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 is located in northern Pakistan. Roughly the size of Texas and Oklahoma put together, Pakistan is part of the Indian subcontinent, which also includes the countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). The Himalayas, the Karakoram Range, and the Hindu Kush mountain range define much of Pakistan's extreme-northern and southwestern landscapes, including the provinces of Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier. To the east and southeast, the Indus River and its tributaries mold the landscape in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh.

Punjab ("five waters") is the most densely populated of Pakistan's four provinces and is located in the northern section of the prosperous Indus River Valley, where seasonal monsoons and alluvial (material deposited by running water) plains provide a fertile base for growing a variety of agricultural crops, including rice, millet, and sugarcane. While Islamabad officially lies within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), a federal entity separate from the country's provinces, it is built on land originally belonging to Punjab, and its location within this region allows it to benefit from a prodigious water supply, profitable agricultural base, and established industry.

The city encompasses 65 square kilometers (25 square miles), with the capital area covering 906 square kilometers (350 square miles). The outlying region, known as the Specified Areas, comprises the remaining territory, at 2,717 square kilometers (1,049 square miles). Built on the Potohar Plateau and set among meadows and terraced landscapes, Islamabad lies approximately 450 to 600 square meters (1,500 to 2,000 feet) above sea level, with the Margallah Hills rising 900 to 1,500 meters (3,000 to 5,000 feet) on its northeastern border and rolling plains sloping southward to the Kurang River and Rawal Dam. Three manmade lakes are located within the ICT: Rawal, Simli, and Khanpur. Wild pomegranate, blackberries, and raspberries grow naturally throughout this region. While leopards and lions are nearly extinct in this area, quail, fox, and wild boar roam throughout the surrounding meadowlands.

The ICT forms a trapezoid and is divided into five zones. Zone 1 is the urban district and includes government offices, residential neighborhoods, parks, and commercial areas; Zone 2 contains residential neighborhoods; Zone 3 encompasses Margallah Hills National Park; Zone 4 includes Islamabad Park and rural lands, in which 132 villages are located; and Zone 5 remains open for additional development.

The ICT was designed for a maximum population of 2,500,000, which city planners envisioned would eventually extend into nearby Rawalpindi. Labeled the "twin cities," Islamabad was designated the seat of power for the country, while Rawalpindi was to serve as the area's industrial and commercial center. Critics argue, however, that the original master plan was ill-informed and poorly implemented and that Islamabad and Rawalpindi remain separate entities entirely.

The urban district is based on a grid system and forms a triangle, the apex of which points toward the Margallah Hills. This grid is divided into multiple sub-segments measuring the same size; each section contains parks, schools, and markets. Streets are spread out evenly and are specifically designed to encourage unencumbered pedestrian and automobile traffic flow. To encourage social integration, the major sectors are designed to provide housing for three or four different income levels, with housing plots ranging in size from 111 square yards (999 square feet) to 3,000 square yards (27,000 square feet).

Government facilities, hospitals, and universities, including Allama Iqbal Open University and the International School of Islamabad, are also located in the urban district.

Contrasted to the extreme temperatures and humidity that mark other areas of the country, Islamabad enjoys a temperate climate. Summer runs from April through September, with June's temperatures peaking at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). January is the coldest month, with an average daily temperature of 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit). Monsoons occur between July and August and then again from December to April, accumulating in an average rainfall of 1,143 millimeters (45 inches). Spring- and autumn-like weather occurs for approximately two to four weeks prior to summer and winter, respectively.

Because of climate change, Pakistan has had more frequent heat waves and floods. Flooding has caused $30 million in damage from lost infrastucture and crops. This has hampered Pakistan's ability to reduce poverty.

People

Islamabad was home to 1.198 million people as of 2022. The capital hosts a diverse racial and ethnic population identified predominantly by province.

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. Muslim Rajputs (descended from a Hindu caste), along with numerous other tribes, occupy many of the rural areas outside the urban district. 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 are descended from a warrior tradition, with cultural ties to present-day India and Iran. Their traditional garb, the salwar kamiz, includes loose-fitting pants and a long tunic. The headdress for men is a turban; for women, it is a dupatta (a thin scarf often worn beneath a heavier headdress, or burqa).

Muharjirs ("refugees" in Urdu) are Muslims who fled to Pakistan from India after Partition. The majority of this population speaks Urdu, a language associated with the educated elite of northern India, who were instrumental in lobbying for an independent Pakistan in 1947.

Pashto is spoken by the Pathans of North-West Frontier and Baluchistan provinces, who share a common ethnic and cultural heritage with their Afghan neighbors, the Pashtuns. The Pathans live by a strict social code known as Pashtunwali, or Pukhtunwali (way of the Pashtun). Pathans belong to one of sixty groups led by a chief and council, known as the jirga; tribal elders, or kashar, are responsible for making most decisions. Together, these tribes form a semi-autonomous government, and while they receive representation in Parliament, they are largely considered independent from the rest of the nation. Sindhi-speaking inhabitants living in Islamabad are often transplants from the province of Sindh, located in the southern quadrant of Pakistan. Sindhi ancestors include Turks, Afghans, and Indians.

Islamabad is also home to a large diplomatic population, with more than fifty foreign embassies residing within its borders. Some of the larger embassies run private schools and clubs, which offer government representatives and their families educational, athletic, and cultural opportunities more closely associated with their homelands.

Like many urban centers around the world, Islamabad is a hub for refugees; Afghans, in particular, dominate this segment of the population. First fleeing in huge numbers during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1970s, many Afghans have fled the country as a result of the ongoing military conflict between US-led coalition forces, the Taliban, and various militias claiming loyalty to the Taliban.

A wide variety of foods and cuisines are available Islamabad Diners will find restaurants serving everything from American to Italian to Mexican, in addition to those venues offering Mughal cuisine, traditional Pakistani dishes that include rice, curried meat (excluding pork), naan (a leavened flat bread), and vegetables, fruits, or lentils. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, and other spices flavor many dishes. Muslims do not drink alcohol, and the milk-based, sweetened tea, called chai, is a popular drink in Islamabad.

Islamabad offers many cultural and leisure activities. Popular festivals include Eid Al-Fitr, a religious celebration, Iqbal Day, a holiday that honors national poet Allama Iqbal, and Lok Mela, the annual Artisans-at-Work Festival, which features many crafts, including calligraphy, weaving, pottery, and arabesque, a traditional art form employing intricate patterns and designs. Melas, held throughout the year, are fairs that typically offer everything from wares to food to amusement rides. The Folk Heritage Center, the Pakistan Arts Council, and the National Council of the Arts sponsor these and other cultural events such as plays, literary readings, storytelling performances, and concerts, which often feature secular and nonsecular qawwali, traditional songs of Sufi poets.

The common factor linking most Pakistanis together throughout Islamabad and the nation is Islam. In 2020, about 96.5 percent of the Pakistani population was Muslim (85–90 percent Sunni Muslim and 10–15 percent Shia Muslim), while the remaining 3.5 percent were classified as Hindu, Christian, or other. The tenets observed by Muslims include praying five times a day, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, providing alms for the poor, believing in Allah and the prophet Muhammad, and making a pilgrimage to the holy site of Mecca. Muslim mosques and shrines offer examples of some of the most dramatic and elaborately decorated architecture in Islamabad.

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.

Contributing to the economy is funding from international aid packages, the military, and Pakistanis working abroad. Additional contributions are made to the city's economy by students, government workers, private-sector employees, and investments made to development projects.

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 2022, the official unemployment rate was estimated at 6.42 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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