Pakistan was created in 1947 when India was partitioned to form a Muslim majority state headed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Its short history has been characterised by military rule, political instability and, more recently, the threat of Islamist militants.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars over the past 61 years. The first two, in 1947-48 and 1965, were over the disputed territory of Kashmir. The third was in 1971, over the creation of Bangladesh. The hostilities took on a nuclear dimension in the 1990s when India and Pakistan developed weapons programmes. Pakistan tested its nuclear bomb in 1998, after Indian tests.

Kashmir, a Muslim majority Indian state, is the single greatest point of tension between the two countries and one of the world’s most militarised territorial disputes. A ceasefire has held along the Line of Control since 2004, though international mediation has proved difficult. In recent weeks, an upsurge in separatist activity put the state under curfew as it neared elections.