In today's world, where the biggest threat to human existence is terrorism, the global community continues to point fingers at our country, Pakistan for one reason or the other.

   It can't be said that we are blameless, but there are forces, both internal and external, that are only adding to the problems and are tarnishing the name and image of Pakistan. In such trying times, it takes a lot of dedication and loyalty to be proud of being a Pakistani.

But just when you thought you've run out of reasons to love your country, we thought we'd give you a few reasons to be proud of your national identity. Did you know that Pakistan is the sixth largest nation of the world? The invincible over-167 million Pakistanis are still hopeful, despite the chaos and the bleak picture painted by local and international media to demoralise the nation and to uproot patriotism from the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people.

Within this magnificently large population, Pakistan also has the seventh largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world, and the country is ranked ninth in the world in the list of countries where English language is spoken and used as an official language.

It was a Pakistani student, Moin Ali Nawazish, who made a world record by passing 23 A-Level exams in the same year and getting 'A's in 21 subjects, making his family and his country proud.

On May 28, 1998, Pakistan became the seventh nuclear power of the world, giving a loud and clear message to the enemies that this nation is fully equipped and ready to defend its sovereignty. Pakistan also has one of the world's largest standing armed forces. The highly skilled PAF staff, especially, are renowned for their excellence. Air Commodore, M. M. Alam has a world record of shooting down five Indian planes in less than a minute during the 1965 India-Pakistan War.

Pakistan is also the land of grand mountain ranges, holding four out of the 14 highest peaks in the world including, the K2, which is the second highest mountain in the world. It has Asia's highest railway station Kan Mehtarzai, which is located 2,240 metres above sea level near Quetta.

In terms of sports, the extremely popular Shandur Polo tournament is accredited with being one of its kinds, for it is played every year at the world's highest polo ground at Shandur in Northern Pakistan.

Let us also not forget the Karakoram Highway, which runs through the northern areas connecting Pakistan with China's Xingjian province. Taking 15 years to complete, the highway is often described as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World' due to the marvel of civil engineering.

Pakistan's Gawader sea port is said to be one of the world's largest deep sea ports and the Khewra Salt Mines located in Khewra, Jehlum, Punjab, is the second largest salt mine in the world and is considered to be the oldest in the subcontinent.

Pakistan's Haleji Lake is also famous for being Asia's largest bird sanctuary, for during winter thousands of birds of different species fly down to Haleji from colder Siberian regions.

If this isn't enough, then did you know that Pakistan is also home to the land of the oldest civilisation on earth, that is, the Indus Valley Civilisation? Mohenjodaro is situated in the heart of Sindh and archaeologists trace its existence back to over 5000 years. The splendour of Indus Valley civilisation is spread over a thousand miles from the high snowy peaks of Kashmir to the glittering sand dunes facing the Arabian Sea. One of the oldest known civilisations that flourished in the Indus river basin embraced within its fold almost the entire country now known as Pakistan.
So go ahead and share these wonders with everyone you know, and the next time you need a reason to fall in love with your country all over again, just go through this. Happy Independence Day!

— Compiled by Rabail Baig