Pakistan emerged as the end result of the conflict over sovereignty and power sharing between the Muslim and Hindu communities of post-colonial India. Established on August 14 1947, it shared half of the Punjab region with India, half of Baluchistan with Iran, and another region called Pakhtunistan stretching to the southeast of Afghanistan. The East Bengali region that is separated from the rest of the country by 1,500 km of Indian land was also accepted as Pakistani territory.

This geographical patchwork has also been a significant determinant in shaping policy making in the country and challenged its leaders throughout its history. In fact, most of Pakistan's history is shaped by strong leaders and we chose to present the historical background in relation to the leaders.

Click on a photograph of one of the Pakistani leaders to discover what happened during his or her time in power.