See also: Monarchy of Pakistan Queen Elizabeth II was the last monarch of independent Pakistan, before it became a republic in 1956. The constitution of Pakistan requires the state to provide free primary and secondary education. [423] NUST in Islamabad is a top ranked Engineering University.

Despite the UN arms embargo on Bosnia, General Javed Nasir of the ISI airlifted anti-tank weapons and missiles to Bosnian mujahideen which turned the tide in favour of Bosnian Muslims and forced the Serbs to lift the siege. Under Nasir's leadership the ISI was also involved in supporting Chinese Muslims in Xinjiang Province, rebel Muslim groups in the Philippines, and some religious groups in Central Asia. [285] After Christianity, the largest religion is the Bahá'í Faith, which had a following of 30,000 in 2008, followed by Sikhism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, each claiming roughly 20,000 adherents in 2008, [513] and a very small community of Jains.

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Further information: History of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Indian independence movement, and Partition of India Pakistan vigorously championed the right of self-determination for Muslims around the world. Pakistan's efforts for the independence movements of Indonesia, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Eritrea were significant and initially led to close ties between these countries and Pakistan. [226] Although Pakistan and Bangladesh were initially tense due to their cold historical relationship, bilateral cooperation has deepened in recent years. [227] Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (Peshawar BRT) is a bus rapid transit system in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The construction of the project was started in October 2017 and was inaugurated on 13 August 2020, it is the fourth BRT system in Pakistan. After Independence, Pakistan vigorously pursued bilateral relations with other Muslim countries [219] and made an active bid for leadership of the Muslim world, or at least for leadership in efforts to achieve unity. [220] The Ali brothers had sought to project Pakistan as the natural leader of the Islamic world, in part due to its large manpower and military strength. [221] A top-ranking Muslim League leader, Khaliquzzaman, declared that Pakistan would bring together all Muslim countries into Islamistan–a pan-Islamic entity. [222]

The Arab conqueror Muhammad ibn Qasim conquered Sindh and some regions of Punjab in 711CE. [55] [56] The Pakistan government's official chronology claims this as the time when the foundation of Pakistan was laid [55] [57] but the concept of Pakistan arrived in the 19th century. The Early Medieval period (642–1219CE) witnessed the spread of Islam in the region. During this period, Sufi missionaries played a pivotal role in converting a majority of the regional Buddhist and Hindu population to Islam. [58] Upon the defeat of the Turk and Hindu Shahi dynasties which governed the Kabul Valley, Gandhara (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkwa), and western Punjab in the 7th to 11th centuries CE, several successive Muslim empires ruled over the region, including the Ghaznavid Empire (975–1187CE), the Ghorid Kingdom, and the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526CE). The Lodi dynasty, the last of the Delhi Sultanate, was replaced by the Mughal Empire (1526–1857CE). Main article: Pakistan Armed Forces Pakistan Air Force's JF-17 Thunder flying in front of the 8,130-metre-high (26,660-foot) Nanga ParbatExperts say that the migration of both Bengalis and Burmese ( Rohingya) to Pakistan started in the 1980s and continued until 1998. Shaikh Muhammad Feroze, the chairman of the Pakistani Bengali Action Committee, claims that there are 200 settlements of Bengali-speaking people in Pakistan, of which 132 are in Karachi. They are also found in various other areas of Pakistan such as Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tando Adam, and Lahore. [469] Large-scale Rohingya migration to Karachi made that city one of the largest population centres of Rohingyas in the world after Myanmar. [470] The Burmese community of Karachi is spread out over 60 of the city's slums such as the Burmi Colony in Korangi, Arakanabad, Machchar colony, Bilal colony, Ziaul Haq Colony, and Godhra Camp. [471] The Vedic period (1500–500BCE) was characterised by an Indo-Aryan culture; during this period the Vedas, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism, were composed, and this culture later became well established in the region. [46] Ancient city of Multan was a significant cultural centre of Indus valley civilization and an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, the city was founded before 3000 BC era. [47] The Vedic civilization also flourished in the ancient Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā( Taxila) along with Purasupura (Peshawer) which was founded around 600-1000 BCE. [48] [42] Classical Period

The Kashmir conflict remains the major point of contention between Pakistan and India; three of their four wars were fought over this territory. [184] Due partly to difficulties in relations with its geopolitical rival India, Pakistan maintains close political relations with Turkey and Iran, [185] and both countries have been a focal point in Pakistan's foreign policy. [185] Saudi Arabia also maintains a respected position in Pakistan's foreign policy. Pakistan had a population of 241,492,197 or 241.49 Million according to the final results of the 2023 Census. [441] [442] [443] This figure includes Pakistan's four provinces e.g. Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan and Islamabad Capital Territory . AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan's census data is yet to be approved by CCI Council of Pakistan. Pakistan is the world's fifth most populous country. [444]Main article: Pakistani cuisine Located on the bank of Arabian Sea in Karachi, Port Grand is one of the largest food streets of Asia. [554] Traditional food