PRINCIPAL CITIES OF PAKISTAN

x PRINCIPAL CITIES OF PAKISTAN

            PRINCIPAL CITIES OF PAKISTAN

KARACHI

Karachi, city in southern Pakistan, capital of Sind Province, on the Arabian Sea, at the northwestern edge of the Indus River delta. The hub of a sprawling metropolitan area, Karachi is the nation's largest city and its chief transportation, financial, commercial, and manufacturing center. Most of the international trade of Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan pass through the city's busy modern port, centered on the island of Kiamari. Major highways and railroads focus on the city, and the modern airport here is a stopover and refueling point for intercontinental flights. Among the many products of Karachi are steel, textiles, chemicals, refined petroleum, footwear, machinery, handicrafts, and processed food. The city also is an important banking center and has a stock exchange. The University of Karachi (1951) and NED University of Engineering and Technology (1922) are here. The tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, is a landmark.

An old settlement, Karachi was a small fishing and trade center when captured by the British in 1839 and annexed three years later. Under British rule, it became the chief outlet for Indus Valley cotton and grain exports. After Pakistan became independent (1947), Karachi was the new nation's capital until it was replaced by Rawalpindi in 1959. During the early years of independence it grew rapidly as the chief port and industrial center of West Pakistan, and many Muslim refugees from India settled here. Since the 1980s the city has been the site of violent eruptions between the rival political, religious, and ethnic groups. By the mid-1990s more than 2000 deaths were attributed to the violence, including two United States diplomats murdered in March 1995. Population (1981) 5,180,562.

LAHORE

           Tomb of Emperor Jahangir, Lahore Built in the 17th century, the tomb
          of the Emperor Jahangir in Lahore is intricately decorated with a variety
          of patterns and colors. Seen here is the outer wall and one of the four
          minarets that surround the garden in which the emperor's tomb is located.

Lahore, city, northeastern Pakistan, capital of Punjab Province, on the Ravi River. It is the principal commercial and banking center of the province. Although little industry is located in the city proper, Lahore serves as a distribution center for the heavily industrialized surrounding area. Manufactures include textiles, metal products, chemicals, machinery, glassware, and leather and rubber goods. An educational and cultural center, the city is the site of the University of the Punjab (1882), the oldest university in Pakistan, and the University of Engineering and Technology (1961). An atomic energy research center is located in the city. Lahore is the site of architecturally significant buildings and monuments, many dating from the Mughal Empire (circa 1526-1707), during which the city achieved great prominence. In 1849, Lahore fell to the British. When India was partitioned in 1947, Lahore was made capital of West Punjab. Population (1981) 2,952,689.

ISLAMABAD

        Faisal Mosque, Islamabad Built in 1985, the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad
       is designed to look like a desert tent. The four minarets surrounding the
       mosque are each about 90 m (about 300 ft) tall.
                                    Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi, city, northern Pakistan, in Punjab Province. The city is an industrial and military center with a petroleum refinery, an ordnance factory, an arsenal, engineering workshops, a steel-rolling mill, gasworks, and a brewery. A college of technology is here. Rawalpindi served as the provisional capital of Pakistan from 1959 to 1967, when the seat of government was transferred to the permanent capital, nearby Islamabad. Population (1981) 794,843.
                                      PESHAWAR
Peshawar, city, northwestern Pakistan, capital of North-West Frontier Province, near the entrance to Khyber Pass. The city is a commercial center and the traditional terminus of caravans from Afghanistan. Industries include handicrafts and the manufacture of processed food, footwear, silk, and cotton textiles. Peshawar University was established here in 1950. Also in the city is Peshawar Museum, which houses important collections of sculpture of the ancient Gandhara civilization.
An ancient trading center known as Purushapure, the city was a target for invaders of the Indian subcontinent because of its strategic location near the pass. In the early 19th century Peshawar came under the control of the Sikhs, and in 1849 it was captured by the British. It has been the capital of the Pakistani North-West Frontier Province (except for 1955-70) since 1947. Population (1981) 566,248.

                                 MULTAN
Multan, city, eastern Pakistan, capital of Multan Division, on the Chenab River in the Punjab. The leading manufactures are silk, cotton, carpets, glazed pottery, and enamel work. Multan is an important center of trade where the products of the division, chiefly cotton, wheat, wool, sugar, indigo, oil seeds, and manufactured articles, are shipped by railroad to other parts of the country. The city is the home of Bahauddin Zakariya University (1975). Population (1981) 722,070.
                                       Hyderabad
Hyderabad (Pakistan), city, southeastern Pakistan, in Sind Province, on the Indus River. It is an important commercial center for the millet, rice, wheat, cotton, and fruit that are grown in the surrounding region. Industries include tanneries; motion picture studios; and cement, metal, and glassworks. Embroideries, lacquer ware, fine textiles, and jewelry are also made in Hyderabad. The University of Sind, a medical school, and commercial and agricultural colleges are in the area. Hyderabad was founded in 1768 and remained the capital of the emirate of Sind until the British general Sir Charles James Napier conquered Sind in 1843. From 1947 to 1955 Hyderabad was the capital of Sind Province. Population (1981) 751,529.
                                        Faisalabad
Faisalabad, formerly Lyallpur, city, northeastern Pakistan, in the Rechna Doab region of the Punjab. A rail and road junction, the city lies in an area watered by the Lower Chenab Canal, and in the area cotton, wheat, vegetables, and fruits are grown. It is an industrial center, having railroad-repair shops, engineering works, and plants that mill cotton, sugar, flour, and oilseeds, can fruit, and pack tea. Manufactures include superphosphates, cotton and silk textiles, hosiery, dyes, agricultural equipment, and ghee. Faisalabad is the site of the University of Agriculture (1909). The city was founded in the 1890s by Sir Charles James Lyall, lieutenant governor of the Punjab. Population (1981) 1,104,209.

                                      NATIONAL ANTHUM

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