Pakistan

History

Main article: History of Pakistan (Including pre-history, civilizations of the region, and modern events to date)

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Other articles:History of India, History of Afghanistan, History of Iran, History of South Asia.

Related Topics:
History of India - History of Afghanistan - History of Iran - History of South Asia

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Pakistan exists in a region whose history has overlapped that of India, Afghanistan and Persia (Iran). As one of the cradles of human civilization, the Pakistani region has long been at the crossroads of history. Pakistan was the site of the Indus Valley civilization and was subsequently conquered by many groups, including Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, White Huns, and Scythians, and various other more obscure groups. This period saw the country advance in trade and culture to a level where the Gandhara region and the great city of Taxila became a great center of learning and development.

Related Topics:
India - Afghanistan - Persia - Iran - Indus Valley civilization - Aryans - Persian - Greeks - Greco-Bactrian - Kushan - White Hun - Scythian - Gandhara - Taxila

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Later settlers included Arabs, Turks and Mongols. The arrival of the Arab Muslim in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab set the stage for the geographic boundries of the modern state of Pakistan and formed the foundation for Islamic rule which was destined to spread across much of South Asia. This region was ruled by the Mughals from 1526 until 1739 and from 1739 until the early 19th century the entire region was ruled by the Afghans while the Baluchis and Sikhs controlled the south and east. After that, it was annexed by the British Empire and stayed part of British India until 1947, with much civil unrest, especially in the regions which were predominantly Afghan. The British divided up the Indian empire into 3 parts, the central part, with a Hindu majority, became modern-day India. The western part along with parts of Punjab became the western part of Pakistan while East Bengal, the Muslim majority part of Bengal, became the eastern half of Pakistan. However, economic and political discontent coupled with violent political repression escalated into a civil war (see Bangladesh Liberation War) in East Pakistan and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, resulting in the violent secession of East Pakistan, which formed the independent state of Bangladesh.

Related Topics:
Arabs - Turks - Mongols - Sindh - Punjab - Mughals - 1526 - 1739 - 19th century - Afghans - Baluchis - Sikhs - Hindu - India - East Bengal - Bengal - Civil war - Bangladesh Liberation War - East Pakistan - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 - Bangladesh

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