Editing Pakistan (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of Pakistan}}
{{See also|Timeline of Pakistani history}}

=== Prehistory and antiquity ===
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| image1            = Mohenjo-daro Priesterkönig.jpeg
| caption1          = ''[[Priest-king (sculpture)|Priest-King]]'' from [[Mohenjo-daro]] ({{circa|2500 BCE}}){{sfn|Parker|2017}}
| width2            = 140
| image2            = Cremation Urn with Lid LACMA AC1994.234.8a-b.jpg
| caption2          = Cremation urn, [[Gandhara grave culture]], Swat Valley, {{circa|1200 BCE}}{{sfn|Burrison|2017}}
}}
Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in [[South Asia]] originated from areas encompassing present-day Pakistan.{{sfn|Allchin|Petraglia|2007}} The earliest known inhabitants in the region were [[Soanian]] during the [[Lower Paleolithic]], of whom [[Artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] have been found in the [[Soan Valley]] of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].{{sfn|Ahmed|2014}} The [[Indus River|Indus region]], which covers most of the present-day Pakistan, was the site of several successive ancient cultures including the [[Neolithic]] (7000–4300 [[BCE]]) site of [[Mehrgarh]],{{R|Coningham-Young-2015|Fisher-2018|Dyson-2018}} and the 5,000-year history of urban life in South Asia to the various sites of the [[Indus Valley Civilisation]], including [[Mohenjo-daro]] and [[Harappa]].{{R|Allchin-1982}}{{sfn|Dales|Kenoyer|Alcock|1986}}

Following the decline of the Indus valley civilization, [[Rigvedic tribes|Indo-Aryan tribes]] moved into the [[Punjab]] from [[Central Asia]] in several [[Indo-Aryan migration theory|waves of migration]] in the [[Vedic period]] (1500–500 BCE),{{sfn|Oursel|2015}} bringing with them their distinctive religious traditions and practices which fused with local culture.{{refn|name="Vedic period"}} The Indo-Aryans religious beliefs and practices from the [[Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex|Bactria–Margiana culture]] and the native Harappan Indus beliefs of the former Indus Valley civilization eventually gave rise to Vedic culture and tribes.{{refn|name="Vedic period"}} Most notable among them was [[Gandhara civilization]], which flourished at the crossroads of India, Central Asia, and the Middle East, connecting [[Silk Road|trade routes]] and absorbing cultural influences from diverse civilizations.{{sfn|Behrendt|2007}} The initial early Vedic culture was a tribal, [[Pastoralism|pastoral]] society centered in the Indus Valley, of what is today Pakistan.{{sfn|Rahmaan|2017}} During this period, the [[Vedas]], the oldest [[scriptures]] of [[Hinduism]], were composed.{{sfn|Oberlies|2023}}{{efn|name="Rigveda"}}

===Classical period===
[[File:Gandhara Buddha (tnm).jpeg|thumb|''[[Standing Buddha]]'' from [[Gandhara]] (1st–2nd century CE){{sfn|Stonard|2017}}|upright=0.8]]
The western regions of Pakistan [[Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley|became part]] of [[Achaemenid Empire]] around 517&nbsp;BCE.{{sfn|Dandamaev|2023}} In 326&nbsp;BCE, [[Alexander the Great]] conquered the region by defeating various local rulers, most notably, the King [[Porus]], at [[Battle of Hydaspes|Jhelum]].{{sfn|Sadasivan|2011}} It was followed by the [[Maurya Empire]], founded by [[Chandragupta Maurya]] and extended by [[Ashoka the Great]], until 185&nbsp;BCE.{{sfn|James|1980}}{{sfn|Khan|2022|page=114}}{{sfn|Cooke|2017}} The [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]] founded by [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius of Bactria]] (180–165&nbsp;BCE) included [[Gandhara]] and Punjab and reached its greatest extent under [[Menander I|Menander]] (165–150&nbsp;BCE), prospering the [[Greco-Buddhism|Greco-Buddhist]] culture in the region.{{sfn|Pollitt|1986}}{{sfn|Quintanilla|2007}}{{sfn|Kubica|2023}} [[Taxila]] had one of the earliest universities and centres of higher education in the world, which was established during the late Vedic period in the 6th century BCE.{{sfn|Westmoreland|2019}} The ancient university was documented by the invading forces of Alexander the Great and was also recorded by Chinese pilgrims in the 4th or 5th century CE.{{refn|name="Needham-1994"}}{{refn|name="Kulke-Rothermund-2016"}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1989}} At its zenith, the [[Rai dynasty]] (489–632&nbsp;CE) ruled [[Sindh]] and the surrounding territories.{{sfn|Banerjee|2022}}

===Medieval period===
The Arab conqueror [[Muhammad ibn Qasim]] conquered Sindh and some regions of Punjab in 711&nbsp;CE.{{sfn|James|1980}}{{sfn|Mufti|2013}} The Pakistan government's official chronology claims this as the time when the foundation of Pakistan was laid.{{sfn|Hoodbhoy|2023}} The early medieval period (642–1219&nbsp;CE) witnessed the spread of Islam in the region.{{sfn|Cavendish|2006|page=318}} Before the arrival of Islam beginning in the 8th century, the region of Pakistan was home to a diverse plethora of faiths, including [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Zoroastrianism]].{{R|Stubbs-Thomson-2016}}{{sfn|Malik|2006|page=47}} During this period, [[Sufi]] [[Dawah|missionaries]] played a pivotal role in converting a majority of the regional population to Islam.{{sfn|Lapidus|2014}} Upon the defeat of the [[Turk Shahis|Turk]] and [[Hindu Shahi]] dynasties which governed the [[Kabul Valley]], [[Gandhara]], and western Punjab in the 7th to 11th centuries CE, [[Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent|several successive Muslim empires]] ruled over the region, including the [[Ghaznavids|Ghaznavid Empire]] (975–1187&nbsp;CE), the [[Ghorid]] Kingdom, and the [[Delhi Sultanate]] (1206–1526&nbsp;CE).{{sfn|Samad|2011}} The [[Lodi dynasty]], the last of the Delhi Sultanate, was replaced by the Mughal Empire (1526–1857&nbsp;CE).{{sfn|Faroqhi|2019}}

[[File:View_of_Makli_by_Usman_Ghani_(cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Makli Necropolis]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] rose to prominence as a major funerary site during the [[Samma dynasty]]{{sfn|Junejo|2020}}]]

The Mughals introduced Persian literature and high culture, establishing the roots of [[Indo-Persian culture]] in the region.{{sfn|Canfield|2002}} In the region of modern-day Pakistan, key cities during the Mughal period were [[Multan]], [[Lahore]], [[Peshawar]] and [[Thatta]],{{sfn|Chandra|2005}} which were chosen as the site of impressive [[Mughal architecture|Mughal buildings]].{{sfn|Malik|2006|page=79}} In the early 16th century, the region remained under the [[Mughal Empire]].{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006}} In the 18th century, the slow disintegration of the Mughal Empire was hastened by the emergence of the rival powers of the [[Maratha Confederacy]] and later the [[Sikh Empire]], as well as invasions by [[Nader Shah]] from Iran in 1739 and the [[Durrani Empire]] of Afghanistan in 1759.{{sfn|Haleem|2013}}{{sfn|MacDonald|2017}} The growing political power of the British in Bengal had not yet reached the territories of modern Pakistan.{{sfn|Simpson|2007}}

=== Colonial rule ===
{{main|British India|British Raj|Aligarh Movement|Two-nation theory}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
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| image1            = Sir Syed1.jpg
| caption1          = Sir [[Syed Ahmad Khan]] (1817–1898), whose [[Two-nation theory|vision]] formed the basis of Pakistan.{{R|Wolpert-1984|Sengupta-2023}}{{sfn|Holt|Curta|2016}}
| alt1              = Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–1898), whose vision (Two-nation theory) formed the basis of Pakistan
| width2            = 170
| image2            = Jinnah1945b.jpg
| caption2          = [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] (1876–1948) served as Pakistan's first Governor-General and the leader of the [[Pakistan Movement]].{{sfn|Wolpert|1984}}
| alt2              = Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948) served as Pakistan's first Governor-General and the leader of the Pakistan Movement
}}
None of modern Pakistan was under British rule until 1839 when [[Karachi]], a small fishing village governed by [[Talpur dynasty|Talpurs]] of [[Sindh]] with a mud fort guarding the harbour, was [[History of Karachi#Company rule|taken]],{{sfn|Rustomji|1952}}{{sfn|Walbridge|2012}} and used as an enclave with a port and [[Karachi Cantonment|military base]] for the [[First Afghan War]] that ensued.{{sfn|Gayer|2014}} The remainder of [[Sindh]] was acquired in 1843,{{sfn|Sharma|D'Angelo|Giri|2020}} and subsequently, through a series of wars and treaties, the [[British East India Company|East India Company]], and later, after the post-[[Sepoy Mutiny]] (1857–1858), direct rule by [[Queen Victoria]] of the [[British Empire]], acquired most of the region.{{sfn|Pirbhai|2009}} Key conflicts included those against the [[Baloch people|Baloch]] [[Talpur dynasty]], resolved by the [[Battle of Miani]] (1843) in Sindh,{{sfn|Harjani|2018}} the [[Anglo-Sikh War (disambiguation)|Anglo-Sikh Wars]] (1845–1849),{{sfn|Cook|1975}} and the [[Anglo-Afghan War]]s (1839–1919).{{sfn|Khan|2022|page=119}} By 1893, all modern Pakistan was part of the [[British Indian Empire]], and remained so until independence in 1947.{{sfn|Cavendish|2006|page=365}}

Under British rule, modern Pakistan was primarily divided into the [[Sind Division]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]], and the [[Baluchistan Agency]]. The region also included various [[princely state]]s, with the largest being [[Bahawalpur (princely state)|Bahawalpur]].{{sfn|Law|1999}}{{sfn|Hussain|2015}}

The major armed struggle against the British in the region was the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|rebellion]] known as the [[Sepoy Mutiny]] in 1857.{{sfn|Malleson|2016}} Divergence in the [[Hindu–Islamic relations|relationship]] between [[Hinduism]] and Islam resulted in significant tension in [[British Raj|British India]], leading to religious violence. The [[Hindi–Urdu controversy|language controversy]] further exacerbated tensions between Hindus and Muslims.{{sfn|Holt|Curta|2016}}{{sfn|Hali|Akhtar|1993}} A [[Aligarh Movement|Muslim intellectual movement]], led by Sir [[Syed Ahmed Khan]] to counter the [[Bengali Renaissance|Hindu renaissance]], advocated for the [[two-nation theory]] and led to the establishment of the [[All-India Muslim League]] in 1906.{{R|Wolpert-1984|Sengupta-2023}}{{sfn|Holt|Curta|2016}}

In March 1929, in response to the [[Nehru Report]], [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the founder of Pakistan, issued his [[Fourteen Points of Jinnah|fourteen points]], which included proposals to safeguard the interests of the Muslim minority in a united India. These proposals were rejected.{{R|Hardy-1972|Wuthnow-2013|Singh-Shani-2021}} In his 29 December 1930 address, [[Muhammad Iqbal|Allama Iqbal]] advocated the amalgamation of Muslim-majority states in [[Northwest India (pre-1947)|North-West]] India, including [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–55)|North-West Frontier Province]], [[Sind Province (1936–55)|Sind]], and [[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioner's Province)|Baluchistan]].{{R|Singh-Shani-2021}}{{refn|name="Iqbal"}} The perception that Congress-led British [[1937 Indian provincial elections|provincial governments]] neglected the Muslim League from 1937 to 1939 motivated Jinnah and other Muslim League leaders to embrace the two-nation theory.{{sfn|Pandeya|2003}}{{sfn|Basu|Miroshnik|2017}} This led to the adoption of the [[Lahore Resolution]] of 1940, presented by [[Sher-e-Bangla]] [[A.K. Fazlul Haque]], also known as the Pakistan Resolution.{{sfn|M. H. Khan|2016}}

By 1942, Britain faced considerable strain during [[World War II]], with India directly threatened by Japanese forces. Britain had pledged voluntary independence for India in exchange for support during the war. However, this pledge included a clause stating that no part of British India would be compelled to join the resulting dominion, which could be interpreted as support for an independent Muslim nation. Congress under the leadership of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] launched the [[Quit India Movement]], demanding an immediate end to British rule. In contrast, the Muslim League chose to support the [[United Kingdom in World War II|UK's war efforts]], thereby nurturing the possibility of establishing a Muslim nation.{{R|Tucker-2020}}{{sfn|Chandra|2008}}

=== Independence ===
{{main|Pakistan Movement}}
{{further|Indian independence movement|Partition of India}}

[[File:Partition of India 1947 en.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[partition of India]]: green regions were all part of Pakistan by 1948, and orange ones part of India. The darker-shaded regions represent the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] and [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]] provinces partitioned by the Radcliffe Line. The grey areas represent some of the key [[princely state]]s that were eventually integrated into India or Pakistan.]]
The [[1946 Indian provincial elections|1946 elections]] saw the Muslim League secure 90 percent of the Muslim seats, supported by the landowners of Sindh and Punjab. This forced the Indian National Congress, initially skeptical of the League's representation of Indian Muslims, to acknowledge its significance.{{R|Mohiuddin-2007-1}} Jinnah's emergence as the voice of the Indian Muslims,{{sfn|Hoodbhoy|2023}} compelled the British to consider their stance, despite their [[Opposition to the partition of India|reluctance to partition India]]. In a final attempt to prevent partition, they proposed the [[Cabinet Mission Plan]].{{R|Mohiuddin-2007-2}}

As the Cabinet Mission failed, the British announced their intention to end rule by June 1948.{{sfn|Wolpert|1984|page=309}}{{sfn|Markovits|2012}} Following rigorous discussions involving [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy of India]], [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten of Burma]], [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] of the [[All-India Muslim League]], and [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] of Congress, the formal declaration to partition British India into two independent dominions—namely Pakistan and India—was issued by Mountbatten on the evening of 3 June 1947. In Mountbatten's oval office, the prime ministers of around a dozen major princely states gathered to receive their copies of the plan before its worldwide broadcast. At 7:00 P.M., [[All India Radio]] transmitted the public announcement, starting with the viceroy's address, followed by individual speeches from Nehru, and Jinnah. The founder of Pakistan [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] concluded his address with the slogan ''Pakistan Zindabad'' (Long Live Pakistan).{{sfn|Wolpert|1984|pages=328–329}}

As the United Kingdom agreed to the [[Partition of India|partitioning of India]],{{sfn|Wolpert|1984|pages=328–329}} the modern state of Pakistan was established on [[Independence Day (Pakistan)|14 August 1947]] {{small|(27th of [[Ramadan]] in 1366 of the [[Islamic Calendar]], considered to be the most blessed date from an Islamic perspective)}}.{{sfn|Hasanie|2013}}{{sfn|Akbarzadeh|2020}} This new nation amalgamated the [[Islam in India|Muslim-majority]] eastern and [[Northwest India (pre-1947)|northwestern regions]] of [[British India]], comprising the provinces of [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]], [[East Bengal]], the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier Province]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|West Punjab]], and Sindh.{{sfn|Cohen|2004|page=6}}

In the riots that accompanied the partition in Punjab Province, between 200,000 and 2,000,000 people were killed in what some have described as a retributive genocide between the religions.{{refn|name="Riots-1"}} Around 50,000 Muslim women were [[Violence against women during the partition of India|abducted and raped]] by Hindu and Sikh men, while 33,000 Hindu and Sikh women experienced the same fate at the hands of Muslims.{{refn|name="Riots-2"}} Around 6.5 million Muslims moved from India to West Pakistan and 4.7 million Hindus and Sikhs moved from West Pakistan to India.{{R|Hasan-Raza-2009}} It was the largest mass migration in human history.{{sfn|Riggs|2024}} A subsequent dispute over the [[princely state]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] eventually sparked the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948]].{{sfn|Bhaumik|1996}}

=== Post independence ===
{{Main|History of Pakistan (1947–present)|Dominion of Pakistan}}
[[File:Liaquat Ali Khan 1945.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|[[Liaquat Ali Khan]] was elected 1st Prime Minister of Pakistan.{{sfn|Kazmi|2003}}{{sfn|Tucker|2017}}]]
After [[Creation of Pakistan|independence]] in 1947, Jinnah, the [[Party chair|President]] of the Muslim League, became Pakistan's first [[Governor-General of Pakistan|Governor-General]] and the first [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|President-Speaker]] of the [[Parliament of Pakistan|Parliament]], but he succumbed to tuberculosis on 11 September 1948.{{sfn|Tucker|2017}}{{sfn|Akbar|2018}} Meanwhile, Pakistan's founding fathers agreed to appoint [[Liaquat Ali Khan]], the [[Secretary General|secretary-general]] of the [[All-India Muslim League|party]], the nation's [[List of Prime Ministers of Pakistan|first Prime Minister]].{{sfn|Kazmi|2003}}{{sfn|Tucker|2017}} From 1947 to 1956, [[Monarchy of Pakistan|Pakistan was a monarchy]] within the Commonwealth of Nations, and had two monarchs before it became a republic.{{R|Kumarasingham-2013}}

The creation of Pakistan was never fully accepted by many British leaders including [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]].{{R|McGrath-1996}} Mountbatten expressed his lack of support and faith in the Muslim League's idea of Pakistan.{{R|Ahmed-1997}} Jinnah refused Mountbatten's offer to serve as Governor-General of Pakistan.{{R|Wolpert-2009}} When Mountbatten was asked by [[Larry Collins (writer)|Collins]] and [[Dominique Lapierre|Lapierre]] if he would have sabotaged Pakistan had he known that Jinnah was dying of tuberculosis, he replied 'most probably'.{{R|Lapierre-Collins-2015}}
[[File:Pakistan.ogv|thumb|The American [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] film on Pakistan, made in 1950, examines the history and geography of Pakistan.]]
{{quote box
|quote   = "You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed&nbsp;– that has nothing to do with the business of the State."
|source  = —[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]'s first speech to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.{{sfn|Wilson|2009}}
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Maulana [[Shabbir Ahmad Usmani]], a respected Deobandi ''alim'' (scholar) who held the position of Shaykh al-Islam in Pakistan in 1949, and [[Abul A'la Maududi|Maulana Mawdudi]] of [[Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-i-Islami]] played key roles in advocating for an Islamic constitution. Mawdudi insisted that the Constituent Assembly declare the "supreme sovereignty of God" and the supremacy of the ''shariah'' in Pakistan.{{R|Hussain-2008-1}}

The efforts of Jamaat-i-Islami and the ''[[ulama]]'' led to the passage of the [[Objectives Resolution]] in March 1949. This resolution, described by Liaquat Ali Khan as the second most significant step in Pakistan's history, affirmed that "sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to God Almighty alone and the authority which He has delegated to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust". It was later included as a preamble to the constitutions of 1956, 1962, and 1973.{{R|Hussain-2008-2}}

[[Democracy in Pakistan|Democracy]] faced setbacks due to the [[1958 Pakistani coup d'état|martial law]] imposed by President [[Iskander Mirza]], who was succeeded by General [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Ayub Khan]]. After adopting a [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1962|presidential system]] in 1962, Pakistan witnessed significant growth until the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|second war]] with India in 1965, resulting in an economic downturn and widespread public discontent in 1967.{{sfn|Wynbrandt|2009|p=190–197}}{{sfn|Chowdhury|Mahmud|2008}} In 1969, President [[Yahya Khan]] consolidated control, but faced a devastating [[1970 Bhola cyclone|cyclone]] in East Pakistan resulting in 500,000 deaths.{{sfn|Kathpalia|1986}}

In 1970, Pakistan conducted its [[1970 Pakistani general election|first democratic elections]] since independence, intending to transition from [[Legal Framework Order, 1970|military rule]] to democracy. However, after the East Pakistani [[Awami League]] emerged victorious over the [[Pakistan Peoples Party]] (PPP), Yahya Khan and the military refused to transfer power.{{sfn|Koumar|2023}} This led to [[Operation Searchlight]], a military crackdown, and eventually sparked the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|war of liberation]] by Bengali [[Mukti Bahini]] forces in East Pakistan,{{sfn|Lewis|2011}} described in West Pakistan as a civil war rather than a liberation struggle.{{sfn|Bose|2005}}

[[File:Ayubkhanandbhutto.jpg|thumb|upright|Signing of the [[Tashkent Declaration]] to end [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|hostilities]] with India in 1965 in [[Tashkent]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)|USSR]], by President [[Field Marshal Ayub Khan|Ayub]] alongside [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Bhutto]] (centre) and [[Aziz Ahmed (civil servant)|Aziz Ahmed]] (left){{sfn|Khan|2008}}]]

Independent researchers estimate that between 300,000 and 500,000 civilians died during this period while the Bangladesh government puts the number of dead at three million,{{sfn|Sunkara|Walter|Rojas|2024}} a figure that is now nearly universally regarded as excessively inflated.{{sfn|Hiro|2015}} Some academics such as [[Rudolph Rummel]] and [[Rounaq Jahan]] say both sides committed genocide;{{sfn|Rummel|1998}} others such as [[John Richard Sisson|Richard Sisson]] and Leo E. Rose believe there was no genocide.{{sfn|Beachler|2011}} In response to India's support for the insurgency in East Pakistan, [[preemptive strikes]] on India by Pakistan's [[Pakistan Air Force|air force]], [[Pakistan Navy|navy]], and [[Pakistan Marines|marines]] sparked [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|a conventional war]] in 1971 that resulted in an Indian victory and East Pakistan gaining [[Independence of Bangladesh|independence]] as [[Bangladesh]].{{sfn|Totten|2000}}

With Pakistan [[Instrument of Surrender (1971)|surrendering]] in the war,{{sfn|Agha|2021}} Yahya Khan was replaced by [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] as president; the country worked towards promulgating [[Constitution of Pakistan|its constitution]] and putting the country on the road to democracy.{{sfn|Paxton|2016}}{{sfn|Oldenburg|2010}} In 1972 Pakistan embarked on an ambitious plan to develop its [[Pakistan and its Nuclear Deterrent Program|nuclear deterrence]] capability with [[Mutually assured destruction|the goal of preventing]] any [[Foreign interventionism|foreign invasion]]; the country's [[KANUPP|first]] [[nuclear power plant]] was inaugurated in that same year.{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|2007}}{{sfn|Hoodbhoy|2011}} India's [[Operation Smiling Buddha|first nuclear test]] in 1974 gave Pakistan additional justification to accelerate its [[Pakistan and Nuclear Weapons|nuclear program]].{{sfn|Hoodbhoy|2011}}

Democracy ended with a [[Operation Fair Play|military coup]] in 1977 against the [[Socialism in Pakistan|leftist]] PPP, which saw [[General Zia-ul-Haq]] become the president in 1978.{{sfn|Krasno|LaPides|2015}} From 1977 to 1988, President Zia's [[Corporate sector of Pakistan|corporatisation]] and [[Islamization of Economy|economic Islamisation]] initiatives led to Pakistan becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in South Asia.{{sfn|Khanna|2002}} While building up the country's [[Pakistan and its Nuclear Deterrent Program|nuclear program]], increasing [[Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization|Islamisation]], and the rise of a homegrown [[Conservatism in Pakistan|conservative]] philosophy, Pakistan helped subsidise and distribute US [[Operation Cyclone|resources to factions]] of the [[Afghan mujahideen|mujahideen]] against the [[Soviet Union|USSR]]'s [[Soviet–Afghan War|intervention]] in [[communist Afghanistan]].{{sfn|Hajari|2015}}{{sfn|Coll|2004}}{{sfn|Westad|2005}} Pakistan's [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|North-West Frontier Province]] became a base for the anti-Soviet Afghan fighters, with the province's influential [[Deobandi]] ulama playing a significant role in encouraging and organising the 'jihad'.{{sfn|Haroon|2008}}

[[Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|President Zia died]] in a plane crash in 1988, and [[Benazir Bhutto]], daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was elected as the country's [[Women in Muslim societies|first female]] Prime Minister. The PPP was followed by conservative [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]] (PML (N)), and over the next decade the leaders of the two parties fought for power, alternating in office.{{sfn|Tucker|2015}} This period is marked by prolonged [[Periods of stagflation in Pakistan|stagflation]], political instability, [[Corruption in Pakistan|corruption]], misgovernment, [[Geostrategy|geopolitical]] rivalry with India, and the clash of [[Socialism in Pakistan|left wing]]-[[Conservatism in Pakistan|right wing]] ideologies.{{sfn|Chapman|2018}}{{sfn|Husain|2010}} As PML (N) secured a [[supermajority]] in [[1997 Pakistani general election|elections]] in 1997,{{sfn|Yap|Abeyratne|2023|page=68}} [[Nawaz Sharif]] authorised [[List of nuclear weapons tests of Pakistan|nuclear testings]], as a [[tit-for-tat|retaliation]] to the [[Pokhran-II|second nuclear tests]] conducted by India in May 1998.{{sfn|Khan|2012}}

[[File:The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee meets the President of Pakistan Mr. Pervez Musharraf on the sidline of 12th SAARC Summit in Islmabad on January 5, 2003.jpg|left|thumb|President [[Pervez Musharraf|Musharraf]] meets with Indian Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee|Vajpayee]] in [[Islamabad]] at the sidelines of 12th [[SAARC]] summit in 2004.{{sfn|Ahmad|2023}}]]

Military tension between the two countries in the [[Kargil district]] led to the [[Kargil War]] of 1999,{{sfn|Mazari|2003}}{{sfn|Chakma|2014}} and turmoil in [[civil-military relations]] allowed General [[Pervez Musharraf]] to take over through a [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état|bloodless coup d'état]].{{sfn|Yarbakhsh|2019}} Musharraf governed Pakistan as [[head of government|chief executive]] from 1999 to 2002 and as president from 2001 to 2008{{sfn|Khoja-Moolji|2021}}—a period of [[Enlightened moderation|enlightenment]],{{sfn|Fair|2014}}{{sfn|Kennedy|2021}} social [[Liberal islam|liberalism]],{{sfn|Zulfiqar|2011}} extensive [[Economic reforms in Pakistan|economic reforms]],{{sfn|Mohiuddin|2007|page=219}} and [[Pakistan's role in the War on Terror|direct involvement in the US-led war on terrorism]].{{sfn|Kennedy|2021}} By its own financial calculations, Pakistan's [[Pakistan's role in the War on Terror|involvement in the war on terrorism]] has cost up to $118&nbsp;billion, over [[List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001|eighty one thousand casualties]],{{sfn|Martini|Ford|Jackson|2020}} and more than 1.8&nbsp;million displaced civilians.{{sfn|Mansbach|Pirro|Taylor|2017}}

The [[National Assembly (Pakistan)|National Assembly]] historically completed its first full five-year term on 15 November 2007.{{sfn|United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|2008}} After the [[assassination of Benazir Bhutto]] in 2007, the PPP secured the [[Majority|most votes]] in the [[2008 Pakistani general election|elections]] of 2008, appointing party member [[Yusuf Raza Gilani]] as Prime Minister.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2015|page=261}} Threatened with [[Movement to impeach Pervez Musharraf|impeachment]], President Musharraf resigned on 18 August 2008, and was succeeded by [[Asif Ali Zardari]].{{sfn|Kapoor|2009}} Clashes with the [[Judiciary of Pakistan|judicature]] prompted Gilani's disqualification from the [[Parliament of Pakistan|Parliament]] and as the Prime Minister in June 2012.{{sfn|Waseem|2022}} The [[2013 Pakistani general election|general election]] held in 2013 saw the PML (N) achieve victory,{{sfn|Dede|Sadioglu|2016}} following which Nawaz Sharif was elected as Prime Minister for the third time.{{sfn|Ruhland|2019}} In 2018, [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf|PTI]] won the [[2018 Pakistan general election|general election]] and [[Imran Khan]] became the 22nd Prime Minister.{{sfn|Burnett|2020}} In April 2022, [[Shehbaz Sharif]] was elected as prime minister, after Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2023}} During [[2024 Pakistani general election|2024 general election]], PTI-backed independents became the largest bloc,{{sfn|Afzal|2024}} but Shehbaz Sharif was elected prime minister for a second term, as a result of a coalition between PML (N) and PPPP.{{sfn|Tariq|Stenson|2024}}
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