network capacity; despite major improvements in trunk and
urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily
available to the majority of the rural population
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,
cellular, and satellite
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1
at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring
countries

Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998)

Radios: 13.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 22 (plus seven low-power repeaters)
(1997)

Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 26 (1999)

@Pakistan:Transportation

Railways:
total: 8,163 km
broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified; 1,037 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (1996 est.)

Highways:
total: 247,811 km
paved: 141,252 km (including 339 km of expressways)
unpaved: 106,559 km (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 885 km; natural gas
4,044 km (1987)

Ports and harbors: Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim

Merchant marine:
total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 288,249 GRT/444,451 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 15, container 3, petroleum tanker 1 (1999
est.)

Airports: 118 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 82
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 20 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 7 (1999 est.)

@Pakistan:Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National
Guard

Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 34,632,509 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 21,206,148 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 1,604,806 (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.435 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (FY99/00)

@Pakistan:Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: status of Kashmir with India; water-sharing
problems with India over the Indus River (Wular Barrage)

Illicit drugs: producer of illicit opium and hashish for the
international drug trade (poppy cultivation