Pakistan (lang-urNastaliq????????), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (lang-urNastaliq?????? ??????? ????????), is a country in South Asia. It has a convert1046kmmiadj=on coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China (Peoples Republic of China) in the far northeast. Tajikistan also lies very close to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. Thus, it occupies a crossroads position between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The region forming modern Pakistan was at the heart of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and then later was the recipient of Vedic (Historical Vedic religion), Persian (Iranian peoples), Indo-Greek, Turco-Mongol (Timurid dynasty), Islamic and Sikh cultures. The area has witnessed invasions and/or settlements by the Indo-Aryans (Indo-Aryan peoples), Persians (Persian people), Greeks, Arabs, Turks (Turkic peoples), Afghans (Afghanistan), Mongols and the British (British Empire).

While the Indian independence movement demanded an independent India, the Pakistan Movement (led by Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) of the Muslim League) sought independent states for the majority Muslim populations of the eastern and western regions of British India as well. The British granted independence and also the creation of one Muslim majority state of Pakistan that comprised the provinces of Sindh, North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab, Balochistan (Balochistan (Pakistan)) and East Bengal. With the adoption of its constitution (Constitution of Pakistan) in 1956, Pakistan became an Islamic republic. In 1971, a civil war (Bangladesh Liberation War) in East Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.

Pakistan is a federal (Federation) parliamentary (Parliamentary democracy) republic (Parliamentary republic) consisting of four provinces and four federal territories including a federal capital territory. Its history has been characterized by periods of military rule (military dictatorship), political instability (political corruption) and conflicts with neighboring India (Indo-Pakistani Wars). It is the sixth most populous country (List of countries by population) in the world and has the second largest Muslim population (Islam by country) after Indonesia. Pakistan also has the second largest Shia Muslim population. It is the only Muslim-majority (List of Muslim majority countries) nuclear state (List of states with nuclear weapons) and is classified as major non-NATO ally of the United States. Pakistan is one of the founders of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, Next Eleven economies and G20 developing nations.