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.
 
FACTS


•Full name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
•Population: 180.8 million (UN, 2009)

•Capital: Islamabad

•Largest city: Karachi

•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: 66 years (men), 67 years (women) (UN)

•Monetary unit: 1 Pakistani Rupee = 100 paisa

•Main exports: Textile products, rice, cotton, leather goods

•GNI per capita: US $980 (World Bank, 2008)

•Internet domain: .pk

•International dialling code: +92

President: Asif Ali Zardari

Asif Ali Zardari won the presidential race of 6 September 2008 by a big majority. His election by Pakistan's legislators came a few weeks after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf resigned under threat of impeachment.

President Zardari has accepted a reduction of his powers

Profile: Asif Ali Zardari

At his swearing-in ceremony, Mr Zardari said he was accepting the post of president in the name of his assassinated wife, Benazir Bhutto.

Mr Zardari had long lived in the shadow of his late charismatic wife, who was twice Pakistan's prime minister and head of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - a position Mr Zardari inherited upon her death in December 2007.
Asif Zardari married Ms Bhutto in 1987 and held the positions of federal environment minister and federal investment minister during her tenure as premier.

But Mr Zardari was also controversially referred to as "Mr 10%" following allegations of corruption. For this, and for murder charges of which he was later cleared, he spent two separate terms in prison totalling eleven and a half years.
In December 2009, the Supreme Court ruled illegal an amnesty law introduced in 2007 by former President Musharraf offering Mr Zardari immunity from corruption charges. The law was designed to allow Mr Zardari's late wife, Benazir Bhutto, to return to the country.
Under pressure to relinquish some of the powers accumulated by Pakistan's presidency in four decades of recurrent military rule, Mr Zardari in April 2010 presented to parliament proposals for sweeping constitutional reform.
The measures were designed to strip the president of key powers - including the right to dissolve parliament, dismiss the government and appoint the head of the powerful military - and in effect restrict the office to a largely ceremonial role.
The constitutional amendments bill received overwhelming support in both houses of parliament
On becoming president, Mr Zardari pledged to tackle the problem of Islamic militancy. Following allegations by India that the devastating 2008 attacks on the city of Mumbai were orchestrated in Pakistan, he insisted his country was ready to cooperate with other countries in the fight against terrorism.

Asif Ali Zardari was born on 26 July 1955. He comes from a prominent family in Pakistan's Sindh province and has one son and two daughters. His son, Bilawal Zardari, was born in 1988 and is co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party.

Prime Minister: Yusuf Raza Gilani

Yusuf Raza Gilani became the head of the coalition government in March 2008, after the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won the most votes in elections in February.

Mr Gilani has learned a reputation as a PPP loyalist

Mr Gilani had long been a respected figure within the PPP. He joined the party in 1988, when it was still very much in the political wilderness, and soon earned a reputation for unwavering loyalty to the Bhutto family.
He was Speaker of parliament from 1993 to 1996, during Benazir Bhutto's second stint as premier.
In 2001, two years after Pervez Musharraf seized power in a military coup, Mr Gilani was found guilty of making illegal government appointments while Speaker and was jailed for five years.
He maintains that the charges were brought as part of an attempt by Mr Musharraf to pressurise him into leaving the PPP. He was exonerated and freed in 2006.
Mr Gilani was born in 1952 in Karachi but his family comes from the Punjab and was active in Punjabi politics for generations. His grandfather and great-uncles were members of the All-India Muslim League, which campaigned for a separate state for Muslims, and his father served as a provincial minister during the 1950s.
After completing an MA in journalism at the University of Punjab, Mr Gilani first entered politics in 1978 as a member of the Muslim League, but ten years later switched to the PPP

Pakistani anger at another cricket scandal

People angry at the reported betting scam named donkeys after the players accused and pelted them with rotten tomatoes to show their anger

These fresh allegations against Pakistani cricketers could not have come at a worse time.



For years, Pakistan has been in the news for its role in militant conflict in South Asia.



Continue reading the main story

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Cricket 'betting scam' man bailed

Pakistan to ban Yousuf & Younus

Over the past month, it has made international headlines due to the worst floods it has faced in nearly a century.



The floods highlighted the extreme inequalities of Pakistani society, and the apathy or inability of its administration to deal with the challenge.



And now the betting scam allegations against Pakistani cricketers have added to already low national morale.



'Shot dead'



And people are angry.



Continue reading the main story

“

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This episode has made us hang our heads in shame”

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Yousuf Raza Gilani

Pakistan Prime Minister

"They are all crooks. They should be shot dead," says one worker at a car wash in Islamabad.



In Lahore people vented their anger by naming four donkeys after the accused players, and then pelting them with rotten tomatoes.



A banking executive, Fawad Ali, is more cautious.



"Given their history, some of them may have been involved, but we must not deliver a judgement until we know for sure."



A few even blame the English press for being biased against Pakistani cricketers.



"Every time they go to England, they are dragged into one controversy or another. Sometimes it's ball tampering, sometimes match-fixing," says Gul Badshah, a veteran cricket fan from the north-western city of Peshawar.



Disrepute



But after the number of incidents involving the team, few in Pakistan are certain that Pakistanis are entirely clean.





There have been questions about Pakistan's conduct in the past "Questions about the team have been going on for a long time," says Kalim Mirza, a business executive and keen follower of Pakistani cricket.



In 2006, match referee Darrell Hair accused the Pakistan team of ball-tampering and Pakistan refused to finish the match



Captain Inazaman ul Haq was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.



Following a disastrous tour in Australia last year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ran investigations into the team's conduct.



Tour captain Mohammad Yousef and former captain Younus Khan were banned indefinitely. Shoaib Malik and Ranna Naved al-Hasan were banned for a year. Shahid Afridi, and brothers Umar and Kamran Akmal were fined and placed on probation.



Yousef announced his retirement from the international game, but was allowed back into the team by the PCB after a big defeat by England at Trent Bridge.



So the new allegations have surprised no one.



'Shame'



But many are incensed because, as one dejected cricket fan puts it, in a land where no news is good news, cricket is the only source of pride and unity.



And this pride - or the loss of it - has been felt at the highest level.



Continue reading the main story

“

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The people who are found guilty should be removed from the team and replaced, and should be punished as an example”

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Imran Khan



Politician and former national captain

"This episode has made us hang our heads in shame," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani commented during an address on Sunday.



President Asif Zardari "expressed disappointment" over the reported betting scam and "asked for details of the case and any inquiries that may have been initiated in London", his spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told the BBC.



Interior Minister Rehman Malik has now set up a three-member federal investigation team which is expected to leave for London shortly to conduct its own inquiry.



Meanwhile, Pakistan's parliamentary committee on sports went into special session on Monday afternoon to consider the issue and formulate a response.



The head of the committee, Iqbal Mohammad Ali, has said that all those involved should be banned for life.



'Bad guys'



Former cricketers are also disconcerted.



"Everyone who is involved (in the scandal) should be banned for life, because they have got no shame," a former Pakistani cricketer, Sarfraz Nawaz, said in comments to a local TV channel.



Many in Pakistan say the PCB is being too lenient on the players.



"Everybody is saying the bad guys should be sent home, but they (the PCB) didn't do that after what happened in Australia last year," says Asad Ali, a government employee.



Fining players would not be enough, he says.



Perhaps this is what a former Pakistani cricket captain, Imran Khan, had in mind when he said the loss to cricket, if the reports were true, would be immense.



"The people who are found guilty should be removed from the team and replaced, and should be punished as an example for the future generations to realise that crime does not pay."

sadyo ka lahu

Minister of State / Chairman, Board of Investment assures full support to Chairman Telenor Group

According to a press release issued by Telenor Pakistan, Mr. Saleem H. Mandviwalla, Minister of State / Chairman, Board of Investment (BOI) held a detailed and interactive session with a 5 member delegation of Telenor Group which was headed by Mr. Harald Norvik, Chairman Telenor Group. Senior management of Telenor including Mr. Sigve Brekke, Head of Asia, Telenor Group, Mr. Jon Eddy Abdullah, CEO Telenor Pakistan and Mr. Aamir Ibrahim, Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Division, Telenor Pakistan.




Mr. Mandviwalla noted that Telenor is now a flagship company of Pakistan which has captured a sizable market share within a very short period of time through their operations in the country, and lauded Telenor Group for recognizing the potential in the cellular market of Pakistan and investing a significant amount of US$ 2 billion in this sector. The delegation called on Chairman BOI to discuss various issues regarding the current tax rate situation in Pakistan.



Telenor Group argued that the current GST for telecom companies is higher than any other sector amounting to 19.5% and an introduction of value added tax (VAT) in this sector would reduce this rate and help telecom companies in the country to focus in other areas of investment. Mr. Ibrahim mentioned that currently telecom sectors contribute approximately Rs. 120 billion in advance tax and GST to the Government of Pakistan. He also stated that just recently the Cabinet resolved the Access Promotion Contribution (APC) issue and have allowed a 2-2.5 cent APC which is still less than 5 cents which is provided to PTCL even though most access has been given by cellular companies in the country. Most people do not even have a landline to their name and are solely dependent on their cellular phones.



Mr. Abdullah noted that the decision on APC will allow Telenor to reinvest and help them to focus on expansion in untapped areas and municipalities in Pakistan. He further mentioned that currently only 30-40% of areas are covered in Pakistan and currently 60-70% population is a subscribed with a cellular network. Therefore there is a tremendous opportunity to introduce cellular services in remote areas of Pakistan. The noted that Balochistan proposes a tremendous opportunity, if the Government can provide adequate facilities and security to telecom companies in the province. Mr. Bekke noted that the only way the telecom industry will achieve further growth is if telecom companies and the Government work in tandem.



The notion that the telecom sector is stagnant was negated by CEO Pakistan, and he stated that there is still room for expansion in Pakistan and Telenor sees a growth potential of 15-20 million customers to its existing customer base of 95 million. Mr. Abdullah also noted that since their establishment in Pakistan, Telenor has not repatriated a single dollar as they believe in a long term investment perspective and have reinvested all their earnings back in to Telenor Pakistan. He praised the working of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and how it has helped to streamline bidding processes for broadband, fiber and GSM contracts for under served and un-served areas of Pakistan.



In the end Mr. Norvick appreciated the Board of Investment’s guidance and assistance during their set up and throughout their tenure in Pakistan. He stated that the meeting and productive discussion at the Board of Investment has provided him with an increased understanding about the investment climate in Pakistan and some of the challenges such as inflation, energy shortages and specifically taxation regime. He reiterated Telenor Group’s strong commitment to Pakistan and in the development of the Pakistani telecommunications industry for the good of the Pakistani people. He also stated that he was impressed with the results that Telenor Pakistan has delivered and is also one of the best performing companies within Telenor Group itself. Mr. Norvick stated that this was due to the presence of a dedicated management and a skilled workforce that has made their Pakistani operation world class.



Mr. Saleem H. Mandviwalla assured the Telenor Group that they will voice their concerns of taxation with the concerned authorities and facilitate and assist them in every possible way. He praised Telenor’s commitment in Pakistan and appreciated their expansion plans in the country.