Pakistan Country Handbook This handbook provides basic reference information on Pakistan, including its geography, history, government, military forces, and communications and trans- portation networks. This information is intended to familiarize military per sonnel with local customs and area knowledge to assist them during their assignment to Pakistan. The Marine Corps Intel ligence Activity is the community coordinator for the Country Hand book Program. This product reflects the coordinated U.S. Defense Intelligence Community position on Pakistan . Dissemination and use of this publication is restricted to official military and government personnel from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other countries as required and designated for support of coalition operations. The photos and text reproduced herein have been extracted solely for research, comment, and information reporting, and are intended for fair use by designated personnel in their official duties, including local reproduction for training. Further dissemination of copyrighted material contained in this docu ment, to include excerpts and graphics, is strictly prohibited under Title 17, U.S. Code. CONTENTS KEY FACTS .................................................................... 1 U.S. MISSION ................................................................. 2 U.S. Embassy .............................................................. 2 Travel Advisories ........................................................ 2 Credit Cards and Banking ........................................... 4 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE ..................................... 4 Geography ................................................................... 4 Land Statistics ........................................................ 4 Borders ................................................................... 4 Bodies of Water ..................................................... 5 Topography ............................................................ 7 Cross-country Movement ...................................... 11 Climate ........................................................................ 11 Temperatures ......................................................... 11 Precipitation ........................................................... 14 Phenomena ............................................................. 15 Environment ........................................................... 15 INFRASTruCTURE ...................................................... 16 Transportation ............................................................. 16 Roads ..................................................................... 16 Rail ......................................................................... 19 Air .......................................................................... 20 Maritime ................................................................ 24 Utilities ........................................................................ 25 Electrical ................................................................ 25 Water ...................................................................... 27 Communication ........................................................... 28 Radio ...................................................................... 28 Television ............................................................... 30 iii Contents (Continued) Telecommunication ................................................ 31 Newspapers and Magazines .................................. 32 Postal Service ......................................................... 33 Satellites ................................................................. 34 Internet ................................................................... 34 CULTURE ....................................................................... 35 Statistics ...................................................................... 35 Population Patterns ................................................ 35 Population Density ................................................. 36 Society ........................................................................ 37 People .................................................................... 39 Ethnic Groups ........................................................ 39 Roles of Men and Women ...................................... 45 Rites of Passage ..................................................... 46 Education and Literacy ............................................... 47 Language ..................................................................... 48 Religion ....................................................................... 49 Recreation ................................................................... 50 Customs and Courtesies .............................................. 52 Greetings ................................................................ 52 Gestures ................................................................. 53 Cultural Considerations .............................................. 53 Dress Standards ..................................................... 53 Eating ..................................................................... 54 Interpersonal Relations .......................................... 56 MEDICAL ASSESSMENT ............................................. 56 Disease Risks to Deployed Personnel ......................... 56 Medical Capabilities ................................................... 59 Key Medical Treatment Facilities .......................... 61 iv Contents (Continued) HISTORY ......................................................................... 64 Early History ............................................................... 64 Recent History ............................................................ 69 Chronology of Key Events ..................................... 70 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS .................................. 71 Government ................................................................. 71 National Level ........................................................ 71 Local Level ............................................................ 74 Politics ........................................................................ 76 Political Parties ...................................................... 76 Foreign Relations ................................................... 80 International Organizations ................................... 83 ECONOMY ..................................................................... 84 Economic Statistics ..................................................... 85 Resources .................................................................... 86 Industry ....................................................................... 88 Foreign Investment ...................................................... 91 Outlook ....................................................................... 91 THREAT .......................................................................... 92 Crime .......................................................................... 92 Travel Security ............................................................ 93 Terrorist Threat Assessment ........................................ 97 Drug Trafficking ......................................................... 100 Intelligence Threat ...................................................... 103 ARMED FORCES ........................................................... 103 Capabilities ................................................................. 104 Mission ........................................................................ 105 Personnel .................................................................... 105 Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia ................................... 107 Strategy ....................................................................... 108 v Contents (Continued) Army ........................................................................... 109 Mission .................................................................. 109 Personnel ............................................................... 109 Organization ........................................................... 110 Capability ............................................................... 115 Training .................................................................. 115 Equipment .............................................................. 116 Navy ............................................................................ 119 Mission .................................................................. 119 Personnel ................................................................ 120 Organization .......................................................... 120 Capability ............................................................... 122 Training .................................................................. 123 Equipment ............................................................. 124 Marine Corps .............................................................. 126 Mission .................................................................. 126 History .................................................................. 126 Personnel ................................................................ 126 Organization ........................................................... 127 Training .................................................................