Country
Countries A-Z
Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Islami Jamhuria-e-Pakistan
Note: On May 1, 2011, U.S. special forces killed al-Qaida mastermind Osama BIN LADEN in a compound––where he had apparently lived undetected for five years––in the garrison city of Abbottabad, Pakistan, about 31 miles north of the capital city of Islamabad. The discovery of Bin Laden in Pakistan further exacerbated the lack of trust between the United States and its strategic ally. President Asif Ali ZARDARI claimed that his government had no knowledge of Bin Laden’s whereabouts. The raid was a national embarrassment for Pakistan, which responded by asserting its sovereignty and warning the United States against further military intrusions on its soil.
Political Status: Formally became independent on August 15, 1947; republic established on March 23, 1956; national territory confined to ...