Adarshatva at 08:03, 29 June 2026

2026-06-29T08:03:27Z

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This is a list of [[capital city|capital cities]] of [[Pakistan]] and its current and former provinces, territories, and [[princely state|states]].

==National capital==
Islamabad officially became the capital of Pakistan on 14 August 1967, exactly two decades after the country's creation.<ref>https://indianexpress.com/article/world/history-of-islamabad-the-capital-that-rose-out-of-nothing-8501240/</ref> The first capital was Karachi, Sindh's coastal city selected by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which remains Pakistan's largest city and economic centre. Karachi served as the seat of government until 1959, when military president Ayub Khan decided to establish a new capital near the general headquarters of the Pakistani Armed Forces in Rawalpindi. During this transitional period, Rawalpindi functioned as the interim capital.

The decision to relocate the capital stemmed from multiple considerations: it would better represent Pakistan's geographical and demographic diversity, separate governmental functions from Karachi's intense commercial activities, and provide more central accessibility from all regions of the country. The name "Islamabad" was reportedly influenced by the Mughal name of the Bengali port city of Chittagong, though officially it means "City of Islam," a name coined by Qazi Abdur Rehman and finalized by the federal cabinet in February 1960.

In 1962, Ayub Nagar was designated as the legislative capital to accommodate East Pakistan's significant population. The relocation process was gradual, with several government ministries remaining based in nearby Rawalpindi until the late 1960s. The move was completed under the supervision of the Capital Development Authority, established through ordinance on 27 June 1960, with a master plan designed by Greek architect Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis and his associates.
==Regional capitals==
{{Location map many | Pakistan
| width = 400
| float = right
| caption = Location of Capitals
| label = [[Muzaffarabad]]
| position = top
| marksize = 6
| coordinates = {{coord|34|21|30|N|73|28|20|E|region:PK_type:city}}
| label2 = [[Gilgit]]
| pos2 = top
| mark2size = 6
| coordinates2 = {{coord|35|55|15|N|74|18|30|E|region:PK_type:city}}
| label3 = [[Peshawar]]
| pos3 = left
| mark3size = 6
| coordinates3 = {{coord|34|01|N|71|35|E|region:PK_type:city}}
| label4 = [[Islamabad]]
| background4 = yellow
| mark4 = Green pog.svg
| mark4size = 8
| pos4 = right
| coordinates4 = {{coord|33|43|N|73|04|E|region:PK_type:city}}
| label5 = [[Lahore]]
| mark5size = 6
| pos5 = left
| coordinates5 = {{coord|31|32|59|N|74|20|37|E|region:PK_type:city}}
| label6 = [[Karachi]]
| mark6size = 6
| pos6 = right
| coordinates6 = {{coord|24|51|36|N|67|0|36|E|region:PK_type:city}}
| label7 = [[Quetta]]
| mark7size = 6
| pos7 = right
| coordinates7 = {{coord|30|11|N|67|00|E|region:PK_type:city}}
}}
The capitals of the provinces and territories of Pakistan have remained the same since the 1970s when the current administrative structure was established. All four provincial capitals are the largest cities of their respective provinces. [[Pakistan]] has a total population of 207,774,520 according to the 2017 census estimate.<ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-13514-Population-shoots-up-by-47-percent-since-1998 Population shoots up by 47 percent since 1998]</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Subdivision<ref name="nrb">{{cite web|url=http://www.nrb.gov.pk/constitutional_and_legal/constitution/part1.html |title=The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan |publisher=National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan |access-date=2008-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215012323/http://www.nrb.gov.pk/constitutional_and_legal/constitution/part1.html |archive-date=2007-12-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> !! Status !! Capital<ref name="statoids1">{{cite web|url=http://www.statoids.com/upk.html|title=Pakistan Provinces|publisher=Statoids.com|author=Gwillim Law|access-date=2008-01-03}}</ref> !! Population<br/>(1998 census)<ref name="census">{{cite web|url=http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/pop_major_cities/pop_major_cities.html |title=Population size and growth of major cities |publisher=Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan |access-date=2008-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222175007/http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/pop_major_cities/pop_major_cities.html |archive-date=2010-12-22 }}</ref> !! Population<br/>(2017 estimate)<ref name="wg1">{{cite web|url=http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=80&geo=-172&srt=npan&col=aohdqgbeinfc&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=1npan |title=Pakistan - largest cities and towns and statistics of their population |publisher=World Gazetteer |author=Stefan Helders |access-date=2008-01-03 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209110700/http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=80&geo=-172&srt=npan&col=aohdqgbeinfc&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=1npan |archive-date=2013-02-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|- style="border-top: solid 2px #000"
|-
|[[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]]||Province||align=center|[[Quetta]]||align=right|565,137||align=right|12,335,129
|-
|[[Islamabad Capital Territory]]||Federal Territory|| align="center" |[[Islamabad]]||align=right|529,180||align=right| 2,003,368
|-
|[[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]||Province||align=center|[[Peshawar]]||align=right|3,690,135||align=right|31,349,742
|-
|[[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]]||Province||align=center|[[Lahore]]||align=right|5,143,495 ||align=right|91,379,615
|-
|[[Sindh]]||Province||align=center|[[Karachi]]||align=right|9,339,023||align=right|55,245,497
|}
==Former regional capitals==
* [[Baluchistan (Chief Commissioner's Province)]] (1947–1955): [[Quetta]]
* [[East Bengal]] / [[East Pakistan]] (1947–1971): [[Dacca]]
* [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]] (1947-2018): [[Miranshah]]/[[Parachinar]]
* [[Federal Capital Territory (Pakistan)|Federal Capital Territory]] (1947–1960): no specific capital but theoretically [[Saddar]], [[Karachi]]
* [[West Pakistan]] (1955–1970): [[Lahore]]

;Princely states
* [[Amb (princely state)]] (1947–1969): [[Amb, Pakistan|Amb]]
** [[Phulra]] (1947–1950): no specific capital but theoretically Amb
* [[Bahawalpur (princely state)]] (1947–1955): [[Bahawalpur]] city
* '''[[Baluchistan States Union]]''' (1952–1955): [[Kalat, Balochistan|Kalat]] city
** [[Khanate of Kalat]] (1947–1955): [[Kalat, Balochistan|Kalat]] city
** [[Kharan (princely state)]] (1947–1955): [[Kharan, Pakistan|Kharan]] city
** [[Las Bela (princely state)]] (1947–1955): [[Bela, Pakistan|Bela]]
** [[Makran (princely state)]] (1947–1955): [[Turbat]]
* [[Chitral (princely state)]] (1947–1972): [[Chitral]] city
* [[Dir (princely state)]] (1947–1969): [[Dir (city)]]
* '''[[Gilgit Agency]]''' (1947–1974): [[Gilgit]]
** [[Hunza (princely state)]] (1947–1974): [[Baltit]]
** [[Nagar (princely state)]] (1947–1974): [[Nagarkhas]]
* [[Junagadh State]] (1947–1948): [[Junagadh]] city
* [[Khairpur (princely state)]] (1947–1955): [[Khairpur]] city
* [[Swat (princely state)]] (1947–1969): [[Saidu Sharif]]

==References ==
{{Reflist}}

List of capitals in Pakistan - Revision history

Adarshatva at 08:03, 29 June 2026