Pakistan

People:
Pakistan is a country of 158 million people of diverse ethnic origins. More than half of the population live in Punjab, one of the country's four provinces.
This imbalance has had implications for regional job quotas and development patterns and has led to perpetual inter-ethnic tensions.
This is exacerbated by the domination of the country's political system by the military, which is predominantly drawn from Punjab and is perceived to have benefited the Punjabi and the Urdu speaking elites at the cost of smaller groups.
More than 95% of Pakistanis are Muslims. There was a mass exodus of Hindus and Sikhs at the time of the Indian partition in 1947. The Catholic population has continued to drop as a consequence of migration to Western countries. Falling religious diversity and the Islamisation of state policies are cited as reasons for public acceptance of religious extremism.
Politics:
Pakistan has had a chequered political history. It has alternated between military and civilian regimes, with the military exercising its influence even when not in power.
The country is run under the 1973 constitution, which established a parliamentary system, with the prime minister at the top, and a federal state structure comprising four provinces.
But amendments introduced by former military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq in 1985, gave the president discretionary powers to appoint services chiefs and sack elected governments and parliaments.
This arrangement has been a source of political instability. Between 1988-97, successive presidents dismissed four elected governments.
In late 1990s, the parliament reversed the presidential powers, restoring the original constitution, but in 2002, another military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf, reintroduced the amendments through a decree.
Military
With more than 600,000 troops, Pakistan has the seventh largest standing army in the world and has a long-range nuclear capability.
Due to its sheer size the military has sought to, and often succeeded in, controlling the country's politics.
In the last 30 years, it has also expanded into the civilian domain, controlling various top positions in the government and public corporations.
It has also emerged as one of the largest industrial, banking and landholding entities in the country.
The justification for such a large army, which uses up more than a quarter of the national budget, came mostly from the threat emanating from India, with which Pakistan has fought three wars.
But lately, there has been public pressure to cut spending on the army and divert more resources towards health and education. The army's political role has also come under increased criticism.
Economy:
Pakistan is a predominantly agricultural country, with over 65% of its population living in rural areas. Its major industries are textiles, leather and food processing.
A growing population has put pressure on land, leading to urban migrations. But a narrow industrial base has not been able to absorb this workforce.
Since 2001, considerable direct foreign investment and remittances have bolstered Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves, stimulating high growth rates.
But most development has taken place in the services sector, with marginal impact on urban employment. The rural sector continues to lag behind.
Uneven development sees high inflation, especially for food. A widening trade gap threatens to draw down foreign exchange reserves and dampen GDP growth.
Education:
Pakistan is one of eight countries worldwide that spend less than 2% of GDP on education.
Considerable budgetary support has been available from Western donors as well as the UN agencies. But the administrative infrastructure lacks the capacity to absorb those resources.
Less than half of students ever complete primary school. This has kept the country's literacy rate below 50%.
The quality of education in the state-owned institutions has deteriorated considerably. Standards are only slightly better in the country's mushrooming private sector schools, but these are too expensive for most people.
Poorer parents have tended to send their children to religious seminaries (madrassas) which offer free food and boarding to their students. Some madrassas have been used to promote religious extremism.
Health:
Health has been a low priority area in Pakistan where defence and foreign debt servicing have often consumed the entire domestic resources.
The government spends about 1.9% of its budget on health. An ill-regulated private sector accounts for nearly 80% of the health services. But very few people have private health insurance plans.
Pakistan's health indicators that are among the lowest in the world. About one in 10 children die before the age of five. One in 200 women die during childbirth.
According to WHO figures, more than half of all deaths in Pakistan result from communicable diseases. The prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases is also high.
Pakistan is a polio endemic country. Social attitudes are partly responsible for this. In the north-west, extremist clerics have been conducting a campaign against UN-funded polio vaccinations, telling people that the drops contain chemicals that may render their children impotent.