JASHN-E-AZADI MUBARAK: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

14 th August 2009 marks the 62nd year of independence of my beloved homeland Pakistan. May Allah bless my country and keep it free from all evils. Happy independence day to my fellow Pakistanis.

After coming to US, I realized that very few people know about Pakistan and those who know something about Pakistan, they want to get more knowledge. So if you fall in any of the above category, you are most welcome to read today's post. I have gathered the basic and must-know things about Pakistan here.

PAKISTAN

The official name of Pakistan is The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and it came into being on 14 th August. It was founded by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. It shares its border with Afghanistan and Iran in the west, with India in the east and with China in far northeast and Arabian sea lies in the South. Pakistan comprises of 4 provinces namely:

• Sindh (Karachi is the capital city, other major cities are Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Thatta)


• Punjab (Lahore is the capital city, other major cities are Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot)


• Balochistan (Quetta is the capital city, other major cities are Sibi, Zhob, Gwadar)


• North-West Frontier Province, commonly known as NWFP (Peshawar is the capital city, other major cities are Abbottabad, Mardan, Swat)

Following territories are included in Pakistan:

• Islamabad capital territory


• Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)


• Azad Kashmir


• Northern Areas (FANA)

We are proud of our national anthem , which was written by Hafeez Jalindhri

PAKISTAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

LANGUAGES IN PAKISTAN

Pakistan is a multilingual country, more than 60 languages being spoken. Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, English is the official language.

Other major languages are:

Punjabi, Sindhi, Seraiki, Pashto, Balochi, Hindko, Kalasha, Gujarati, Memoni etc.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Pakistan comprises a total area of 803,940 km² of which 3.1% is covered with water.


• It is the 6th most populous country in the world, having a population of 180,808,000.


• Currency is Pakistani rupee (PKR)


• It is the second largest muslim country after Indonesia.


• It is a memeber of SAARC, OIC, ECO, United Nations, WTO.


• It was declared 7th nuclear state on 28th May 1998.


• The northern and western highlands of Pakistan contain the towering Karakoram and Pamir mountain ranges, which incorporate some of the world's highest peaks, including K2 and Nanga Parbat.


• The national sport is hockey, but cricket is more popular.

SEASONS IN PAKISTAN

My beautiful country is gifted with all the four seasons:

• a cool, dry winter from December through February


• a hot, dry spring from March through May


• the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September


• the retreating monsoon period of October and November.

The onset and duration of these seasons vary somewhat according to location.

Below is the clip of a popular song by a famous Pakistani band Vital signs,

DIL DIL PAKISTAN

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

• Karachi, the largest metropolitan city of Pakistan, it is a coastal city so beaches are major attractions, namely paradise point, hawksbay, sea view etc. Quaid-e-Azam's tomb is situated in Karachi. Bin qasim park is a beautiful park in Karachi.


• Lahore, second largest city, is considered a historic city as it has many examples of mughal architecture like, Lahore fort, Badshahi mosque, Shalimar Gardens and Jahangir's tomb. Minar-e- pakistan, Allam Iqbal's tomb are also in Lahore. The country's largest railway station is here. For food lovers, food street is a must-go place.


• If you are interested in ancient civilizations, then you should visit ruins of Taxilla, Harappa and Moen-jo-daro.


• Himalayan hill-stations, attract those interested in field and winter sports.


• The northern parts of Pakistan are the site of several historical fortresses, towers and other architecture including the Hunza and Chitral valleys.


• Faisal mosque is largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia, and 6th largest in the world ( can accomodate 300,000 worshippers at a time) is situated in the capital city Islamabad.


• Shahjahan mosque in thatta was built by mughal emperor Shahjehan and it can accomodate 20,000 worshippers at a time. It has 101 domes and there is no need of loud speaker or microphone, because it was designed in such a way that Imam's voice can reach every corner of the mosque.


• Multan is considered as a city of saints, many beautiful mosques are there.


• Lake saiful malook is located at northern end of Kaghan valley.

I found this clip on you tube which I want to share with all of you,

I MISS MY BEAUTIFUL PAKISTAN.

Pakistan zindabad!!!