest sector, services, accounts
for 61 per cent of GDP, led by wholesale, retail, transport and communications.With a large
population, majority of which is young, Pakistan is a consumption oriented economy.
Consumption, investment and exports are the drivers of the country with exports being the
biggest driver of economic growth. Most of Pakistan’s exports are to Afghanistan, United States
of America, United Arab Emirates, European Union, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
Major exports include agricultural products, textile products, sports goods, leather & leather
products, surgical instruments, light engineering goods and services. The import bill accounts
mostly for the import of fuel, heavy machinery and industrial equipment. Major sources of
imports are China, Saudi Arabia, United States, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, United
Kingdom, the European Union and Japan.
 INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Trade has grown into one of the major sectors of the Pakistani economy and employs a
significant proportion of the workforce. Although there has been a trend toward increasing
exports, the country has had a chronic annual trade deficit, with imports often outstripping
exports. Over the years, important changes have taken place in the composition of foreign
trade. In particular, while the proportion of total exports from primary commodities, including raw
cotton, has fallen, the share of manufactures has greatly increased. But the bulk of the
manufactured products coming into the export trade consists of cotton goods, so that Pakistan
remains as dependent as ever on its leading cash crop. The other manufactures exported come
mostly from industries based on agriculture, such as leather and leather goods and carpets;
exports of rice and petroleum products are also important. The shift toward manufactured
agricultural exports, which have a higher added-value content than primary commodities, has
been encouraged by the government. The trade deficits and shortages of foreign exchange
have made it necessary for the government to restrict imports and to provide financial incentives
to promote export trade. Major imports consist of machinery, chemicals and chemical products,
crude oil, refined petroleum, food and edible oils, and motor vehicles. Pakistan’s most important
trading partners are the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan,
and China.

SERVICES
The government has traditionally been a major employer, and, just as in other former colonial
countries with a well-developed civil service, government positions are coveted for the financial
security that they offer. Combined with public administration, defense, construction, and public
utilities, services account for roughly one-fourth of GDP and employ about one-fifth of the
workforce.Tourism traditionally has contributed little to the economy, but the country has
consistently attracted a number of tourists who engage in “adventure” tours, particularly in the
high mountains of the north, where the Karakoram Highway provides access to some of the
loftier peaks for hikers and climbers. Likewise, the ruins at Mohenjo-daro and Taxila—
designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1980—attract a number of interested outsiders
each year.

Remittances from workers abroad constitute a large (though extremely difficult to measure)
source of revenue. At any given time there are several million Pakistanis working abroad,
throughout the world; officially, the income that they send home (as well as money remitted by
Pakistani immigrants abroad) amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

CULTURES AND TRADITIONS

Pakistan shares influences that have shaped the cultures of South Asia. There are thus wider
regional similarities extending beyond the national boundaries; cultural ways in Pakistan are
broadly similar to those experienced in large parts of Afghanistan and northern India. This entire
region was deeply influenced by the Arabic-Persian culture that arrived with Muslim conquerors
beginning roughly a millennium ago. On the other hand, the specific regional cultures of
Pakistan present a picture of rich diversity, making it difficult to speak of a single Pakistani
culture. Residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for example, lead lives similar to fellow Pashtuns in
Afghanistan. In other parts of the country, Urdu-speaking muhajirs brought with them many
cultural ways and values found among the Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim populations of northern
India.Family comes first in Pakistan due to religious, cultural, economic and societal values.
Pakistani society is not led by individualism but rather by collectivism, where family and other
relationships stand strong.
 RELIGION
Almost all of the people of Pakistan are Muslims or at least follow Islamic traditions, and Islamic
ideals and practices suffuse virtually all parts of Pakistani life. Most Pakistanis belong to the
Sunni sect, the major branch of Islam. There are also significant numbers of Shiʿi Muslims.
Among Sunnis, Sufism is extremely popular and influential. In addition to the two main groups
there is a very small sect called the Aḥmadiyyah, which is also sometimes called the Qadiani
(for Qadian, India, where the sect originated). The role of religion in Pakistani society and
politics finds its most visible expression in the Islamic Assembly (Jamāʿat-i Islāmī) party.
Founded in 1941 by Abū al-Aʿlā Mawdūdī (Maududi), one of the world’s foremost thinkers in
Sunni revivalism, the party has long played a role in Pakistan’s political life and has continually
advocated refashioning Pakistan as a chaste Islamic or theocratic state. The Wahhābī
movement, founded in Arabia, has made inroads in Pakistan, most notably among the tribal
Pashtuns in the Afghan border areas. Moreover, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in
1979, Saudi Arabia assisted Pakistan in caring for vast numbers of Afghan refugees in the
border areas and in the construction and staffing of thousands of traditional Sunni madrasahs
(religious schools).

POLITICS
The role of Islam in the political and cultural unification of Pakistan has been controversial.
Some factions have argued that Islamic ideology is the only cement that can bind together the
country’s culturally diverse peoples. Opposing factions have argued that the insistence on
Islamic ideology, in opposition to regional demands expressed in secular and cultural idiom, has
alienated regional groups and eroded national unity. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was
formed in 1968 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, working with a number of liberal leftists who wanted
Pakistan to disregard the idiom of religion in politics in favour of a program of rapid
modernization of the country and the introduction of a socialist economy. The PPP emerged as
the majority party in West Pakistan in the elections of 1970 (though the Awami League in East
Pakistan won the largest number of legislative seats). Following the disruption of the ensuing
war, which produced the independent country of Bangladesh from East Pakistan, Bhutto was
called to form a government in 1972. The PPP was suppressed under the military government
of 1977–88 but returned to power in 1988–90 and 1993–96 under the leadership of Bhutto’s
daughter Benazir. In 2008, after the nine-year period of military rule, the party joined in a civilian
coalition government.

EDUCATION
Pakistan’s literacy rate is substantially lower than that of many developing countries; roughly
half of all adults are literate, the literacy rate being significantly higher for males than for
females. A substantial proportion of those who are literate, however, have not had any formal
education. Educational levels for women are much lower than those for men. The share of
females in educational levels progressively diminishes above the primary school level.
Education in Pakistan is not compulsory. Since independence Pakistan has increased the
number of primary and secondary schools, and the number of students enrolled has risen
dramatically. Teacher training has been promoted by the government and by international
agencies. Higher education is available at vocational schools, technical schools, and colleges
throughout the country. The oldest university is the University of the Punjab (established 1882),
and the largest institutions are Allama Iqbal Open University (1974), in Islamabad, the University
of Peshawar (1950), and the University of Karachi (1950). Other universities established during
the 20th century include Quaid-i-Azam University (1967; called the University of Islamabad until
1976), the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University in Peshawar (1981), the International
Islamic University in Islamabad (1980), the Aga Khan University in Karachi (1983), and the
Lahore University for Management Sciences (1986).

GOVERNMENT
In 1947 the newly independent Pakistan consisted of two distinct parts: the smaller but more
densely populated East Pakistan, centred on the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta region, and the
much larger West Pakistan, occupying the northwestern portion of the Indian subcontinent. The
country’s government, functioning under a modified 1935 Government of India Act, was
associated with a British-inherited parliamentary system, containing a strong central government
as well as governments in the several provinces that also gave it a federal form. However, in
1971, after the country had experienced more than two decades of turbulent politics, the eastern
region seceded and established itself as the independent state of Bangladesh. In the aftermath
of that event, Pakistan (now reduced to the former West Pakistan) faced a number of political
and economic problems and uncertainties about its future. Several seemingly irreconcilable
domestic conflicts have left their mark on the politics of Pakistan. The first of these occurred at
the highest levels of leadership, involving the key political actors from the political parties, the
higher bureaucracy, and the upper echelon of the armed forces (notably the Pakistani army).
Constitutions in Pakistan have been less about limiting the power of authority and more a legal
justification for arbitrary action.

SOURCE:
https://www.zameen.com/blog/major-exports-pakistan.html
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%20also%20amongst%20the,to%20the%20country's%20total%20GDP.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Pakistan
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan
http://www.pakbj.org/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=29&id=33