Lets start from some important information about PAKISTAN...
Country Profile
The
Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to
some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's
major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.
The
modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent
in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional
confrontations.
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | MEDIA
Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.
The
east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering
India and Burma and the west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches
from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.
War
with India over the disputed northern territory of Kashmir came shortly
after independence - the two countries fought again in 1965.
A marble edifice honours Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah
The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.
Civilian
politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by
corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various
institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not
helped to establish stability.
Pakistan
came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a
civilian government which had lost a great deal of public support. The
coup leader, General Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's
fortunes, but faced economic challenges and law and order problems.
The
latter are a major concern in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab, where
thousands have been killed since the early 1980s in violence between
Sunni and Shia factions.
Pakistan's
place on the world stage shifted after the 11 September 2001 attacks in
the US. It dropped its support for the Taleban regime in Afghanistan
and was propelled into the frontline in the fight against terrorism,
becoming a key ally of Washington.
Pakistani
forces say they have arrested hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and
Taleban-linked militants in the rugged, restive tribal regions along the
Pakistani-Afghan border. Tens of thousands of troops are deployed in
the area, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security
forces and suspected militants.
Tensions
with India over Kashmir remain and have fuelled fears of a regional
arms race. However, an ongoing peace process has brought the two
nuclear-armed powers back from the brink of renewed conflict.
Full name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Population: 161.1 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Islamabad
Area: 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq miles), excluding Pakistani-administered Kashmir (83,716 sq km/32,323 sq miles)
Major languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 63 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Pakistani Rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Textile products, rice, cotton, leather goods
GNI per capita: US $690 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .pk
International dialling code: +92 ...
Some of the Pakistan top news papers..
Jang
http://jang.com.pk/
Dawn
http://www.dawn.com/
The Nation
http://www.nation.com.pk/
The Frontier Post
http://www.worldservicesint.com/
The News
http://www.thenews.com.pk/
Daily Times
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/
In
my opinion the most free and independent newspaper in Pakistan is Daily
Times. If you don't believe me just check it out. It's the best. You
will like these newspapers...