The region of Pakistan was one of the cradles of civilization. Stone Age hunter-gatherers lived on the Potohar Plateau and Soan Valley in northern Punjab 300,000 or more years ago. Excavations on the Balochistan plateau show a more advanced culture that flourished from 4000 to 2000 BC. At Kot Diji in Khairpur district, an Early Bronze Age culture developed in this period. These early civilizations reached their peak in the cities of the Indus Valley, of which Harappa is the most notable. These societies mastered city planning and pictographic writing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In 327 BC Alexander the Great invaded Macedonia with his army. Subsequently, the Mauryas from India ruled the northern Punjab area, to be replaced by Bactrian Greeks from Afghanistan and Central Asian tribes. Various religions subsequently prevailed: Buddhism (under the Mauryas), Hinduism and, with the Arab conquest in the 8th century, Islam. Under Arab rule, two main principalities emerged, that of al-Mansurah and that of Multan. The Ghaznarid sultans gained ascendancy in the Punjab in the 11th century. The subsequent rise of the Mughals, originally from Central Asia, lasted from 1536 to 1707; their rule lasted nominally until 1857. They established a sophisticated imperial administration and left a rich legacy of forts and walled cities, gardens and gates, mosques and tombs. In the early 17th century European traders arrived in the subcontinent. Through the East India Company, the English became the dominant force. After the failed 1857 uprising against Great Britain, the British took direct control. Slowly a national Muslim identity emerged, championed by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817–89). The All India Muslim League was founded in 1907. As the subcontinent moved towards independence, it became clear that Hindu and Muslim interests could not be reconciled. The campaign for the creation of an independent Muslim state became famous in the 1920s and 1930s. It was led by the philosopher and poet Mohammad Iqbal and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistan was created, as an Islamic state, by the partition of the Indian Empire from the United Kingdom, at independence in August 1947. It originally consisted of two parts, West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), separated by 1,600 km of Indian territory. Partition was followed by war with India over Kashmir and the mass migration of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs to settle within the new borders, an upheaval that led to large-scale violence, financial loss and death. With the arrival of Indian Muslims and the departure of Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs, Pakistan became an almost entirely Muslim society. Jinnah, honored as Quaid-i-Azam, or great leader, died in 1948. In 1956, Pakistan became a federal republic. It was under military rule for long periods. Its first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951. In 1958, martial law was declared and political parties were abolished. General (later Field Marshal) Ayub Khan became president in 1960 and enabled a form of guided "grassroots democracy". However, failure to win the 1965 war against India and accusations of nepotism and corruption weakened his position. In the east, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League expressed the grievances of the Bangladeshi population. Ayub Khan resigned in 1969 and power passed to General Yahya Khan, who held the first national elections in independent Pakistan in December 1970. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized document now come on 1989.