Pakistan
Independent since 1947, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is located in South Asia. It is bordered on its southern side by the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, and shares its borders with India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. Its total population is 242 million, making it one of the most populous countries in Asia and the world. Like the whole Indian subcontinent, Pakistan has been the birthplace of ancient and important civilisations, and a crossroads of peoples, cultures and trade. Designed from scratch in the ’60s by famous architects like Apostolou Doxiadīs, Edward Durell Stone and Gio Ponti, Islamabad is today considered one of the most beautiful and modern capital cities in the world.
Pakistan has achieved significant levels of economic growth in recent years. The abundance of a relatively skilled and cheap workforce has encouraged the rise of numerous industries and has made the country the focus of infrastructural investments under China's Belt and Road Initiative, in which Pakistan will play a major role as a gateway to the Arabian Sea. With one of the best-trained armies in the region, Pakistan has also acquired strategic and diplomatic relevance by taking part in several regional and extra-regional stabilisation initiatives.
Relations between Italy and Pakistan are stable. Total trade with Italy amounted to €1,75 billion in 2021. Italy is one of the main European export markets for Pakistani companies. The growing importance of the aerospace and defence sectors in trade relations between the two countries is worthy of note, as are some significant bilateral collaboration agreements, especially in the areas of commerce and culture. Italy also hosts a large Pakistani immigrant community, which consists of 200,000 people, about 140,000 of whom are documented. This makes it the seventh largest Pakistani community overseas worldwide. Pakistani residents in Italy sent €370 million remittances to Pakistan in 2020, accounting for a fifth of inflows from the European Union, according to data from the State Bank of Pakistan.
Afghanistan continues to host the headquarters of several terrorist organizations, with serious repercussions for the security of the surrounding area and for Pakistan in particular
2023 marked 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Italy and India. In March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni met in New Delhi. This was followed by various meetings between officials from the two countries, including a visit to Italy by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The importance of dialogue and collaboration between New Delhi and Rome is underlined by their joint interests, ambitions, attention to developments in Africa and the Global South, and by Italy’s new strategy in the Indo-Pacific, which are the focus of this report
In 2021, despite the substantial block on migration caused by COVID-19, migrant remittances did not plummet as had been forecast by the World Bank. The situation in the South Asia Countries in the focus by Guido Bolaffi
| Head of state | Asif Ali Zardari |
| Head of Government | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Institutional Form | Federal Parliamentary Islamic Republic |
| Capital | Islamabad |
| Legislative Power | Bicameral, National Assembly (342 Members) and Senate (100 members) |
| Judicial Power | Supreme Court (17 judges) |
| Ambassador to Italy | Ali Javed |
| Total Area kmq | 796.095 km2 |
| Land | 770.875 km2 |
| Weather | Hot and dry desert; temperate in the north-west of the country and arctic in the north |
| Natural resources | Arable land, natural gas reserves, limited oil deposits, iron ore, copper |
| Economic summary | An underdevelopment economy due to decades of domestic political problems and low levels of foreign investment |
| GDP | $346 billion (Dec. 2021) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $1507 (Dec. 2021) |
| Exports | $27.3 billion (2020) |
| Export partner | Germany 8.35%, China 7.72%, UK 6.78%, Spain 3.73%, Italy 2.95% (2020) |
| Imports | $51.07 billion (2020) |
| Import partner | China 29%, UAE 10.6%, United States 5.49%, Indonesia 4.8%, Italy 1.14% (2020) |
| Trade With Italy | $1,75 billion (2021) |
| Population | 242.923.845 |
| Population Growth | +1,95% |
| Ethnicities | Punjabi 44,7%, Pashtun 15,4%, Sindhi 14,1%, Saraiki 8,4%, Muhajirs 7,6%, Baluchi 3,6%, other groups 6,3% |
| Languages | Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Saraiki 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu 8%, Baluchi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, other languages 8% |
| Religions | Islam 96.4% (Sunni 85-90%, Shiites 10-15%), other religions (Christians and Hindu) 3.6% |
| Urbanization | 37,7% |
| Literacy | 58% |
