Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad, or "City of Islam," was named the capital of Pakistan in 1960, after the original capital, Karachi, was deemed unsuitable. Situated in northern Pakistan, Islamabad is considered a model in urban planning and, unlike other cities in the country, is well known for its contemporary architecture, tree-lined sidewalks, and spacious boulevards. As the capital city, Islamabad is also known for its domestic and international government facilities, in addition to its tourist destinations, religious sites, and institutions of higher learning. While predominantly Muslim, the city is home to a diverse ethnic population. For all its successes, Islamabad remains vulnerable to the political, economic, and religious instability that has plagued Pakistan since it became a unified nation-state.

Landscape

Islamabad, located in northern Pakistan, lies within the Islamabad Capital Territory but was originally part of Punjab. This region, situated in the fertile Indus River Valley, benefits from seasonal monsoons and rich alluvial plains, making it ideal for agriculture. Though a separate federal entity, Islamabad shares Punjab’s strong water resources, productive farmland, and industrial base. Pakistan itself is part of the Indian subcontinent and features varied geography, from the towering Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains in the north to the river-carved plains of Punjab and Sindh in the east and southeast.

Islamabad spans 65 square kilometers (25 square miles), with the broader capital area covering 906 square kilometers (350 square miles) and the surrounding Specified Areas extending over 2,717 square kilometers (1,049 square miles). Located on the Potohar Plateau, the city sits 450 to 600 meters above sea level and is bordered by the Margallah Hills. Its landscape includes meadows, terraced slopes, and plains descending to the Kurang River and Rawal Dam. The area features three manmade lakes Rawal, Simli, and Khanpur and supports native flora like wild pomegranate and berries, with local fauna including quail, foxes, and wild boar.

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is a trapezoid-shaped region divided into five zones: Zone 1 hosts the urban district with offices, housing, parks, and shops; Zone 2 features residential areas; Zone 3 includes Margallah Hills National Park; Zone 4 contains rural lands with 132 villages and Islamabad Park; and Zone 5 is reserved for future development.

Originally planned for 2.5 million people, Islamabad was designed as the political center, with neighboring Rawalpindi serving industrial and commercial roles though critics argue the cities have developed independently. The city’s triangular urban district is laid out on a grid system, with evenly spaced roads and sectors that mix housing for various income levels. Key institutions, including government offices, hospitals, and universities like Allama Iqbal Open University, are based here.

Though the recent climate change has led to more frequent heatwaves and flooding in Islamabad, traditionally, the climate of the city is temperate, with summer running from April through September and June's temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). January is the coldest month, with an average temperature of 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit). The city experiences monsoons between July and August and again from December to April, with an average annual rainfall of 1,143 millimeters (45 inches). Spring- and autumn-like weather typically lasts for two to four weeks before summer and winter. Climate change has intensified heatwaves and floods in Pakistan, resulting in significant damage, including US$30 million in infrastructure and crop losses. These impacts have hindered efforts to reduce poverty. In response, the Ministry of Climate Change, in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has launched a project to enhance the country's water quality monitoring system.

People

According to the CIA World Factbook, Islamabad had a population of approximately 1.232 million people as of 2023.

Islamabad’s population is ethnically diverse. Punjabis (44.7 percent), Pashtuns (15.4 percent), and Sindhis (14.1 percent) are also represented in the city proper. Muhajirs, Baluchis, and a variety of racial and ethnic groups comprise the remainder of the urban population. In rural areas beyond the city, tribes such as the Muslim Rajputs are prominent. While Urdu is the official language, most ethnic groups continue to speak the language or dialect typical of their province or tribe. More than three hundred languages or dialects are spoken countrywide.

Punjabis, with roots in warrior traditions and ties to India and Iran, traditionally wear the salwar kameez and turbans or dupattas. Muhajirs, Urdu-speaking Muslims who migrated from India after Partition, played a key role in Pakistan’s founding. Pathans, from the northwest, follow Pashtunwali, a tribal code governed by elders (kashar) and councils (jirga), and often operate semi-autonomously. Sindhi speakers in the city typically trace their ancestry to southern Pakistan, with mixed heritage from Turks, Afghans, and Indians.

Islamabad hosts over fifty foreign embassies, many of which operate private schools and clubs that provide diplomats and their families with familiar educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities. Like many global cities, Islamabad is home to a large refugee population, primarily Afghans who began arriving during the 1970s Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and continue to flee ongoing conflict involving the Taliban and other militias.

Islamabad offers diverse dining options, with restaurants serving global cuisines alongside traditional Pakistani and Mughal dishes like curried meats, rice, naan, and lentils, often spiced with ginger, garlic, and turmeric. While alcohol is generally avoided for religious reasons, sweetened milk tea, or chai, is widely enjoyed.

Islamabad offers a vibrant cultural scene with festivals like Eid Al-Fitr, Iqbal Day, and Lok Mela, which showcases traditional crafts such as calligraphy and pottery. Year-round melas feature food, crafts, and rides, while institutions like the Folk Heritage Center and National Council of the Arts host plays, readings, and qawwali music performances (traditional songs of Sufi poets).

Islam serves as a key unifying force in Islamabad and across Pakistan, where about 96.5 percent of the population is Muslim mostly Sunni, with a minority of Shia. Core Islamic practices include daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, giving to the poor, belief in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, and pilgrimage to Mecca. The city’s mosques and shrines reflect this faith through their striking and ornate architecture.

Economy

While the city of Karachi is considered the commercial capital of Pakistan, Islamabad benefits from a prosperous agricultural and industrial base. Crops include cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, and citrus fruits; cotton, and rice rank among Pakistan's largest exports. Islamabad is also home to many light industries, including software, telecommunications, handicrafts, and rug manufacturing.

Robust service sectors located throughout Islamabad cater to foreign diplomats, students, and Pakistani citizens, offering dozens of restaurants and hotels. Shops located in the Blue Area, Jinnah Super Market, and Aabpara, the oldest market in Islamabad, are especially popular attractions and host thousands of purveyors. In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) declined to 0.6 percent after growing by 6.1 percent in 2022 and 5.8 percent in 2021. This was largely due to property loss and supply chain disruptions caused by flooding. Islamabad's economy is supported by international aid, the military, remittances from Pakistanis abroad, and contributions from students, government workers, private-sector employees, and development project investments.

Islamabad's economy relies in large part on its accessibility, and workers and visitors may travel to and from the city by car or bus using either Kashmir Highway, Islamabad Highway, or one of the many secondary roads. Islamabad Highway, for example, connects directly to the Grand Trunk Road, one of the oldest passageways on the Indian subcontinent. It is also one of the longest, extending 2,574 kilometers (1,600 miles) from Kolkata, India, to Kabul, Afghanistan. Train service is also available in the region, and the Islamabad International Airport offers domestic and international flights.

In 2023, the official unemployment rate was estimated at 5.5 percent throughout Pakistan, which analysts point out does not accurately reflect the nation's economy because many workers are underemployed. Since Islamabad is a relatively expensive city that caters to international and domestic government-related activities, many workers live outside Islamabad's urban district.

Landmarks

Pakistan, along with Egypt and Mesopotamia, is considered the birthplace of civilization. Archeological evidence in Harrapa, located in Punjab province, and in Mohenjo Daro, located in Sindh, suggests that the Indus Valley civilization took advantage of the fertile lands surrounding the Indus River and grew their empire from the northern mountains to the southern delta and Arabian Sea. Successive groups that inhabited the region include Aryans, Huns, Arab Muslims, Ottoman Turks, and Mughals, who are credited for their significant cultural contributions.

Taxila, located a short distance west of Islamabad, is the ancient site of the Gandhara Buddhist civilization and the world's oldest university. Taxila offers visitors the opportunity to view monasteries, temples, ruins, and artwork that dates from 500 BCE to 600 CE.

In the mid 1500s, the Mughal ruler, Humayun, was overthrown by Fareed Khan, a Pathan from what is now modern-day Afghanistan. While the Mughal Empire thrived for another 200 years, Fareeh Khan (renamed Sher Shah Suri) succeeded in building an expansive empire of his own. He is remembered as an exemplary military leader, a socially-minded ruler, and the architect of the Grand Trunk Road and Rohtas Fort. The fort, located roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Islamabad, is considered to be one of the best examples of military architecture.

Islamabad National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Set among flowers and greenery, places like Daman-e-koh, Peer Sohawa, and the Shakar Parian Hills provide expansive views of the city. Several manmade lakes on the outskirts of Islamabad, including Rawal and Simly, offer city dwellers welcome refreshment during hot summer months.

Libraries, museums, botanical gardens, and the Islamabad Zoo make for popular day trips, and sightseers might want to view the Parliament Building and Islamabad University, noted for their architectural design. For those who enjoy sports, the Pakistan Sports Complex offers domestic and international sporting events such as polo and soccer. Cricket, the national sport, is most associated with world-renowned Imran Khan, who led Pakistan's national team to many victories. Other Pakistani favorites include chess, marbles, and kite flying, an activity particularly popular during Basant Festival, which celebrates impending spring.

In addition to the many shrines located throughout Islamabad, the venerated mosque Shah Faisal Masjid marks a significant place of worship and community activity. Shah Faisal Masjid is named after the Saudi Arabian leader King Faisal, whose government heavily subsidized the mosque's construction in the late 1970s. The contemporary structure was designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay and is recorded as one of the two largest mosques in the world. At just under 190,000 square meters (approximately 2,045,142 square feet), the prayer hall, portico, verandas, and courtyard can hold more than 50,000 people. In addition to worship areas, the mosque is also the site of the International Islamic University Islamabad.

History

Despite the violent encounters that persisted between Indian Hindus and Pakistani Muslims after Pakistan's partition from India in 1947, Karachi, a commercial hub and the nation's capital at that time, continued to prosper. Located in the southern portion of the province of Sindh, Karachi is a port city largely developed by the British during colonial rule. The city's resulting prosperity and uneven distribution of wealth, however, incited conflicts between the rich and poor—conflicts that grew even more aggravated when the government named a commission to seek out a better site further north in the agricultural province of Punjab.

After careful study, the site for the ICT, which would eventually encompass the city of Islamabad, was chosen in 1959. Although Islamabad did not become the nation's official capital until 1967, its name, meaning "city of Islam," was designated in 1960 by President Ayub Khan. With its temperate climate, dramatic geography, and its proximity to the Indus River and the nearby industrial and military center Rawalpindi, many saw this capital site as a new beginning. Soon after the site's designation, the federal government temporarily relocated to nearby Rawalpindi, and in 1961, construction on Islamabad began.

Established under the leadership of President General Ayub Khan in 1958, the Federal Capital Commission (later replaced by Capital Development Authority) awarded city planners and architects Edward Durell Stone, Gio Ponti, and Constantinos Doxiadis the honor of designing the new capital city. Doxiadis, who employed Ekistics, the study of human structure, endeavored to create harmony among the natural landscapes, contemporary architecture, and Islamic foundations that would eventually define Islamabad.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA), the organization that oversees Islamabad's continued development, supports ongoing improvements in infrastructure throughout the urban center in particular. Plans in 2007 call for the engineering of a rapid transit system between the twin cities, a makeover for the Islamabad Zoo, and the construction of an arts and crafts village.

In 1966, the first office building in Islamabad opened its doors. Construction throughout the city continued into the mid-1970s, with some delays resulting due to disputes with India and Bengal, Pakistan's eastern-most province.

Separated by the northern portion of India, and at odds with one another on a variety of social, economic, and humanitarian issues, war broke out in 1971 between West Pakistan (ICT and the provinces of Punjab, Boluchistan, Sindh, and North-West Frontier) and East Pakistan (Bengal). India, Pakistan's adversary since Pakistan proclaimed independence in 1947, joined forces with East Pakistan, which eventually separated from West Pakistan and renamed itself Bangladesh.

In the aftermath of war with India and Bangladesh, Pakistan struggled with military, religious, economic, and political instability, a trend that would continue into the early part of the twenty-first century, as military and civil governments alternately vied for control via violent and non-violent coups d’etat. During this time, ten civilian governments were displaced by the military.

Throughout its young history, any progress made in developing Islamabad into a city based on Islamic principals has been complicated by its intertwined political, religious, and military leadership, in addition to existing external international pressures. In the late 1980s, for example, the Russians began withdrawing from Afghanistan, resulting in a decline in foreign aid to Pakistan. The growing Indigenous poor and thousands of Afghan refugees further strained Pakistan's infrastructure, and efforts to feed and employ the population resulted in damaging deforestation and irrigation projects. During this decade, Pakistan also began to experience a dramatic escalation in illiteracy rates, opium and heroin production, pollution, and violence. Guns once used to protect its borders from Soviet soldiers fell into the hands of militants, particularly those living in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the contested border region located between India and Pakistan. In the 1990s, Pakistan and India each developed nuclear weapons. Threats of nuclear attack extended into the beginning of the twenty-first century. Protests, often violent, in Islamabad and cities around the country have often marked the ebb and flow caused by these and other events.

Government leaders of note during this era include former President and leader of the Pakistan People's Party Zulfikar Ali Bhutto; former President General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq; and the first woman to lead a Muslim nation, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Bhutto, who was the first woman to lead a Muslim country, was elected in October 1998. Shortly thereafter, she was deposed by Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League and chosen candidate of the Pakistani military. Sharif and Bhutto would alternately win, lose, and regain leadership roles, until 1999, when Sharif was ousted by General Pervez Musharraf in a bloodless coup. Bhutto was exiled to Saudi Arabia. Musharraf officially proclaimed himself president and army chief in 2001.

Bhutto, who refused to face corruption charges leveled by Sharif and others against her previous administrations, left on her own accord for the United Arab Emirates. After negotiations with Musharraf, Bhutto returned to Karachi, Pakistan, in October 2007, to a welcoming reception that turned violent when a suicide bomber killed more than one hundred people. President Musharraf became a similar target later that month when a suicide bomber detonated himself near Musharraf's office and Pakistan's military headquarters in Rawalpindi. Bhutto was soon assassinated in Rawalpindi in December 2007.

The leader of a country that, historically, harbored terrorists and supported the Afghan Taliban, Musharraf faced increased international scrutiny after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. However, he agreed to make a concerted effort to thwart terrorism at home and abroad. When he agreed to aid US efforts in combating terrorist groups, however, Musharraf—and by default, Islamabad—became vulnerable to anti-US militant attacks. In summer 2007, the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) made international headlines when an estimated one hundred people were killed in a standoff between students, local police, and the military.

Historically, the Lal Masjid has a reputation for attracting radical Islamist students, including supporters of al-Qaeda, and has been the site of recurrent violence. The violence in 2007 was said to have been incited in part by the Capital Development Authority's (CDA) decision to demolish a section of the mosque that was constructed illegally. Several other mosques in Islamabad were destroyed during this time. Later that same month, the popular Aabpara Market became the target of related attacks when thirteen people were killed in a bomb explosion just prior to the celebration of Pakistan's sixtieth anniversary.

Despite its founding principles, its strides in urban planning, and its rich and varied culture, Islamabad remains at the mercy of domestic and international pressures that will forever shape its physical terrain and its political, religious, and economic destiny.

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