The Future of Pakistani Tourism

Pakistan has many things to refer tourists. The PTDC has done a commendable job in publicizing Pakistan's attractions arranging inexpensive tours and trips to places of interest. The government is constructing new roads in the remoter areas and widening existing roads to make far flung places more accessible although landslides and flash floods continue to discourage less adventurous visitors. Despite these efforts, Pakistan's tourism industry needs a further boost. One of the main reasons why tourists are reluctant to visit Pakistan is because of inadequate security arrangements and political instability.

Northern Pakistan

Northern Pakistan presents a breathtaking sight for visitors. It is here that the mightiest mountain ranges in the world meet, the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush. The second highest mountain peak in the world, K2 8611 meters, is located there. There are 36 peaks with heights of more than 7000 meters, including Nanga Parbat 8126 meters, Rkaposhi 7788 meters and Tirich mir 7690 meters.
No part of the world, except for Antarctica, has such extensive snow cover as the Northern Areas. The Mountainous North is transversed by roads running south to north. They gradually follow river valleys entrenched between mountain ranges. The road from Malakand passes through Dir and goes to Chitral, a tourist resort, At a distance of about 40 kilometers from Chitral, the Kafir Kalash Tribes live in three narrow valleys. They are well known for their costumes, traditions, dances and music. Chitral is connected to Peshawar by air links.
The Swat valley lies at some distance east of Chitral. The road from Peshawar goes to Mingora and on the Kalam, which is located further north. Saidu is served by an air service from Peshawar. The Swat Valley is spectacular in its scenic beauty. At higher elevations, glaciers can be seen.
The famous Karakoram Highway is located in the Northern Areas. It travels from the Grand Trunk Road at Hasan Abdal and runs nortward along the Indus River. It passes through the Khunjerab pass into China. It cuts across about 1000 kilometers of land from Hasan Abdal to Khunjerab. Haripur, Abbotabad and Mansehra are some of the important places along the Karakoram Highway.
A very Picturesque tourist spot at some distance from the Karakoram Highway is Gilgit, the headquarters of the Northern Areas. There are hotels and tourist shops there. Gilgit is connected to Islamabad by air links. From Gilgit, one can travel to Hunza Valley, which is a favorite tourist destination.
A road from Mansehra goes eastward and then turns northward towards Balakot and Naran in the Kaghan Valley. The famous lake Saiful Muluk is located there. Smaller hill stations, like Ghora Gali, Nathia Gali and Ayubia are favorite torusit destinations, as in Murree, an new tourist destination has been developed at Bhurban.
The Northern Mountains of Pakistan have a number of suitable trekking area. Two places have been developed for skiing, Malam Jabba, near Mingaora in Swat, and Naltar near Gilgit. Mountaineers also visit Pakistan to scale the challenging peaks up north.

Major cities in Pakistan

Islamabad:
Islamabad, Pakistan's Capital, is a new fully planned city located at the base of the Margalla Hills. It became the capital of the country in 1959. It is a picturesque place surrounded by hills and houses the Presidency, The Parliament and Faisal Masjid. The scenic Rawal Dam is located close by Islamabad is second to Karachi in attracting the most number of tourists.

Karachi:
Karachi is the birthplace of Quaid-e-Azam Muhamad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It is the largest city and the biggest industrial and commercial center of the nation. It was the capital of Pakistan for several years till Islamabad was developed. At present, it is the capital of Sindh and is Pakistan's main seaport. It is estimated that largest number of tourists visit Karachi. It is the main point of entry for tourists coming by air. Karachi has a number attractive beaches. Clifton Beach is among the most well know. It also has a large amusement park for children. Sandspit, Hawkes Bay and Paradise point are excellent places to relax, but swimming should be avoided between june and August when turbulent waves are generated by the monsoon winds. The mausoleum of the Quiad-e-Azam, The National Museum and other art galleries are places worth visiting.

Lahore:
Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan and is the provisional capital of Punjab. It is a historical city and is teeming with fascinating monuments and buildings, including the Badshai Masjid, The Lahore Fort, The Lahore Resolution, Shalamar Bagh, Jahangir's Tomb, Minar e Pakistan. The tom b of Allama Iqbal, Pakistan's national poet, is also located there. The city has several museums and so many gardens that it is sometimes referred to as the City of Gardens. Next to Karachi and Islamabad, the greatest number of foreign tourists visit Lahore.

Tourist Attractions in Pakistan

There are not many countries in the World that have such a vast selection of tourist attractions to offer as Pakistan does, from beaches to snow covered mountains, historical monuments, archaeological sites, traditional costumes and customs.
Archaeological sites:
There are many archaeological sites of great importance in Pakistan which date back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. Of them, the twin cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harapa are surely the most important. They date back to 5000 years ago, when they flourished alongside the ancient cities of the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates river valleys.
Mohen jo Daro is located near Larkana, in Sindh. It exhibits an advanced knowledge of urban planning, engineering and sanitation. The present day grid network of the road systems of many modern cities dates back to Mhoenjo Daro. Some of the avenues were 10 meters wide. The houses of the well to do had courtyards surrounded by bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, servants quarters and a well. The garbage was dropped down a chute into dustbins placed outside the house from which the garbage was collected on a regular basis and dumped elsewhere. The city had residential quarters, public buildings and shops. The residentail areas were, divided into separate sections for the rich and the poor.
The city also had a large granary and the Great Bath. The Great Bath was 12 meters long, 7 meters wide and 2 meters deep. It was fully waterproof and had an intricate system for the filling and drainage of water. Bathing seems to have been a part of the religious rituals of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Today, Mohenjo Daro has a museum and a rest house. It is accessible by road and rail from all parts of Pakistan and by air through Karachi. Taxial is another important archaeological site with a museum, located about 35 kilometers north west of Rawalpindi en route to Peshawar. Taxila dates back to the 5th century BC, when the Buddhist civilization was it its peak. It is a famous center of Ganharan art and architecture.

Transport in Pakistan

Pakistan is linked with the rest of the world by air, sea and land. There are three major international airports at Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore. Most tourists come Pakistan by Air.
There are several entry points into Pakistan by road, Wagah is the check post of visitors coming from India. Visitors from China come through the Khunjerab Pass. There are two main entry points from Afghanistan, Tor Kham between Pewshawar and Kabul and Chaman between Quetta and Kandhar. The check post for visitors from Iran is Taftan. A road connects Taftan with Quetta via Noh Kundi. This is a long and tiring road journey.
There is a rail link with India via Atari near Lahore. At present the rail and road services between India and Pakistan have been suspended. Very few visitors come to Pakistan by sea as no passenger ships dock at Karachi or Port Qasim. The mode of travel of Indian tourists is quite different from those of other tourists. About 99 percent of Indian tourists enter Pakistan through land routes near Lahore. Most of the remaining Indian Tourists come by air to Karachi.
Most non Indian tourists come to Pakistan by air, About 80 percent of them enter Pakistan through Karachi, 10 percent through Islamabad and 3 percent through Lahore.The remaining visitors enter Pakistan through one of the many land routes.

Foreign Exchange Earnings

Although tourism is an excellent source of foreign exchange earnings, Pakistan has not succeeded in tapping it yet. The foreign exchange earnings from tourism have actually declined. In 1980, it was US$154.0 MILLION. in 1999, It fell to US$76.4 million. This downward trend is the result of two causes: the decrease in the number of tourists and the decline in the exchange rate of Pakistani currency.
In 1999, the majority of the foreign tourists (60 percent) came to Pakistan to visit their relatives and friends, particularly those tourists from the United Kingdom and India. About 18.3 percent of tourists came to attend official meetings, seminars or for business. About 2.5 percent of tourists came for religious purposes. Only 13.4 percent of tourists 60000 in number came for recreational purposes.
Domestic tourism has registered an encouraging increase. In 1980, domestic tourists numbered 25.3 million. This rose to 35 million in 1990. The increase is attributable to urbanization, the rising income of the privileged class, and a change in lifestyles and attitudes. The PTDC has also contributed to this increase by establishing a Tourist Club. Club members receive concessional rates for railway and air travel and lower room charges in selected hotels. The PTDC also arranges one day excursions and tours extending over several days to various places of interest at subsidized rates.
Domestic tourism in Pakistan is male dominated. It is mostly undertaken by men under 40 . The main purpose of travel is to visit relatives and friends, Followed by business and sightseeing in descending order. About 63 percent of domestic tourists travel by road, 32 percent by rail and 5 percent by air. The average length of stay of road tourists is five nights and rail 12.9 nights.

Development of Tourism in Pakistan

Pakistan expressed an interest in tourism as early as 1947, when it participated in the International Conference of National Tourist Organizations held in Paris. In 1949, Pakistan became a member of the International Union of Official Travel Organizations. For long, however, nothing concrete materialized. Initially Pakistan Railways was made responsible for tourism. In 1964, this responsibility was transferred to the Civil Aviation Authority. In 1970, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation PTDC was setup . Its activities are guided by the Minister of Tourism, which was established in 1971. From then onwards, tourism became an industry in its own right in Pakistan.
The number of foreign tourists in the world is steadily increasing. Th total number of tourists in the world was 610 millions in 1993, increasing to 750 million in 1997. France received the highest number of visitors, followed by the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. In South Asia, India the highest number of tourists is 2.4 million.
The volume of foreign tourists registered in Pakistan rose steadily till 1983. when they amounted to 655000. Thereafter, the number of tourists began to decline. In 1999, 432000 foreign tourists were registered in Pakistan. The main reason for the decline was the falling number of tourists from India. An appreciable change in the composition of foreign tourists in Pakistan has taken place since 1989. By far, the greatest number of foreign tourists were from India. In 1999, the percentage share of India fell to 15. The United Kingdom became the greatest contributor to Pakistan's foreign tourists. In 1999, 29.4 percent of the total number of foreign tourists were from the United Kingdom.
The number of tourists from countries other than India increased appreciably from 1989 to 1999. The number of tourists from United States, for example rose from 36000 in 1989 to 50000 in 1999. The emergence of China and Netherlands as important contributor to foreign tourists is a recent phenomenon.

Tourism

It was soon after the World War II that the World recognized the tourism as an industry and a source of economic development. Today it is a major economic activity in many countries According to the UN, the number of international tourists was 750 million in 1997 . of them, 375000 (0.05) percent came to Pakistan.
In tourism, the goods sold are not taken away by the buyer. the scenic beauty, archaeological sites, historical monuments, national parts. provide momentary pleasure to tourists, who capture these things through their cameras and memories. The host country provides facilities such as transport, accommodation, food, medical facilities and security. Tourists pa for these facilities and add to the foreign exchange earnings of the country.

Types of Tourists:
There are two types of tourists, Foreign and Domestic.
A foreign tourist is one who visits Pakistan (but not for gainful employment) and who stays in the country for a period of not less than 24 hours but no more than 6 months. As a such, a foreign tourist would include someone who visits Pakistan to meet his or her relatives or friends, attends a seminar, cricket match or cultural event, visits a religious site or does some sightseeing. A record of foreign tourists is maintained through embarkation and disembarkation cards that have to be filled out at airports.
A domestic tourist is one who regardless of nationality visits a place other than his or her usual place of residence for a period of not less than 24 hours but no more than 90 days. An estimate of domestic tourist is made though the Survey of Domestic Tourism.

Pakistan Seaports

Karchi port:

Located west of the Indus Delta on the Arabian Sea coast, the port of Karachi has served Pakistan since the partition. Over 250 years old, Karachi has a natural harbor sheltered behind the island of Keamari and a natural breakwater at manora. The whole of Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and Afghanistan comprise its hinterland.
The story of this city goes back to 1720 when a group of merchants moved from Kharak Bunder on the Had River and established their business at a fishing village called Kulachi jo Goth (The village of Kulachi Tribe). Karachi has developed and acquired its name, from this village which turned into an embryo town with the arrival of the merchants, Karachi became an important port under the Talpurs who ruled over it from 1795. In 1835, the port owned 100 boats. In the following year, the British acquired Karachi. Charles Napier, the British governor, expanded the port facilities by building a lighthouse at manora and a timber pier at Keamari. He also built and improved roads to Kotri, Thatta and Sehwan to connect the port with its hinterland.
In 1852, The Karachi Municipality was created and Karachi Port began to receive more attention. The Napier mole was constructed in 1854, the seaward entrance of China Creek was closed, in1863 Keamari groyne was constructed to protect the harbor from tides and waves the Native Jetty was erected in 1866,and the manora breakwater was built in 1877.
Till 1882 there was no dock or pier at the Karachi Harbor for ocean going vessels. In 1882 the Mereweather Pier, in 1888 Erkin's Wharf and in 1895 James Wharf were constructed. By 1910, 17 wharves, collectively called East Wharf, had been built. The management of the port was entrusted to the Karachi Harbor Board in 1880, later replaced by the Karachi Port Trust in 1886.
In 1861, Karachi was connected to Kotri by a railway line which was extended to Lahore in 1874 and then to Quetta in 1877. In 1927 Karachi became important port, 28 berths of the West Wharf were built and were equipped with electric cranes. Two more berths and one ship repairing berth were built between 1942 and 1944. A shipyard was also built. Karachi became an important ship repairing port, where 1000 ships were repaired. After 1947, both the East and West Wharves were reconstructed and bulk oil pier was installed in addition, a new oil terminal was constructed and the channel was deepened from 9 to 30 meters. With the construction of an oil tanker berth, the handling capacity of the port increased from about 5 million to 10 million tonnes per annumm.
The accelerated pace of development was necessary because of Karachi's increasing responsibilities. In 1947-8, Karachi port handled 3.5 million tonnes of cargo. In 1999-2000, it handled 23.8 million tonnes. As the work assigned to Karachi Port has underway. At the same time, a new port, Port Qasim has been built close to Pakistan Steel.

Port Qasim:

The Port Qasim Authority was established in 1973 to develop a new port to serve Pakistan Steel and also to handle general cargo. After examining several sites, a location was selected about 50 kilometers south-east of Pakistan Steel. The port began to operate in 1980 and has a 45 kilometer long navigation channel. It also has one iron and coal berth, once container terminal, one oil terminal and other facilities.
The cargo handled by Port Qasim has increased from 2.9 million tonnes in 1983-4 to 8 million tonnes in 1997-8. Port Qasim handles about 30 percent of the total cargo handled by Karachi Port.

Gwadar Port:

A new port at Gwadar on the western side of the Balochistan Coast is being developed with Chinese assistance.

Shipping

After the partition, Pakistan began with a fail shipping base. There were only three old ships with a dead weight the total weight of cargo which a ship can carry of 18000 tonnes. Almost all of the goods that were imported from other countries were transported on foreign ships, putting an additional burden on Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves.
In 1963, the government formulated a new shipping policy which, among other things, sanctioned the purchase of 33 ship. During the same years, the National Shipping Corporation NSC was created. Its ships began to operate on the UK continent route Singapore, HongKong, China and Japan and by 1966, to the Red Sea and the Gulf. By 1970, the Corporation had 31 vessels with a dead weight of 336931 tonnes. There were also an additional 40 ships owned by private companies. A total of 71 ships handled the entire inter wing trade between East and West Pakistan and 14 percent of the foreign seaborne trade. They could also carry 6600 passengers at any one time.
In 1974, the private shipping companies were nationalized. To manage them, the government created the Pakistan Shipping Corporation. The National Shipping Corporation continued to function independently. In 1979, the two corporations were merged under the name of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.
At present, the Pakistan shipping industry is facing problems, both the number of ships and the dead weight have decreased.

Air Transport

In 1947, the only airline operating in Pakistan was the small orient Airways. Although two new companies, Pak-Air Limited and Crescent Airways, quickly sprang up, by 1952 they had been dissolved.
Orient Airways was too small to meet the growing needs of the country. In April 1955, the government issued an ordinance creating Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Orient Airways was merged with the new company. In 1990, government policy changed to allow private sector airlines. Today, there are three private airlines operating in country, Shaheen, Bhoja and Aero Asia. Since its inception, PIA has made remarkable progress. It began with a fleet of 15 air crafts. By 1999-2000, it had 45 aircarft.
PIA services are available in large cities and some medium sized towns like Nawabshah, Jacobabad, Mianwali, Bannu, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan. It also links smaller settlements which located in other wise inaccessible areas like Gilgit, Chitral, Skardu, Zhob, Khuzdar, Gwadar and historical sites such as Mohen jo Daro. PIA also has wide links outside Pakistan and connects several European countries. It offers services to the United States and also connects most of the countries of the Middle East and a few African nations. PIA goes to India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Singapore, SriLanka, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Japan. As a result of this expansion, the number of passengers and the quantity of cargo handled by PIA has increased, After a slight setback in 1971-4, the passenger traffic on local PIA flights has steadily increased and was 5.2 million in 1999-2000. International traffic has registered an even more phenomenal growth.
The amount of cargo handled by PIA has also increased, from 0.013 million tonnes in 1955-6 to 1.4 million tonnes in 1999-2000.

Highways

Highways are essential for trade and the transportation of goods and people. Most of the highways in Pakistan run parallel to the railway routs as for example. the road goes from Karachi to Lahore and then onwards to Peshawar. The famous Grand Trunk Road run from Lahore to Peshawar and then onward to the Khyber Pass and Afghanistan. it was built by Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century.
The most important road between Karachi and Quetta is the highway that goes through Bela and Khuzdar. Another highway, which runs parallel to the railway tracks, goes from Quetta to Iran. The government has also planned the construction of the Indus Highway, which will run from Karachi to Peshawar, Keeping west of the Indus River. It will pass through Dadu, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu. It is an ambitious and important project.
The Karakoram Highway is also important strategically and economically. It connects Pakistan with China through the Khunjareb Pass. It begins from Hasan Abdal and moves northward through Havelian, Dasu and Chilas. it crosses the Karakoram Range with spectacular glaciers overlooking the road from both sides. It is a real engineering feat and was built with the collaboration of China. It is 806 kilometers in length.

Roads in Pakistan

Roads have always been an important method of transport, even before the railway was invented. In Pakistan, the road roads initially served as feeders to the railways. For long distance travel and particularly for the carriage of goods. The railway had no competition. with the passage of time, however, roads began to compete with the railway for all types of passengers, including long distance and night travel.
Today, roads serve village producers, consumers and collection and distribution centers. They also serve regional markets and link the port of Karachi to large inland market like Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta.
The great importance that road transport has acquired over the years can be judged from the phenomenal increase in the length of roads in country, from 54000 kilometers in 1949-50 to 248000 in 1999-2000. The number of vehicles on the road have also increased substantially, from 32000 in 1949-50 to 278000 in 1999-2000. Although the exact figures are not known, roads handle many more passengers and a greater quantity of cargo than the railway in spite of commendable road development in the country, however, the road density in Pakistan 0.23 kilometers per square kilometers is less than that of India 0.61, Sri Lanka 1.51 and Bagladesh 1.51.

Highways and other roads,
There are several types of roads in Pakistan

1-Village roads
2-district roads
3-motorways
4-highways

Village roads serve a number of useful purpose. Aside from interconnecting villages, they also serve local markets and allow passengers and goods to be carried from larger district markets and railway stations.

District roads allow goods and passengers to be carried from one district to another. They serve large collection and distribution centers, as well as larger railway stations.

The high ways connect the port of Karachi with large regional centers like Hyderabad, Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta. They also interconnect the regional centers. They are the main arteries of trade, where the heavy traffic of goods and passengers takes place.

The motorways are designed to provide quick transport without traffic jams. As such, they do not enter settlements, but circumvent them or go over them by over bridges. Although there are no road crossing on a motorway, there are toll roads. The government has planned a number of motorways in Pakistan, including ones between Islamabad, Peshawar and Pindi. Bhattain-Faisalabad. The only completed motorway is the Islamabad-Lahore one. It opened in November 1997. It is 115 kilometers long. so far, however, it has failed to generate the expected amount of traffic.

Transportation

Transportation is crucial to the economy of country. Railways and roads are the main arteries of communication, allowing goods to be transported from one part of the country to another. Though them, goods can be sent to seaports and from there to countries around the world. The transportation network is linked to the economic development of a country. The more develpment the country the more sophisticated its methods of transport and communication. Pakistan's transport network is still in its infancy.

Railways
The railway inherited by Pakistan in 1947 was laid down by the British in 1861. In 1947, the route kilometers of the Pakistan Railways was 8554. No substantial addition to this could be made.
The extension work of the Pakistan Railways was hampered because of the difficulty in maintaining and running the existing strength, particularly as the locomotives were run on coal, as scarce commodity Pakistan produced was of an inferior quality, and it became increasingly difficult to import coal from India, the main supplier. Pakistan was forced to change its engines from coal to diesel at an enormous expense.
Workshops had to be set up to remodel, repair and and maintain them. Because there was little local wood, railway sleepers which were made of wood at the time were always in short supply. Pakistan Railways slowly made the transition to concrete sleepers. Just as Pakistan Railways was fully rehabilitated, there was a new source of competition to road transport.

Trade Partner to Pakistan

At independence, Pakistan's main trade partner was India. After about eight months, India raised its duty on export items. In 1949, when Pakistan did not devalue its currency along with the United Kingdom and India, India refused to accept the Pakistan government's decision. It was after this incident that Pakistan decided to deversify its trade relations.
Close relations were established with the United Kingdom and then with other Western European countries, Australia and New Zealand. Later, Pakistan began trading with the United States, Canada and many other countries around the world. Although trade with India was suspended in 1965, a new agreement was signed in 1978. A trade agreement with Bangladesh was signed in 1974.
At present. Pakistan has trade relations with many countries, but there are some regions and countries with which the volume of trade is greater. Europe, the United States, The Middle East, South East and East Asia are Pakistan's major trade partners. In the west, Pakistan's main trade partner is the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. These countries export and import heavily to and from Pakistan. Pakistan, however, imports more from them than it exports.
In the Middle East, Pakistan's main trade partners are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emarates and Kuwait. Pakistan imports oil in large quantities from those countries and exports rice and a small quantity of manufactured goods, Pakistan is a net importer in Middle East trade. Pakistan's leading trade partners in South East and East Asia are Malaysia, Japan, China and South Korea. Pakistan imports palm oil from Malaysia and manufactured goods from Japan, China and South Korea, Pakistan is a net importer with these countries.
Pakistan has minor trade links with South Asia ( India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal ) and the newly created Central Asian states.

Imports

Pakistan's import trade registered a steady growth between 1947-8 and 1971-2. Since 1972, the trade in imports has accelerated. Between 1972-3 and 1989-90, imports increased 40 times, and from 1990 to 2000, four times. This rapid growth can be accounted for by various economic factors. In 1972, the Pakistan Rupee was devalued by 100 percent, so within one year, the value of imports doubled. From 1973, there was an uprecedented rise in the price of petroleum and Pakistan had to pay heavily for its purchase. With the introduction of a managed floating exchange rate in 1982, there was a marked depreciation in the Rupee, causing the value of imports to rise again. The Rupee continues to depreciate.

Composition of Imports.
Pakistan was once a heavy importer of consumer goods. With industrial development, the types of goods imported have changed Capital goods and industrial raw materials started to gain prominence and by1960-1, they accounted for 71 percent of imports. In recent years, industrial raw materials have accounted for 60 percent of imports, capital goods 26 percent and consumer goods 14 percent.
Machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel, and electrical goods rank high on the imports list. They are largely imported from Japan, China, the United States and Europe. Petroleum and its products have always remained a major import item.
In the early Pakistan was self sufficient in food crops. However, within in a few years, because of the rise in population, Pakistan became a net importer of food, grains, edible oil, milk.
Particularly from the United States. Till 1971, tea used to come from East Pakistan, after that Pakistan had to import tea from countries as Srilanka and Kenya. Teas accounts for about 2 to 5 percent of the total value of imports. Pakistan also imports large quantities of edible oil mainly from the United States for the production of vegetable ghee.
As Pakistani farmers make more and more use of fertilizers for their crops, the country often experiences shortages in chemical fertilizers even though there is a size able local production. A large quantity of metallic minerals and art silk yarn is also imported.

Exports

Pakistani exports have registered some growth with periods of fluctuation from 1947-8 onward. However, the increase in the value of exports has taken place largely because of higher prices rather than larger volumes.
Since 1985-6 there has been a welcome boost in exports, Reason for this include diversification of goods and markets improved product quality, simplified export procedures, financial assistance to exporters.
Traditionally Pakistan has been an exporter of raw material. At first, the nation exported very few manufactured goods, Items like sports goods, cutlery and leather only had a small international market. Until 1954-5, manufactured goods accounted for less than 2 percent of total exports, Gradually, however, the percentage rose so that by 1958-9 it was 50 percent of total exports. Today, the share of manufactured and semi manufactured goods is 90 percent of total exports.
Cotton based exports have dominated Pakistan's export trade. From 1947-8 to 1952-3, raw cotton had the largest share. After that, cotton goods also entered the world market. Today cotton cloth, cotton yarn, ready made garments and hosiery account for more than 40 percent of total exports. The former three are usually among the top five export items. Raw cotton is exported to Japan, the United Kingdom and other EEC countries, and the Middle East. Ready made garments and hosiery are exported to the Middle East.
Rice emerged as a major export item after the secession of East Pakistan in 1971. Before that, East Pakistan used to consume the bulk of the rice crop. In 1973-4, rice became the single largest export item and maintained this position for a decade. Rice continues to be a major export. Leather, carpets and sports goods are Pakistan's other leading export items.

Cottage and Small Scale Industries

A cottage industry is a small industrial unit in which the owner and his or her family work themselves and no hired labor is employed. Craftsmen and artisans have established such unites as a means of earning on a full time or part time basis. A small scale industry is one in which the fixed capital investment is below Rs 2 million.
Cottage and small scale industries have played, and are destined to play, an important roe in a country like Pakistan where the majority of the people live in rural areas. Cottage and small scale industries provide employment to more than 80 percent of the industrial labor force. At the same time, however, the share of cottage industries in country GDP is only 5 percent. Cottage industries will continue to be a dynamic part of Pakistan's economy because,

1-There is little capital for large scale industries and, although they are expanding they are not yet in position to meet all the demands of the industrial goods market.

2-Because of increasing automation in large scale industries and the continuing labor problem, many workers will continue set up their own cottage industries.

3-In areas where the infrastructure is not adequate to support large scale industries, the setting up of cottage industries would provide income for the local populace and provide jobs for those who are affected by seasonal unemployment.

The setting up of cottage industries in rural areas will help to reduce the migration of workers from rural to urban areas. Many by product of large scale industries can also utilized by small scale industries.
Recognizing the importance of such industries, the government set up the Small Industries Corporation. The Corporation provides technical and financial assistance to cottage and small scale industries. It has also developed training facilities for tartisans and technicians at various centers. Small industrial estates have been established in number of places, including Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad, Gujrawala, Sialkot, Peshawar, Mardan and Quetta. The Corporation also provides facilities to small industries.
Despite government assistance, small industries face a number of serious problems,

1- the high cost of production
2-lack of standardization
3-small power supply
4-dearth of raw materials
5-inadequate credit facilities
6-lack of proper marketing facilities

A web of cottage industries have developed in Pakistan. Blacksmiths and carpenters have played a crucial role by making and repairing agricultural implements. Carpenters also make furniture, doors, windows, utensils. Potters make ceramic dishes which are used in rural areas for cooking. In larger villages, small scale industries include flour mills, rice-husking, oil-seeds milling, shoe making, weaving, dyeing, printing, tailoring. Most of the products of these small scale or cottage industries are consumed locally. Some items are produced for export, like sports goods, surgical equipment, cutlery, handicrafts, carpets, garments and hosiery.
Sialkot in Punjab has emerged as a major center for the sports goods industry. The export of sports goods increased from Rs 30 million in 1969-70 to Rs 14457 million in 1999-2000. Sialkot, along with Lahore, is also well known for the manufacture and export of surgical equipment. Surgical instruments to the value of Rs 6621 million were exported in 1999-2000. Again, Sialkot, along with Karachi, is well known for cutlery manufacture, other cities that have earned a reputation for their general engineering industries include Gujranwala, Gujrat, Wazirabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Karachi. They manufacture a number of products, including machines, diesel engines, steel re rolling mills, road rollers, pumps, cable wires, electric furnaces, agricultural implements.
Embroidery and fancy needlework are done at a number of places like Karachi, Hyderabad, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Lahore. Rawalpindi and Karachi are famous for their embroidered footwear. Carved wooden items and articles in ivory and brass are made in Karachi. Peshawar, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat and Chiniot. These articles find a good export market in the United States and Europe.

Iron steel and Engineering

In the early years after partition, Pakistan's industrial policy stressed the production of consumer goods. However, as early as 1955, people realized that the iron and steel industry was essential fro the economic development of the country. Even so, it was not until 1973 that the foundation stone of the first iron and steel plant was laid at Karachi, close to Port Qasim, with the technical and financial support of the USSR.
Pakistan Steel covers an area of 75.4 square kilometers, including 32.9 square kilometers of the steel Township. The raw materials required for this industry-iron ore, manganese and coking coal have to be imported. Pakistan Steel has two blast furnaces and has a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes. Although the plant produces billets, hot rolled sheets, cold rolled sheets, pig iron. Pakistan is still not self sufficient in iron and steel production and has to import heavily from other countries.
The Pakistan Machine Tools Factory was established at Karachi in 1968 in collaboration with a Swiss company. It has grown into a sophisticated engineering complex, which manufactures precision machines and tools for the engineering industry, transmission components and automobile parts.
In 1968, government gave permission for a heavy mechanical complex to be built at Taxila with Chines aid. It started production in 1970. The factory has a steel melting capacity of 60,000 tonnes and a production capacity for castings and forgings of up to 46,000 tonnes. It meets the needs of railways, automobiles and heavy machinery.
The Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works was completed in 1956. It can build and repair ships of up to 12000 tonnes, A canal connects the shipyard with Karachi Harbor.

Fertilizers & Cement

Pakistan has an agriculture based economy, the fertilizer industry is vital to its survival. In addition to cow dung, compost and other manures, the agricultural sector requires chemical fertilizers. The consumption of chemical fertilizers has increased from 31000 nutrient tonnes in 1960-1 to 2.2 million tonnes in 19997-8. Although the production of fertilizer has risen, it has fallen short of the demand, and Pakistan has to import a large quantity from abroad.
The production of chemical fertilizers began in the 1950s when the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation established two factories when natural gas was discovered, factories were built at Faisalabad, Daud Khel and Multan. Since then, urea plants have been established at a number of localities throughout the country. Nitrogenous fertilizers account for the bulk of the total production because Pakistan's soil are highly deficient in organic matter.

The main raw material of the cement industries is limestone, followed by a substantial quantity of gypsum. Fortunately, Pakistan has large quantities of both, and the domestic market is also sufficiently large. Although Pakistan used to export cement in the early years, once development in the country began in earnest, Pakistan had to import cement, despite the gradual increase in local production, The country is still not self sufficient in cement production, although the gap between supply and demand has been bridged to such an extent that there is a surplus in some years. The number of cement factories increased over the years from five in 1947 to 24 in 1999-2000.

Chemicals

Basic chemicals, like sulphuric acid, soda ash and caustic soda, are required by many different industries. The basic raw materials for these chemicals like, salt, limestone, gypsum and natural gas, can be found in Pakistan in large quantities. Coal and oil are found in moderate quantities. At partition, Pakistan had a fairly weak chemical industry, but a great deal of progress has been made since then.
Sulphuric acid is used in the production of soap, paper, textiles, fertilizers, iron and steel, petrochemicals. A number of sulphur processing plants have been established in places such as Karachi, Daud Khel, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad. There has, therefore, been a steady rise in production. Caustic soda is also an important basic chemical, especially to the textile, oil-refining and soap industries. Processing plants have been established at Nowshera and Kala Shah Kaku near Lahore. There are two soda ash processing plants in Pakistan located at Karachi and Khewra. Despite a steady rise in production, the demand for this basic chemical outstrips its supply, so much of it has to be imported.