 Facts
about flags
Pakistan traces its history
back to 2,500 years B.C., when a highly developed civilization
flourished in the Indus Valley. Excavations at Harrappa,
Moenjodaro, Kot Diji and Mehr Garh have brought to light,
the evidence of an advanced civilization existing even
in more ancient times. Around 1,500 B.C., the Aryans
overwhelmed this region and influenced the Hindu civilization,
whose centre moved to Ganges valley, further east. Later,
the Persians occupied the northern region in the 5th
century B.C. up to the 2nd century AD. The Greeks came
in 327 B.C., under Alexander of Macedonia, and passed
away like a meteor. In 712 AD, the Arabs, led by Muhammad
Bin Qasim, landed somewhere near modern Karachi and
ruled the lower half of Pakistan for 200 years. During
this time, Islam took roots in the soil and influenced
the life, culture and traditions of the people.
In the
10th century AD, began the systematic conquest of South
Asia by the Muslims from Central Asia, who ruled here
up to the 18th century. Then the British came and ruled
for nearly 100 years over what is Pakistan now.
Independence Movement
The Muslim
revival began towards the end of the last century when
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a renowned Muslim leader and educationist,
launched a movement for intellectual renaissance of the
Muslims of South Asia. In 1930, the well-known poet-philosopher,
Allama Muhammad Iqbal, conceived the idea of a separate
state for the Muslims of South Asia. In 1940, a resolution
was adopted by the All-India Muslim League, demanding
a separate independent home land for the Muslims. After
07 years of un-tiring struggle under the brilliant leadership
of Quaid-e-Azam (the great leader) Muhammad Ali Jinnah,
Pakistan emerged on the world map as a sovereign state,
on 14th August, 1947.
CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT HISTORICAL EVENTS
This is the summary of important historical events of
the subcontinent
| 3000-15000
B.C. |
Harappan
culture in the Indus Valley and elsewhere
|
| 500-500
B.C. |
Migrations
of Aryan-speaking tribes; the Vedic Age
|
| 550-486
B.C. |
Life
of Gautama Buddha, founding of Buddhism
|
| 320-180
B.C. |
Mauryan
Empire; Asoka most famous emperor; spread of Buddhism
|
| 180
B.C - 150 A.D. |
Saka dynasties
in Indus Valley and northwest |
| 78-200
A.D. |
Kushan
Empire; Gandharan art flourishes |
| 300-700
A.D |
Gupta
Empire; Classical Age in northern India |
Coming of Islam
| 711 |
Arab Muslims
in Sindh |
| 998-1030 |
Mahmud
of Ghazni raids into the subcontinent from Afghanistan
|
| 1192 |
Muhammad
of Ghor defeats Rajputs |
| 1206 |
Establishment
of Delhi Sultanate |
| 1398 |
Destruction
of Delhi by Timur |
Mughal Period
| 1526 |
Babur
victorious in first Battle of Paniput |
| 1530-1556 |
Wars of
succession |
| 1556
|
Akbar
victorious in second Battle of Paniput |
| 1556-1605 |
Reign
of Akbar the Great |
| 1605-1627 |
Reign
of Jahangir; in 1612 East India Company opens first
trading center |
| 1628-1658 |
Reign
of Shah Jahan |
| 1658-1707 |
Reign
of Aurangzeb |
| 1761 |
Third
Battle of Panipat; an Afghan victory over a Maratha
army |
| 1707-1858
|
Decline
of the Mughal Empire |
British India
1757 Battle of Plassey - British victory over Mughal forces
in Bengal; conventional date for beginning of
British rule in India
| 1784 |
William
Pitt's India Act |
| 1799-1839 |
Sikh
kingdom in the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh
|
| 1830s |
Institution
of British education and other reform measures 45
|
| 1838-1842 |
First
Afghan war |
| 1843 |
British
annex Sindh, Hyderabad and Khairpur |
| 1845-49
|
Sikh
Wars; British annex the Punjab and sell Kashmir,
Gilgit, and Ladakh "Package," known as
Kashmir
|
| 1857-1858 |
Uprising,
variously known as the first war of independence,
the Mutiny,and the Sepoy Rebellion
|
| 1858 |
British
Raj begins |
| 1878-1880 |
Second
Afghan War |
| 1885 |
Indian
National Congress formed |
| 1893 |
Durand
Line established as boundary between Afghanistan
and British India
|
| 1905 |
Partition
of Bengal |
| 1906 |
All-India
Muslim League founded |
| 1911 |
Partition
of Bengal annulled |
| 1919 |
Montague-Chelmsford
Reforms; Third Afghan War |
| 1935 |
Government
of India Act of 1935 |
| March
23, 1940 |
Muslim League adopts
Pakistan Resolution
|
Pakistan
| August
14, 1947 |
Partition
and independence; Mohammad Ali Jinnah becomes Governor
General; Liaqath Ali Khan becomes Prime Minister
|
| September
11, 1948 |
Jinnah
dies; Khwaja Nazimuddin becomes Governor General
|
| October
1951 |
Liaqath
Ali Khan assassinated; Ghulam Mohammad becomes Governor
General
|
| August
1955 |
Ghulam
Mohammad dies; succeeded by Iskander Mirza |
| October
1955 |
One
Unit established, incorporating the four provinces
of West Pakistan
|
| March
23, 1956 |
Constitution
adopted; Mirza becomes President |
| October
7, 1958 |
President
Mirza abrogates constitution, declares martial law
|
| October
27, 1958 |
Mirza
sent into exile; General Mohammad Ayub Khan begins
rule
|
| September
1965 |
War with
India over KASHMIR ISSUE. |
| March
25, 1969 |
Ayub
resigns as result of public pressure; General Agha
Mohammad Yahya Khan assumes power.
|
| July
1, 1970 |
One
unit abolished, four provinces reestablished in
West Pakistan
|
| December
1970 |
First
general elections; Awami League secures majority in
East Pakistam & People’s Party in West Pakistan.
|
| March
25, 1971 |
East
Pakistan attempts to secede; civil war begins |
| December
1971 |
Indo-Pakistani
War; East Pakistan becomes the independent state of
Bangladesh; Yahya resigns; President Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto takes charge as the Civilian Martial Law Administrator.
|
| July
2, 1972 |
Bhutto
and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi conclude Simla Agreement
|
| August
14, 1973 |
New
Constitution goes into effect with Bhutto as Prime
Minister |
| February
22-25, 1974 |
Islam
Summit Conference held in Lahore |
| March
1977 |
General
elections; massive victory by Bhutto's party evokes
widespread rioting and protest |
| July
5, 1977 |
Marial
law proclaimed |
| September
1978 |
Mohammad
Zia ul Haq becomes President |
| April
4, 1979 |
Bhutto
hanged |
| March
4, 1981 |
Provisional
Constitutional Order, which in effect suspended 1973
Constitution |
| August
12, 1983 |
President
Zia announces that martial law will be lifted in 1985,
|
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