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38-600: The area includes the Pothohar Plateau and the colonial city of Rawalpindi, as well as the modern planned city of Islamabad. The region received a major boom with the construction of Islamabad as the capital city of Pakistan in the 1960s. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are located in the Potohar Plateau in the north of Punjab , against the backdrop of the Margalla Hills . Islamabad contributes 1% to

76-583: A Buddhist stupa near the village of Tope Mankiala, in the Pothohar region of Pakistan 's Punjab province. The stupa was built to commemorate the spot, where according to the Jataka tales , an incarnation of the Buddha called Prince Sattva sacrificed himself to feed seven hungry tiger cubs. Mankiala stupa's relic deposits were discovered by Jean-Baptiste Ventura in 1830. The relics were then removed from

114-474: A modern terminal building alongside a cargo terminal, with refrigeration facilities for perishable items, with an initial handling capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year. NGIA will have the capacity to accommodate wide-body aircraft including Airbus A380 & Boeing 747-8 and narrow-body aircraft such as ATR-72 & Boeing 737-900ER . On 1 August 2023, the National Assembly of Pakistan adopted

152-461: A new area for exploitation of hydrocarbon potential (e.g., Meyal Field ). With an estimated production of 5,500 barrels per day, the Ghauri X-1 oil well is expected to be the country’s largest oil-producing well and is likely to start contributing its output to the system by the end of June 2014. Due to low rain fall , extensive deforestation , coal mining , oil and gas exploration, the area

190-613: A pond named Katas which is regarded as sacred by Hindus. The temples' pond is said in the Puranas to have been created from the teardrops of Shiva , after he wandered the Earth inconsolable after the death of his wife Sati . The pond occupies an area of two kanals and 15 marlas, with a maximum depth of 20 feet. The temples play a role in the Hindu epic poem, the Mahābhārata , where

228-728: A resolution to change the name of the New Gwadar International Airport to honor Feroz Khan Noon . The initiative was put forth by Aliya Kamran , Rana Qasim Noon , and Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani during the assembly session. Additionally, the assembly approved another resolution urging the government to rename the Gwadar International Airport in tribute to Feroz Khan Noon. This decision was rooted in recognising his instrumental role in securing Gwadar for Pakistan through an agreement with

266-445: A width of 75 metres that will have the capacity to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft. There will be a taxiway of 23 metres length alongside a 10.5 metre paved shoulders for both sides. The airport has the capacity to build a second runway to the north of the first runway. An Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower, crash, fire and rescue facilities will be built as well as a fuel farm. The New Gwadar International Airport will be constructed at

304-677: Is Islamabad, which serves as the seat of the federal government and is the countries political center. Pakistan's military headquarters are located in Rawalpindi, which has been important historically. Rawalpindi also temporarily served as the federal capital when Islamabad was being built in the 1960s, to replace Karachi as the capital. Pothohar Plateau Europe North America Oceania The Pothohar Plateau ( Punjabi : پوٹھوار پٹھار , romanized:  Pо̄ṭhvār Paṭhār ; Urdu : سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار , romanized :  Satāh Murtafā Pо̄ṭhōhār ), also known as Pothwar ,

342-756: Is a plateau in the northern region of Punjab , Pakistan , located between the Indus and Jhelum rivers. Pothohar Plateau is bounded on the east by the Jhelum River , on the west by the Indus River , on the north by the Kala Chitta Range and the Margalla Hills , and on the south by the Salt Range . The southern end of the plateau is bounded by the Thal desert . The 5000 square miles of

380-700: Is an abandoned Hindu temple and monastic complex located on the summit of the Tilla Jogian mountain in the Salt Range of Pakistan 's Punjab province. The complex was the most important centre for Hindu jogis in Punjab prior to 1947, and had housed hundreds of ascetics . The site is also important in Sikhism for its association with the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak . The Khewra Salt Mine in Khewra

418-438: Is becoming devoid of vegetation. Taxila 's archaeological sites lie near modern Taxila about 35 km (22 mi) northwest of the city of Rawalpindi . The sites were first excavated by John Marshall , who worked at Taxila over a period of twenty years from 1913. The vast archaeological site includes neolithic remains dating to 3360 BCE, and Early Harappan remains dating to 2900–2600 BCE at Sarai Kala . Taxila, however,

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456-425: Is expected to cost $ 246 million. It is mainly funded by China as a grant and was formally inaugurated on 14 October 2024 by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and Premier of China Li Qiang . After New Islamabad International Airport , NGIA will be the second greenfield airport of Pakistan that will be capable of providing landing facility for Airbus A380 . The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA)

494-511: Is found in the Hathial section, which yielded pottery shards that date from as early as the late 2nd millennium BCE to the 6th century BCE. The Bhir Mound ruins at the site date from the 6th century BCE, and are adjacent to Hathial. The ruins of Sirkap date to the 2nd century BCE, and were built by the region's Greco-Bactrian kings who ruled in the region following Alexander the Great's invasion of

532-584: Is most famous for ruins of several settlements, the earliest dating from around 1000 BCE. It is also known for its collection of Buddhist religious monuments, including the Dharmarajika stupa , the Jaulian monastery, and the Mohra Muradu monastery. The main ruins of Taxila include four major cities, each belonging to a distinct time period, at three different sites. The earliest settlement at Taxila

570-531: Is responsible for overseeing its management and operation, and its ownership will be shared among a collaborative effort involving Pakistan, Oman , and China . This airport is designed to facilitate both domestic and international flights. The airport project was launched as a swiftly achievable, high-priority initiative within the CPEC programme in 2014. Former PM Imran Khan had laid the foundation of NGIA on 29 March 2019. This greenfield airport will include

608-668: Is the location of major Pakistani oil fields, the first of which were discovered at Khaur in 1915 and Dhuliān in 1935; the Tut field was discovered in 1968, Missa Keswal was discovered in 1992 and exploration continued in the area in the 1990s. The oil fields are connected by pipeline to the Attock Refinery in Rawalpindi. Major reserves of oil and gas has been discovered at Chak Beli Khan near Rawalpindi in Punjab . A major oil reserve has been discovered near Jhelum in Punjab, opening up

646-451: Is the second largest salt mine in the world. The mine is famous for its production of pink Khewra salt, often marketed as Himalayan salt , and is a major tourist attraction, drawing up to 250,000 visitors a year. Its history dates back to its discovery by Alexander 's troops in 320 BC, but it started trading in the Mughal era . The Manikyala Stupa ( Urdu : مانكياله اسٹوپ ) is

684-560: The Sultanate of Oman during his tenure as Prime Minister. The Civil Aviation Authority awarded the design to build contract of the new airport to the China Communications Construction Company (CCC). The airport was opened on 14 October 2024 in a ceremony led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang . The airport has a single runway with 3,658 metres of length and

722-584: The University of ancient Taxila is considered to be one of the earliest universities in the world. Because of the extensive preservation efforts and upkeep, Taxila is one of Punjab's popular tourist spots , attracting up to one million tourists every year. During the Mughal Period , the Pothohar was a part of the Subah of Lahore . "The land is beautiful, its scented air is that of spring, and

760-455: The partition of India , other biradaris including the Khatris , Mohyal Brahmins , and Aroras were also present in large numbers throughout the region. The plateau covers about 7 percent of all the cultivated land of Pakistan and most of it is very fertile, but the region does not have any proper irrigation system, with the agriculture being largely dependent on rainfall. The plateau

798-533: The second Ice Age , from which remnants of stone and flint tools have been found. The Sivapithecus indicus fossil skull of an extinct ape species was discovered in Potohar plateau. Taxila was the capital city of ancient Gāndhāra , situated on the eastern shore of the Indus River —the pivotal junction of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia ; it was founded around 1000 BCE. Some ruins at Taxila date to

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836-546: The surrounding district has a diverse industrial base, but remains mainly service based. According to the general survey of industry conducted by the 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

874-462: The Pothwar is an appealing and beautiful garden." The Punjab played a major role in the war effort of World War II , and a large proportion of these soldiers came from the Pothohar as well as the Salt Range . Punjabis are the native people of Pothohar, speaking Punjabi in forms of various dialects . Major dialects or varieties spoken in the region include Pothwari , predominantly spoken in

912-491: The business headquarters of northern Pakistan; including retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers, it comprises daily cash flow of approximately more than 1 billion rupees There are more than nine banks on the road, and more are expected to open soon. This shows how important Jinnah Road is to the country. Being an expensive city, the prices of most fruits, vegetable, and poultry items increased in Islamabad during

950-816: The development of a third runway. It is one of the two airports in Pakistan capable of landing the Airbus A380 along with the New Gwadar International Airport which is also capable of landing the Airbus A380 The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is a 24 km (14.9 mi) bus rapid transit system that serves the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad within the larger metropolitan area. It uses dedicated bus lanes for all of its routes, covering 24 bus stations. The capital of Pakistan

988-450: The district's population is directly employed in large, medium, and small industrial units. The Technical/Vocational Training Institute operating in the district turns out about 1,974 technicians/artisans annually, trained in engineering, air conditioning, drafting, metallurgy, welding, automated knitting, telecom and commerce, etc. Jinnah Road, formerly known as City Saddar Road, is one of the busiest business markets. It could be considered as

1026-531: The gross domestic product of the nation, despite comprising only 0.8% of the total population. Islamabad Stock Exchange was founded in 1989 and is the third-ranked stock exchange in Pakistan after the Karachi Stock Exchange and Lahore Stock Exchange . The exchange had 118 members with 104 corporate bodies and 18 individual members. The stock exchange averages a daily turnover of over a million shares. As of 2012, Islamabad LTU (Large Tax Unit)

1064-646: The north to Peshawar, while the M-2 freeway connects it southwards to Lahore , from where the network eventually connects it to the port city of Karachi . The area is also connected to the Pakistan Railways ' national railway network. The area is served by Islamabad International Airport , which is one of the largest airports in Pakistan. It has a capacity of serving 9 million passengers per year, which can be increased to up to 25 million if required. The Civil Aviation Authority has plans to acquire more land for

1102-473: The northern and central areas of the plateau, with Dhanni being spoken in the southern areas, Majhi in the eastern and Hindko (specifically Ghebi and Chachhi ) in the western areas. Other Punjabi dialects, as well as other languages, are also spoken in major urban centres like Islamabad and Rawalpindi . The major biradaris of the region (Punjabi: برادری) include Rajputs , Jatts , Awans , Janjuas , Gujjars , Khokhars , and Gakhars . Prior to

1140-527: The plateau range from an average height of 1200 to 1900 feet above the sea level. Sakesar in the Salt Range is the highest mountain of the region and Tilla Jogian is the second highest. The earliest evidence of human habitation in Punjab traces to the Soan valley of the Pothohar, where Soanian culture developed between 774,000 BC and 11,700 BC. This period goes back to the first interglacial period in

1178-524: The region in 326 BCE. The third and most recent settlement is that of Sirsukh , which was built by rulers of the Kushan empire, who ruled from nearby Purushapura (modern Peshawar ). Rohtas Fort is a 16th-century fortress located near the city of Jhelum in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The fort is one of the largest and most formidable in the subcontinent . Rohtas Fort was never taken by force, and it has remained remarkably intact. The fortress

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1216-697: The site during the British Raj , and are now housed in the British Museum . New Gwadar International Airport The New Gwadar International Airport ( NGIA ) is an airport in Gwadar , Pakistan . Occupying 4,300 acres (17 km ) of land, it is located in Gurandani, 26 km north-east of the existing airport in Gwadar on the south-western Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan Province . NGIA

1254-565: The temples are traditionally believed to have been the site where the Pandava brothers spent a significant portion of their exile. Rawat Fort is an early 16th century fort in the Pothohar plateau of Pakistan , near the city of Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab . The fort was built to defend the Pothohar plateau from the forces of the Pashtun king Sher Shah Suri . Tilla Jogian

1292-750: The time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire , followed successively by the Maurya Empire , the Indo-Greek Kingdom , the Indo-Scythians , and the Kushan Empire . Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many polities vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance and

1330-587: The years 2015–2020. The metropolitan area is connected by a network of highways to the rest of the country. Within the area, the Islamabad Highway and Srinagar Highway provide the primary link between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The area is divided by the Grand Trunk Road , which connects the region with Lahore and Peshawar . The area is connected to the rest of the country via the freeway network of Pakistan . The M-1 freeway connects in

1368-518: Was built by Raja Todar Mal on the orders of Sher Shah Suri . The fort is known for its large defensive walls and several monumental gateways. Rohtas Fort was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, as an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia." The Katas Raj Temples also known as Qila Katas, is a complex of several Hindu temples connected to one another by walkways. The temple complex surrounds

1406-470: Was finally destroyed in the 5th century by the invading Hunas . In the 15th century, Pothohar became part of Malik Jasrat 's kingdom who had conquered most of Punjab from the Delhi Sultanate. In mid-19th century British India , ancient Taxila's ruins were rediscovered by British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham . In 1980, UNESCO designated Taxila as a World Heritage Site . By some accounts,

1444-607: 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 houses 29 companies. The economy of Rawalpindi and

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