The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.

OVERVIEW

Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts. The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma and the west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.

War with India over the disputed northern territory of Kashmir came shortly after independence - the two countries fought again in 1965. The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the predominantly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.

Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability. During the 1980s, Pakistan received large amounts of outside aid in the struggle against Soviet forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.

But with the end of the Cold War, that assistance is not so generous and Pakistan now hosts a large Afghan refugee population.

Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a civilian government which had lost a great deal of public support. The coup leader, General Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's fortunes, but faced economic challenges and law and order problems.

 The latter are a major concern in the southern province of Sindh, beset by ethnic and sectarian strife. Tension also persists with India over Kashmir. This has fuelled international fears of a regional arms race because both Pakistan and India have a nuclear capability.

 FACTS

sLEADERS

President: General Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 which was widely condemned and which led to Pakistan's suspension from the Commonwealth until 2004.

 President Musharraf has retained his military role He shook off his pariah status and gained foreign acceptance after he backed the US-led campaign against terror following the attacks on America on 11 September 2001.

 But his stance against militancy has not been well received in some quarters; Gen Musharraf has survived a number of assassination attempts.

 Gen Musharraf has called on Pakistanis to shun religious extremism, but has usually stopped short of provoking Pakistan's powerful religious leaders.

 In April 2002 General Musharraf awarded himself another five years as president, together with the power to dismiss an elected parliament. The handover from military to civilian rule came with parliamentary elections in November 2002, and the appointment of a civilian prime minister.

 Having previously promised to give up his army post and become a civilian president, General Musharraf announced in late 2004 that he would retain his military role.

 Unlike many of the top military men in Pakistan, General Musharraf's origins are in India.

 Born in Delhi in 1943, his family emigrated to Pakistan after the partition of the Indian sub-continent.

His military career began in 1964 and included spells of training in the UK. He became director-general of military operations when Benazir Bhutto was prime minister, and then head of the army in 1998 after the resignation of General Karamat.

During the 1999 Kashmir crisis with India, he regularly briefed journalists and appeared on state television.

 But tension developed with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he ordered a withdrawal of Pakistani-backed militants in Kashmir.

Prime minister: Shaukat Aziz

A close ally of President Musharraf, former banker Shaukat Aziz was sworn in as prime minister in August 2004 having won a parliamentary vote in which the opposition abstained.

 Mr Aziz oversaw a period of economic recovery during his previous role as finance minister.

• Foreign minister: Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
• Defence minister: Rao Sikandar Iqbal
• Finance minister: Shaukat Aziz

MEDIA

Pervez Musharraf's rule has been marked by increased freedom for the print media and a liberalisation of broadcasting policies.

 The expansion of private radio and television stations brought to an end more than five decades of the state's virtual monopoly of broadcasting.

 Licences for more than 20 private satellite TV stations have been awarded, signalling increased competition for the state-run Pakistan Television Corporation.

 By April 2004 more than 50 licences had been issued for private FM radio stations. Pakistan's media regulator estimated that the country could support more than 800 private radio stations. Private stations are only allowed to broadcast music and entertainment.

 Many viewers in Pakistan watch a range of international satellite TV channels, via a dish or an often-unlicensed cable TV operator.

Indian channels such as Zee TV and STAR TV are popular with those who can receive them. The channels circumvent censorship in Pakistan that is far more restrictive than in India.

Pakistan and India regularly engage in a war of words via their respective media, occasionally banning broadcasts from the other country.

The government uses a range of legal and constitutional powers to curb press freedom. The country's law on blasphemy has been used against journalists. Nevertheless, Pakistan's print media are among the most outspoken in South Asia.

The press

• Daily Jang - Karachi-based, Urdu-language
• The Dawn - Karachi-based, English-language
• The Nation - Lahore-based, English-language
• The Frontier Post - Peshawar-based, English-language
• The News - English-language daily
• Daily Ausaf - Islamabad-based, Urdu-language
• Pakistan and Gulf Economist - business weekly
• The Friday Times - Lahore-based weekly, English-language

Television

• Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd - state TV, operates PTV 1, PTV 2, Channel 3, PTV World
• Geo TV - satellite channel
• Indus TV - satellite TV operator, runs Indus Vision and Indus News channels
• ARY Digital - satellite channel Shalimar Television Network (STN) - state and privately-run network

Radio

• Radio Pakistan - state-run, operates more than 20 stations nationwide and an external service
• Azad Kashmir Radio - state-run
• FM 100 - commercial, music-based FM network

News agencies/internet

• News Network International
• Pakistan News Service Associated
• Press of Pakistan (APP)