Few Interesting Facts about Pakistan

Type ‘Pakistan’ into the Google search box and you’re not very likely to come up with a lot of positive news. For years now Pakistan has been struggling with a host of challenges; internal and external. But here are few facts about Pakistan you don’t hear a lot about; Pakistan, a country that stands resilient in the face of a myriad of issues.

  1. At the age of 20 years and 9 months (way back in ’52), Muhammad Ilyas qualified to start work as a Civil Judge. He holds the record for being the world’s youngest ever civil judge.
  2. Smartphone app wizards under the group name ‘Eyedeus Labs’ featured on CNN for their photography app called Groopic. The app allows the photographer to add him/herself to the picture that is being taken with the smartphone’s camera.
  3. This was not the first time Pakistan’s app developers made international news. In December 2010, Lahore-based Pepper.pk’s Photo Editor app became the Blackberry App Store’s top-selling app.
  4. In 2012, Muhammad Masha, head chef at the National Hockey Stadium set a Guinness world record by making three chapaatis in 3mins and 14.98sec.
  5. We’re smart too! Rawalpindi resident Ali Moeen Nawazish gained world recognition in 2009 by passing 23 A Level subjects. Out of the 23, he scored 21 A grades. In September 2013, Haroon Tariq of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was reported to have scored 46 A grades in both O and A level examinations.
  6. Pakistanis ranked 4th of the most intelligent people in the world in a survey taken in 2012.
  7. The seat of civilization in the subcontinent, the Indus Valley Civilization is situated in Pakistan. Culturally and historically, the civilizations hold similar relevance as the ancient Mesopotamian, Chinese, and Egyptian civilizations.
  8. Shandur-Top, located in Gilgit-Baltistan is the world’s highest polo ground. The Shandur Polo Festival has been held annually since 1936.
  9. The Karakoram Highway that runs through the Karakoram mountain range to connect Pakistan and China is the world’s highest paved international road. The road is said to trace one of the many ancient paths of the Silk Route.
  10. The Gwadar Sea Port is the world’s deepest sea port.
  11. The country irrigates three times more acres than Russia; making its irrigation system the world’s largest.
  12. Pakistan is a force to be reckoned with. In terms of active troops, Pakistan has the 7th largest army in the world and boasts of some of the world’s best fighter pilots. Pakistan became the world’s 7th nuclear power in 1998, and the first and only Muslim country to have done so.
  13. A Mercer Group study in 2012 ranked Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub, as the world’s cheapest city in terms of cost of living.
  14. Pakistan has a fast growing broadband internet subscriber base, fixed and mobile, ranking above many other more developed countries such as in the Middle East.
  15. Pakistan along with India competes for having the lowest telecom tariff in the world.
  16. Bahria Town is the largest private housing society in Asia and is one of the safest places to reside in.
  17. The Edhi Foundation operated the world’s largest ambulance service. Unverified sources say that not spending on this service could have made the founder Abdul Sattar Edhi richer than Bill Gates.
  18. Here’s a little-known fact! The Himalayan goat-antelope, which is also known as the Markhor is Pakistan’s national animal.
  19. Pakistani sportsmen have made a name in major international sports: cricket, hockey, squash, tennis and snooker. The city of Sialkot is also famous for its football exports.

In the backdrop of the challenges faced by the country, there is also an opposing, positive force that continues to propel the country ever more strongly into the future. This is the story of future greatness, happening now.