Tourism in Pakistan
Punjab is the second largest province in Pakistan. It is known for its ancient cultural heritage as well as its religious diversity. The lands of Punjab have been home to a number of religions and civilisations. The Indus Valley Civilization once ruled the region and a significant archaeological find was discovered at the ancient city of Harrapa. The Gandhara civilisation was also quite dominant in the northern region of Punjab at the site of Taxila. Several other civilisations such as Greeks, Central Asians, and Persians ruled Punjab leaving a number of sites which still exist today. The arrival of Islam came about during the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate followed by the Ghaznavids. The Mughals took control of the region and ruled its land for several centuries. The mughal heritage remained quite strong in Punjab with a large number of forts, tombs and monuments still intact today. The Durrani Empire ruled the Punjab at the fall of the Mughal Empire for a short period following the rise of the Sikh Empire. The strong control of the Sikhs also lead to a number of sites still remaining intact throughout Punjab. The British Raj took control of the region until the independence.
Punjab 1984
When Shiva, Bittu, and Satwant wake up in the morning, they find out that all of Punjab is under Military Rule and that there is an indefinite Curfew upon the entire state. There is an entire media blackout, with the only news coming from the Military Radio Channel, which is only referring to Operation Blue Star as a minor incident occurring in Amritsar. The entire state is at a standstill while everyone is listening to the Radio updates on the situation in Amritsar. Meanwhile, Bachan Singh is trapped in the Darbar Sahib complex. Against Army orders, the village gurdwara announces that in reality, the Army has invaded Darbar Sahib with tanks and gunner helicopters and the entire city of Amritsar is being shelled. Bittu and Shiva then proceed to sneak their way to Amritsar on their tractor to try to find out whats happening. They encounter an Army blockade on the road to Amritsar, where countless people are pushing against the barricade to make their way to Amritsar, just as Shiv and Bittu are. In the entire situation, Shiv is rifle-butted by soldiers and countless protesters have been killed.