List of capitals in Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of capital cities, including the legislature or seat of government, of Pakistan and it’s current and former provinces, territories, and states.
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[edit] National capital
Islamabad has been the capital of Pakistan since the 1960’s, succeeding the coastal city of Karachi, which had been selected as the capital in 1947 by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan. The legislature was based in Dacca in the province of East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan). Karachi was and still is the largest city and economic capital of Pakistan. It remained the seat of government until 1959, when the military president, Ayub Khan, decided to build a new capital in the north of Pakistan, near the general headquarters of the armed forces at Rawalpindi. The main reasons for the new location were that the new capital city would reflect the diversity of the Pakistani people, it would be separated from the business and commercial activity of Karachi, and also it would be easily accessible from all parts of the country.[1] The move to Islamabad was not completed until the late 1960s and for some years several government ministries were based in nearby Rawalpindi.
[edit] Subdivisional capitals
The capitals of the provinces and territories of Pakistan have remained the same since the 1970’s when the current administrative structure was established. All four provincial capitals are the largest cities of their respective provinces.
| Subdivision[2] | Status | Capital[3] | Most populous city? | Population (1998 census)[4] |
Population (2008 estimate)[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balochistan | Province | Quetta | Yes | 565,137 | 825,889 |
| North-West Frontier | Province | Peshawar | Yes | 982,816 | 1,344,967 |
| Punjab | Province | Lahore | Yes | 5,143,495 | 6,747,238 |
| Sindh | Province | Karachi | Yes | 9,339,023 | 12,461,423 |
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas[6] | Territory | Peshawar | N/A | ||
| Capital Territory | Territory | Islamabad | Yes | 529,180 | 657,788 |
| Azad Kashmir[7] | Autonomous State | Muzaffarabad | Unknown | No census | |
| Northern Areas[7] | Territory | Gilgit | Unknown | No census |
[edit] Former provincial capitals
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[edit] Former state capitals
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[edit] See also
- List of historical national capitals
- List of countries with multiple capitals
- Subdivisions of Pakistan
- Former subdivisions of Pakistan
[edit] References
- ^ History of Islamabad. Capital Development Authority. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
linked from Visit Islamabad: Islamabad the beautiful. Capital Development Authority. - ^ The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ^ Gwillim Law. Pakistan Provinces. Statoids.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ^ Population size and growth of major cities. Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ^ Stefan Helders. Pakistan - largest cities and towns and statistics of their population. World Gazetteer. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ^ Administrative system. Government of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- ^ a b Kashmir and Northern Areas Division. Government of Pakistan. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
[edit] Further reading
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[edit] External links
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