Tag Archives: Pakistan

Confused Westerners’ Guide to the Conflicts in Pakistan

by Bryan Hill

It can be hard to understand the news from Pakistan, of suicide bombings, drone strikes, and kidnappings. We hear these clips in the news every day, but they’re presented without context or history, giving us a skewed idea of what is really happening and why.

Through my organizing in this city’s high rise buildings, I’ve been confronted with my own ignorance about many of the conflicts that force people to move around the globe and wind up as renters in Hamilton, of all places. Without a direct link to these international communities and their struggles abroad, it can be hard to talk about, let alone have opinions on these conflicts. Continue reading Confused Westerners’ Guide to the Conflicts in Pakistan

Quick Facts on Pakistan

map-of-pakistan

supplement to Confused Westerners’ Guide to the Conflict in Pakistan

Full name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Founding: 14 August 1947
Provinces: Balochistan, Khybar Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh
Territories: Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Islamobad Capital Territory
Religion: 96% Islam, 4% Other
Population: 202,971,003
Pop. Density: 260/km2
Capital City: Islamibad
Most Pop. City: Karachi
GDP: $270 Billion
Major Ethnic Groups: Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Muhajirs, Baloch
Official languages: Urdu, English
Other Spoken Languages: Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Balochi, Gujarati
Life Expectancy: 63 years
Prime Minister: Nawaz Sharif