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History
of Pakistan.
Pakistan emerged on the world map as an independent sovereign state
in August 1947, as a result of the division of the British Indian
Empire. With a land area of 796,095 sq. km. [including FATA (Federal
Administered Tribal Areas) and FANA (Federal Administered Northern
Areas)], its population stands at nearly 130.60 million, according
to the 1998 Census. Historically, this is one of the most ancient
lands known to man. Its cities flourished before Babylon was built;
its people practiced the art of good living and citizenship before
the celebrated ancient Greeks.
The region traces its history back to at least
2,500 years before Christ, when a highly developed civilization
flourished in the Indus Valley. Excavations at Harappa, Mohenjodaro
and Kot Diji have brought to light evidence of an advanced civilization
flourishing here even in most ancient times. Around 1,500 B.C. the
Aryans conquered this region and slowly pushed the Hindu inhabitants
further east, towards the Ganges Valley. Later, the Persians occupied
the northern regions in 5th century B.C. The Greeks came in 327
B.C., under Alexander of Macedonia, and ran through the region like
a meteor. In 712 A.D. the Arabs, led by Mohammed Bin Qasim, landed
somewhere near what is now Karachi, and ruled the lower half of
Pakistan for two hundred years. During this time Islam took root
and influenced the life, culture and traditions of the inhabitants
of the region. |