Welcome to Pakistan

Capital:  Islamabad

Airports:  Visit the airports page for information about airports in Pakistan.

Currency:  There are 100 raisa to one Pakistani rupee (Pre$).  For the current rate of exchange visit the Olson and Anderson web site.

Time Zones:  Current local time. Standard time is five hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).  

Languages:  English and Urdu are the official languages.  Other ethnic languages are in use.

Visit the CIA World Fact Book for a large variety of particulars regarding Pakistan.

Travel Advisories:  Travelers should check the web sites listed on our international pages that provide advice of possible security and health risks when visiting this region.

The web site for the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Washington, DC has information of interest to travelers including passport and visa particulars and a list of consular offices.

The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation's web site is under construction.  The web site for the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab has information about Pakistant and the Punjab province.

There are six sites in Pakistan that are listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Recommended Reading:  The State, Religion and Ethnic Politics:  Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan (Editors) Ali Banuazizi and Myron Weiner.  This book presents a collection of papers written by recognized scholars and presented to a conference on 'Islam, Ethnicity and the State in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan' in 1982.

Jinnah, Pakistan, and Islamic Identity:  The Search for Saladin by Akbar S. Ahmed presents a favorable portrait of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and his role in establishing Pakistan after India gained its independence from Britain.

The United States and Pakistan, 1947-2000:  Disenchanted Allies by Dennis Kux is a history by a distinguished scholar of US and Pakistan relations from the founding of Pakistan.

India and Pakistan: The First Fifty Years edited by Selig S. Harrison, Paul H. Kreisberg and Dennis Kux reviews the progress made by these two countries, their problems, foreign and defense policies, and their relations with the United States.

India, Pakistan, and the Kashmir Dispute:  On Regional Conflict and its Resolution by Robert G. Wirsing presents a history of this conflict, explains its reasons and offers a solution.

Guides:  Lonely Planet - Pakistan | Karakoram Highway | Trekking in the Karakoram and Hindukush; Moon Handbooks - Pakistan

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