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Islamabad

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Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد, abode of Islam), is the capital city of Pakistan, and is located in the Potohar Plateau in the northwest of the country. It is located within the Islamabad Capital Territory, though the area has historically been a part of the crossroads of the Punjab region and the North-West Frontier Province (the Margalla pass being a historic gateway to the North-West Frontier Province, and the Potwar Plateau historically a part of the Punjab). Islamabad is located at 33°40′N 73°10′E / 33.667°N 73.167°E / 33.667; 73.167.

History

From independence until 1958 Pakistan's capital was Karachi in Sindh in the far south. Worries about the concentration of investment and development in that city are said to have led to the idea of building a new capital in a different location. In 1958, during the administration of Pakistani President Ayub Khan, a site immediately north of Rawalpindi was chosen as the permanent capital. Rawalpindi was designated as the temporary capital. Work on the new capital began during the 1960s.

The planning and construction was largely headed by the Greek urban planner Constantinos A. Doxiadis. His plan revolved around the building of the city in sectors, each containing four sub-sectors separated by green belts and parks. There was a strong emphasis on greenery and open space.

In 1967, the capital was officially moved from Rawalpindi to Islamabad. The city was divided into Rural and urban Areas. The urban area was managed by CDA Capital Development Authority, while Rural area was divided into 12 union Councils. Among these 12 union councils, union Council Koral is the biggest and the most developed Union council.

When Islamabad was finally built, growth was slow, and the government did not fully relocate to the city from Rawalpindi until the 1980s. During this time the capital's population was small, at around 250,000. This changed dramatically during the 1990s with the population increasing, instigating the building of new sectors. The CDA was established on June 14, 1960 (first by an executive order issued on June 24, 1960 entitled the Pakistan Capital Regulation, and superseded by the CDA ordinance issued on June 27, 1960 by the National Parliament) and accorded the task of developing Islamabad as well as all major government buildings. According to the CDA ordinance, the Ministry of the Interior appoints all members of the board of governors of CDA who in turn appoint all CDA functionaries under them in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior. The CDA is also responsible for running the city of Islamabad and provides most city services such as trash pickup, street cleaning, etc.

On October 8th 2005, an earthquake hit northern parts of Pakistan and was also felt in Islamabad. The earthquake destroyed the Margalla Towers located in sector F-10. The collapsed building was the only one destroyed in the city. Subsequent surveys of the collapsed building showed that the building was made from sub-standard material. The residents of the buildings had sent several complaints to the Capital Development Authority to which no satisfactory response was sent. More recently, the Prime Minister of Pakistan has said that a separate building code be implemented for Islamabad.

Geography and climate

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Faizabad interchange: Gateway to the capital city

The city is situated at the edge of the Pothohar plateau, south of the Margalla hills. The modern capital Islamabad and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi stand side by side, displaying the country’s past and present. The area's micro-climate is regulated by three man-made lakes (Rawal, Simli and Khanpur). The city has hot summers with monsoon rains occurring during July and August. Even on the few winter days when pre-dawn temperatures fall below freezing, the afternoons are usually sunny and mild: in the coldest month, January, the average daily maximum temperature is 16°C (61°F).

Demographics

Punjabis account for 65% of the population followed by the Pashtuns at around 15-20% and then the Muhajirs at 14%. (the refugee population is not counted on the census). [1]

Vegetation

Islamabad was built on heavily forested land, but due to the growing population of the city, more and more wooded areas are being cut down for land. The city is dominated by trees such as oak, eucalyptus, and banyan, and is also home to many annual and perennial plants including feral C. Sativa and dandelion. Many of the plants here have adapted to cope with the high temperatures and low rainfall during summer, and, in fact, often show vigorous growth in the blistering sun. Much of the vegetation do not show any kind of nitrogen deficiencies during the vegetative state and almost no phosphorus deficiencies during flowering stage. Several exotic, flowering plants such as roses and jasmines also occur within the city. Unfortunately, the local plant life is threatened due to invading plants such as Paper Mulberry, which was introduced from Southeast Asia, reproduces quickly, and chokes native plant life.

Tourism and sightseeing

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The Presidency on a hazy winter morning
The National Parliament
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The Supreme Court of Pakistan
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A view of Blue Area, the central business district of Islamabad
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The Centaurus complex (under construction)
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Islamabad glitters at night : Photograph Umayr Sahlan Masud
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Daman e Koh Park, one of many that make Islamabad the most green city in South Asia

Islamabad is a relatively young city compared to the other cities. However, the views from the sculpted gardens of Islamabad's Shakar Parian Hills, the fascinating Heritage Museum, and the huge marble statue of Shah Faisal Mosque are the major highlights of the modern city. To the west of Islamabad is the Buddhist site of Taxila, dating from 500 BC. Sculptures here show a strong Greek influence, a result of Alexander the Great's journey through the region. The commercial center of Islamabad is known as the Blue Area and runs along the length of Jinnah Avenue. Its eastern end runs into Parliament Road, where the majority of government buildings are located.

The city is very green, with much afforestation of what was formerly scrub forest and open ground. The city's pleasant climate has enabled the introduction of many exotic plants into the area. There is also much wildlife in the north in the Margalla hills, which have been turned into a national park.

Islamabad's architecture walks a tight-rope between modernity and tradition. The Saudi-Pak Tower is a good example of the combination of modern and traditional styles into one building. The city is also home to the Faisal Mosque, which is well-known for its architecture and immense size. Quaid-i-Azam University is also located in the capital city along with numerous government buildings and foreign embassies such as the National Assembly building, the Supreme Court building, the President's official residence (Aiwan-e-Sadr) and the Prime Minister's secretariat. Another landmark is a giant silver-colored Globe statue, installed in 2004 to mark Pakistan's hosting of that year's SAARC Summit. Recently, Atkins UK have designed a striking building for the capital, the Centaurus, reflecting the margalla hills surrounding it. Not only will this be the tallest and most impresive structure in Islamabad, second only to proposed taller skyscrapers in Karachi and Lahore, but will also truly put Pakistan's beautiful capital city on the global architectural map.

  • Shopping
    • Chinatown

Sectors

Islamabad is divided into several different sectors, each identified by a letter of the alphabet, with each sector covering an area of approximately 2km x 2km. Each sector is further divided into 4 sub-sectors. The sectors currently in use are lettered from D to I.

Currently, there is only one D sector, D-12. Although this sector is underdeveloped with its development to be completed in 2008, it will be considered one of the most beautiful sectors of Islamabad because of its location near the Margalla Hills. The E sectors are numbered from E-6 to E-12. Many foreigners and diplomatic personnel are housed in this sector. The F sectors are numbered F-5 through F-12. F-5 is an important sector for the software industry in Islamabad, as both of the two software technology parks are located here. The entire sector of F-9 is dedicated for the Fatima Jinnah Park. The F-7 sector is the most affluent and property here can sell for upto $8,000,000.00. However F-10 is seen as the up and rising affluent area with a 7 star plaza being constructed soon. The G sectors are numbered G-5 through G-12. Some important landmarks include the Convention Center and Serena Hotel in G-5, the Lal Mosque in G-6, the shopping mall Karachi Company in G-9 (named after a construction company from Karachi who made one of the first flats in this area in and around 1978) and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in G-8. The H sectors are numbered H-7 through H-12. The H sectors are mostly dedicated to educational and health institutions. Shifa International Hospitals Ltd. and the Shifa College of Medicine are situated in sector H-8/4. The I sectors are numbered I-8 through I-10. Except for I-8, these sectors are primarily set aside as part of the industrial zone. For now, most of the I-sector is open land with dense vegetation, including several annual and perennial plants. The trees are dominated by willows, oaks and eucalyptus trees.

Sectors H-8, H-9, H-10 and H-11 contain the campuses of a number of top universities and Institutes of the country, including Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of pakistan[2], COMSATS Institute of Information Technology[3], Allama Iqbal Open University, City School, and Beacon House School in sector H-8; the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) and International School of Islamabad in sector H-9; the International Islamic University in sector H-10; the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (FAST-NUCES) in sector H-10; and the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in H-12.

Universities in Islamabad

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PM Secitariat

See also

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