Pakistan – from the Indus civilisation to an independent state since 1947
The land that is now Pakistan was home to one of the world's earliest civilisations: the Indus Valley civilisation, with cities such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Later the region saw Persian rule, the campaign of Alexander the Great and the flourishing of Gandhara, a centre of Buddhist art and learning.
Islam arrived in Sindh in the early 8th century and later spread widely under dynasties from Central Asia. The Delhi Sultanate and, from the 16th century, the Mughal Empire ruled much of the area; Lahore became a great centre of Mughal architecture. As Mughal power declined, the Sikh Empire held the Punjab, until the British East India Company and then the British Crown brought the region under colonial rule in the 19th century.
The demand for a separate homeland for Muslims, championed by the Muslim League under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, led to the partition of British India in 1947. Independence was accompanied by mass migration and violence in which very many people lost their lives. The dispute over Kashmir also began that year. In 1971, after a war, East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh. Since then Pakistan has alternated between civilian governments and periods of military rule.
Today Pakistan is shaped by a young and fast-growing population, its many languages and regional cultures, and landscapes stretching from the Arabian Sea to some of the highest mountains on earth.
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