The chronicle., 1963-11-25
KARACHI Pakistan p

blue sky while down below on
the parched earth a camel car
avian slowly plodded its way
along traditional routes, ignor-
ing the blazing sun.
Wealthy women clad in color
full flowing saris, their faces
covered only by SunglasSes, hur-
ried to stores on ElphinStone
and Victoria streets to check
most recent arrival from Euro
pean fashion centers, while
other women, covered from
head to toe and wearing the ira
ditional burqua wells, headed
for local bazaars famous for
their brass ornaments, fakirS,
and snake charmerS that re-
mind one of this country'S an
cient heritage.
Such is PakiStan today, a
land Of extreme contrasts Of
immense wealth and dire pow
erty, education and illiteracy,
modern methods and old GUS
toms existing side by side.
Pakistan's population of 100
million makes it the largest
MoSlem nation in the world and
sixth most populous on the
globe.
Created in 1947 when the SUBJ
continent was divided between
Hindus and MoSlemS when the
British left colonial India, PAX
istan is a young nation, proud
poSsessor Of a culture dating
back thousands of years, but
still struggling to sink its indie
pendent political roots.
Born out of intense Hindu
Moslem animoSity and commu-
nal riots, the country found it.
self without any Of the major
developed ports on the sub
continent, with all communci-
cation and rail lines running to
Delhi, and with its economy
dominated by Indian banks.
Split into two parts separated
by more than 1000 miles Of
Indian territory, Indian officials
had few serious objections to
the creation Of PakiStan because
they simply didn't believe it
could survive.
West Pakistan, which
stretches &c. 04 square miles
from the shore of the Arabian
Sea, across the arid deserts of
the southwest and the stored
InudS plain up to historic Khy-
Der Pass and the towering snow
capped Himalayan ranges, is
known as the gateway between
the Middle East and Asia. :.
Because of widespread litter
acy (85 per cent? and poor
earningS-the per capita income
is estimated at about 20 us.
dollars per year, among the
lowest in the world-the aver
age person in West Pakistan
does not take much interest in
politics. He is content to let the
wealthy people worry about po-
litical problems while he con-
Germs himself with the more
immediate problem of making
a living.
Karachi, once the capital and
still the home of the foreign
office and embassies, is the in
duStrial center Of PakiStan.
Situated on the Arabian Sea,
this Sprawling city of 2 million
persons is the nerve center of
the country's economy. From it
stretches Pakistan's economic
lifelineS with the outside world
by sea, rail, air and tele-
communications.
Not far beyond the city limits
starts the great desert area
which is sprinkled with a max
imum of four inches of rain a
year. This vast area-a waste
land save for the lifegiving In
dus River-reaches 800 miles
north almost to Lahore.
Several hundred miles further
north lies Rawalpindi, tradition
al seat Of the army situated in
the shadows of the Himalayan
mountains and Kashmir, the
major trouble spot between In
dia and Pakistan.
Rawalpindi, with its wide
whiteWashed streets and well
kept buildings, is the temporary
capital Of the country until ISla-
mabad, now being constructed
10 miles beyond, is completed
While n e'S miSerlineSS
with rain and other elements
has been a major problem for