1947-1958 History of Pakistan since 1971





West Pakistan 1958-1971



Administration . The capital, originally, was in Karachi; in 1958 it was moved to Rawalpindi, while construction of a new capital, Islamabad, was begun; the capital was moved from Rawalpindi to Islamabad in 1967.

Demography . In 1958 West Pakistan had an estimated population of 40 million, in 1971 an estimated 62 million (to be treated as rough estimates; figures for this period of time show considerable discrepancies). Pakistan had a high birth rate and the improvement in health care resulted in a decrease of mortality figures, an increase of life expectancy.

Society . Military dictatorship and martial law provided for a degree of domestic political stability (the generals stayed in power until 1973). The relocation of the capital from Karachi to Rawalpindi/Islamabad meant the relocation from a city dominated by the Mohajirs, surrounded by a Sindhi-speaking region, into the Punjab. The Mohajir lost their predominance in state administration.
Military rule alienated various sectors of society; in 1967 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto founded the PPP (Pakistan People's Party), a party lead by a generation of persons with a western college education who believed in acknowledging the country's Islamic tradition, in propagating and practicing democratic principles, and in socialism. The party found supporters mainly in the urban centers, appealing to workers and intellectuals.

The Economy . The wars of 1965 and 1971, while resulting in limited physical damage in West Pakistan, proved a heavy burden on the country's economy. The loss of East Pakistan in 1971 actually freed (West) Pakistan of the burden of having to subsidize this country.
Pakistan's economic growth did not translate in a rise in the standard of living of the average Pakistani, because the investments in the army took a major share of the state revenue, and because the strong population growth consumed the economic gain.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Timeline Pakistan, from BBC News
History of Pakistan, from Story of Pakistan
History of Pakistan, by Pak Azadi
History of Pakistan Railways, from Wikipedia
History of Islamabad, from Wikipedia
DOCUMENTS Historical Population Statistics : Pakistan, from Population Statistics
REFERENCE Article Pakistan, Dominion Of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1948 pp.565-566 (covering events of 1947) [G]
Article Pakistan, Dominion Of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1949 pp.501-502 (covering events of 1948) [G]
Article Pakistan, Dominion Of, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1950 pp.529-530 (on events of 1949) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1951 pp. 538-539 (on events of 1950) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1952 pp. 542-544 (on events of 1951) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1953 pp. 545-547 (on events of 1952) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1954 pp. 546-547 (on events of 1953) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1955 pp. 593-595 (on events of 1954) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1956 pp. 529-531 (on events of 1955) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1957 pp. 594-595 (on events of 1956) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1958 pp. 528-530 (on events of 1957) [G]
Article Pakistan, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1959 pp. 527-529 (on events of 1958) [G]
Article : Pakistan, in : Americana Annual 1947 p.532 (on events of 1946) [G]
Article : Pakistan, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.604-605 (on events of 1956) [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on November 10th 2006

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