History Of Pakistan
Pakistan is a large, ethnically diverse nation in South Asia. Pakistan has historically and culturally been linked to its neighbors Iran, Afghanistan, and India since its populace speaks mostly Indo-Iranian. Pakistan has been distinguishable from its more prominent southern neighbor by its preponderance of Muslims since the two countries gained independence in 1947. Pakistan has battled for political stability and ongoing socioeconomic progress throughout its existence. Its central city, Karachi, is located south of the Arabian Sea coast.
In contrast, its capital, Islamabad, is located in the northern section of the nation at the foothills of the Himalayas. Pakistan is a large, ethnically diverse nation in South Asia. Pakistan has historically and culturally been linked to its neighbors Iran, Afghanistan, and India since its populace speaks mostly Indo-Iranian. Pakistan has been distinguishable from its more prominent southern neighbor by its preponderance of Muslims since the two countries gained independence in 1947. Pakistan has battled for political stability and ongoing socioeconomic progress throughout its existence. Its central city, Karachi, is located south of the Arabian Sea coast. In contrast, its capital, Islamabad, is located in the northern section of the nation at the foothills of the Himalayas.
When British India was divided, Pakistan was created in response to demands made by Islamic nationalists: Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s All India Muslim League stated that Muslims in India would only be given fair representation in their nation. De facto and legally, Pakistan was divided into two parts from the time of its independence until 1971: West Pakistan, in the Indus River basin in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, and East Pakistan, more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the east, in the vast Ganges-Brahmaputra river delta. As a result of severe domestic political issues that led to civil war in 1971, East Pakistan was declared an independent nation, Bangladesh.
From the towering Pamirs and the Karakoram Range in the northwest, through a labyrinth of mountain ranges, a complex of valleys, and barren plateaus, to the strikingly level surface of the fertile Indus River plain, which empties into the Arabian Sea in the south, Pakistan encompasses a rich diversity of landscapes. It includes a portion of the historic Silk Road and the renowned Khyber Pass, which opened the hitherto remote subcontinent to foreign influences. Mountain climbers are drawn to Kashmir, which Pakistan controls, by its lofty peaks like K2 and Nanga Parbat. The ancient site of Mohenjo-Daro is one of the cradles of civilization and is located along the Indus River, the nation’s lifeblood.
On the other hand, Pakistan has had a hard time defining itself politically and culturally. The nation was founded as a parliamentary democracy that upheld secular ideals. Still, due to successive military takeovers, religion—specifically, adherence to Sunni Islamic values—has grown to be a yardstick by which political leaders are judged. Additionally, since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, some regions of northern Pakistan, particularly those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that was formerly known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), have turned into safe havens for members of several militant Islamist groups, including the Taliban from the neighboring country of Afghanistan. Violence against religious minorities has escalated, and there have been periodic outbreaks of ethnic, religious, and social conflict in different sections of the nation. These conflicts frequently leave certain regions essentially ungovernable by the central government.
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Up to 10 million Muslim refugees fled their homes in India at the time of partition in 1947, with roughly 8 million going to West Pakistan. Hindus and Sikhs were displaced from their homeland and familiar surroundings in what became Pakistan, and they went to India in about equal numbers. These chaotic population movements took just over a year, as opposed to the earlier migrations, which took millennia to complete. Since then, the repercussions on subcontinental life have been felt in the rivalry between the two nations, and each has continued to look for a long-lasting modus vivendi with the other. Four wars have been fought between Pakistan and India, three of which (1948–1949, 1965, and 1999) were fought over Kashmir. Both nations have had nuclear weapons since 1998 has only heightened tensions.
Land
Iran to the west, Afghanistan to the north and northwest, China to the northeast, and India to the east and southeast define Pakistan’s borders. The Arabian Sea’s coastline forms its southern border.
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The Kashmir area, located in the western Himalayas, has been a source of contention since 1947, with Pakistan, India, and China each controlling a portion of the region. The so-called Azad Kashmir (“Free Kashmir”) region, which Pakistan views as a separate state with its capital in Muzaffarabad, is a portion of the area under its administration. Gilgit and Baltistan comprise the remaining part of Pakistani-administrated Kashmir; they were referred to as a single entity after 2009 as Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly the Northern Areas).
Dispatch and drainage
Physical characteristics of Pakistan
Physical characteristics of Pakistan
At the westernmost point of the vast Indo-Gangetic Plain is Pakistan. About three-fifths of the country’s total territory comprises harsh hilly terrain and plateaus, while the other two-fifths comprise an enormous flat plain region. The Himalayan, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, western mountains, Balochistan plateau, submontane plateau (Potwar Plateau, Salt Range, trans-Indus plain, and Sialkot area), and Indus River plain are the five main geographic divisions of the country. There are subdivisions inside each significant division, including several arid regions.
Ranges in the Himalayas and Karakoram
: K2 Karakoram Range (Mount Godwin Austen)
: K2 Karakoram Range (Mount Godwin Austen)
The Himalayas constitute the northern rampart of the subcontinent, and its western ranges encompass the whole north end of Pakistan, stretching nearly 200 miles (320 km) into the nation. The Himalayas have long been a physical and cultural barrier between South and Central Asia. The Pir Panjal Range, the Zaskar Range, and the Ladakh Range are the three separate ranges that make up the western Himalayan chain, which extends over Kashmir and northern Pakistan. The Karakoram Range, a distinct chain next to the Himalayas, is farther north. This group of ranges covers approximately 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) to more than 19,500 feet (6,000 meters) above sea level. Many of the region’s peaks reach heights of more than 15,000 feet, and four of them reach heights of over 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) (4,500 meters). These include the enormous peaks of Gilgit-Nanga Baltistan’s Parbat (26,660 feet [8,126 meters]) and K2, also known as Godwin Austen (28,251 feet [8,611 meters]).
River Shyok
River Shyok
Numerous significant rivers enter Pakistan from or through the Kashmiri highlands. The Jhelum River originates in the Pir Panjal Range and cuts through the renowned Kashmir Valley. The Indus River runs between the Zaskar and Ladakh ranges, and the Shyok River springs in the Karakoram Range. The northwestern extension of the Shiwalik Range, which spans the southern portion of the Hazara and Murree hills and includes the hills around Rawalpindi and neighboring Islamabad, is located south of the Pir Panjal and rises to a height of roughly 600 to 900 feet (200 to 300 meters).
The Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China, is located beyond the Karakoram Range in the far north; the Pamir Mountains, to the northwest, beyond the Hindu Kush, are where just the Wakhan Corridor, a tiny sliver of Afghan land, divides Pakistan from Tajikistan. When Chinese and Pakistani engineers finished building the Karakoram Highway, which crosses the Karakoram Range and connects Kashgar (Kashi) in Xinjiang with the town of Gilgit in Gilgit-Baltistan, the Himalayan massif was breached. Although the highway is a wonder of contemporary technology, it hasn’t done much to foster cultural contact between the two nations’ commerce.
The northern mountain barrier affects Pakistan’s precipitation pattern by blocking monsoon winds from the south. The rivers, notably the Indus, that emerge from the east-west orientated ranges and flow southward are also nourished by melting snow and glacial meltwater from the Himalayas. One of the longest mountain glaciers in the world, Siachen Glacier, feeds the Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok. One of the few glaciers in the world to have expanded in size since the late 20th century are the numerous glaciers in this area, notably those of the Karakoram Range.
As a natural result of a geologically young mountain chain, the northern and western parts of the nation see regular seismic activity. Small earth earthquakes are frequent in the area. However, several earthquakes have been violent and highly devastating because many structures are shoddily built, and those in the highlands are sometimes positioned precariously. Pakistan has had significant earthquakes in the past, including those in 1935, 1945, 1974, and 2005. The 2005 earthquake, centered in the mountainous border region of the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Azad Kashmir, destroyed the latter two, which were in the country’s extreme north, and killed 80,000 to 90,000 people.
In this hostile northern terrain, the population is typically scarce; however, it is concentrated in a few preferred locations. The predominant crop in the majority of the minor communities in this area is barley; apricot farming is particularly significant. Timber, mostly pine species, is present in some regions, but its prevalence fluctuates with elevation and precipitation. Due to extensive tree cutting and overgrazing, many hillsides have lost their vegetation.
Mountains in the west, including the Hindu Kush
Islamabad: Hindu Kush
Islamabad: Hindu Kush
The nodal orogenic uplift known as the Pamir Knot in far northern Pakistan splits out into the Hindu Kush in a southwesterly direction. While the Karakorams stretch from the knot in a southeast-northwest order, the Hindu Kush’s ridges typically trend from northeast to southwest. The Hindu Kush comprises two ranges: a primary crest line crossed by transverse streams and a watershed range in Afghanistan to the west of the main content that separates the Amu Darya (formerly the Oxus River) drainage basin from the Indus river system. Several branches of the Hindu Kush extend southward into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral, Dir, and Swat regions. These branches run through the Kunar, Panjkora, and Swat rivers through deep, narrow valleys. The ranges are covered in snow and ice in the far northern region; notable peaks include Tirich Mir, which reaches 25,230 feet (7,690 meters). Because they are isolated from factors that cause precipitation, the valley walls are often barren. Deodar (a kind of cedar), pine woods, and sizable meadows dominate much of the country to the south.
Khan Pass
Khan Pass
The Safid Mountain Range, which forms a border with Afghanistan and is located south of the Kabul River, generally runs east to west and climbs to a height of around 14,000 feet (4,300 meters). In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district, its outliers are dispersed. The Kurram, Tochi, and Gumal rivers flow through the Waziristan hills, located south of the Safid Range. There are pretty wide mountain crossings south of the Kabul River. The Khyber, Kurram, Tochi, Gomal, and Bolan are them, going from north to south. The Khyber Pass is of particular historical relevance since it has frequently served as the point of entry for armies conquering the subcontinent and is wide enough to permit the passage of numerous soldiers.
The Sulaiman Range extends about north-south south of the Gamal River. Takht-e Sulaiman, the highest point in the range, features two peaks, the taller of which rises to a height of 18,481 feet (5,633 meters). The Marri and Bugti hills are where the Sulaiman Range ends in the south. The Balochistan plateau is separated from the Indus plain by the Sulaiman and, farther south, the low Kirthar Range.
The plateau of Balochistan
Balochistan’s broad tableland is home to a wide range of natural features. A basin in the northeast, centered on the cities of Zhob and Loralai, creates a trellis-shaped lobe bordered by mountain ranges on all sides. The Sulaiman Range, which connects to the Central Brahui Range at Quetta, is located east and southeast, while the Toba Kakar Range is located north and northwest (which farther west becomes the Khwaja Amran Range). As Ras Koh Range approaches the southwest, the steep terrain lessens. Mountains ring the tiny Quetta valley on all sides. The entire region looks to be a cluster of high mountains. The topography of northwest Balochistan is composed of several low-lying plateaus separated by hills west of the Ras Koh Range. The Chagai Hills, in the north, border an area of the natural desert made up of interior drainage and humans (playas).
The Central Brahui Range forms the spine of the immense wilderness of mountain ranges that make up Southern Balochistan. The Pab Range borders the Kirthar Range, which lies to the east. The Central Makran Range and the Makran Coast Range, whose steep face faces south and separates the coastal plain from the remainder of the plateau, are other significant mountains in southern Balochistan. The majority of the Makran coastline trail is made up of level mud flats encircled by sandstone hills. An ongoing development project in Gwadar, which is connected to Karachi by a better road transportation system, has shattered the isolation of the dry plain.
the plateau submontane
The Trans-Indus lowlands, the Potwar Plateau, the Salt Range, and the Sialkot area are the four main sections of the submontane plateau, located south of the northern mountain rampart.
The hill-girt plateaus of the Vale of Peshawar, Kohat, and Bannu, all of which are oases in the dry, scrub-covered environment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, make up the Trans-Indus plains, which are located west of the Indus River. The Vale of Peshawar is the most productive of them. Most of the land is covered in gravel or alluvial clay detritus made up of loose fragments or particles broken free from rock blocks by erosion and other factors. The average precipitation per year in the Vale of Peshawar is between 10 and 15 inches (250 and 380 mm), and most of the agricultural land is irrigated by canals.
