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History
Isolated remains of Homo Erectus in has
been found indicating
that Pakistan might
have been inhabited
since atleast the
Middle Pleistocene
era. The precise date
of these remains is
unclear, and archaeologists
put it anywhere between
200,000 to 500,000
BCE. The fossils are
the earliest human
remains found in South
Asia. More than 60%
of Pakistanis have
their mtDNA maternal
roots in South Asian
specific branches
of haplogroup
'M'. Because of its
great time depth and
virtual absence in
western Eurasians,
it has been suggested
that haplogroup M
was brought to Asia
after their evolution
in Africa, along the
southern route, by
the earliest migration
wave of anatomically
modern humans, Homo
Sapiens, nearly 60,000
years ago
The original inhabitants of Pakistan
may have been the
tribals speaking languages
related to Munda family
of languages. Pakistan
was the site of the
world's oldest 8,000
year old civilisation
at Mehrgarh
in the Balochistan
province. The Mehrgarh
declined about the
same time as the Indus
Valley Civilization
only 200 Kilometers
south east was developing.
It has been surmised
that the Mehrgarh
residents moved to
fertile Indus River
valley as Balochistan
became arid over time.
The Dravidians invaded
from the Iranian plateau
and settled in the
Indus valley around
4000 BCE. The Dravidian
culture blossomed
over the centuries
and gave rise to the
Indus Valley Civilization
of Pakistan around
3000 BCE. The main
site of the Indus
Valley Civilization
in Punjab was the
city of Harappa.
The Indus
Valley Civilization
spanned much of what
is today Pakistan,
but suddenly went
into decline just
prior to the invasion
of Indo-European Aryan
tribes from the Eastern
Europe. A branch of
these tribes called
the Indo-Aryans are
believed to have founded
the Vedic Civilization
that have existed
between Sarasvati
River and Ganges river
around 1500 BCE and
also infuenced the
Indus Valley Civilization.
This civilization
helped shape subsequent
cultures in South
Asia. Due to its location,
the Punjab region
came under constant
attack and influence
from the west. Conquered
by the Persians, Greeks,
Mauryans, Kushans,
Arabs, Turks, Afghans,
and Sikhs, Pakistani
Punjab developed a
unique culture that
combined that of significant
Middle Eastern and
Central Asian influences
even prior to the
coming of
Islam.
The Punjabis were in ancient times were
predominantly Buddhist
and were in the process
of coming under the
influence of Hinduism
when Umayyad Muslim
Arab army led by Muhammad
bin Qasim conquered
Punjab, and the present
Pakistan from Kashmir
to the Arabian Sea,
in 713. The predominant
population of Punjab,
and the rest of Pakistan,
converted to
Islam but there
were significant non-Muslim
populations including
Hindus and later Sikhs.
During the reign of
Mahmud
of Ghazni, the
province became an
important center and
Lahore
was made into a second
capital of the Ghaznavid
Empire. Various tribes
such as the Gakhars
would often dominate
local affairs and
would either act as
vassals to the larger
empires or lead local
rebellions. Later,
the Mughals
took control of the
region from 1524 until
1739 and would also
lavish the province
with building projects
such as the Shalimar
Gardens and the Badshahi
Mosque. The Muslim
technocrats, bureaucrats,
soldiers, traders,
scientists, architects,
teachers, theologians
and sufis flocked
from the rest of the
Muslim world to Islamic
Sultanate in South
Asia and many settled
in the Punjab. Following
the decline of the
Mughals, Nadir Shah
sacked the province
in 1739 and then the
Afghan conquerer Ahmad
Shah Durrani annexed
the province into
his Durrani Empire
from 1747 until 1799.
During the Mughal
period, the religion
of Sikhism was born
and emerged as a formidable
military force as
the Sikhs wrested
control from the weakened
descendents of Ahmad
Shah Durrani. Led
by Ranjit Singh the
province came under
the brutal Sikh occupation
from 1799 to 1849
during which the Muslims
were persecuted. After
the British defeated
the Sikhs in 1849,
the Muslims of Punjab
hailed them as liberaters
from the barbaric
Sikh rule. In 1947
the Punjab province
was divided along
religious lines as
the western Punjabis
voted to join the
new state of Pakistan
while the easterners
joined India. The
Hindu and Sikhs fanatics
massacred over one
million Muslims refugees
fleeing from India.
Since the independence,
province has rapidly
industrialized and
is the breadbasket
of the country as
well as home to the
largest ethnic group
in Pakistan, the Punjabis.
Geography
Punjab is Pakistan's second largest province
at 205,344 km² (79,284
square miles) and is located
at the northwestern edge
of the geologic plate in
South Asia. The capital
and main city of Punjab
is Lahore,
which has been the historical
capital of the region. Other
important cities include
Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala,
and Rawalpindi. The province
is home to five rivers:
the Indus, Sutlej, Chenab,
Jhelum, Ravi.
The province is a mainly a fertile region
along the rivers valleys, while
spare deserts can be found near
the border with India and Balochistan.
The region contains the Thar
and Cholistan deserts. In the
north province borders Kashmir,
in the west by Sarhad
and in south by Sindh.
The Indus River and its many
tributaries traverse the Punjab
from north to south. The landscape
is amongst the most heavily
irrigated land on earth and
canals can be found throughout
the province. Weather extremes
are notable from the hot and
barren south to the cool hills
of the north. The foothills
of the Himalayas are found in
the extreme north as well.
Demographics and Society
The population of the province is estimated
to be 86,084,000 in 2005 and
is home to over half the population
of Pakistan. The major language
spoken in the Punjab is Punjabi
(which is written in Perso-Arabic
script, known as Shahmukhi,
in Pakistan) and Punjabis comprise
the largest ethnic group. Punjabis
themselves are a heterogenous
group comprising different tribes
and communities, The most important
tribes within Punjab include
the Gakhars, Jats, the Arain,
the Gujjars and the Rajputs.
Other smaller tribes are the
:Awans, and Maliks. In addition,
there is a significant shift
towards the usage of Urdu by
the educated classes of the
province as the Punjabis are
the most ardent supporters of
the nation-state of Pakistan
and all of its national insitutions.
There is also a nationalist
movement amongst the somewhat
related Seraikis in the south
of Punjab and many wish to see
a separate the region into a
new province of Seraikistan.
Other smaller groups in the
province include Hindko, Pakhtuns,
Balochs, Kashmiris, Muhajirs
and others.
The population of Punjab is over 99%
Muslim with a Sunni
majority and Shia
minority. There are small
non-Muslims groups of Christians,
Ahmadis
and Sikhs.
Economy and Education
Punjab is one of the most industrialized
provinces of Pakistan; its manufacturing
industries produce textiles, sports
goods, machinery, electrical appliances,
surgical instruments, metals, bicycles
and rickshas, floor coverings, and
processed foods.
Despite its dry climate, extensive irrigation
makes it a rich agricultural region.
Its canal-irrigation system established
by the British is the largest in the
world. Wheat and cotton are the largest
crops. Other crops include rice, sugarcane,
millet, corn, oilseeds, pulses, fruits,
and vegetables. Livestock and poultry
production are also important.
The province's population is increasingly
becoming literate as education has
expanded in the province in recent
years.
Social issues
The Punjab is the most stable province
of Pakistan as Punjabis comprise the
largest ethnic group in the country
and thus dominate much of the nation
by sheer numbers. Aside from some
Sereiki unrest, the province has had
few problems.
Punjabis are prominent in business, agriculture,
industry, government, and the military
to the point that there is resentment
from other ethnic groups. The Punjabi
upper classes tend to ally themselves
with Urdu speaking Muhajirs and show
respect towards Sindhis, Kashmiris,
Pakhtuns and Balochis.
Punjabi women enjoy comparable rights
to females in Karachi and Islamabad
in Lahore and other cities, but conservative
elements are present and dominate
the countryside.
Districts
Attock
Bahawalnager
Bahawalpur
Bhakker
Chakwal
Dera Ghazi Khan
Faisalabad
Gujaranwala
Gujrat
Hafizabad
Jhang
Jhelum
Kasur
Khanewal
Khushab
Lahore
Layyah
Lodhran
Mandi Bahauddin
Mianwali
Multan
Muzaffargarh
Nankana
Narowal
Okara
Pakpattan
Rahim Yar khan
Rajanpur
Rawalpindi
Sahiwal
Sargodha
Shiekupura
Sialkot
Toba Tek Singh
Vehari
Important cities
Lahore
Faisalabad
Rawalpindi
Gujranwala
Multan
Sargodha
Sialkot
Bahwalpur
Jhang
Sheikhupura
Okara
Gujrat
Kasur
Taxila
Page last updated:
Thursday, February 02, 2006 18:00:09 -0500
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