1.
Benazir Bhutto
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Benazir Bhutto was the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan and the leader of the centre-left Pakistan Peoples Party. She was the first woman to head a Muslim majority nation, born in Karachi, her father, Zulfikar, went on to serve as Pakistans prime minister in the 1970s. Benazir was educated at Harvard and at Oxford, also serving as the first Asian woman to preside over the Oxford Union, after the 1977 military coup which overthrew her fathers government, Benazir along with her family were repeatedly placed under house arrest. After her father was hanged in 1979 Benazir, along with her mother Nusrat, in 1984 Benazir, along with her family, left for London where she resided until 1988. After her return, Benazir successfully led the Peoples Party through the 1988 election, after winning support from a coalition government in the national assembly, Benazir assumed the Prime Ministers Office in December 1988. Benazir however struggled to control over power, marked by political. Benazirs government was dismissed on August 7,1990 by the then President who accused her administration of corruption, Benazir went on to once again lead her party through the 1990 election, however failed to win a parliamentary majority. Later in 2012, Pakistans Supreme Court would rule that the 1990 election was rigged by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence in favour of the conservative Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. Despite electoral fraud, Benazir served as the Leader of the Opposition until the government was also dismissed in 1996 over charges of corruption. Bhutto successfully led her party to victory in the 1993 parliamentary elections and her second term was marked with several controversies including the assassination of her brother Murtaza during a police encounter in Karachi. Her husband and cabinet member, Asif Ali Zardari, was indicted for the murder but later exonerated and her husband went on to serve eight years in prison while she led her party to an unsuccessful re-election campaign during the 1997 election. In 1998, Benazir went into self-exile to her estate in Emirates Hills in Dubai, in August 2003, a Swiss court convicted Benazir and Zardari of receiving kickbacks from a government contract with two Swiss companies. She returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007 after she was granted amnesty on corruption charges as part of a controversial agreement, on 19 October 2007, Benazir returned to Karachi, where her campaign bus came under attack leaving dozens of her supporters dead, while she remained safe. Later that year Benazir was assassinated in an attack while leaving a campaign event in Rawalpindi. She was buried at the Bhutto family mausoleum in rural Sindh, Benazir left a deeply polarising legacy, her career has been celebrated as a triumph for women in the Muslim world and for the global fight against Islamic extremism. At the same time, she is accused of corruption and bad governance and her death was followed by the victory of Peoples Party led by her husband, Asif, and son Bilawal, with the former becoming Pakistans president in 2008. The Guardian, writing about Benazir, termed her a victim, as well as in part a culprit, writing her obituary, The New York Times referred her as a woman of grand aspirations with a taste for complex political maneuverings. Several universities and public buildings in Pakistan bear Benazirs name, while her career influenced a number of activists including Malala Yousafzai and she authored two books, named Daughter of the East and Reconciliation, Islam, Democracy, and the West
2.
Lahore
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Lahore is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second most populous city in Pakistan and the 32nd most populous city in the world, the city is located in the north-eastern end of Pakistans Punjab province, near the border with the Indian state of Punjab. Lahore is ranked as a world city, and is one of Pakistans wealthiest cities with an estimated GDP of $58.14 billion as of 2014. Lahore is the cultural centre of the Punjab region, and is the largest Punjabi city in the world. The city has a history, and was once under the rule of the Hindu Shahis, Ghaznavids, Ghurids. Lahore reached the height of its splendour under the Mughal Empire, the city was contested between the Maratha Empire and Durrani Empire, then became capital of the Sikh Empire, before becoming the capital of the Punjab under British rule. Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Lahore became the capital of Pakistans Punjab province, Lahore is one of Pakistans most liberal and cosmopolitan cities. It exerts a strong influence over Pakistan. Lahore is a centre for Pakistans publishing industry, and remains the foremost centre of Pakistans literary scene. The city is also a centre of education in Pakistan. Lahore is also home to Pakistans film industry, Lollywood, and is a centre of Qawwali music. The city is much of Pakistans tourist industry, with major attractions including the old Walled City. Lahore is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Lahore Fort, the etymology of Lahore is uncertain, but according to legend the city was once known as Lavapura, in honour of Prince Lava of the Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana. Lahore Fort also contains a vacant Lava temple, dedicated to the founder of the city. Lahore was called by different names throughout history, to date there is no conclusive evidence as to when it was founded. Lahore is described as a Hindu principality in the Rajput accounts, keneksen, the founder of Suryavansha, is believed to have migrated out from the city. The Solanki tribe, belonging to Amukhara Pattan, which included the Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer, Lahore appears as the capital of the Punjab for the first time under Anandapala – the Hindu Shahi king who is referred to as the ruler of –after leaving the earlier capital of Waihind. Few references to Lahore remain from before its capture by Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi in the 11th century, the sultan took Lahore after a long siege and battle in which the city was torched and depopulated
3.
University of Karachi
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The University of Karachi is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan being established as a university in 1951 under the leadership of Oxford trained Dr. ABA Haleem. The university spans over 53 Departments and 19 world-class research institutes operating under nine faculties, there are over 800 academics and more than 2500 supporting staff working for the university. The university has affiliated with world-renowned and notable scholars have been associated and affiliated with the university as faculty, researchers. The university is a member of Association of Commonwealth Universities of the United Kingdom, at the time of establishment of Pakistan as a sovereign state in 1947, the means for higher education and research were negligible and diminished in the country. After a heavy political lobbying backed by the residents of Karachi, on 23 October 1950, the Karachi University Act was authorized and after an amendment in 1951, it was enacted by the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. Its first Vice-chancellor was Muslim League activist and political scientist, Dr. Ahmad Haleem, in 1953 it started its teaching and research activities at two faculties, the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science. For the first two years, the University of Karachi remained as a university for the affiliated colleges. Over the years, the enrollment expanded so rapidly that the its status was redefined by the government as a research university of Sindh. The enrollment of students at the campus is around 28,000. There are about 1,000 faculty members and more than 3,000 supporting staff, the university campus is spread over 1,279 acres of land, situated 12 km away from the city center of Karachi. About four percent of the students are foreigners who come from 23 different countries in regions as diverse as Central Asia, South Asia. The university has a standard of teaching, with many professors being well-known scholars and academics of international repute. In a short span of 40 years, the university has risen to acquire a status in the field of education in Pakistan as well as regionally. The department of architecture has produced award-winning designers, architects, and artists, the library became the depository of the personal book collection of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Established and constructed in 1952, the Dr. Mahmud Hussain Library is a five story. Teachers from over 100 affiliated colleges frequent the university, along with scholars from 19 research institutions, a loan and resource sharing system exists with other academic entities in the Karachi area. A digital library enables the scholars and students to access online books,25 librarians,10 assistant librarians, and around 90 nonprofessional staff help maintain the library
4.
Urdu
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Urdu is a persianized standard register of the Hindustani language. It is the language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also one of the 22 official languages recognized in the Constitution of India, hyderabad, Rampur, Bhopal and Lucknow are noted Urdu-speaking cities of India. Urdu is historically associated with the Muslims of the northern Indian subcontinent, apart from specialized vocabulary, Urdu is mutually intelligible with Standard Hindi, another recognized register of Hindustani. Urdu, like Hindi, is a form of Hindustani, Urdu developed under the influence of the Persian and Arabic languages, both of which have contributed a significant amount of vocabulary to formal speech. Around 99% of Urdu verbs have their roots in Sanskrit and Prakrit, Urdu words originating from Chagatai and Arabic were borrowed through Persian and hence are Persianized versions of the original words. For instance, the Arabic ta marbuta changes to he or te, nevertheless, contrary to popular belief, Urdu did not borrow from the Turkish language, but from Chagatai. Urdu and Turkish borrowed from Arabic and Persian, hence the similarity in pronunciation of many Urdu, Arabic influence in the region began with the late first-millennium Arab invasion of India in the 7th century. The Persian language was introduced into the subcontinent a few centuries later by various Persianized Central Asian Turkic and Afghan dynasties including that of the Delhi Sultanate. With the advent of the British Raj, Persian was no longer the language of administration but Hindustani, still written in the Persian script, the name Urdu was first used by the poet Ghulam Hamadani Mushafi around 1780. From the 13th century until the end of the 18th century Urdu was commonly known as Hindi, the language was also known by various other names such as Hindavi and Dehlavi. The communal nature of the language lasted until it replaced Persian as the language in 1837 and was made co-official. Urdu was promoted in British India by British policies to counter the previous emphasis on Persian and this triggered a Brahman backlash in northwestern India, which argued that the language should be written in the native Devanagari script. At independence, Pakistan established a highly Persianized literary form of Urdu as its national language, English has exerted a heavy influence on both as a co-official language. Owing to interaction with other languages, Urdu has become localized wherever it is spoken, similarly, the Urdu spoken in India can also be distinguished into many dialects like Dakhni of South India, and Khariboli of the Punjab region since recent times. Because of Urdus similarity to Hindi, speakers of the two languages can understand one another if both sides refrain from using specialized vocabulary. The syntax, morphology, and the vocabulary are essentially identical. Thus linguists usually count them as one language and contend that they are considered as two different languages for socio-political reasons
5.
Punjab, Pakistan
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Punjab, is Pakistans second largest province by area after Balochistan, and its most populous province with an estimated population of 101,391,000 as of 2015. It is bordered by Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the regions of Islamabad Capital Territory and it also shares borders with the Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The provincial capital of Punjab is the city Lahore, a centre of Pakistan where the countrys cinema industry. Punjab has been inhabited since ancient times, the Indus Valley Civilization, dating to 2600 BCE, was first discovered at Harappa. Punjab features heavily in the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, in 326 BCE, Alexander the Great defeated King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes near Mong, Punjab. The Umayyad empire conquered Punjab in the 8th century CE, Punjab was later invaded by Tamerlane, Babur, and Nader Shah. Punjab reached the height of its splendour during the reign of the Mughal Empire, following a successful rebellion, Sikh-led armies claimed Lahore in 1759. The administration of the Sikh Empire was based out of Lahore, the province was formed when the Punjab province of British India was divided along religious boundaries in 1947 by the Radcliffe Line after Partition. Punjab is Pakistans most industrialised province with the industrial sector making up 24% of the gross domestic product. Punjab is known in Pakistan for its prosperity, and has the lowest rate of poverty amongst all Pakistani provinces. Punjab is also one of South Asias most urbanized regions with approximately 40% of people living in urban areas and its human development index rankings are high relative to the rest of Pakistan. Punjab is known in Pakistan for its relatively liberal social attitudes, the province has been strongly influenced by Sufism, with numerous Sufi shrines spread across Punjab which attract millions of devotees annually. The founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak, was born in the Punjab town of Nankana Sahib near Lahore, Punjab is also the site of the Katasraj Temple, which features prominently in Hindu mythology. Several UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in Punjab, including the Shalimar Gardens, the Lahore Fort, the excavations at Taxila. The region was known to the Greeks as Pentapotamia, meaning the region of five rivers. The word Punjab was formally introduced in the early 17th century CE as an elision of the Persian words panj and āb, thus meaning the five rivers, similar in meaning to the Greek name for the region. The five rivers, namely Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, flow via the Panjnad River into the Indus River, of the five great rivers of Punjab, four course through Pakistans Punjab province. Due to its location, the Punjab region came under constant attack and witnessed centuries of invasions by the Persians, Greeks, Kushans, Scythians, Turks
6.
Karachi
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Karachi is the capital of Sindh, and is the largest and most populous city in Pakistan, as well as the 7th largest in the world and the worlds second most populous city proper. Ranked as a world city, the city is Pakistans premier industrial and financial centre. Karachi is also Pakistans most cosmopolitan city, though the Karachi region has been inhabited for millennia, the city was founded as a village named Kolachi that was established as a fortified settlement in 1729. By the time of the Partition of British India, the city was the largest in Sindh with a population of 400,000. Immediately following the independence of Pakistan, the population increased dramatically with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees from India. The city experienced economic growth following independence, attracting migrants from throughout Pakistan. Karachi is now Pakistans premier industrial and financial centre, the city has a formal economy estimated to be worth $113 billion as of 2014. Karachi collects over a third of Pakistans tax revenue, and generates approximately 20% of Pakistans GDP, approximately 30% of Pakistani industrial output is from Karachi, while Karachis ports handle approximately 95% of Pakistans foreign trade. Approximately 90% of the corporations operating in Pakistan are headquartered in Karachi. Up to 70% of Karachis workforce is employed in the informal economy, Karachi is one of Pakistans most secular and socially liberal cities. It is also the most linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse city in Pakistan, Karachi is considered to be one of the worlds fastest growing cities, and has communities representing almost every ethnic group in Pakistan. Karachi is also home to over 2 million Bangladeshi migrants,1 million Afghans, the citys murder rate in 2015 had decreased by 75% compared to 2013, and kidnappings decreased by 90%, with the improved security environment triggering sharp increases in real-estate prices. Karachi was reputedly founded in 1729 as the settlement of Kolachi, the new settlement is said to have been named in honour of Mai Kolachi, whose son is said to have slayed a man-eating crocodile in the village after his elder brothers had already been killed by it. The citys inhabitants are referred to by the demonym Karachiite in English, the earliest inhabitants of the Karachi region are believed to have been hunter-gatherers, with ancient flint tools discovered at several sites. The Karachi region is believed to have known to the ancient Greeks. The region may be the site of Krokola, where Alexander the Great once camped to prepare a fleet for Babylonia, in 711 C. E. Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Sindh and Indus Valley. The Karachi region is believed to have known to the Arabs as Debal. Under Mirza Ghazi Beg the Mughal administrator of Sindh, development of coastal Sindh, under his rule, fortifications in the region acted as a bulwark against Portuguese incursions into Sindh
7.
Yousaf Raza Gillani
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He currently serves as the vice-chairman of the central executive committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party. On 11 February 2001, Gillani was imprisoned in Adiala Jail by a military court instituted under President Pervez Musharraf on accusations and charges of corruption, in the wake of 2008 general elections, his party formed a four-party coalition alliance and nominated him for the office of Prime minister. He is the first prime minister holds the distinction for successfully presenting five consecutive federal budgets. But his policies, without meaningful economic reforms, led to a rise in inflation and sharp decline in economic performance. A consistently strong US ally as prime minister, Gillani was ranked as 38th most powerful person in the world by Forbes, Makhdoom Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani belongs to an influential Sufi Muslim family of Multan. He is a descendant of the Sufi saint Zahed Gilani, who belonged to the Iranian province of Gilan and his father Makhdoom Syed Alamdar Hussain Gilani was one of the signatory of the Pakistan resolution and later served as a provincial minister in Punjab. His Uncle Makhdoom Syed Wilayat Hussain Shah served as the chairman of District council Multan whereas he also remained a member of the legislative assembly, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani was Born on 9 June 1952 in Multan, Punjab, West-Pakistan. Gillani moved to Lahore, Punjab, attending the Forman Christian College University and he attended Government College University and obtained his B. A. in Journalism in 1970, and followed by a MA in Political journalism from the University of the Punjab in 1976. In an interview given to Vasatolah Khan of BBC Urdu, Gilani maintained that if he had not pursue his career in the national politics, Gillani is married to Fauzia Wahab, together they have four sons and one daughter, and five Grandchildren. Abdul Qadir is alleged to have involved in a corruption case over arrangements for pilgrims to Mecca. Gillanis three other sons Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Musa Gillani and Ali Haider Gillani are triplets, Qasim Gillani is currently doing his undergraduate studies at Brunel University of London. Ali Haider Gillani is studied at School of Economics in Lahore, Ali Musa Gillani after completing his studies is now actively participating in politics. Ali Musa was questioned by the Anti-Narcotics Force agents over a scandal, on 9 May 2013, his son, Ali Haider Gilani, was kidnapped by several armed men in Multan in central Pakistan during an election rally. A group called the Al Mansuri Brigade has kidnapped his son and he has spent the last three years in captivity, before being rescued in a joint operation between American-led NATO special forces and Afghan forces in May 2016. He soon left the PML, because of differences with the PMLs leadership. He was chosen by General Zia-ul-Haq as a nominee for public servant work in Multan, in 1983, Gillani became chairman of the Multan union council commonly known as District Mayor of Zila Nazim in Pakistan. The constituency seat is held by Jehangir Khan Tareen. Gillani fell out with Prime minister Mohammad Junejo and was sidlined from the Pakistan Muslim League by the senior leadership, later, he was ousted by Prime minister Junejo and was replaced by other members
8.
Iraq and weapons of mass destruction
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Iraqs military arsenal included weapons of mass destruction starting from 1960s, effectively ending with its near total destruction in the 1990s. Iraq used chemical weapons on multiple occasions, both domestically and in the war against Iran, after the first Gulf War in 1991, the UN Security Council required Iraq to eliminate its chemical, biological and previously unknown nuclear weapon programs under UN verification. Iraq was subsequently accused of having restarted its WMD programs, which was the justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States. In the 1980s, Saddam pursued an extensive weapons program. In response to diminishing Iraqi cooperation with UNSCOM, the United States called for withdrawal of all UN and IAEA inspectors in 1998, the 1999 disarmament report by UNSCOM listed large quantities of WMD material that was unaccounted for. The United States and the UK asserted that Saddam Hussein still possessed large hidden stockpiles of weapons of destruction in 2003. In the event of proactive Iraqi cooperation, he said it would take, however, in his May 2003 report to the U. N. Blix said that his team had made little progress accounting for other materials which Iraq claims to have unilaterally destroyed. The United States asserted this was a breach of Resolution 1441, later U. S. -led inspections found out that Iraq had earlier ceased active WMD production and stockpiling. The report also found that Iraq had worked covertly to maintain the intellectual and physical capacity to produce WMDs, in 2015 it was learned that Iraqs weapons of mass destruction had not been fully accounted for by UN inspections. Operation Avarice, headed by army intelligence and the CIA, involved the purchase of the weapons from the unidentified individual to keep them off the black market. 1959 – August 17 USSR and Iraq wrote an agreement about building a power plant. 1968 – a Soviet supplied IRT-2000 research reactor together with a number of facilities that could be used for radioisotope production was built close to Baghdad. 1975 – Saddam Hussein arrived in Moscow and asked about building a model of an atomic power station. Moscow would approve if the station was regulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yet an agreement of co-operation was signed on April 15, which superseded the one from 1959, after 6 months Paris agreed to sell 72 kg of 93% Uranium and built a nuclear power plant without International Atomic Energy Agency control at a price of $3 billion. In the early 1970s, Saddam Hussein ordered the creation of a nuclear weapons program. Iraqs weapons of mass destruction programs were assisted by a variety of firms. Other German firms sent 1,027 tons of precursors of mustard gas, sarin, tabun and this work allowed Iraq to produce 150 tons of mustard agent and 60 tons of Tabun in 1983 and 1984 respectively, continuing throughout the decade
9.
President of Pakistan
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The President of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and a figurehead who represents the unity of the Republic. The President holds the title de jure and is a civilian commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces as per the constitution of Pakistan. In addition, the constitution prohibits the President from exercising the authority of running the government, the president is indirectly elected by the Parliament through the Electoral College for a five-year term. The Constitution requires the President to be a Muslim of not less than forty-five years of age, the President resides in an estate in Islamabad known as Aiwan-e-Sadar. There have been a total of 12 Presidents, in case of absence of the President, the Chairman Senate takes over as the Acting President until the President resumes office, or the election for the next President is held. The current President is Mamnoon Hussain, who took office on 9 September 2013 as the 12th President of Pakistan, the official residence and principal workplace of the president is the Aiwan-e-Sadr— the presidential palace located in northeastern Islamabad. The presidency forms the vital institutional organ of state and is part of the bicameral Parliament, powers to exercise the authority are limited to the ceremonial figurehead, and required to address the Parliament to give a direction for national policies before being informed of its key decisions. In addition, the President is also a civil commander-in-chief of the military, after a thorough confirmation comes from the Prime Minister, the President confirms the judicial appointments in the national court system. In addition, the Constitution allows the President to grant pardons, reprieves, and clemency in cases recommended to him by the executive and the judiciary. The President himself has absolute immunity from criminal and civil proceedings. There shall be a President of Pakistan who shall be the Head of State, furthermore, the presidential powers have significantly declined with Pakistans government reversed to a parliamentary democratic republic. The Constitution of Pakistan sets the qualifications that the candidate must meet to be eligible to the office of the President. A President has to be, A citizen of Pakistan, at least 45 years of age. Qualified to be elected as member of the National Assembly, whenever the Aiwan-e-Sadr becomes vacant, the selection of president is done by the electoral college, which consists of both houses of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies. The Chief Election Commissioner has to conduct elections to the office of the President in a special session, each elector casts a different number of votes. The general principle is that the number of votes cast by members of Parliament equals the total number of votes cast by provincial legislators. Also, legislators from larger states cast more votes than those from smaller provinces, the president is elected indirectly for a term of five years. The incumbent president is eligible for re-election to that office, the President may be removed before the expiry of the term through impeachment
10.
Pervez Musharraf
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Pervez Musharraf is a Pakistani politician and a retired four-star army general who was the tenth President of Pakistan from 2001 until tendering resignation, to avoid impeachment, in 2008. Musharraf entered the Pakistan Military Academy in 1961 and was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1964, Musharraf saw action in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as a second lieutenant, by the 1980s, Musharraf was commanding an artillery brigade. In the 1990s, he was promoted to general and assigned an infantry division. Later he served as deputy secretary and the director general of military operation. Musharraf rose to prominence when he was elevated to the four-star general, appointed by then-Prime Minister Sharif in October 1998. He led the Kargil infiltration that brought India and Pakistan to a war in 1999. Musharraf became the head of the government while remaining the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in 2001. Although, Musharraf relinquished the position of chairman of joint chiefs in 2001 and he became the President of Pakistan on 20 June 2001, only to win a controversial referendum on May 1,2002 which awarded him five years of presidency. In October the same year, he oversaw a general election in 2002, over the next several years, Musharraf survived a number of assassination attempts. He reinstated the constitution in 2002, though it was amended with the Legal Framework Order. He also saw a process of social liberalism under his enlightened moderation program, while promoting economic liberalisation. He oversaw a rise of in overall gross domestic product at around 50%, however domestic savings declined, more importantly, Musharraf has been accused of human rights abuses. As Shaukat Aziz departed as Prime Minister, and after approving the suspension of the branch in 2007. Upon his return, Musharraf was disqualified from taking part in the elections by High Court judges in April 2013, on 31 March 2014, Musharraf was booked and charged with high treason for implementing emergency rule and suspending the constitution in 2007. His legacy is mixed, his era saw the emergence of a more middle class. Pervez Musharraf was born on 11 August 1943 to an Urdu-speaking family in Delhi and his family belonged to the Sayyid nobility. He is the son of Syed and Zarin Musharraf and his father, Syed Musharraf, graduated from the Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, and was a civil servant under the government of British India. His mother Zarin, born in the early 1920s, graduated from Delhi and Lucknow University, Musharrafs first childhood home was called Neharwali Haveli, literally house by the canal
