Ch 26 sect 2

History and Government  

How did contemporary Pakistan and Bangladesh form? 

The area we know today as Pakistan has been home to civilizations for thousands of years. One of the earliest settlements here was at Mehrgarh, near the Bolan Pass. Evidence dating back to 7000 B.C. shows that agriculture was being practiced. Around 2500 B.C. a great civilization arose in the Indus River valley. This culture developed a writing system, a strong central government, and a thriving overseas trade. Ruins of the walled city of Mohenjo Daro include evidence of plumbing and other advanced technology.

Beginning in the A.D. 600s, a Buddhist kingdom ruled over what is today Pakistan and Bangladesh for several centuries. Hinduism from India was also practiced. However, the diversity of the two countries suggests that both were crossroads for other groups seeking trade and territorial control. Over the centuries, many peoples crossed or settled in the regions that later became Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Coming of Islam 

Muslim invaders and traders brought Islam to southeast Pakistan in the A.D. 700s. About a century later, Muslim traders brought Islam to Bangladesh. Over time, Islam became the majority religion in both areas.

From the 1500s to the 1800s, Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the Mogul Empire that also ruled much of India. Early in this period, Sikhism, which blends elements of Hinduism and Islam, arose in the Punjab in northwestern India. In the early 1800s, a Sikh named Ranjit Singh established a kingdom in northern Pakistan, but it fell apart after his death.

In the middle 1800s, the British included both Pakistan and Bangladesh within their colony of India. Together they formed a single colonial administrative unit called India. The British introduced English, restructured the educational system, built railroads, and developed a civil service. During their rule, tension between Muslims and Hindus in South Asia grew. While Hindus formed a group to campaign for independence, Muslims, who feared domination by the majority Hindus, created a similar organization of their own.

Pakistan Since Independence 

By the 1930s, the idea of a Muslim state separate from India had taken hold among South Asia’s Muslims. When Hindu and Muslim leaders could not agree on a constitution for a single state, in 1947 the British granted independence to two states based upon the dominant religion. India was formed as a predominantly Hindu state and Pakistan as a predominantly Muslim state. The latter consisted of two sections, known at the time as East Pakistan and West Pakistan. They were separated by about 1,000 miles (1,609 km) of Indian territory.

Independence from Britain was marked by a massive movement of Hindus and Muslims between India and Pakistan. During this time, there were outbreaks of violence between followers of the two religions. Adding to the tension, both countries claimed the area of Kashmir. It was part of India by tradition, but had a majority Muslim population. The two countries fought wars for control of Kashmir in 1948, 1965, and 1999. Tensions over Kashmir and other issues became more worrisome in the 1990s after India and Pakistan both developed nuclear weapons. Relations between the two countries have improved in recent years, but the situation remains uneasy.

Pakistan is a parliamentary republic, but instability and military rule have prevailed since 1971. In the early 2000s, General Pervez Musharraf allied Pakistan with the United States in its war on terror. His rule became increasingly unpopular, however, and he was forced to step down in 2008. Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former prime minster Benazir Bhutto, was elected president in 2008. He introduced reforms to try to establish civilian governement, but poverty and rebel activity in the west plague the country. In 2013 Nawaz Sharif took office as Pakistan's prime minister after a sweeping victory of his Pakistan Muslim League party.

Bangladesh: Independence and After 

The people of East Pakistan were culturally different from the people in West Pakistan long before independence from the British. In Bangladesh they are ethnic Bengali and speak Bangla. After independence, West Pakistan wanted to impose a national language, Urdu, on all of Pakistan. Bengali leaders believed that their ethnic majority was treated unfairly by the government, which was dominated by leaders from West Pakistan. They formed a protest movement.

After wins in the 1970–1971 elections, Bengali nationalists pushed for self-rule. Pakistan sent its army to suppress the nationalists, which prompted them to declare independence for Bangladesh—which means “Bengal country.” India entered the war on behalf of independent Bangladesh, and Pakistan surrendered.

Bangladesh is also a parliamentary republic. Political and ethnic rivalries have made stable rule difficult. Discontent has continued in recent years.

Population Patterns 

How does high population density affect life in Pakistan and Bangladesh? 

Pakistan, with its population numbering 180 million, is the sixth most populous country in the world. Bangladesh, with a population of 153 million, ranks eighth. In Pakistan, more than one-third of the people are under the age of 15. In Bangladesh, just under one-third are under age 15.

Physical geography shapes settlement in Pakistan, where most of the population lives in the Indus River valley. Although Pakistan is one of South Asia’s most urbanized countries, only about 35 percent of the population lives in urban areas. Many people are migrating to cities, however, including Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. This growing urban population is straining resources. Migrants to the cities are forced to live in makeshift structures pulled together from scrap material. The infrastructure that makes urban life more livable, such as public water and sewage removal, is undeveloped in these poor areas.

In Pakistan the total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime, is 3.6. This is 50 percent higher than the world average. As a result, its population is growing rapidly, at 2 percent a year.

Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in South Asia, with 3,256 people per square mile (1,257 people per sq. km). The highest population densities occur in cities, such as Dhaka. However, density is generally high throughout the country. Only the Sundarbans in the southwest and the Chittagong Hills in the southeast have lower population densities.

To encourage Bengali women to have fewer children, private and government programs give women small loans to start their own businesses. The programs have achieved some success. While the total fertility rate was 4.4 in 1991, by 2011 it had declined to 2.2, just below the world average. Fertility rates have decreased as women become more educated and have more economic opportunities.

Society and Culture Today 

How is life in Pakistan similar to and different from life in Bangladesh?

Pakistan and Bangladesh became separate countries because of their diverse ethnic heritages. Pakistan is diverse in large part because it experienced invasions and migrations over many centuries. Pakistan has six main ethnic groups: Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Sariakis, Muhajirs, and Balochis. Punjabis make up about 45 percent of the country’s people. No other group has more than 16 percent. Urdu is the official language of Pakistan, but only 8 percent of the population speaks it. More Pakistanis speak Punjabi than any other language. English, also an official language, is typically spoken by members of the elite, including government officials.

In Bangladesh the majority of the people are Bengali, a term describing both an ethnic and a language group. It is something they share with some of their Hindu neighbors in the Indian state of Bengal. Non-Bengalis, mostly smaller indigenous groups, make up only a small percentage of Bangladesh's population.

Islam is the main religion in both countries. The two countries also have some Hindus and small Christian populations. Most Muslims are Sunnis, but about one-fifth of Pakistan’s Muslims are Shias.

As in most less developed countries, literacy rates and average years of schooling are low in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Literacy in both countries is less than 60 percent. In Bangladesh, the literacy rate for men is about 10 percentage points higher than for women. In Pakistan, the gap between male and female literacy is much greater. Schooling in Bangladesh is free and required for all children to age ten, but only about half of children actually attend. School is not required in Pakistan, where the educational system is a mix of government-run, Islamic, and private schools.

Lack of health care is a major problem in both countries, mainly because of their large populations and high poverty rates. Spending on health care ranks toward the bottom of priorities, and there are relatively fewer doctors or hospital beds than are needed. Several diseases, including tuberculosis and malaria, have long been problems in both countries. Bangladesh has succeeded in reducing malaria but still faces many public health issues.

Family and the Status of Women

Family is the social basis in both countries. Extended families live close, often in the same home. Many marriages are arranged, though increasing numbers of educated people choose their own partners. After marriage, the wife typically lives with the husband’s family.

In traditional families in Pakistan, women stay in separate parts of the house when nonfamily males visit. This is more common among urban and middle-class Pakistanis than rural or poor people, where women must work to help the family survive. Some Muslim women also wear the burka, a loose garment that covers the face and body, when they are in public.

Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have had women leaders. Benazir Bhutto was twice prime minister of Pakistan. Sheikh Hasina served as prime minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001 and took that office again in 2009.

The Arts 

Literature and dance are very important in Bangladesh. In 1913 Bengali Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The poetry and plays of Kazi Nazrul Islam, “the voice of Bengali nationalism,” have inspired poor farmers with themes about the oppression of Muslims. Bangladesh also has developed original and creative traditional dances in classical as well as folk styles.

Music and literature are the richest of all Pakistani art forms. Qawwali, a form of devotional singing, is popular. People recite poetry at public musha’irahs that are organized like music concerts. The classical music tradition can be traced to the thirteenth-century poet and musician Amir Khosrow, who composed the traditional rhythmic form known as the raga.

Contrasting How are the people of Pakistan more diverse than those of Bangladesh?

Economic Activities 

What are the dominant economic activities in Pakistan and Bangladesh? 

Pakistan and Bangladesh have traditionally relied on agriculture. Industrial activity is increasing in the twenty-first century. Poverty is widespread. The economic situation has worsened in recent years due mainly to inflation.

About one-fifth of Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture, and about two-fifths of the workforce is in agriculture. Cash crops, including rice, cotton, and sugarcane, bring much-needed income. Pakistan also has a fishing industry, exporting shrimp, lobster, and fish. Despite reforms in the last 50 years, land distribution remains highly unequal. Most farmers continue to use draft animals on small farms. Since the 1980s, service industries have grown. Today, more than half the country’s GDP is from the service sector.

Industry constitutes about one-fourth of Pakistan’s GDP. The most important are cotton textiles and clothing for export. Other exports include rice, leather, sporting goods, chemicals, and carpets. Most exports are shipped out of the Port of Karachi. Pakistan has become a major trading partner of the United States. Small-scale production, or cottage industries, has played an important role in Pakistan’s industrialization. They employ many craftspeople and provide at-home employment for women.

As in India, railways are the principal mode of transportation. The state-owned Pakistan Railways moves both people and cargo throughout Pakistan. Highways are increasing in importance. The Makran Coastal Highway runs along the Arabian Sea and integrates economic activities in the area.

Rural areas in both countries often lack electricity and other modern services. The spread of cell phones has made communications more widely available even in rural areas. That is more the case in Pakistan than Bangladesh, however.

In Bangladesh most people are sharecroppers. Rice is the major crop. In some areas, farmers can grow three crops a year, alternating rice, wheat, and other crops. Jute, a fiber used to make string, rope, and cloth, is also a major cash crop.

The garment industry has expanded and clothing is now Bangladesh’s top export. As in Pakistan, much of Bangladesh’s textile manufacturing relies on cottage industries. Dhaka is a center for weaving muslin, a lightweight cotton cloth. Nearly 2 million women work in Bangladesh’s garment industry. Other craft goods include jute products, such as upholstery, and leather goods.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest aquaculture-producing countries. It has many inland fisheries that cultivate fish and shrimp. These proteins are part of a staple diet that also relies heavily on rice and lentils.