Kingdom of Pakistan

### Government

United Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy under a Pahlavi Statist One Party Dictatorship

### Region

South Asia

The **Kingdom of Pakistan** is a nation located east of the Empire of Iran, the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the Khanate of Kalat, south of the Emirate of Bukhara and west of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir, the Kingdom of Bhavnagar, the Kingdom of Jodhpur and the Kingdom of Punjab. Pakistan is the homeland of the Punjabis of the Muslim Failth, Achomi people (Sunni Islamic Iranians), Kashmiris, Indians of Islamic Faith, Sindhis, Timurids (Persian term for Muhajirs), Amiaq people and Nuristanis. Pakistan is a stable and urbanized constitutional monarchy ruled by the Abbasi Dynasty and its politics are dominated by an Ultra-Nationalist Military Dictatorship.

## History

### Early History

#### Establishment of Pakistan

The 1946 elections resulted in the Muslim League winning 90 percent of the seats reserved for Muslims. Thus, the 1946 election was effectively a plebiscite in which the Indian Muslims were to vote on the creation of Pakistan, a plebiscite won by the Muslim League. This victory was assisted by the support given to the Muslim League by the support of the landowners of Sindh and Punjab. The Indian National Congress, which initially denied the Muslim League's claim of being the sole representative of Indian Muslims, was now forced to recognise the fact. The British had no alternative except to take Jinnah's views into account as he had emerged as the sole spokesperson of the entirety of British India's Muslims. However, the British did not want colonial India to be partitioned, and in one last effort to prevent it, they devised the Cabinet Mission plan.

As the cabinet mission failed, the British government announced its intention to end the British Rule in 1946–47. Nationalists in British India—including Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad of Congress, Jinnah of the All-India Muslim League, and Master Tara Singh representing the Sikhs—agreed to the proposed terms of transfer of power and independence in June 1947 with the Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten of Burma. As the United Kingdom agreed to the partitioning of India in 1947, the modern state of Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947 (27th of Ramadan in 1366 of the Islamic Calendar), amalgamating the Muslim-majority eastern and northwestern regions of British India. It comprised the provinces of Balochistan, East Bengal, the North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab, and Sindh.

In the riots that accompanied the partition in Punjab Province, it is believed that between 200,000 and 2,000,000 people were killed in what some have described as a retributive genocide between the religions while 50,000 Muslim women were abducted and raped by Hindu and Sikh men, 33,000 Hindu and Sikh women also experienced the same fate at the hands of Muslims. Around 6.5 million Muslims moved from India to West Pakistan and 4.7 million Hindus and Sikhs moved from West Pakistan to India. It was the largest mass migration in human history. A subsequent dispute over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir eventually sparked the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948.

#### Independent Republic

After independence in 1947, Jinnah, the President of the Muslim League, became the nation's first Governor-General as well as the first President-Speaker of the Parliament, but he died of tuberculosis on 11 September 1948. Meanwhile, Pakistan's founding fathers agreed to appoint Liaquat Ali Khan, the secretary-general of the party, the nation's first Prime Minister. From 1947 to 1956, Pakistan was a monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations, and had two monarchs before it became a republic.

The creation of Pakistan was never fully accepted by many British leaders, among them Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten clearly expressed his lack of support and faith in the Muslim League's idea of Pakistan. Jinnah refused Mountbatten's offer to serve as Governor-General of Pakistan. When Mountbatten was asked by Collins and Lapierre if he would have sabotaged Pakistan had he known that Jinnah was dying of tuberculosis, he replied 'most probably'.

Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, a respected Deobandi *alim* (scholar) who occupied the position of Shaykh al-Islam in Pakistan in 1949, and Maulana Mawdudi of Jamaat-i-Islami played a pivotal role in the demand for an Islamic constitution. Mawdudi demanded that the Constituent Assembly make an explicit declaration affirming the "supreme sovereignty of God" and the supremacy of the *shariah* in Pakistan.

A significant result of the efforts of the Jamaat-i-Islami and the *ulama* was the passage of the Objectives Resolution in March 1949. The Objectives Resolution, which Liaquat Ali Khan called the second most important step in Pakistan's history, declared that "sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to God Almighty alone and the authority which He has delegated to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust". The Objectives Resolution has been incorporated as a preamble to the constitutions of 1956, 1962, and 1973.

Democracy was stalled by the martial law that had been enforced by President Iskander Mirza, who was replaced by the army chief, General Ayub Khan. After adopting a presidential system in 1962, the country experienced exceptional growth until a second war with India in 1965 that led to an economic downturn and wide-scale public disapproval in 1967. Consolidating control from Ayub Khan in 1969, President Yahya Khan had to deal with a devastating cyclone that caused 500,000 deaths in East Pakistan.

In 1970 Pakistan held its first democratic elections since independence, meant to mark a transition from military rule to democracy, but after the East Pakistani Awami League won against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Yahya Khan and the military establishment refused to hand over power. Operation Searchlight, a military crackdown on the Bengali nationalist movement, led to a declaration of independence and the waging of a war of liberation by the Bengali Mukti Bahini forces in East Pakistan, which in West Pakistan was described as a civil war as opposed to a war of liberation.

Independent researchers estimate that between 300,000 and 500,000 civilians died during this period while the Bangladesh government puts the number of dead at three million, a figure that is now nearly universally regarded as excessively inflated. Some academics such as Rudolph Rummel and Rounaq Jahan say both sides committed genocide; others such as Richard Sisson and Leo E. Rose believe there was no genocide. In response to India's support for the insurgency in East Pakistan, preemptive strikes on India by Pakistan's air force, navy, and marines sparked a conventional war in 1971 that resulted in an Indian victory and East Pakistan gaining independence as Bangladesh.

With Pakistan surrendering in the war, Yahya Khan was replaced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as president; the country worked towards promulgating its constitution and putting the country on the road to democracy. Democratic rule resumed from 1972 to 1977—an era of self-consciousness, intellectual leftism, nationalism, and nationwide reconstruction. In 1972 Pakistan embarked on an ambitious plan to develop its nuclear deterrence capability with the goal of preventing any foreign invasion; the country's first nuclear power plant was inaugurated in that same year. Accelerated in response to India's first nuclear test in 1974, this crash program was completed in 1979.

Democracy ended with a military coup in 1977 against the leftist PPP, which saw General Zia-ul-Haq become the president in 1978. From 1977 to 1988, President Zia's corporatisation and economic Islamisation initiatives led to Pakistan becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in South Asia.

### War With Iran

The Pakistani regime of General Zia-ul-Haq had decided to wage war with Iran and America in order to kick them out of Afghanistan in order for Pakistan to easily back the Islamic Mujahideen fighters against the Soviet Union without interference from America and Iran who are "causing the country problems". China joined Pakistan in order for it to make Afghanistan the dumping ground for the Uyghur people so China can purify the Xinjang region as a region that is only inhabited by Han Chinese people and to come up with an excuse to go wage war against the Soviet Union in order to annex Vietnam and help the Khmer Rouge win the Cambodian-Vietnamese war.

Things got worse as India began to invade Pakistan in order to prevent its two greatest enemies of Pakistan and China from working together in order to stop internal instability within India. Pakistan stopped aiding the Islamic Mujahideen and they decided to fight India and this resulted in the Iranian backed monarchists getting more support and they took control of Afghanistan resulting in the restoration of the Afghan Monarchy. This had angered Pakistan who decided to invade Afghanistan and oust Mohammad Zahir Shah from power.

### Establishment of the Kingdom

Iran had then invaded Pakistan and established two new puppet states, the Khanate of Kalat and the Kingdom of Pakistan. The ruler chosen for the Kingdom was Nawab Mohammad Abbas Khan Abbasi who is the son of Sadeq Mohammad Khan V who became Sadeq VI of Pakistan. Sadeq VI had reformed Pakistan as a nation and his sons had married Mughal Princesses in order to strengthen their legitimacy as rulers of Pakistan and to gain a stable foothold in Pakistan itself.

### After Establishment

Pakistan had participated in Iran's expansionist war in the Indian subcontinent in order for its master state to establish a sphere of influence and dismantle Pakistan's greatest enemy India once and for all. Pakistan had gained territories from this expansion and incorporation of those territories into Pakistan itself. The Young Bahadur Shah III had married Humaria Fatmia and they produced a horde of heirs to the Mughal throne in order to continue the dynasty and things were going great for Pakistan. Sadly the good stuff had come to end as radical Islamic terrorists from Uyghurstan are entering Pakistan and causing trouble in the region and the Military Dictatorship is cracking down on society with brute force in order to route out the Uyghur terrorists.

## Government

The Government of the Kingdom of Pakistan is a Constitutional Monarchy ruled by a Shahanshah as a ceremonial monarch who is in charge of all institutions. The Government is technically not that constitutional as the Shahanshah has some autocratic powers such as to shut down Parliament, create laws without consent, take direct control of the Military Leadership as Commander in Chief and declare states of emergency if needed. Otherwise the Shahanshah is constitutional and only remains as a symbol of unity and strength.

The Administrative Government is actually a Military Dictatorship and it was even before the Monarch was elected. The Military since then still remains in power as it is kept in power by the Iranian Imperial Armed Forces. Even though it is a military dictatorship, members of the Administrative Government are powerful non-militaristic politicians.

### Cabinet

* **King:** Sadeq VII
* **Prime Minister:** Pervez Musharraf
* **Foreign Minister:** Hina Rabbani Khar
* **Industry Minister:** Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqi
* **Minister of Finances:** Imran Khan
* **Minister of Health:** Arif Alvi
* **Minister of Defense:** Pervez Khattak
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum
* **Chief of Staff:** General Nadeem Raza
* **Chief of Army:** Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa
* **Chief of Navy:** Adm. Amjad Khan Niazi
* **Chief of Air Force:** Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar

## Military

Pakistan's Military is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backed by various constitutionally−sanctioned paramilitary forces. According to Global Firepower, Pakistan's Armed Forces are ranked as the 10th most powerful military in the world. The Military currently dominates the administrative political circles of the government and they are the entity that is known to keep Pakistan loyal to Imperial Iran.

### Army

The Royal Army of Pakistan is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan Army's primary objective and constitutional mission is to ensure the national security and national unity of Pakistan by defending it against external aggression or the threat of war. It can also be requisitioned by the Pakistani federal government to respond to internal threats by enforcing security to keep the peace within its land borders. The Mughal Army has a regimental system but is operationally and geographically divided into command zones, with its most basic fields being its various corps. Pakistan's new constitution mandates the role of the King as the civilian commander-in-chief of the Pakistani military. The Pakistani Army is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff, who is by statute a four-star ranking general and a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee appointed by the prime minister and subsequently affirmed by the King.

### Navy

The Royal Navy of Pakistan is the naval branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces. It came into existence by transfer of personnel and equipment from the Royal Indian Navy that ceased to exist following the partition of British India through a parliamentary act that established the independence of Pakistan and India from the United Kingdom on 14 August 1947. Its primary objective is to ensure the defense of the sea lines of communication of the Pakistani Kingdom and safeguarding the Empire's maritime interests by executing national policies through the exercise of military effect, diplomatic and humanitarian activities in support of these objectives. In addition to its war services, the Navy has mobilized its war assets to conduct humanitarian rescue operations at home as well as participating in multinational task forces mandated by the United Nations to prevent seaborne terrorism and piracy off the coasts. The Navy is commanded by the Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, who is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Chief of Naval Staff is nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the King.

### Air Force

The Royal Pakistani Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defense of the Kingdom, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistani Army and Navy when required, and a tertiary role of providing strategic airlift capability to the Kingdom. Its primary mandate and mission is "to provide, in synergy with other inter-services, the most efficient, assured and cost effective aerial defense of the Empire." Under Article 243, the Constitution of Pakistan appoints the King as the civilian Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), by statute a four-star commissioned air officer, is appointed by the King with the consultation and confirmation needed from the Prime Minister.

## Economy

The economy of Pakistan is the 20th largest in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), and 35th largest in terms of nominal gross domestic product. The Empire has a population of over 220 million people (the world's 5th-largest), giving it a GDP (nominal) of $347 billion. While estimated figure is around $435.5 billion. with a GDP per capita (nominal) of $1,666  and a GDP per capita (PPP) of $5,973.

The growth poles of Pakistan's economy are situated along the Indus River; the diversified economies of Karachi and major urban centers in the Punjab, coexisting with lesser developed areas in other parts of the country. The economy has suffered in the past from internal political disputes, a fast-growing population, and mixed levels of foreign investment. Foreign exchange reserves are bolstered by steady worker remittances, but a growing current account deficit – driven by a widening trade gap as import growth outstrips export expansion – could draw down reserves and dampen GDP growth in the medium term. Pakistan is currently undergoing a process of economic liberalization, including privatization of all government corporations, aimed to attract foreign investment and decrease budget deficits.

### Economic Aspects

#### Agriculture

Agriculture is considered the backbone of the Empire's economy, which relies heavily on its major crops. Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. Agriculture accounts for about 18.9%  of the Kingdom's GDP and employs about 42.3% of the labour force. In the Empire, the most agricultural province is Punjab where wheat and cotton are the most grown. Mango orchards are mostly found in Sindh and Punjab provinces that make Pakistan the world's 4th largest producer of mangoes. The most important crops are wheat, sugarcane, cotton, and rice, which together account for more than 75% of the value of total crop output.

Pakistan is a net food exporter, except in occasional years when its harvest is adversely affected by droughts. Pakistan exports rice, cotton, fish, fruits (especially Oranges and Mangoes), and vegetables and imports vegetable oil, wheat, pulses and consumer foods. Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. About 25% of the nation's total land area is under cultivation and is watered by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. Pakistan irrigates three times more acres than Russia. Pakistani agriculture also benefits from year round warmth. Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited is the largest financial institution geared towards the development of agriculture sector through provision of financial services and technical expertise.

#### Mining

Pakistan is endowed with significant mineral resources and is emerging as a very promising area for prospecting/exploration for mineral deposits. Based on available information, the country's more than 6,00,000 km2 of outcrops area demonstrates varied geological potential for metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits. In the wake of 18th amendment to the constitution all the provinces are free to exploit and explore the mineral resources which are in their jurisdiction. Mining and quarrying contributes 13.19% in industrial sector and its share in GDP is 2.4%.

In the recent past, exploration by government agencies as well as by multinational mining companies presents ample evidence of the occurrences of sizeable minerals deposits. Recent discoveries of a thick oxidised zone underlain by sulphide zones in the shield area of the Punjab province, covered by thick alluvial cover have opened new vistas for metallic minerals exploration. Pakistan has a large base for industrial minerals. The discovery of coal deposits having over 175 billion tonnes of reserves at Thar in the Sindh province has given an impetus to develop it as an alternative source of energy. There is vast potential for precious and dimension stones.

#### Industry

The Pakistani industrial sector (in FY21) accounts for 28.11% of the GDP. Of this, manufacturing makes up 12.52%, mining constitutes 2.18%, construction makes up 2.05%, and electricity & gas 1.36%. The majority of industry is made up of textile units, with textiles contributing $15.4b to exports, making up 56% of total exports. Other units include surgical instruments, chemicals, and a budding automotive industry. The textile industry has a pivotal position in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. In Asia, Pakistan is the eighth-largest exporter of textile products, contributing 9.5% to the GDP and providing employment to around 15 million people (some 30% of the 49 million people in the workforce). Pakistan is the fourth-largest producer of cotton with the third-largest spinning capacity in Asia after China and India, contributing 5% to the global spinning capacity.

#### Tourism

With its diverse cultures, people, and landscapes, Pakistan attracted around 6.6 million foreign tourists in 2018, which represented a significant decline since the 1970s when the country received unprecedented numbers of foreign tourists due to the popular Hippie trail. The trail attracted thousands of Europeans and Americans in the 1960s and 1970s who traveled via land through Turkey and Iran into India through Pakistan. The main destinations of choice for these tourists were the Khyber Pass, Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Swat and Rawalpindi.

Pakistan's tourist attractions range from the mangroves in the south to the Himalayan hill stations in the north-east. The country's tourist destinations range from the Buddhist ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Taxila, to the 5,000-year-old cities of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Pakistan is home to several mountain peaks over 7,000 metres (23,000 feet). The northern part of Pakistan has many old fortresses, examples of ancient architecture, and the Hunza and Chitral valleys, home to the small pre-Islamic Kalasha community claiming descent from Alexander the Great. The Mughal capital, Lahore, contains many examples of Mughal architecture such as the Badshahi Masjid, the Shalimar Gardens, the Tomb of Jahangir, and the Lahore Fort.

## Education

Education in Pakistan is overseen by the Royal Ministry of Education and the provincial governments, whereas the royal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and in the financing of research and development. Article 25-A of Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children of the age group 5 to 16 years. "The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a manner as may be determined by law".

The education system in Pakistan is generally divided into six levels: preschool (for the age from 3 to 5 years), primary (grades one through five), middle (grades six through eight), high (grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate or SSC), intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate or HSSC), and university programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees.

## Demographics

### Ethnic Groups

The major ethnic groups are Punjabis (44.7% of the country's population), Pashtuns, also known as Pathans (15.4%), Sindhis (14.1%), Saraikis (8.4%), Muhajirs or Timurds (the Indian emigrants, mostly Urdu-speaking), who make up 7.6% of the population, and the Baloch with 3.6%. The remaining 6.3% consist of a number of ethnic minorities such as the Brahuis, the Hindkowans, the Achomi people (Sunni Islamic Iranians), the various peoples of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Kashmiris, the Sheedis (who are of African descent), and the Hazaras. There is also a large Pakistani diaspora worldwide, numbering over seven million, which has been recorded as the sixth largest diaspora in the world.

### Languages

There are around 75 to 80 known Mughal languages although, in practice, there are primarily six major languages in Pakistan spoken by 95% of the population: Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Urdu, and Balochi. The official language is English and the national language is Urdu, the census indicates that around 8% of the population speak Urdu as their first language. However, due to rapid urbanization and modernization, the use of Urdu as a primary language is increasing, especially among the growing urbanized middle class of the Mughal Empire. Most Pakistanis speak or understand at least two to three languages and almost all Pakistanis speak or understand the national language, Urdu.

### Religion

The official religion of Pakistan is Islam enshrined by (Article 2) of the constitution, which is practiced by approximately 96.47% of the country's population. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Pakistani constitution, which established a fundamental right of Pakistani citizens, irrespective of their religion, to equal rights. A few aspects of Secularism has also have been adopted by Pakistani constitution from British colonial concept. The remaining less than 4% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya, Sikhism and other religions.

Muslims comprise a number of sects: the majority practice Sunni Islam (estimated at 85–90%), while a minority practice Shia Islam (estimated at 10–15%). Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Islamic law school. The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Twelver Islamic law school, with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.

Religious minorities in Pakistan often face significant discrimination, subject to issues such as violence and misuse of the blasphemy law. Though one of the dominant faiths in parts of Pakistan before the arrival of Islam beginning in the 8th century, Hinduism is presently adhered to by 4.5 million people in Pakistan (most resides in Sindh), comprising about 2.15% of the country's population according to the 2017 census, while Sikhism is professed by 20,768 people (most resides in Pakistan's Punjab), thus constituting 0.01% of the country's population.

## Culture

Civil society in the Pakistani Kingdom is largely hierarchical, emphasising local cultural etiquette and traditional Islamic values that govern personal and political life. The basic family unit is the extended family, although for socio-economic reasons there has been a growing trend towards nuclear families. The traditional dress for both men and women is the *Shalwar Kameez*; trousers, jeans, and shirts are also popular among men. In recent decades, the middle class has increased to around 35 million and the upper and upper-middle classes to around 17 million, and power is shifting from rural landowners to the urbanised elites. Pakistani festivals, including *Eid-ul-Fitr*, *Eid-ul-Azha*, *Ramazan*, Christmas, Easter, Holi, and Diwali, are mostly religious in origin. Increasing globalization has resulted in Pakistan ranking 56th on the A.T. Kearney/FP Globalization Index.

### Clothing

The *Shalwar Kameez* is the national dress of Pakistan and is worn by both men and women in all four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Kashmir. Each province has its own style of *Shalwar Kameez*. Pakistanis wear clothes in a range of exquisite colours and designs and in type of fabric (silk, chiffon, cotton, etc.). Besides the national dress, domestically tailored suits and neckties are often worn by men, and are customary in offices, schools, and social gatherings.

The fashion industry has flourished in the changing environment of the fashion world. Since Pakistan came into being, its fashion has evolved in different phases and developed a unique identity. Today, Pakistani fashion is a combination of traditional and modern dress and has become a mark of Pakistani culture. Despite modern trends, regional and traditional forms of dress have developed their own significance as a symbol of native tradition.

### Media

The private print media, state-owned Royal Pakistani Television Corporation (RPTV), and Royal Broadcasting Corporation (RBC) for radio are the dominant media outlets of the Empire. Pakistan has a large network of domestic, privately owned 24-hour news media and television channels all dominated by the two corporations.

The Lollywood, Kariwood, Punjabi and Pashto film industry is based in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. While Bollywood films were banned from public cinemas from 1965 until 2008, they have remained an important part of popular culture. In contrast to the ailing Pakistani film industry, Urdu televised dramas and theatrical performances continue to be popular, as many entertainment media outlets air them regularly. Urdu dramas dominate the television entertainment industry, which has launched critically acclaimed miniseries and featured popular actors and actresses since the 1990s.

### Literature

Pakistan has literature in Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashto, Baluchi, Persian, English, and many other languages. The Pakistan Academy of Letters is a large literary community that promotes literature and poetry in Pakistan and abroad. The National Library publishes and promotes literature in the country. Before the 19th century, Pakistani literature consisted mainly of lyric and religious poetry and mystical and folkloric works. During the colonial period, native literary figures were influenced by western literary realism and took up increasingly varied topics and narrative forms. Prose fiction is now very popular.

### Architecture

Four periods are recognized in Pakistani architecture: pre-Islamic, Islamic, colonial, and post-colonial. With the beginning of the Indus civilization around the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE, an advanced urban culture developed for the first time in the region, with large buildings, some of which survive to this day. Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, and Kot Diji are among the pre-Islamic settlements that are now tourist attractions. The rise of Buddhism and the influence of Greek civilization led to the development of a Greco-Buddhist style, starting from the 1st century CE. The high point of this era was the Gandhara style. An example of Buddhist architecture is the ruins of the Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The arrival of Islam in what is today Pakistan meant the sudden end of Buddhist architecture in the area and a smooth transition to the predominantly pictureless Islamic architecture. The most important Indo-Islamic-style building still standing is the tomb of the Shah Rukn-i-Alam in Multan. During the Mughal era, design elements of Persian-Islamic architecture were fused with and often produced playful forms of Hindustani art. Lahore, as the occasional residence of Mughal rulers, contains many important buildings from the empire. Most prominent among them are the Badshahi Mosque, the fortress of Lahore with the famous Alamgiri Gate, the colourful, Mughal-style Wazir Khan Mosque, the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, and the Shahjahan Mosque in Thatta. In the British colonial period, predominantly functional buildings of the Indo-European representative style developed from a mixture of European and Indian-Islamic components. Post-colonial national identity is expressed in modern structures such as the Faisal Mosque, the Minar-e-Pakistan, and the Mazar-e-Quaid. Several examples of architectural infrastructure demonstrating the influence of British design can be found in Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi.

### Sports

Sports are a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in the Empire, while field hockey, polo, and squash are also popular. Traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played. The Pakistan Sports Board was created in 1962 by the Ministry of Education as a corporate body for the purposes of promoting and developing uniform standards of competition in sports in Pakistan comparable to the standards prevailing internationally, and regulating and controlling sports in Pakistan on a national basis. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, now has control over the Pakistan Sports Board. The PSB controls all 39 sporting federations. The Pakistan Sports Board is supported by the Pakistan Sports Trust, which assists hard up players and associations so they can continue participating in sports.