RAWALPINDI
Rawalpindi also
known as Pindi, is a city
in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near the country's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab.
Rawalpindi is the fourth largest
city in Pakistan after Karachi,Lahore and Faisalabad.
In the 1950s, Rawalpindi was smaller than Hyderabad and Multan, but the city's economy
received a boost during the building of Islamabad (1959–1969), during which
time Rawalpindi served as the national capital and its population increased
from 180,000 at the time of independence to over 4.5 million in 2007.
Rawalpindi is in the northernmost part of the Punjab province, 275 km (171 mi)
to the north-west of Lahore. It is the administrative seat of theRawalpindi
District. The total area of the city is approximately 108.8 square kilometres
(42.0 sq mi). Rawalpindi is the military headquarters of the Pakistani Armed Forces.
Rawalpindi, named after Raja Pindi, is a
bustling city on the northernmost part of the Punjab province, strategically
located between the North-West
Frontier Province andAzad Jammu
and Kashmir. Many tourists use the city as a stop before traveling towards the
northern areas. Rawalpindi is also a prime destination for the expatriate
community of Azad Jammu and
Kashmir. Numerous shopping bazaars, parks and a cosmopolitan population attract
shoppers from all over Pakistan and abroad. The city is home to several industries
and factories. Islamabad
International Airport is actually
located in Rawalpindi and serves both cities.
Rawalpindi also maintains strong links with
the Pahari-Potwari speaking
people of neighbouring Azad
Kashmir who have many businesses
within the city and region.
History
The
Mosque at Gulshan Dadan Khan
Rawalpindi has been inhabited for thousands
of years, it is believed that a distinct culture flourished on this plateau as
far in c1000BC. The material remains found at the site prove the existence of a Buddhist establishment contemporary to Taxila and of a Vedic civilisation. The nearby town of
Taxila has another significance; according to the Guinness Book of World
Records it has the world's oldest university - Takshashila University.
Sir Alexander
Cunningham identified certain
ruins on the site of the cantonment with the ancient city of Ganjipur or
Gajnipur, the capital of the Bhatti tribe in the ages preceding the Christian
era. Graeco-Bactrian coins, together with ancient bricks, occur over an area of
500 ha (2 mi²). Known within historical
times as Fatehpur Baori, Rawalpindi fell into decay during one of the Mongol
invasions in the fourteenth century.
It appears that the ancient city went into
oblivion as a result of the White
Hun devastation. The first Muslim invader, Mahmud of Ghazni (979-1030), gave the ruined city to a Gakhar Chief, Kai Gohar. The town, however, being on
an invasion route, could not prosper and remained deserted until Jhanda Khan, another Gakhar Chief, restored it and named it
Rawalpindi after the village Rawal in 1493. Rawalpindi remained under the rule
of the Gakkhars until Muqarrab Khan, the last Gakkhar ruler, was defeated by the Sikhs under Sardar Milka Singh in 1765. Singh invited traders from
the neighbouring commercial centres of Jhelum and Shahpur to settle in the territory.
Early in the nineteenth century Rawalpindi
became for a time the refuge of Shah
Shuja, the exiled king of Afghanistan, and of his brother Shah Zaman. The
present native infantry lines mark the site of a battle fought by the Gakhars
under their famous chief Sultan Mukarrab Khan in the middle of the eighteenth
century. Rawalpindi was taken by Sikh ruler Maharaja
Ranjit Singh in 1818.
British rule
The
Mess Hall, Rawalpindi
Queen
Victoria's Statue sculpted in England was placed in the city during the rule of
the British Empire, 1939
Following the British invasion of the region and their
occupation of Rawalpindi in 1849, the city became a permanent garrison of the British army in 1851. In the
late 1870s a railway line to Rawalpindi was laid, and train service was
inaugurated on 1 October 1880. The need for a railway link arose after Lord Dalhousie made Rawalpindi the headquarters of
the Northern Command and the city became the largest British military garrison in British India.
On the introduction of British rule,
Rawalpindi became the site of a cantonment and, shortly afterward, the
headquarters of 2nd (Rawalpindi)
Division. Its connection with the main railway system by the extension of the North-Western Railway to Peshawar immensely developed its size and
commercial importance. The municipality was created in 1867.
Rawalpindi at the beginning of the 1900s
became the most important cantonment in the British
Raj - the colonial dominion of
the Indic or South Asian sub-continent. For example, the municipality's
population in 1901 population was 40 611, larger than any other cantonment. Its
income and expenditure during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged 180 000 and
210 000 Rs. (rupees), respectively. Income derived mostly (89%) from municipal
import duties (octroi) which in that year ran 160 000 Rs. Expenditure included
administration (35 000 Rs. or 17%), conservancy (27 000 Rs. or 13%), hospitals
and dispensaries (25 000 Rs. or 12%), public works (9 000 Rs. or 3%), and
public safety (17 000 Rs. or %).
The cantonment was a major center of military
power of the Raj after an arsenal was established in 1883. In 1901 Rawalpindi
was the winter headquarters of the Northern Command and of the Rawalpindi
military division. It quartered six regiments - one each of British and Native
cavalry; two each of British and Native infantry; three companies, one of garrison artillery
and two of sappers and miners, including a balloon section; three batteries - one each of horse, field artillery,
and mountain; and one ammunition
column of field artillery. It has
been recently disclosed that the British Government tested poison gas on Indian
troops during a series of experiments
that lasted over a decade.
Post-independence
The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan
Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Rawalpindi. In the
succeeding years, Rawalpindi saw an influx of Muhajir, Pashtun and Kashmiri settlers. In 1959, the city became the
interim capital of the country after President Ayub Khan sought the creation of a new planned
capital of Islamabad in the vicinity of Rawalpindi. As a result, Rawalpindi saw
most major central government offices and institutions relocate to nearby
territory, and its population boom.
In 1951, Rawalpindi saw the assassination of
the first elected Prime Minister
of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan in Company Bagh now known as Liaquat Bagh Park (also called Liaquat Garden.) On 27
December 2007, Liaquat Bagh Park's rear gate in Rawalpindi was the site of the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in Rawalpindi in 1979.
The
Murree Road during the construction of Committee Chowk Underpass
The famous Murree
Road has been a hot spot for
various political and social events. Nala Lai, in the middle of city, history
describes Nala Lai water as pure enough for drinking but now it has become
polluted with the waste water from all sources including factories and houses.
Kashmir Road, was renamed from Dalhousie Road, Haider road from Lawrence road,
Bank Road from Edwards Road, Hospital Road from Mission Road, Jinnah Road from
Nehru Road. Today Rawalpindi is the headquarters of the Pakistani Army. Pakistan Air Force also has an active airbase in the Chaklala region of Rawalpindi.
Boundary and expansion
Though Rawalpindi has expanded mostly due to
explosive population pressure, Nespak has been given the responsibility to
render the urban planning services—analysing available data and other documents
like master plans, structure plans, outline development plans and census
reports. It is also responsible for defining the geographical features of the
city and provides the a rough idea of how the city could be expanded in the
next 20 years.
Climate
Similar to neighboring Islamabad, Rawalpindi features a humid subtropical climate with long and very hot summers, a monsoon and short, mild, wet winters.
Rawalpindi during the summer season experiences a number of thunder or wind
storms that sometimes cause damage to property. Wind speeds could reach an
astonishing 167 km/h in some wind storms which results in the collapse of
walls and roofs causing injuries and sometimes death. Rawalpindi is chaotic but
relatively dust-free. The weather is highly variable due to the location of
Rawalpindi. The average annual rainfall is 39 inches (990 mm), most of
which falls in the summer monsoon season. However, frontal cloudbands also
bring quite significant rainfall in the winter. In summer, the maximum
temperature can sometimes soar up to 47 °C (117 °F), while it may drop to a
minimum of −4 °C (25 °F)
in the winter.
Economy
Bank
Alfalah branch in Rawalpindi
According to the general survey of industry
conducted by Directorate of Industries and Mineral Development Punjab, there
are 939 industrial units operating in the district. This district is not famous
for industrial goods like other districts. The progress has been mostly in the
private sector. The existing industrial units provide employment to about
35,000 people, i.e., about 1.6% of district population is directly employed in
large, medium and small industrial units. Apparently there is no shortage of
skilled manpower. The Technical/Vocational Training Institute operating in the
district turns out about 1,974 technicians/artisans annually. They are trained
in engineering, air conditioning, drafting, metallurgy, welding, auto knitting
and commerce, etc.
§
Kohinoor Textile
Mills is the largest unit in the district. It is located near Naseer Abad and is equipped with 50,000 spindles
and 1,021 power looms.
§
Wattan Woolen and
Hosiery Mills is fitted 10,000 spindles.
§
Rahat Woolen Mills,
established in 1954, is one of the oldest and most prominent mills in
Rawalpindi.
Jinnah Road, formally known as City Saddar
Road, is one of the busiest business markets. It could be considered as
business headquarters northern Pakistan including retailers, wholesalers,
distributors, manufacturers having an approximately cash flow of more than 1
billion rupees per day. The importance of Jinnah Road can be seen by
the presence of more than nine banks on the road with more opening soon.
Civic administration
Administrative
subdivisions of Rawalpindi District.
The City-District of Rawalpindi comprises eight autonomous tehsils, besides Rawalpindi city
(divided into Rawal & Potohar Tehsils):
1.
Gujar Khan
2.
Potohar (Southern Rawalpindi)
3.
Taxila Tehsil
4.
Rawal (Northern Rawalpindi)
5.
Kallar Syedan
6.
Kahuta
7.
Kotli Sattian
8.
Murree
The famous Murree
Road has been a hot spot for
various political and social events. Nala Lai, in the middle of city, history describes
Nala Lai water as pure enough for drinking but now it has become polluted with
the waste water from all sources including factories and houses. Kashmir Road,
was renamed from Dalhousie Road, Haider road from Lawrence road, Bank Road from
Edwards Road, Hospital Road from Mission Road, Jinnah Road from Nehru Road.
Rawalpindi also holds many private colony's
who have developed themselves rapidly for e.g. Pak PWD, Korang Town, Ghori
Town, Pakistan Town, Judicial Town, Bahria Town which is the Asia's largest private
colony, Kashmir Housing Society, Danial Town, Al-Haram City, Education City.
Demographics
The population of Rawalpindi is approximately
1,991,656 according to the 2006
census which includes many people who come from Punjab villages looking for
work in the city. Punjabi is the language of people and most people speak
Pothohari dialect of Punjabi language. The majority of the people of Rawalpindi
are Muslims. There are many mosques throughout the city. The most famous
Mosques are Jamia Mosque, Raja Bazaar Mosque and Eid Gah Mosque which attract
thousands of visitors daily. Other minority religions are Christian, Zoroastrian, Bahai, Parsi, Hinduism and Sikhism.
The literacy rate is 80% (2006–07). The
population is ethnically and linguistically heterogeneous, comprising Rajputs, Pothohari,Sudhun, Dhamial Rajputs, Chauhans, Satti, Awans,Kathwals, Paharis, Kashmiris, Pakhtuns, Gujjars, Muhajirs, Hindkowans, Afghans, Sheikh, Hazaries, Punjabis,Qureshis.
Culture
Rapidly developing into a large city, Rawalpindi
has many good hotels, restaurants, clubs, museums and parks, of which the
largest is the Ayub National Park.
Rawalpindi forms the base camp for the tourists visiting the holiday resorts
and hill stations of the Galiyat area, such as Murree, Nathia Gali, Kotli, Ayubia, Rawlakot, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Abbottabad, Samahni, Swat, Kaghan, Gilgit, Skard,u and Chitral.
The crowded alleys of the old city are home
to many attractions, including Hindu (in ruins now), Zoroastrian, Sikh temples and Islamic
shrines. There are several museums and arts galleries such as the Lok Virsa, Pakistan Museum of Natural History, and the $Idara Saqafat e Pakistan.
Markets and bazaars
Raja
Bazaar Rawalpindi
The main bazaar areas are Raja Bazaar in the
old city, Moti Bazaar, Commercial Market, China Market and Saddar Bazaar, which developed as the
cantonment bazaar between the old city and The Mall. Another developing market
is the Commercial Market in the area of Satellite Town near Islamabad.
Military
headquarters
Army
Welfare Trust Building
Rawalpindi has been a military city since
colonial times and remained Army headquarters after independence in 1947. Due
to this, the city is home to the Pakistan
Army Museum, with displays on colonial and present day armies, armoury of historical
significance and war heroes. Today Rawalpindi is the headquarter of the Pakistani Army.
Parks and places of
interest
The
gate of Pharwala Fort
Ayub National Park is located beyond the old
Presidency on Jhelum Road. It
covers an area of about 2,300 acres (930 ha) and has a playland, lake with
boating facility, an aquarium and a garden-restaurant. Rawalpindi Public Park
is on Murree Road near Shamsabad. The Park was opened to the public in 1991. It
has a playland for children, grassy lawns, fountains and flower beds.
In 2008 Jinnah Park was inaugurated at the
heart of Rawalpindi and has since become a hotspot of activity for the city.
People from as far out as Peshawer come to Jinnah Park to enjoy its modern
facilities. It houses a state-of-the-art cinema, Cinepax, a Metro Cash and Carry supermart, an outlet of McDonalds, gaming lounges, motion rides and other recreational facilities. The
vast lawns also provide an adequate picnic spot. In mid-2012 3D cinema, The Arena,
started its operations in Bahria
Town Phase-4 in Rawalpindi. The
cinema has a maximum capacity of 264 people and caters to the needs of both
Rawalpindi and Islamabad residents.
Rawat Fort is 17 km (11 mi) east of
Rawalpindi, on the Grand Trunk (G.T.) Road leading to Lahore. Gakhars, a fiercely independent tribe
of the Pothohar Plateau, built
the fort in the early 16th century. The grave of a Gakhar Chief, Sultan Sarang Khan is inside
the fort. He died in 1546 fighting against the forces of Sher Shah Suri. A climb up the broken
steps inside the tomb is rewarded with a panoramic view of the plateau and the Mankiala Stupa. Besides Rawat, about an hour's
drive from Rawalpindi on the Grand Trunk Road toward Peshawar, is Attock Fort.
The Akbari fort is not open to the public as it is in active military use.
Pharwala Fort
is about 40 km (25 mi) from Rawalpindi beyond Lehtrar road. It is a Gakhar fort built it in the 15th century on
the ruins of a 10th century Hindi Shahi
Fort. Emperor Babur conquered the it in 1519. Later, in
1825, Sikhs expelled Gakhars from this fort.
Though in a crumbling state, it is still an attraction for castle lovers. The
fort, situated in prohibited area, is only open to Pakistani visitors.
Architecture
Rawalpindi has numerous sights of
architectural masterpieces. A few of the heritage buildings are Purana Qil'aa
(The Old Fort), Bagh Sardaran (Chief's Gardens), Haveli Sujaan Sigh (the remains of the Sikh
Nawabs of Rawalpindi; the grand building has been converted into Fatima Jinnah Women University, which is the only female
university established in the region). Other ancient buildings include Jain Mandir, Jain Temple. Gordon College, a
prestigious institution of high learning was set during the British Raj. The shrine of Hazrat Sakhi Shah Chan Charagh is one of the centres devotees flock
to. An institution of high devotion and solace located near the famous Raja
Bazar. He is the patron saint of the city and regarded as one of the two
protectors of the twin cities, i.e., Islamabad and Rawalpindi, with Hazrat Bari Imam, his cousin brother.
Similarly, Darbar of descendants of Hazrat Bari Imam i.e. Shah Miran Mustafa
and Shah Sharif Badshah is located at Dhaman Syedan, Rawalpindi. Peer Syed
Salamat Hussain Kazmi, a successor of Shah Miran Mustafa and Shah Sharif
Muhammad, spread a message of peace, brotherhood and respect for humanity, as
taught by his ancestors. Before the death of Peer Salamat Hussain Kazmi, he
handed over all the religious responsibilities to his son Syed Talat Abbas
Kazmi, who is adamant to the teachings of his father and forefathers.
Rawalpindi also has many high-rise buildings
under-construction. Most of these building are destined to become shopping
plazas but a few of them also belong to corporate entities, like, the Fauji
Tower on Peshawar Road.
Sport
Rawalpindi
Cricket Stadium
The city has an array of stadiums and grounds
to meet the needs of all the popular sports played in the country. Rawalpindi
is home to some of the many recognized players in the history of Pakistani
cricket and is known to produce high-quality fast-bowlers. The most notable of
the lot is the maverick paceman Shoaib
Akhtar, known as the Rawalpindi
Express. Mohammad Aamir is another aspiring fast-bowler from Rawalpindi.
The Rawalpindi
Cricket Stadium, built in 1992, has a grass pitch, floodlights, and an initial
capacity to hold 20,000 spectators. In mid-2008 plans to increase its capacity
were made but lack of adequate funds, and later the attack on Sri Lankan
cricket team lead to abandoning of the project . The home team are the,
one-time T20 champion, Rawalpindi
Rams who enjoy fervent support
and a considerable following for their swash-buckling brand of cricket. Apart
from the RCS, there are many other cricket grounds in the city, including,Pindi
Club Ground (home to the Pindi Club), KRL Stadium, CMTSD Cricket stadium as
well as the Attock Oil Refinery cricket ground.
There are stadiums for hockey such as the
Army Hockey Stadium, Army Signals Hockey ground as well as the Noor Station
Ground Dhoke Hassu. A full-fledged, international hockey stadium, to be named
after the hockey great Shahnaz
Sheikh, is under construction near Municipal Road and is expected to be
completed in late 2012.
There are stadiums for football including the
Municipal Football stadium and the Army Football ground as well. The COD sports
complex houses admirable facilities for indoor games.
Education
Govt
College for Women
Rawalpindi
Medical College, Tipu Road
Fatima
Jinnah Women University
Rawalpindi boasts of one of the highest
literacy rates in the country. It's 80% is second only to the capital,Islamabad's
87%. The local populace can easily communicate in Urdu, and a significant portion also
understands and speaks English very well. Potohari is the mainstream local language,
however other Punjabi dialects
such as Saraiki, Hindko, Dhani and Pahari are also understood fairly well.
Education in Rawalpindi can be divided into
five levels:primary (grades one
through five); middle (grades six through eight); high (grades
nine and ten, leading to theSecondary School Certificate); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to
a Higher Secondary School Certificate); and university programs leading to graduate and advanced
degrees. Rawalpindi has both public and private educational institutions. Most
educational institutions are gender-based, from primary to university level.
Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture
University (also known as Barani University) is a well renowned public university
offering research and education in a number of fields and specializing in
agriculture. It is situated on the Murree Road and is placed near other
landmarks of the city including the Pindi cricket stadium, Nawaz Sharif Park,
Rawalpindi Arts Council etc.
Army Medical College is also known as the College of
Medical Sciences and is located on Abid Majid Road in Rawalpindi. Separate
computer labs are available for both post-graduate and undergraduate students.
Other facilities in the campus include a library, cafeteria, college mosque,
swimming pool, gym, squash court, and auditorium. There are seven hostels for
male and female students near the college campus.
College of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineering is located on Grand
Trunk Road in Rawalpindi, EME is the largest constituent college of NUST. The
campus includes all on-campus facilities, auditorium and conference hall,
accommodation and mess facilities. The library is fully computerized, with a
collection of 70,000 volumes.
Military College of Signals is located on Hamayun Road in
Rawalpindi Cantt, it is the oldest constituent college of NUST, founded in 1947
after the independence of Pakistan to train the members of Pakistan Armed
Forces. The College of Telecommunication Engineering is located on this campus.
The MCS library is computerized, with over 55,000 volumes.
The Rawalpindi Public Library was one of the
earliest private public libraries organized after separation from India. The
building was donated for a public library by the then-Deputy Commissioner Major
Davis on the initiative of philanthropist Khurshid
Anwar Jilani, an attorney, writer and social worker. However, the building was
confiscated for election and political campaigning during the last days of
Field Marshal Ayub Khan's reign, and rare manuscripts and artifacts were taken
away by the influential.
Transport
Peshawar
Road Rawalpindi
There are many ways to get in and around
Rawalpindi. Public transport for travel within Rawalpindi is diverse, ranging
from yellow taxis, auto-rickshaws, mini-buses and even tongas(horse-drawn carriages). Due to
the lack of planning of roads, traffic jams are found even on smaller roads.
For inter-city travel, air-conditioned and non air-conditioned buses and
coaches are regularly available to many destinations in Pakistan. There is also
an Islamabad/Rawalpindi central railway station that allows travel to every
major city in Pakistan. In addition to freight, Pakistan Railways provides passenger rail service
throughout the day, with train coaches that have air-conditioning in
first-class.
Rail
Rawalpindi
Railway Station
The Rawalpindi
Railway Station is located in the
Saddar. The Railway Station was built in the 1880s by the government of British India. The British built many
railways across South Asia to
help facilitate trade and more importantly to help consolidate their rule. The
routes the British built from Rawalpindi, which contained a major military
base, linked to Lahore,Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sindh, Sukkur, Bahawalpur,Jhelum, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Kohat, Khanewal, Nawabshah, Nowshera and the Malakand Pass.
Airport
Benazir
Bhutto International Airport in Rawalpindi
Islamabad International Airport is actually located at Chaklala which technically is a part of
Rawalpindi. The airport is served by over 25 airlines, both national and international. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national carrier of
Pakistan, has numerous routes, with many domestic and international flights
every day. Construction on the new Rawalpindi/Islamabad international airport
has now been started near the town of Fateh Jang approx 25 kilometres
(20 mi) from both cities.
Roads
Mall
Road
The main road running through Rawalpindi is
the Peshawer Road. It is locally stated that "Every road in Rawalpindi
ends up on Peshawar Road". This road runs through the city in an East-West
direction and links up with the N-5 in doing so. Another major road in
Rawalpindi is the Murree Road. This road runs South-North through the city
(after branching from Peshawar Road) and continues to the hill station of Murree,
which is a major summer attraction for Rawalpindi residents. Murree Road is one
of the busiest roads in the Punjab
Province of Pakistan and thus significant construction and expansion work is
being done on it.
Rawalpindi is on the ancient Grand Trunk Road (also known as G.T. Road or, more
recently, N-5) which links Rawalpindi to nearly every major city in northern
and southern Pakistan, from Karachi,
to Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur,Bahawalpur, Jhelum, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Kohat, Khanewal, Nawabshah, Nowshera and theMalakand Pass.
The city is also served by two nearby
six-lane Motorways, M2 (Lahore-Islamabad)
and M1 (Islamabad-Peshawar), which were completed in the 1990s. Somewhat
further away is the famous Karakoram
Highway, the world's highest international road, which connects Pakistan to China.
Other forms of
public transportation
General Bus Stand, Pir Wadhai is the
principal bus station for interstate buses and other public vehicles which
regularly transports passengers. GBS, Pir Wadhai caters government and private
operated buses. It also constitutes large number of reasonable hotel for stay.
Luxury Hino, Mercedes buses also operated from Pir Wadhai.
Rawalpindi also houses stations of high
quality private bus services. Daewoo
Express has a terminal located on
Peshawar Road along with the likes of Faisal Movers and Niazi Express.
Taxis and Rickshaws are also readily available on the
various hotspots of the city.
Telecommunication
The Pakistan
Telecommunication Company (PTCL)
provides the main network of landline telephone with minority shares of other
operators. All major mobile phone companies operating in Pakistan provide service in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan's Broadband revolution has had a significant
impact on telecommunications in Rawalpindi. The city, along with other major
cities of Pakistan, enjoys a widespread coverage from WiFi and WiMAX operators, with Wateen, WiTribe, Qubee having the most shares. DSL internet
also has a major coverage in the city with Nayatel and PTCL the main stakeholders.
Recently a high speed 3G Network, EVO Nitro,
was also set up by PTCL with maximum speeds of 9.3 Mbit/s to add up to the
already established EVO 3G Network. Though localized, it is the first instance
in the history of telecommunication that EVDO RevB technology
was commercially launched.
The city also has a significant optic fibre network, with nearly all major
commercial and household areas covered. This network allows the local residents
to enjoy maximum internet speeds of 50 Mbps, IPTV services
and along with high-quality telephony services. Nayatel and PTCL are the
market-leaders in the 'triple-play' service.
Parks
Artistic
minarets on Peshawar Road
A
view of Rawal Dam
§
Ayub National Park formerly known as Topi Rakh (keep the hat on) is located by the
old Presidency, between the Murree
Brewery Co. and Grand Trunk Road. It covers an area of
about 2,300 acres (930 ha) and has a play area, lake with boating
facility, an aquarium, a garden-restaurant and an open air theater. This park
hosts "The Jungle Kingdom" which is particularly popular among young
residents of the city.
§
Liaquat Bagh formerly known as the "company
bagh" (East India Company's Garden), is of great historical interest. The
first prime minister of Pakistan, Liaquat
Ali Khan, was assassinated here in 1950. Pakistan's Prime Minister Banazir
Bhutto was assassinated here on 27 December 2007. She was the youngest elected
Prime Minister of the world.
§
Rawalpindi Public
Park (also known as Nawaz Sharif Park) is located on Murree Road. The Park was
opened in 1991. It has a play area for children, lawns, fountains and flower
beds. A cricket stadium was built in 1992 opposite the
Public Park. The 1996 World Cup cricket matches were held on this cricket
ground.
§
Rawalpindi Golf
Course was completed in 1926 by Rawalpindi
Golf Club, one of the oldest golf clubs of Pakistan. The facility was initially
developed as a nine-hole course. After several phases of development, it is now
a 27-hole course. From the clubhouse, there is a panoramic view of Faisal
Mosque, the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and the course itself.
Major golf tournaments are regularly held here.
§
Playland is another
public located parallel to Ayub Park, its nearness to many classy colonies and
housing schemes makes this wonderland an attractive hotspot during the
holidays.
§
Liaquat National Bagh
§
Jinnah Park
§
Ayub Park
§
Rumi Park
§
Army Race Course
Ground (Race Course Road, Rawalpindi)
§
Children Park
§
502 (Workshop) Park
§
Rose and Jasmine
Garden
§
Triangular Park
(Tikoona Baagh) located just opposite to Military Hospital Rawalpindi.
Some old pictures of Rawalpindi
Saddur bazar Rawalpindi
Lockhart war Memorial Rawalpindi, 1900 AD(Roomi park Peshawar road)
Old picture of Rawalpindi showing Sirdar Sujan Singh antique Palace and gardens which is located at a walking distance from famous Raja / Sarafa / Bhabra bazars of Rawalpindi...1912 AD
Massy Gate and Jain Public Library, Rawalpindi
Old pic of Railway Station 1910
Old pic of Railway Station 1910