| Basic data | |
| Capital | Islamabad |
| Population | 220 million |
| Language | Official language Urdu, English widely spoken, Punjabi (45%), Pashto, Sindhi |
| Religion | Islam (96.5%), Hinduism (1.9%), Christianity (1.6%) |
| State system | federal parliamentary republic |
| Head of State | Arif Alví |
| Head of government | Shahbaz Sharif |
| Currency name | Pakistani Rupee (PKR) |
| Travel | |
| Time shift | +4 hours (in summer +3 hours) |
| Economy | 2021 |
| Nominal GDP (billion USD) | 299.00 |
| Economic growth (%) | 4.0 |
| Inflation (%) | 9.5 |
| Unemployment (%) | 11.0 |
As one of countries that start with letter P according to Countryaah, Pakistan is an emerging market economy in the Indian subcontinent. Today, the fifth most populous state in the world was created by the partition of British India in 1947 in its predominantly Muslim territories. According to the constitution, it is a federal parliamentary republic in which Islam is the state religion. Strong political influence is exercised by the military. The head of state is the president, the head of the executive branch is the prime minister, who since April 2022 is Shahbaz Sharif, chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Pakistan is rich in minerals and raw materials and its economy is heavily dependent on imports of various products including energy resources. Economic growth and potential has so far been significantly limited since the beginning of the 21st century due to the volatile security situation along the borders with India and Afghanistan. The role of the military in the country significantly extends beyond defense to economy and politics. Currently, the government is focusing on the development of domestic industry and attracting foreign investors. It supports infrastructure and construction projects, diversification in energy production through hydroelectric plants and more renewable sources, as well as digitalization of industry. The country’s economy also relies on huge amounts of remittances sent home by the large diaspora of Pakistani workers abroad. The country’s exports mainly consist of textiles, raw fabrics, cotton, but also surgical instruments. Recently, the export of sporting goods has also been growing significantly. Among the main items of Czech exports are iron, steel, reactors, boilers and other mechanical devices, and in the long term, for example, wood. Longstanding opportunities for Pakistan include the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) megaproject, which kicked off infrastructure projects in 2016; these include mainly European-level highways, the Gwadar port in the southwest of the country, and hydroelectric power plants in the north. Under CPEC, care is also being taken to open special economic zones, which foreign investors can use with benefits in entering the Pakistani market. In the post-Covid period during 2022, favorable GDP growth can be expected, but this will be limited by reforms to address the country’s fiscal and external account imbalances. Pakistan will be helped by the continuation of the IMF program, the renewal of which has been secured by the new government at the end of April 2022.
Practical telephone numbers (emergency services, police, firemen, information lines, etc.)
Public
- Ambulance, ambulance 15, 1122, 051-2275713, 051-2827844
- Islamabad Police 15, 051-9107611, 051-9203333
- Traffic Police 1951, 130
- Firemen 16, 1122
- Bomb disposal 15
- Information about flight connection 114
- Information on the traffic situation 117
- Shifa International Hospital – hospital for foreigners 051-8463666, 051-8463055, 051-8463000
- Children’s Hospital 051-9261170-79
- Military Hospital 051-561116
- Electricity – customer service 051-9217579-80
- Gas – customer service – gas 1199
- Motorway – motorway emergency – 130
Business
- Board of Investment, phone: (92.51) 9224101;
- Competition Commission of Pakistan, tel: (92.51) 9100260–3;
- Environmental Protection Agency (Ministry of Environment), phone: (92.51) 9250713;
- Export Processing Zones Authority, Government of Pakistan, Tel: (92.21) 99208039-44;
- Federal Board of Revenue, phone: (92.51) 111-772-772;
- Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, tel: (92.21) 35873691–94;
- Property Organization of Pakistan, tel: (92.51) 9245830-32;
- Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tel: (92.21) 99218001–09;
- Ministry of Information Technology, phone: (92.51) 9219971;
- Ministry of Science and Technology, phone: (92.51) 9202790;
- National Industrial Relations Commission, tel: (92.51) 9201834;
- National Information Technology Board, tel: (92.51) 9265375;
- Overseas Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry, tel: (92.21) 32410814–15;
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Tel: (92.51) 9106555;
- Pakistan Export Finance Guarantee Agency, Tel: (92.21) 32400041/2/4/5;
- Pakistan Software Export Board, Tel: (92.51) 111-333-666;
- Patent Office, phone: (92.21) 99230591;
- Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Tel: (92.51) 9207091-94;
- State Bank of Pakistan, tel: 111-727-111;
- Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, tel: (92.21) 111-444-111/99206487
Important web links and contacts
Government and business institutions
- Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan www.pakistan.gov.pk
- Environmental Protection Agency (Ministry of Environment), Plot 42, Street 6, H-8/2, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9250713; fax: (92.51) 9250715; internet: http://www.environment.gov.pk
- Federal Board of Revenue, FBR House, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 111-772-772; fax: (92.51) 9205593; internet: https://www.fbr.gov.pk
- Ministry of Information Technology, Seventh Floor, Kohsar Block, Pak Secretariat, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9219971; internet: http://www.moitt.gov.pk
- Ministry of Science and Technology, 1, Constitution Avenue, G-5/2 Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9202790; fax: (92.51) 9204541
- National Information Technology Board, 24-B, Street No. 6, Sector H 9/1, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9265375; fax: (92.51) 9265376; internet: http://www.nitb.gov.pk/
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Statistics House, Plot 21, Mauve Area, G-9/1, Islamabad, 44000; phone: (92.51) 9106555; fax: (92.51) 9106556; internet: http://www.pbs.gov.pk
- Pakistan Software Export Board, Second Floor, Evacuee Trust Complex, F-5, Aga Khan Road, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 111-333-666; fax: (92.51) 9204075; internet: http://www.pseb.org.pk
- Board of Investment, 6th Floor, Kohsar Block, Pak Secretariat, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9224101; fax: (92.51) 9215554; internet: http://www.invest.gov.pk
- Export Processing Zones Authority, Government of Pakistan, Landhi Industrial Area (Ext), Mehran Highway, Karachi 75150; phone: (92.21) 99208039-44; internet: http://www.epza.gov.pk
- Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation House, Sharea Firdousi, Main Clifton, Karachi 75600; phone: (92.21) 35873691–94; fax: (92.21) 35874332; internet: http://www.fpcci.org.pk
- Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan, 3rd Floor, NTC-HQs Building, Ataturk Avenue (East), Sector G-5/2, Islamabad, 44000; phone: (92.51) 9245830-32; fax: (92.51) 9245874; internet: https://www.ipo.gov.pk
- National Industrial Relations Commission, Sector G-5, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9201834; fax: (92.51) 9205920; internet: http://www.nirc.gov.pk
- Pakistan Export Finance Guarantee Agency, 506, Business Finance Centre, II Chundrigar Road, Karachi 74200; phone: (92.21) 32400041/2/4/5; fax: (92.21) 32400043
- Patent Office, Plot ST 1&2, Ground Floor, New Broadcasting House, behind KDA Civic Center, Block 14 Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi 74003; phone: (92.21) 99230591; fax: (92.21) 99230592; internet: https://www.ipo.gov.pk
- Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, National Insurance Corp Building, 63 Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad 44000; phone: (92.51) 9207091-94; fax: (92.51) 9100471; internet: http://www.secp.gov.pk
- State Bank of Pakistan, II Chundrigar Road, Karachi 74000; phone: 111-727-111; fax: (92.21) 9212433–436; internet: https://www.sbp.org.pk
- Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Third Floor, Block A, Finance and Trade Centre, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi 75200; phone: (92.21) 111-444-111/99206487; fax: (92.21) 99206461; internet: http://www.tdap.gov.pk
Press and Media
- PTV State Television www.ptv.com.pk
- State Radio www.radio.gov.pk
- Dawn www.dawn.com
- The News www.jang-group.com
- The Nation www.nation.com.pk
- The Business Recorder www.brecorder.com
- The Frontier Post www.frontierpost.com.pk
The EU in Pakistan
https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/pakistan_en
