Happy Birthday, Pakistan!

Yom-e-Istiqlal is a national holiday in Pakistan and commemorates the day Pakistan became independent from British rule. 60 years ago, on August 14 1947, the young nation celebrated its birth as an independent and sovereign state with military pomp and style. A 31-gun salute in the Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, announced that the colonial rule had effectively ended and people celebrated in the streets throughout the night.

The weeks leading up to the Partition of India were bloody and violent - an estimated 1 million people are believed to have perished in religious and sectarian riots. Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876 - 1948), Governor General of Pakistan and often referred to as the founder of the Pakistan, greeted the nation in an upbeat, yet moving speech on the occasion of the inauguration of the Pakistan Broadcasting Service. Here are some excerpts from his speech:

"It is with feelings of greatest happiness and emotion that I send you my greetings. (...) The creation of the new State has placed a tremendous responsibility on the citizens of Pakistan. It gives them an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how can a nation, containing many elements, live in peace and amity and work for the betterment of all its citizens, irrespective of caste or creed.

Our object should be peace within and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial and friendly relations with our immediate neighbors and with the world at large. We have no aggressive designs against any one. We stand by the United Nations Charter and will gladly make our full contribution to the peace and prosperity of the world. (...)

This day marks the end of a poignant phase in our national history and it should also be the beginning of a new and a noble era. Let us impress the minorities by word, deed and thought that as long as they fulfill their duties and obligations as loyal citizens of Pakistan, they have nothing to fear.To the freedom loving tribes on our borders and the States beyond our borders, we send our greetings and assure that Pakistan will respect their status and will extend to them its most friendly co-operation in preserving peace. We have no ambition beyond the desire to live honorably and let others live honorably.(...)

Pakistan is a land of great potential resources. But to build it up into a country worthy of the Muslim nation, we shall require every ounce of energy that we possess and I am confident that it will come from all whole-heartedly. Pakistan Zindabad!"

60 years on, however, the patriotic mood is somewhat subdued and celebrations have been low-key and amid tight security. Pakistan's history has been an almost continuous struggle with military rule and democracy and as the nation celebrates its 60th birthday, the Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf, is planning on another term in office through a general election. It will probably be his toughest challenge since he became the military head of state in a bloodless coup in 1999.

During its short history Pakistan has been at war with India three times, twice over the disputed region in Kashmir and once over East Pakistan, which led to the creation of Bangladesh. Whereas both India and Pakistan have since entered more peaceful negotiations aiming to settle the bitter dispute over Kashmir, Pakistan's struggle is now focused on the enemy within the state. Apart from mounting pressure by the US to get a grip on the al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan's north-west tribal region, there have been a number of violent incidents and suicide bombings since early July 2007 that have killed more than 380 people.

A Short Political History of Pakistan

14 August 1947 - Partiton of India and the end of British rule: Pakistan becomes a sovereign state.

1948 - Pakistan's first war with India over the disputed Kashmir region

September 1948 - Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's first governor-general and founder
of Pakistan dies after suffering from tuberculosis for years.

September 1965 - India and Pakistan at war over the disputed Kashmir region for the second time.

December 1971 - India and Pakistan at war over East Pakistan. The Pakistani troops eventually surrender and Bangladesh is declared an independent state.1977 - Army chief General Zia-ul-Haq seizes power.

April 1979 - Zulfiqar Bhutto is hanged on disputed conviction for conspiring to commit a political murder.

August 1988 - General Zia-ul-Haq dies in plane crash.

November 1988 - Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfiqar, wins elections.

1990 - Bhutto's government is sacked and Nawaz Sharif is elected prime minister.

1993 - Ishaq Khan dismisses Sharif's government, accusing it of corruption. Benazir Bhutto becomes prime minister again.

November 1996 - President Farooq Leghari sacks Bhutto and calls elections, which are won by Sharif.

May 1998 - Pakistan conducts nuclear tests in response to similar tests by India.

October 1999 - Army Chief Pervez Musharraf seizes power in a bloodless coup. He is sworn in as president and head of state in June 2001.

November 2003 - Pakistan announces ceasefire in Kashmir and India reciprocates.

July 10 2007 - At least 102 people are killed in a military operation to crush a Taliban style movement at a mosque in Islamabad. A spate of retaliatory suicide attacks follow.

Sources:
Excerpts of Jinah's speech courtesy from: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Speeches and Statements as Governor General of Pakistan 1947 - 48. Published by Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Directorate of Films & Publications, Islamabad
Pakistan's history: Reuters