Pakistan

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Pakistan to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. Highlights of current programs include:

• Providing 284,175 children with access to education, health care, food and improved treatment within their households.
• Improving health of 4,000 severly malnourished children, 6,500 moderately malnourished children, and 4,000 pregnant and lactating mothers through nutrition sites.
• Offering agricultural and vocational training to communities recovering from natural disasters in order to increase their income.
• Distributing shelter materials, cooking items, bedding, clothing, water purification tablets, food, and hygiene kits to people affected by severe flooding.

World Vision has worked in the poorest areas of Pakistan since 1992. Since then, some major accomplishments include:

• Offering emergency relief assistance to northern communities since the beginning of the 21st century.
• Distributing food, tents, blankets, stoves, and other supplies to thousands of people affected by heavy rains and an earthquake in 2005.
• Improving healthcare, water, sanitation, and education for communities in the south affected by flooding in 2007.
• Providing emergency and shelter kits to people displaced by conflict in the north during 2009.

Geography and people

Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, borders India, China, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Arabian Sea. The Indus River flows through the country’s fertile center. North Pakistan has some of the world’s tallest mountains, while south Pakistan has mostly plains.

Pakistan is earthquake-prone, and the rainy season (July-August) causes frequent flooding along the Indus. The climate is typically hot with milder temperatures during the winter and cooler weather in the north.

Natural resources include salt, limestone, natural gas reserves, coal, and iron ore. Raw sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff contribute to water contamination.

The largest ethnic groups—Punjabi, Pashtun, and Sindhi—make up about 75 percent of the population. Urdu and English are Pakistan’s two official languages. English is often used in government and business matters. Pakistanis also speak a variety of ethnic dialects as well.

History

Pakistan emerged from British rule in 1947 as an independent sovereign state that was split into eastern and western territories. To the growing resentment of East Pakistan, the West controlled the country’s political and economic power. East Pakistan broke away to become the independent state of Bangladesh in 1971, starting a civil war.

After the war, Pakistan began holding free elections, with the exception of a dictatorship from 1977-1988. The country’s economic and political situation worsened in the 1990s until General Pervez Musharraf assumed executive powers in 1999.

Turmoil and dispute accompanied the elections over the past few years, especially as the presidencies began taking more power from the prime minister. In 2010, Pakistan’s president signed an amendment to the constitution that limits the power of the president and restores the role and power of the prime minister. The government also continues to deal with insurgency groups and terrorism.

Floods in 2010 affected over 20 million people, killing thousands and displacing millions.

Please pray for the people of Pakistan and for peace and stability in their country.