History Of Pakistan

The first known inhabitants of the modern-dayPakistanregion

are believed to have been theSoanian - Homo erectus, who

settled in the Soan ValleyandRiwat almost 2 million years ago.

Over the next several thousand years, the region would develop

into various civilizations likeMehrgarh and the Indus Valley

Civilization. Throughout its history, the region has been a part of

various Greek,Mauryan,Persian, Turkic,Islamicand

Indian-British empires. The region's ancient history also

includes some of the oldest empires from

the subcontinent^[1] and some of its major

civilizations.^[2][3][4][5] The political history of the nation began

with the birth of the All India Muslim League in 1906 to protect

Muslim interests, amid fears of neglect and under-

representation of Muslims, in case the British Raj decided to grant local self-rule. On the 29 December 1930,Muha

mmad Iqbal called for an autonomous state in "northwestern India for Indian Muslims".^[6] The Muslim League rose to

popularity in the late 1930s.Muhammad Ali Jinnahespoused the Two Nation Theory and led the Muslim League to

adopt theLahore Resolution^[7]of 1940, demanding the formation of independent states for Muslims in the East and the

West of British India. Eventually, a united Pakistan with two wings - West Pakistanand East Pakistan - gained

independence from the British, on August 14, 1947. Modern-day Pakistan came in existence in 1971, after a civil war

in the distant East Pakistan and emergence of an independentBangladesh.

Independence from the Brish Raj witnessed unprecedented and prologued communal riots across India eventually

resulting in millions of Muslims migrating to Pakistan. Theprincely state of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region, was

invaded by a Pakistani Pashtun tribal militia in October 1947, after its Hindu Maharaja's continued hesitancy to

accede to Pakistan, and these tribals had already reached the capital, Srinagar by October 25. On October 26 the

Indian invasion of Kashmir took place, after the Maharaja's controversial accession to India, therefore starting the1947

war that culminated in a United Nations' brokered armistice and an unresolved Kashmir dispute. The 1965 War and

the Kargil War were also focused on Kashmir. India also began theSiachen conflictin1984 by successfully invading

and taking control of theSiachen Glacier from Pakistan.

Pakistan declared itself anIslamic republic on adoption of a constitution in 1956, but the civilian rule was stalled by

the 1956 military coup d'etatbyAyub Khan, who ruled during a period of internal instability and asecond war with

India in 1965. Economic grievances and political dissent in East Pakistan led to violent political tensions and army

repression, escalating into civil war^[8] followed by the third warwith India. Pakistan's defeat in the war ultimately led to

the secession of East Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh.^[9]

Civilian rule resumed from 1972 to 1977 under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, until he was deposed by GeneralZia-ul-Haq, who

became the country's third military president. Pakistan'ssecular policies were replaced by the IslamicShariahlegal

code, which increased religious influences on the civil service and the military. With the death of Zia-ul-Haq in

1988, Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was elected as the first femalePrime Minister of Pakistan. Over

the next decade, she alternated power with Nawaz Sharif, as the country's political and economic situation worsened.

Military tensions in the Kargil conflict^[10] with India were followed by a 1999 coup d'étatin which GeneralPervez

Musharraf assumed executive powers. This occurred due to the defeat of Pakistan by India in Kargil and the economic

hardship that followed after the Kargil conflict.^[11]

In 2001, Musharraf named himself President after the resignation of Rafiq Tarar. In the 2002 Parliamentary Elections,

Musharraf transferred executive powers to newly elected Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who was succeeded

in the 2004 by Shaukat Aziz. On November 15, 2007 theNational Assemblycompleted its term and a caretaker

government was appointed with the former Chairman of The Senate,Muhammad Mian Soomro as Prime Minister.

Following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, that resulted in a series of important political developments, her

husband Asif Ali Zardari was eventually elected as the new President in 2008.