List of capitals in Pakistan

This is a list of capital cities of Pakistan and its current and former provinces, territories, and states.

National capital

Islamabad officially became the capital of Pakistan on 14 August 1967, exactly two decades after the country's creation. 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

Muzaffarabad

Gilgit

Peshawar

Islamabad

Lahore

Karachi

Quetta

Location of Capitals

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.

Subdivision	Status	Capital	Population (1998 census)	Population (2017 estimate)
Balochistan	Province	Quetta	565,137	12,335,129
Islamabad Capital Territory	Federal Territory	Islamabad	529,180	2,003,368
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Province	Peshawar	3,690,135	31,349,742
Punjab	Province	Lahore	5,143,495	91,379,615
Sindh	Province	Karachi	9,339,023	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 (1947–1960): no specific capital but theoretically Saddar, Karachi
• West Pakistan (1955–1970): Lahore

Princely states

• Amb (princely state) (1947–1969): Amb
  • Phulra (1947–1950): no specific capital but theoretically Amb
• Bahawalpur (princely state) (1947–1955): Bahawalpur city
• Baluchistan States Union (1952–1955): Kalat city
  • Khanate of Kalat (1947–1955): Kalat city
  • Kharan (princely state) (1947–1955): Kharan city
  • Las Bela (princely state) (1947–1955): 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