According to ehistorylib, in 2005, Pakistan had an estimated population of 162 million people with a population growth rate of 2.1%. The economy in 2005 was largely based on agriculture, with major exports including cotton, rice, wheat and textiles. Foreign relations in 2005 were mainly focused on maintaining strong ties to neighboring countries while also participating in international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The politics of Pakistan in 2005 were dominated by President Pervez Musharraf who had been elected to office in 2001 after a general election which was considered by international observers to be generally free and fair. Musharraf’s government implemented major economic reforms aimed at improving living standards for all citizens as well as encouraging foreign investment. Despite this, the country was facing significant issues related to poverty and inequality that needed to be addressed.
Yearbook 2005
Pakistan. In the Baluchistan province, separatist guerrillas at the beginning of the year went on repeated attacks against military and police posts and gas fields. After a clash in March, when some 60 people were reported to have been killed, a 300-member semi-military police force was besieged for nearly a month by Baluchian clan warriors before a group of MPs managed to mediate.
Nearly 50 people were killed in an attack on a shrine in Baluchistan in March. However, the attack did not follow the usual pattern of sectarian violence, as both Shia and Sunni Muslims were affected.
According to countryaah, Islamabad is the capital and one of the major cities within the country of Pakistan. Domestic violence was also highlighted when Parliament voted in March on a proposal to reduce tolerance to so-called honor killings. A majority found that if a woman was killed for dishonoring her family, it would be against Islam to forbid her relatives from doing good with the murderers. However, when an appeals court in Lahore acquitted five men previously convicted of group rape by a young woman, it also attracted such attention abroad that the men were immediately arrested again by the Prime Minister.
- Also see abbreviationfinder.org for how the acronym PK stands for the country of Pakistan and other meanings of this two-letter abbreviation.
The religious fundamentalist government of the North-West Frontier Province passed a law in July to completely adapt society to the rules of Islam. However, the Supreme Court refused to approve it because it violated the Constitution.
Following the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, police raided a number of Quran schools and at least 800 suspected extremists were arrested. Three of the four suicide bombers in London had a Pakistani background and had recently visited Pakistan. A fast-written law forces all Quran schools to register and to account for their activities and funding. Persons who graduate from unregistered Qur’anic schools are prohibited from holding public service. About 1,400 foreign students would be expelled.
Parties that support President Pervez Musharraf won big in the local elections that were carried out in stages and which were bordered by numerous violence. The Islamists went back, and both they and the non-religious opposition claimed that there was gross cheating.
The peace dialogue with India continued and resulted in, among other things, in agreements for increased traffic across the border and that certain border trade was allowed. However, Indian companies are not allowed to invest in Pakistan until the Kashmir issue is resolved. The countries also agreed to store each other for test shootings with ballistic robots capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Just a few days later, Pakistan fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile without warning. That kind of robot was not included in the agreement.
Pakistan also started contacts with Israel. First, the foreign ministers of both countries met during a meeting in Istanbul, shortly thereafter President Musharraf shook hands with the Israeli Prime Minister at the UN House in New York. Musharraf also attended a dinner with a Jewish lobbying organization.
In June, the government presented an optimistic budget that was well received by the business community, as it included, among other things. lowered corporate taxes. The economy was expected to grow by 8.4% during the year. With growth in the economy, energy demand also increases. Shortly before the turn of the year, the first spades were taken to a new nuclear reactor at Chashma, south of Islamabad, which will be able to produce 325 megawatts. However, a planned dam construction at Indus in the north-western border province has provoked local and large areas under water, as well as in the downstream provinces where water is feared to be lost.
On October 8, Pakistan was hit by its worst natural disaster so far when an earthquake devastated large parts of Kashmir. Over 73,000 people were killed and 3 million became homeless. Rescue work was complicated in the difficult terrain and the outside efforts of the outside world were half-hearted. Only after more than a month did a donor meeting in Islamabad result in pledges of US $ 5.4 billion, which was slightly more than Pakistan had requested. Economically, the quake had no more severe consequences, as the affected area was among the least developed in the country. However, Pakistan decided to wait until now to buy US F-16 planes, despite the fact that the US authorized it after 15 years of blockade. Swedish Saab’s and Ericsson’s sales of an aircraft-based radar tracking system for more than SEK 8 billion also looked to be postponed in the future.
Pakistan – Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad, Islāmābād, capital of Pakistan; 1 million residents (2017). Islamabad is located in the north of the country. The city began to be planned in 1959, when Karachi ceased to be the capital of Pakistan. Islamabad became the capital in 1967, since Rawalpindi temporarily held this role. The city is divided into zones for industry, administration, housing, etc. and lacks a distinct center. In Islamabad there are universities and research institutes.
Islamabad was created as a twin city to Rawalpindi. Greek architect Konstantinos A. Doxiadis was responsible for the plan. According to his idea, the city would grow from a core of buildings of national importance, such as the presidential palace, parliament houses and ministries, along a wide street with high-rise buildings on both sides. The usual buildings were divided into sectors with smaller units hierarchically arranged, down to the family home. In each such unit, a mosque was placed on a suitable scale. The Faisal Mosque, designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, is estimated for 120,000 believers.
