Quicknation    Pakistan Islamabad

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Islamabad ), population 955,629, is the capital city of Pakistan, located in the Potwar Plateau, north-west 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.

On 8 October, it was hit by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which struck with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale. Some buildings developed many cracks as a result, and other buildings, such as the Margalla Towers, collapsed.

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The city is situated at the edge of the Potwar 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. During the winters, even on the few 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).

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. During the administration of Pakistani President Ayub Khan, a site immediately north of Rawalpindi was chosen. Rawalpindi was designated as the temporary capital. Work on the new capital started 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. When Islamabad was finally built growth was slow - 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 Capital Development Authority or CDA for short under the Ministry of Interior was accorded the task of developing Islamabad as well as all major government buildings. CDA is also responsible for running the city of Islamabad and does most city services such as trash pickup, street cleaning etc. CDA was created by an act of the federal parliament and it's chairperson is appointed by the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan. More information is available at www.cda.gov.pk

For sightseeing, the views from the sculpted gardens of Islamabad's Shakparian Hill, the fascinating Heritage Museum and huge marble Shah Faisal Mosque are highlights of the modern city. To the west of Islamabad is the Buddhist site of Taxila, dating from 500BC. The sculptures show a strong Greek influence, a result of Alexander the Great's journey through the region.The commercial center of the city is known as the Blue Area running 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 climate has enabled many exotic plants to be introduced to the area. There is also much wildlife in the north in the Margallas, 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 modern and traditional in one building. The city is 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(b) 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.

Islamabad is dividing into different sectors. The sectors are named after alphabets. Each sector is divided into 4 sub-sectors as well. The sectors currently in use are from E to I.

Currently, the E sectors start from E-6 and ends at E-12. E-6, E-7 are one of the most expensive sectors of Islamabad and most of the foreigners live there. E-8, on the other hand, is Navy sector. It contains the whole Pakistan Navy colony with School, College and University with the name of Bahria. E-9 is the Airforce sector. The Airforce colony, just like Navy Colony have PAF School, College and University. Section E-10 is the army colony. It is still not constructed yet, and it seems that at least 5 more years would take to do the construction here. Sectors E-11 and E-12 have started construction rapidly and many of the people are shifting there already.

Currently, the F sectors start from F-5 and end at F-12. F-5 contains army personal houses, the parliament house, national library, Marriot, Awami Markez(Software Technology Park - 1) and Evacuee Complex(Software Technology Park - 2). F-6 contains the super market. The price of land at F-6 is expensive. Then comes F-7 which contains Jinnah Super Market. Same is the case with this sector regarding prices of land. F-8 has Ayub market as its main market. F-9 is the next sector. The whole F-9 sector is given as the Fatima Jinnah Park. Then F-10 sector contains the F-10 Market. It is also a very expensive sector along with F-11. Sector F-11 is almost complete regarding its construction. Currently, F-12 is getting developed.

Currently, the G sectors start from G-5 and end at G-12. G-5 contains the Convention Center. G-6 contains the Aab Para market which is one of the oldest market of Islamabad. Not only that, melody market and covered market are also in this sector. Then comes G-7 which contains the infamous Lal Mosque. Apart from that, it is famous for being a haunted place, with either people dying or those who dont, tell the tale or horror. Same is the case with G-8 sector. In 1999, there was a case when few of the people living in G-8 markez vanished without leaving any clue in just one night. Most of the people complain of scratches and bruises on their bodies left by the myth of "Ghori Dunj". Then comes sector G-9 which contains the market Karachi Company. The sectors G-10 and G-11 are more or less the same as far as their land prices are concerned. Currently, development work is being carried out at G-12.

Currently, the H sectors start from H-7 and end at H-12. The sector H-7 contains government offices. H-8 contains famous colleges such as Beaconhouse, OPF and City. Apart from that, Shifa international is also situated in this sector. Wapda's main office is opposite to Shifa. Then, comes H-9, which is named the industrial sector because of which, there are mostly factories of different kind. Same is the case with H-10. The sector H-11 contains all the top Universities of not only Islamabad, but Pakistan. Namely, Islamic University, FAST-Islamabad, NUST etc. Sector H-12 is under construction these days.

Currently, the I sectors start from I-8 and end at I-10. The sector I-8 is next to the pindi stadium. Same is the case with I-9. I-9 is also known as a semi Industial sector with some of the factories related to tile manufacturing are contained here. The sector I-10 is properly named as the Industrial sector with major factories ranging from cement to tiles manufacturers are here.