The land of Pakistan has an area of 8,03,950 square kilometers and population over 120
million. It is rich in landscapes and cultural traditions. Half a dozen civilizations have
flourished here and left their imprints. Historically this is one of the most ancient
lands known to man. Its cities flourished before Babylon was built; its people practised
the art of good living and citizenship before the celebrated ancient Greeks. |
Pakistan traces its history back at least 2,500 years
before Christ, when a highly developed civilization flourished in the Indus Valley
area. Excavations at Harappa, Moenjodaro and Kot Diji have brought to light, evidence
of an advanced civilization existing even in most ancient times.
Round
about 1500 B.C. the Aryans overwhelmed this region and sowly influenced the Hindu
civilization, whose center moved to the Ganges Valley, further east. Later the Persians
occupied the northern region in the 6th century B.C. and upto the 2nd century A.D. The
Greeks came in 327 B.C., under Alexander of Macedonia, and passed away like a meteor. In
712 A.D. the Arabs, led by Muhammad Bin Qasim, landed somewhere near modern Karachi, and
ruled the lower half of Pakistan for two hunderd years. During this time Islam took roots
in the soil and influenced the life, culture and traditions of the people.
In the 10th
century A.D. began the systematic conquest of Indo-Pakistan by Muslims from Central Asia
who ruled almost the whole subcontinent upto the 8th century A.D. when the British took
charge of the land and ruled for nearly 200 years - for only 100 years over what is
Pakistan now.
The Muslim revival
in the subcontinent began towards the end of the last century when Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a
renowned Muslim leader and educationist, launched a movement for intellectual renaissance
of the Indian Muslims.In 1930, the well-known poet-philosopher, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal
conceived the idea of a separate state for the Muslims of the sub-continent. In 1940, a
resolution was adopted by the All-India Muslim League demanding a separate independent
homeland for the Muslims under the brilliant leadershisp of Quaid-i-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistan emereged on the map of the world as a sovereign
state on 14th August, 1947, when the British India Empire was partitioned into two
independent states Pakistan and India. |
