Pakistan has been selected for this research because poverty is a serious concern in Pakistan and many strategies including microfinance has been introduced to finish this poverty. In addition, microfinance is on its early stages in Pakistan. Although some researcher already conducted studies about microfinance in different cities but there is no comprehensive study regarding the impact of microfinance in district Nankana Sahib. This chapter will give some brief overview about Pakistan, poverty status and prevalence of microfinance in Pakistan.
4.1 Pakistan at a glance
Pakistan is an Islamic republic country situated in the center of Indus valley, was came into existence on 14 August 1947 after the dissolution of British rule. The area of Pakistan is 803,940 square kilometers and has population more than 159 million. The neighbor countries of Pakistan are China, India, Iran and Afghanistan. In the north of Pakistan lies the disputed region Kashmir divided between Pakistan and India. Pakistan has a dry climate with extreme heat in the plains and deserts, while on its north there are many mountains and share a cold and glacial climate in the north as well.
The world’s second highest and difficult mountaintop K-2 and some of the world’s largest glaciers such as Siachin, Saltoro and Baltoro are situated in the…show more content… The family is the basis for a social organization which provides both protection and identity to its members. It is very rare that individuals live alone in Pakistan even the migrants prefer to live with relatives, friends or kin. Children live with their parents until they got married and sons mostly stay with parents even after marriage. There is a trend for a joint family in Pakistan. The more ideal and extended form of a family includes married couples, their sons, their son’s wives and children as