Islamabad Capital Territory

Geography

The Islamabad Capital Territory is composed of eight types of areas: administrative, commercial, diplomatic, educational, green, industrial, residential, and rural.

Zones

The territory is divided into five zones in two groups:

• Zone I: for urban development and federal government institutions
• Zone II: for urban development
• Zone III: for rural development
• Zone IV: for rural development
• Zone V: for rural development

Zone I consists mainly of all the developed residential sectors, while Zone II consists of the under-developed residential sectors. Each residential sector is identified by a letter of the alphabet and a number, and covers an area of approximately 4 square kilometres. The sectors are lettered from A to I, and each sector is divided into four numbered sub-sectors. Zone IV is the largest in area.

Sectors

Series A, B, and C are still underdeveloped. The D series has seven sectors (D-11 to D-17), of which only sector D-12 is completely developed. This series is located at the foot of Margalla Hills. The E Sectors are named from E-7 to E-17. Many foreigners and diplomatic personnel are housed in these sectors. In the revised Master Plan of the city, CDA has decided to develop a park on the pattern of Fatima Jinnah Park in sector E-14. Sectors E-8 and E-9 contain the campuses of Bahria University, Air University, and the National Defence University. The F and G series contains the most developed sectors. F series contains sectors F-5 to F-17; some sectors are still under-developed. F-5 is an important sector for the software industry in Islamabad, as the two software technology parks are located here. The entire F-9 sector is covered with Fatima Jinnah Park. The Centaurus complex will be one of the major landmarks of the F-8 sector. G sectors are numbered G-5 through G-17. Some important places include the Jinnah Convention Center and Serena Hotel in G-5, the Red Mosque in G-6, and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the largest medical complex in the capital, located in G-8.

The H sectors are numbered H-8 through H-17. The H sectors are mostly dedicated to educational and health institutions. National University of Sciences and Technology covers a major portion of sector H-12. The I sectors are numbered from I-8 to I-18. With the exception of I-8, which is a well-developed residential area, these sectors are primarily part of the industrial zone. Currently two sub-sectors of I-9 and one sub-sector of I-10 are used as industrial areas. CDA is planning to set up Islamabad Railway Station in Sector I-18 and Industrial City in sector I-17. Zone III consists primarily of the Margalla Hills and Margalla Hills National Park. Rawal Lake is in this zone. Zone IV and V consist of Islamabad Park, and rural areas of the city. The Soan River flows into the city through Zone V.

Climate

Seasons

The climate of Islamabad has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa), with five seasons: winter (November–February), spring (March and April), summer (May and June), rainy monsoon (July and August), and autumn (September and October).

Temperatures

The temperatures range from 13 °C (55 °F) in January to 38 °C (100 °F) in June. The hottest month is June, where average highs routinely exceed 38 °C (100.4 °F), while the coolest month is January. The highest recorded temperature was 46.6 °C (115.9 °F) on 23 June 2005 while the lowest temperature was −6 °C (21.2 °F) on 17 January 1967. Winters generally feature dense fog in the mornings and sunny afternoons. In the city, temperatures stay mild, with snowfall over the higher elevations points on nearby hill stations, notably Murree and Nathia Gali.

Precipitation

The wettest month is July, with heavy rainfalls and evening thunderstorms with the possibility of cloudburst and flooding. Highest monthly rainfall of 743.3 millimetres (29.26 in) was recorded during July 1995. On 23 July 2001, Islamabad received a record breaking 620 millimetres (24 in) of rainfall in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Islamabad in the past 100 years and the highest rainfall in 24 hours as well. The city has also experienced snowfall on a number of occasions. Islamabad's micro-climate is regulated by three artificial reservoirs: Rawal, Simli, and Khanpur Dam. The latter is located on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Islamabad. Simli Dam is 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Islamabad.

Vegetation

Around 220 acres (89 ha) of the city consists of the Margalla Hills National Park, while the Loi Bher Forest is situated along the Islamabad Highway, covering an area of 1,087 acres (440 ha).

Government

The government of the Islamabad Capital Territory is provided by the federal Government of Pakistan and by a number of territorial bodies. Article 258 of the Constitution of Pakistan stipulates that the President of Pakistan is responsible for establishing the government of the federal capital and the Parliament of Pakistan makes laws for the territory. Although the federal government retains strategic power over the territory, the day to day government is carried out by a number of bodies, which have been established over the years.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA), established on 14 June 1960, was responsible for building the capital and continues to have some government roles. The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) was established in 1980, and is led by a Chief Commissioner, who holds powers similar to a provincial government. The Islamabad High Court, established in 2007 (dissolved in 2008, re-established in 2010) is the senior court of the territory and is equivalent to the four provincial high courts. The Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (MCI), established in 2015, is the municipal authority and is equivalent to a district government, as the upper tier of the local government in the territory. The CDA has been gradually transferring many of its roles to the MCI.

At the most local level, there are 101 union councils, though this is due to increase to 125 councils.

Union councils

At the most local level, the Territory comprises 101 union councils, though this is due to increase to 125 Union councils.

Demographics

Population

According to the 2023 Census, Islamabad Capital Territory had a population of 2,363,863.

Language

According to 2023 Pakistani census, there are 1,154,540 Punjabi, 415,838 Pashto, 358,922 Urdu, 140,780 Hindko, 51,920 Kashmiri, 46,270 Saraiki, 21,362 Sindhi, 10,315 Balti, 7,099 Shina, 5,016 Koshistani, 4,503 Balochi, 1,095 Mewati, 668 Brahvi, 182 Kalasha and 64,734 others, of total 2,283,244 speakers.

After Islamabad's establishment, people from all around Pakistan shifted here which led to a diverse demographics. Punjabis constitute the largest ethnolinguistic population in the territory, with many having settled here from Punjab province as well. Pothwari dialect, which has been regarded by many as the dialect of Punjabi, has historically been the indigenous language of the region; and Punjabi still continues to be the most-widely spoken first language in Islamabad, with Punjabi-speakers forming a majority of the population. Punjabi is spoken in the form of many dialects and varieties, including the Majhi, Dhani, Shahpuri, Jhangvi, and Doabi dialects.

Religion

Islam is the largest and most practiced religion in the territory, with just over 97% of the population adhering to the faith. Christianity is the second largest religion and forms 2.8% of the population. Ahmadis make up 0.11% of the population. Other minorities, like Sikhs and Hindus, form just 0.2% combined.

Hindu population in Islamabad is very small as per census, around 900, but other sources estimates it to be around 3000. The territory also hosts the historic important and sacred Ram mandir.

Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area

When the master plan for Islamabad was drawn up in 1960, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, along with the adjoining areas, was to be integrated to form a large metropolitan area called Islamabad/Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area. The area would consist of the developing Islamabad, the old colonial cantonment city of Rawalpindi, and Margalla Hills National Park, including surrounding rural areas. However, Islamabad city is part of the Islamabad Capital Territory, while Rawalpindi is part of Rawalpindi District, which is part of province of Punjab.

Economy

Islamabad is a net contributor to the Pakistani economy, as whilst having only 0.8% of the country's population, it contributes 1% to the country's GDP. Islamabad Stock Exchange, founded in 1989, is Pakistan's third largest stock exchange after Karachi Stock Exchange and Lahore Stock Exchange. The exchange has 118 members with 104 corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The average daily turnover of the stock exchange is over one million shares. As of 2012, Islamabad LTU (Large Tax Unit) was responsible for Rs 371 billion in tax revenue, which amounts to 20% of all the revenue collected by Federal Board of Revenue.

Islamabad has seen an expansion in information and communications technology with the addition two Software Technology Parks, which house numerous national and foreign technological and information technology companies. The tech parks are located in Evacuee Trust Complex and Awami Markaz. Awami Markaz houses 36 IT companies while Evacuee Trust house 29 companies. Call centres for foreign companies have been targeted as another significant area of growth, with the government making efforts to reduce taxes by as much as 10% to encourage foreign investments in the information technology sector. Most of Pakistan's state-owned companies like Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Television Corporation, Pakistan Telecommunication Company, Oil & Gas Development Company and Zarai Taraqiati Bank are based in Islamabad. Headquarters of all major telecommunication operators such as PTCL, Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, and China Mobile are located in Islamabad. Being an expensive city, the prices of most of fruits, vegetable and poultry items increased in Islamabad during the year 2015-2020

Tourism

Transport

Airport

Islamabad is connected to major destinations around the world through the Islamabad International Airport. The airport is the largest in Pakistan, handling 9 million passengers per annum. The airport was built at a cost of $400 million and opened on 3 May 2018, replacing the former Benazir Bhutto International Airport. It is the first greenfield airport in Pakistan with an area of 3,600-acre (15 km²).

Metrobus

The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is a 24 km (14.9 mi) bus rapid transit system that serves the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in Pakistan. It uses dedicated bus lanes for all of its route covering 24 bus stations.

Motorways

All major cities and towns are accessible through regular trains and bus services running mostly from the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi. Lahore, Yarik, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar are linked to Islamabad through a network of motorways, which has significantly reduced travelling times between these cities. M-2 Motorway is 367 km (228 mi) long and connect Islamabad and Lahore. M-1 Motorway connects Islamabad with Peshawar and is 155 km (96 mi) long. Islamabad is linked to Rawalpindi through the Faizabad Interchange, which has a daily traffic volume of about 48,000 vehicles. M-14 Motorway connects Islamabad to Dera Ismail Khan and Yarik. It is 285 km (177 mi) long.

Education

Islamabad has the highest literacy rate of Pakistan at 95%. Islamabad also has some of Pakistan's major universities, including Quaid-i-Azam University, the International Islamic University, and the National University of Sciences and Technology and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Quaid-e-Azam University has several faculties. The institute is located in a semi-hilly area, east of the Secretariat buildings and near the base of Margalla Hills. This Post-Graduate institute is spread over 1,705 acres (6.90 km²). The nucleus of the campus has been designed as an axial spine with a library as its center. Other universities include the following:

• Bahria University
• Air University
• Quaid-e-Azam University
• Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU)
• Alkauthar Islamic University
• COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT)
• Capital University of Science & Technology (CUST)
• Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST)
• National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)
• National Defense University, Islamabad (NDU)
• National University of Modern Languages (NUML)
• Institute of Space Technology
• International Islamic University
• Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP)
• Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)
• Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS)
• Shifa College of Medicine
• Foundation University Islamabad (FUI)
• National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences (FAST-NUCES)
• Riphah International University
• University of Lahore
• Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering
• Preston University Islamabad Campus
• Iqra University Islamabad Campus
• Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (ZABIST)
• Hamdard University Islamabad Campus

Sports

Islamabad United became the first ever team to win Pakistan Super League in 2016. And now the federal team Is participating in the Pakistan Cup. In 2025, Islamabad United has won 3 Pakistan Super Leagues and earned 3 titles They won PSL: 1, PSL: 3, PSL: 9 which solidifies their number 1 rank as the team with the most victories.