“Pakistan was established as a modern state in 1947, when it was partitioned from British-controlled India. The nation shares borders with India to the east and south, China to the northwest, Afghanistan to the west and north, and Iran to the west.” (Crompton 2007: 9)
In a book entitled Pakistan, Crompton (2007: 8) argues that, “Pakistan is one of the world’s most strategically located countries. Sharing borders with India to the east and south, China to the northeast, Afghanistan to the north and west, and Iran to the west, Pakistan sits at one of the great crossroads of history. Many conquerors and would-be conquerors have traveled through this land, and many an army has struggled through the mountains of Pakistan and delighted in the open floodplains of the Indus River. But no one conqueror has ever fully gained control over Pakistan. This can be attributed in part to the country’s diverse lands and peoples but also to the large number of foreign conquerors who have struggled to gain ascendancy.”
Crompton, then, goes on to say that, “Pakistan is a nation still in search of its identity. Though the modern state was created in 1947, Pakistanis still feel insecure about their place in the world. This insecurity is bred partly by the circumstance of history, and partly because of its gigantic neighbor to the southeast, India. Pakistan and India were created within 24 hours of each other, but the two nations are not on friendly terms. In fact, they have fought three wars against one another since the partition of the two countries in August 1947. And today, both countries are armed with nuclear weapons.”
According to Crompton (2007: 60), Pakistan became a nation on August 14, 1947. It is one a hand full of countries that were born in the immediate aftermath of World War II: India, Israel, and East and West Germany are other groups of that group. Pakistan may be a new country, but its roots are deep in the cross currents of South Asia and Middle East.”
According to The World Factbook, “The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars and a limited conflict - in 1947-48, 1965, and 1999 respectively - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan.” 1.Geography: According to The World Factbook, Pakistan is located in Southern Asia. As was mentioned earlier, “the nation shares borders with India to the east and south, China to the northwest, Afghanistan to the west and north, and Iran to the west.” (Crompton 2007: 9) In a book entitled Pakistan: A Modern History, Talbot (1998: 21) argues that, “Contemporary Pakistan, with an area of 803,943 square miles (twice the size of California), is strategically located to the east of the Persian Gulf and in close proximity to China and Russia. Its geopolitical position particularly during the Cold War era gave it greater international interest than its size and economy would otherwise warrant.”
2.Population: According to The World Factbook, the population of Pakistan is about 201,995,540 (July 2016) As regards ethnic groups, The World Factbook gives the following statistics: -Punjabi: 48.7 percent -Pashtun (Pathon): 15.4 percent -Sindhi: 11.1 percent -Seriak: 8.4 percent -Balochi: 3.6 percent -Other: 6.3 percent Crompton (2007: 51) states that the number of people in Pakistan is “about 166 million people (2006 estimate)… The nation’s peoples are just as diverse as the landscape they inhabit. The Pakistanis display a great mixture of physical and cultural types, a mixture created by the numerous migrations and invasions that have occurred over the centuries. Roughly speaking, the major groups are Punjabis, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Mahajirs, Bulchis, Brahuis, Kalashas, Burushos, Wahis, Baltis, Gujars, and refugees from Afghanistan. It is important to remember that this melting pot of peoples has existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years, even though the state of Pakistan is only slightly more than 50 years old.” As was seen with statistics of The World Factbook, Crompton agrees that, “the Punjabis are Pakistan’s majority population.” (2007.51)
3.Politics: According to The World Factbook, the government in Pakistan is a Federal Parliamentary Republic government. As was mentioned earlier, Pakistan became an independent state in August 14, 1947 after it was carved out of the British-controlled India. The capital city in Pakistan is Islamabad.
4.Religions: According to The World Factbook (2010), the dominant religion in Pakistan is Islam. The following statistics are taken from the World Factbook: -Muslim (official) 64.4 percent (Sunni 85-90 percent, Shia 10-15 percent) -Other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6 percent
5.Education: According to Coleman and Capstick (2012: 15), "Schools in Pakistan fall into five categories, the defining characteristic of which is the medium of instruction that is used: • Elite private schools: The elite schools are modelled on the British public school7 system; fees are extremely expensive; the medium of instruction is English. • Schools run by the armed forces. They also use English as the medium of instruction. • State schools: State schools serve the mass of the population. No fees are charged. The medium of instruction in most parts of the country is Urdu, although Sindhi is used in schools in Sindh whilst Pashto and, increasingly, other local languages are used in schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (see Chapter 6). In 2010 the Government of Pakistan decreed that English should be used as the medium of instruction for the teaching of science and mathematics in state schools from the primary level. It seems likely that few primary teachers possess the language skills required for this. • Non - elite ‘English - medium’ schools: In recent years there has been a rapid increase in the establishment of private schools which charge modest fees. They aim to cater for aspirational upper working class and lower middle class parents who are unable to afford the fees demanded by the elite schools. Their main selling point is their claim to be ‘English medium’, but these claims must be treated with care. • Madrasas: This is a very heterogeneous category of institution and their language practices are also very varied".
6.Langauges:
Pakistan is a multilingual area. Pakistani people speak a variety of languages. Here are the percentages of some of the languages spoken in Pakistan as was shown on The World Factbook.
Pakistan Languages:
As regards the English language in Pakistan, it is used, “as an official and a second language. It is spoken and used by a relatively small but extremely influential portion of country’s population in the domain of government administration, law, the military, the higher education, commerce and mass media.” (Baumgardner 1993:43)