Rawalpindi

For the district, see Rawalpindi District. For other uses, see Rawalpindi (disambiguation).

Rawalpindi
راولپنڈی
Metropolis
Rawal Lake
Rawat Fort
Christ Church
Rawalpindi railway station
Bahria Town
PMAS-Arid Agriculture University
Official logo of Rawalpindi
Emblem
Nickname: 
Pindi
Rawalpindi is located in Punjab, Pakistan
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Location in Punjab
Rawalpindi is located in Pakistan
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Location in Pakistan
Rawalpindi is located in South Asia
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Location in South Asia
Coordinates: 33°36′N 73°02′E / 33.600°N 73.033°E / 33.600; 73.033
Country Pakistan
ProvincePunjab, Pakistan Punjab
DivisionRawalpindi
DistrictRawalpindi
Tehsils8
Union councils38
Municipal status1867; 157 years ago (1867)[1]
Government
 • TypeMetropolitan Corporation
 • MayorNone (Vacant)
 • Deputy MayorNone (Vacant)
 • CommissionerEngineer Abdul Aamir Khattak (BPS-20 PAS)[2]
 • Deputy CommissionerHassan Waqar Cheema (BPS-19 PAS)[3]
 • Regional Police Officer(RPO)Syed Khurram Ali (BPS-20 PSP)
Area
 • Metropolitan Corporation
479 km2 (185 sq mi)
 • Metro
311 km2 (120 sq mi)
Elevation
508 m (1,667 ft)
Population
 (2023)[4]
 • Metropolitan Corporation
3,357,612
 • Rank3rd, Punjab
4th, Pakistan
 • Density7,000/km2 (18,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:00 (PKT)
 • Summer (DST)PKT
Postal code
46000
Area code051
Official LanguagesUrdu, English
Provincial LanguagePunjabi
Native LanguagesPunjabi
WebsiteOfficial Website

Rawalpindi (/rɔːlˈpɪndi/; Punjabi, Urdu: راولپنڈی, romanized: Rāwalpinḍī; pronounced [ɾɑːʋəlpɪnɖiː] ⓘ[5]) is the third-largest city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is a commercial and metropolitan city, being the fourth most populous in Pakistan. It is located near the Soan River in north-western Punjab, and is the third-largest Punjabi-speaking city in the world. Rawalpindi is situated adjacent to Pakistan's capital Islamabad, and the two are jointly known as "twin cities" because of the social and economic links between them. Prior to Islamabad's establishment, Rawalpindi served as the country's capital from 1959 to 1967.[6]

Located on the Pothohar Plateau of northern Punjab, Rawalpindi remained a small town of little importance up until the 18th century.[7] The region is known for its ancient heritage, for instance the neighbouring city of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[8] In 1765, the ruling Gakhars were defeated and the city came under Sukerchakia Misl. During the Sikh-era, Rawalpindi, from a small regional town, became an important city in regards to trade and its strategic location within Punjab. The city's Babu Mohallah neighbourhood was once home to a community of Jewish traders who had fled Mashhad, Persia, in the 1830s.[9]

Punjab was conquered by the East India Company in 1849, in the aftermath of Second Anglo-Sikh War, and in the late 19th century Rawalpindi became the largest garrison town of the British Indian Army's Northern command as its climate suited the British authorities.[10][11] The city was established as the headquarters of the Rawalpindi Division of British Punjab, this elevated Rawalpindi's status to one the largest metropolitan centres in colonial Punjab.[10] Following the partition of British India in 1947, the city became home to the headquarters of the Pakistan Army.[12][13]

In 1951, the Rawalpindi conspiracy took place in which leftist army officers conspired to depose the first elected-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan.[14] Rawalpindi later became site of Liaquat Ali Khan's assassination. On 27 December 2007, it was the site of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.[10]

Construction of Pakistan's new purpose-built national capital city of Islamabad in 1961 led to greater investment in the city provided by Imf and local banks,[15] as well as a brief stint as the country's capital before the completion of Islamabad.[16] Modern Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the greater metropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad.[17][18] As home to the GHQ of the Pakistan Army and PAF Base Nur Khan, and with connections to the M-1 and M-2 motorways, Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation centre for northern Pakistan.[19] The city is also home to historic havelis and temples, and serves as a hub for tourists visiting Rohtas Fort, Azad Kashmir, Taxila and Gilgit-Baltistan.[20][21][22]

  1. ^ "Rawalpindi". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Rawalpindi to get 'Business Facilitation Centre' soon". Dawn. Pakistan. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Rawalpindi admin gears up for Feb 8 elections". Dawn. Pakistan. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation". Citypopulation. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Rawalpindi | Meaning of Rawalpindi by Lexico". Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Population size and growth of major cities" (PDF). Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. ^ Padishah, Nur al-Din Muhammad Jahangir (1968). Tuzk-e Jahangiri (in Urdu). Majlis-e Taraqqi-e Adab.
  8. ^ "Rawalpindi: History behind a bustling city". 26 August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  9. ^ "The lost Jewish history of Rawalpindi". The Express Tribune. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Mazumder, Rajit K. (2003). The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-7824-059-6.
  11. ^ "Rawalpindi: History behind a bustling city". Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  12. ^ Junaidi, Ikram (23 October 2015). "What is being built on GHQ land?". Dawn. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  13. ^ "The lost Jewish history of Rawalpindi". Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Burki 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "International Monetary Fund – Homepage". IMF. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  16. ^ Planet, Lonely. "History of Islamabad & Rawalpindi – Lonely Planet Travel Information". lonelyplanet.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  17. ^ Abbasi, Aamir Yasin | Kashif (8 July 2015). "Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus project not waterproof". Dawn. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Furniture". Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016 – via Scribd.
  19. ^ "New Islamabad Airport: 'Faulty' airport design stirs Senate debate – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 18 June 2016. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  20. ^ Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (13 June 2015). "The havelis of Potohar: Pakistan's opportunity to promote heritage tourism". Dawn. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  21. ^ "NCA to document Potohar history". Dawn. Pakistan. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  22. ^ Shamil, Taimur (16 October 2015). "The temples of Rawalpindi: Old wisdom in a new world". Archived from the original on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.