Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi is a city near Islamabad, Pakistan. It is the military headquarters and also served as the nation's capital while Islamabad was being constructed in the 1960s. The city is home to many industries and factories. Islamabad International Airport is closer to Rawalpindi than to Islamabad, and it serves the city along with the capital. Rawalpindi is located in the Punjab province, 275 km (171 miles) to the north-west of Lahore. It is the administrative seat of the Rawalpindi District.
The population of Rawalpindi is approximately 1,400,000
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History
Rawalpindi city, also known as Pindi, has a history spread over several millenniums extending to the ancient times corresponding with the decaying period of Buddhism to the invasions of the Macedonians and then to the dawn of the Muslims era. The long spells of darkness overcast the history of the religion as well as the city before Muslims conquest.
Archaeologists believe that a distinct culture flourished on this plateau as far back as 3000 years. The material remains found on the sight of the city of Rawalpindi prove the existence of Buddhist establishment contemporary to Taxila but less celebrated than its neighbors.
It appears that the ancient city went into oblivion as a result of the Hun devastation. the first Muslim invader, Mahmood of Ghazni (979-1030 AD), gifted the ruined city to a Gakkhar Chief, Kai Gohar. the town, however, being on invaders' route, could not prosper and remained deserted until Jhanda Khan, another Gakkhar Chief, restored it and gave the name of Rawalpindi after the village Rawal in 1493 AD.
Rawalpindi remained under the rule of Gakkhars till Muqarrab Khan, the last Gakkhar ruler, was defeated by Sikhs in 1765 AD. Sikhs invited traders from other places to settle here. This brought the city into prominence. Sikhs lost the city to British in 1849 AD.
Following the British occupation in 1849, the city became permanent cantonment of the British army in 1851. It was around 1881 that the railway line to Rawalpindi was laid. The train service was formally inaugurated on January 1, 1886. The need for having railway link arose after Lord Dollhouse made Rawalpindi the headquarters of the Northern Command. And, Rawalpindi became the largest cantonment in the South Asia.
Rawalpindi, after independence of 1947, has been the home of various political powers and important events that shaped the future of the country. This included the unfortunate murder of First elected prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali khan, in the Liaquat Garden, in 1951. Rawalpindi has the long time honor of having Army headquarter . Now the Airforce headquarter has also moved here.
The famous Murree road has been the hot spot for the various political and social events. Nala Lai, famous for its floods, runs in the middle of the city, dividing it into city area and Cantt. area. History describes Nala lai water pure enough to do washing clothes but now it has become polluted with the waste water from all sources including factories and houses.
With historical buildings and bazaars, vast parks and high hills and chilling winter and hot summers, Rawalpindi has proven its status as the place with a unique experience.
Attractions in Rawalpindi
It is rapidly developing into a large modern city. It has many good hotels, restaurants, clubs, museums, playgrounds. It has a number of parks, of which the largest is Ayub National Park. Rawalpindi is the nearest major city for the holiday resorts and hill stations of the Galiyat area, such as Murree, Nathiagali, and Ayubia. It is also a common starting point for tourists visiting Abbottabad, Swat, Kaghan, Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chitral.
The best way to see Rawalpindi is by wandering through its bazaars, but you should orient yourself before setting out. The city has two main roads: the Grand Trunk Road runs roughly from east to west and is known as The Mall as it passes through the cantonment; Murree Road breaks north from The Mall, crosses the railway and brushes the east end of the old city on its way to Islamabad. the two main bazaar areas are Raja Bazaar in the old city and Saddar Bazaar, which developed as the cantonment bazaar between the old city and the Mall.
The crowded alleys of the old city are home to many attractions, including Hindu and Sikh temples, Muslim shrines, and the headquarters of Pakistani hijra (transvestite) community, said to be led by an elected queen. Their presence at births and weddings is an accepted tradition in Pakistan, as it is in India.
Ayub National Park is located beyond the old Presidency on Jhelum Road. It covers an area of about 2,300 acres (9.3 km²) and has a play-land, lake with boating facility, an aquarium and a garden-restaurant. Rawalpindi Public Park is located on Murree Road near Shamsabad. The Park was opened for public in 1991. It has a playland for children, grassy lawns, fountains and flower beds. A cricket stadium was built in 1992 just opposite the Public Park. The stadium is equipped with all modern facilities. Another attraction located near Rawalpindi is the mosque known as Faisal Masjid.
Rawalpindi cricket stadium, built in 1992, has a grass pitch, floodlights, and a capacity of 15,000. The home team is the Rawalpindi Cricket Association.
Universities
Army Medical College was founded in 1977 at Rawalpindi - the headquarter of Pakistan Army, by then President General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Today the college ranks among top medical schools of Pakistan.
Fatima Jinnah Women University is named in commemoration of the contributions made by "Madr-e-Millat" to the cause of women's emancipation. It is housed in a building which was the old presidency and it is through this University that our heritage has been beautifully interlinked with the education of women for next millennium. The building has an architectural splendor. This gift to the nation, its daughters, and their families has been conceived and presented in an outstanding academic as well as architectural environment. As it stands, it is a symbol of the commitment of the nation to women's Education.
RMCAANA was formally established and inducted as an Alumni Association of APPNA on 9th July 1998 at the 20th Annual summer meeting of APPNA at Los Angeles, California. It is heartening to know that there are more than 300 RMC Graduates residing in USA & Canada. It is only in the last decade or so that RMC graduates have started to come to the USA. Many of us felt the need to form an organization that will not only represent as a prominent group of Pakistani physicians in North America but also provide a social link between our colleagues and their families. RMCAANA was thus formed. It is a totally non political, autonomous and non profit organization. The prime goal of this association is the welfare of RMC graduates in North America. We will also make all efforts to work with other similar organizations of RMC graduates in Pakistan & other countries. We have however our own constitution and will be bound only by The bylaws of this constitution. In addition, we want to help in the uplift of medical education in Pakistan in general & RMC in particular. We hope to establish a channel through which we can donate books, audio visual aids, computers, diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to RMC. We also hope to sponsor top RMC graduates for residency training in USA.
Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi
Pakistan is predominantly an agricultural country. However, since its independence in 1947, emphasis has been on irrigated agriculture, while the dryland/arid agriculture remained neglected. With rapid increase in population the irrigated areas failed to provide food requirements and it became imperative to find out ways to make use of the huge part of culturable land in the rainfed region. In the 1970s, the Government of Pakistan constituted a Barani Commission to review and recommend measures for the development of rainfed agriculture and uplift of the poor masses through education, research, and development of technology, and manpower. Pursuant to the recommendations of the Barani Commission, the Government of Punjab established Barani Agricultural College, Rawalpindi which was later upgraded to the level of the University in 1994. The mandate of the University is to produce high-quality agricultural scientists and to form an organized scientific infrastructure for teaching and research for the development of dryland regions of the country, thus minimizing the income gap between the rich and poor.
In order to get some travel information on Rawalpindi, visit this site.http://www.iagora.com/itravel/icities/pakistan/rawalpindi/ic_index.html
Recent events
- 14 December, 2003: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf escaped an assassination attempt when a powerful bomb went off minutes after his highly guarded convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi.
SEE ALSO
- Rawalpindi conspiracy Case 1951 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawalpindi_Conspiracy_Case)
- RMCAANA (http://rmcdocs.com)
External links
- Images of Rawalpindi (http://www.worldisround.com/articles/49333/index.html)
- itsPakistan - About Pakistan and Major Cities (http://www.itspakistan.net/pakistan/default.aspx)
- The website with Rawalpindi pics (http://www.pindiplus.com)da:Rawalpindi
es:Rawalpindi ja:ラワルピンディ pl:Rawalpindi pt:Rawalpindi sv:Rawalpindi