INTRODUCTION

Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a republic in southern Asia, bounded on the north and northwest by Afghanistan, on the northeast by Jammu and Kashmir, on the east and southeast by India, on the south by the Arabian Sea, and on the west by Iran. The status of Jammu and Kashmir is a matter of dispute between India and Pakistan. Until December 1971 Pakistan included the province of East Pakistan; at that time, however, East Pakistan seceded from Pakistan and assumed the name Bangladesh. The area of Pakistan is 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq mi), not including the section of Jammu and Kashmir under its control. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad; the largest city of the country is Karachi.