Islamabad was the planned capital of Pakistan, built in the 1960s near Rawalpindi. It replaced Karachi, Pakistan’s first national capital after independence in 1947.
A 1958 commission examined possible sites using factors such as climate, logistics, defence, and accessibility. It recommended land northeast of Rawalpindi, on the Pothohar Plateau, and the area began serving as a provisional capital in 1959. The capital’s location was more central than Karachi and closer to Pakistan’s northern regions and military headquarters.
The Greek architect Konstantinos Apostolou Doxiadis led the master plan. Its distinctive triangular grid points toward the Margalla Hills, combining planned sectors with broad roads and green spaces. Islamabad was not occupied as the capital immediately: government operations first shifted temporarily to Rawalpindi in the early 1960s, while construction continued.
Essential development work was sufficiently advanced by 1966 for the capital to move there. Rawalpindi remains a major neighbouring city and military centre, while Islamabad is the federal administrative capital. Karachi is a common mix-up because it held the capital role first.