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Circumcision in the Islamic |
Republic of Pakistan |
Location, political and cultural history
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the most westerly fragment of former British Colonial India, bordering Iran and Afghanistan to its west, China to the north-east and India to the east.
The border with China, especially, is very mountainous. The Karakoram Range is now traversed by the highest paved international road in the world, rising to 4,693 metres (15,397 feet) above sea level. This route, part of the ancient Silk Road, has been open to the public since 1986, but the Karakoram mountains remain a barrier to cultural influences as well as an impediment to trade. With predominantly Hindu India to the east, Pakistan now tends to look in a generally westerly direction, towards Islamic neighbours, when seeking cultural empathy.
Following the Second World War, extensive decolonisation began worldwide. In 1947 the British left India, ending the British Raj (Raj is a Hindustani word meaning reign) that formally commenced in 1858 but traces even further back to the governance of the British East India Company which began in 1757.
Immediately before decolonisation, a partition arrangement was made that divided pre-1947 India along religious lines. That created West Pakistan, East Pakistan (both Islamic) and India (predominantly Hindu and Sikh). Huge migrations of population, not always peaceful, took place with an estimated 12½ million people displaced especially in the Punjab region.
The two fragments of the original Pakistan formally separated in 1971, East Pakistan becoming Bangladesh and West Pakistan becoming The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Border disputes with India continue, especially with respect to the state of Kashmir.
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Above: Pakistan today (2012).
The border of Kashmir is disputed.
The location of Sialkot, an important centre of manufacturing of surgical instruments, is identified by the red dot.
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Circumcision in Pakistan is typical of Islamic societies generally. Rather than repeating a description of those norms, the remainder of this page of the Circlist website instead takes a behind-the-scenes look at surgical instrument manufacture in the Punjab.
Manufacture of circumcision instruments in Sialkot, Pakistani Punjab
Sialkot is a major centre of surgical instrument manufacture, including the manufacture of circumcision clamps. The city, which is located close to the border with India, has a population of just over 1 million people (2011). The location is identified on the map above-right.
Manufacturing process - Mogen Clamp
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Below left: A grinding wheel is used to achieve the required surface finish.
Below right: The finished article.
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Other circumcision instruments made in Sialkot
Other clamp types, including replicas of historic designs no longer in commercial production, can be made to special order.
Acknowledgements
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