The Islamabad Capital Territory is the only federal territory of Pakistan and contains Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Located on the northern edge of the Pothohar Plateau and at the foot of the Margalla Hills, The ICT shares borders with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the west and with the province of Punjab in the remaining directions. It covers an area of 906.5 square kilometres and according to the 2023 national census, has a population of over 1 million in the city proper, while over 2 million in the whole territory. The territory is represented in the National Assembly by NA-52, NA-53, and NA-54 constituencies and by four seats in the Senate.
Transport in Pakistan is extensive and varied, and serves a population of over 240 million people. In recent years, new national highways have been built, with the addition of motorways which have improved trade and logistics within the country. Pakistan's rail network owned by Pakistan Railways is also undergoing expansion in recent years. Airports and seaports have been built with the addition of foreign and domestic funding. Transportation challenges in developing countries like Pakistan are escalating due to poor planning, inadequate governance, and corrupt practices. Consequently, these nations are grappling with a significant crisis in their transportation systems.
Islamabad is the capital city of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city with a population of over 1.2 million people and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Built as a planned city in the 1960s and established in 1967, it replaced Karachi as Pakistan's official national capital.
Rawalpindi is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth most populous city in Pakistan and third most populous in Punjab according to 2017 Census. It is located near the Soan River. Rawalpindi is situated close to Pakistan's capital Islamabad, and the two are jointly known as the "twin cities" because of the social and economic links between them.
The M-9 motorway or the Karachi–Hyderabad motorway is a north–south motorway in the Sindh province of Pakistan, connecting Karachi to Hyderabad. The six-lane road is 136 kilometres long, and caters to the commercial traffic originating from the Karachi Port and Port Qasim. Daily traffic count is around 30,000.
Motorways of Pakistan are a network of multiple-lane, high-speed, controlled-access highways in Pakistan which are owned, maintained, and operated federally by Pakistan's National Highway Authority. At present, 2567 km of motorways are operational, while an additional 1191 km are under construction. Motorways are a part of Pakistan's “National Trade Corridor Project” and “China-Pakistan Belt Road Initiative,” from Khunjerab Pass near the Chinese border to Gwadar in Balochistan. There are a total of 16 motorways, 11 of which are operational, while some are under construction and others are planned.
The M-2 Motorway or the Lahore–Islamabad Motorway is a north–south motorway in Pakistan, connecting Rawalpindi/Islamabad to Lahore, and is the first motorway to have been built in South Asia. The M-2 is 375 km long and located entirely in Punjab. It continues on to eventually become the M-1 motorway, which terminates in Peshawar. The M-2 crosses the junction of M-4 at Pindi Bhattian and M-3 at Dera Saithan Wala. The motorway is also a part of the Asian Highway AH1. The motorway was constructed during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's rule and cost over Rs. 60 billion and was opened in November 1997. One of the most expensive motorways in Asia, it also has one of the highest pillared-bridges in Asia at the Khewra Salt Range section.
The M-1 motorway or the Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway is an east–west motorway in Pakistan, connecting Peshawar to Islamabad–Rawalpindi.
The M-3 is a north–south motorway in Pakistan, connecting the Lahore end of the M-2 to M-4 near Abdul Hakeem.
Islamabad International Airport is the international airport serving Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan and Rawalpindi. It is located 25 km (16 mi) south-west of the city, and is accessed via Srinagar Highway.
Bahria Town (Private) Limited is an Islamabad-based privately owned real-estate development company which owns, develops and manages properties across Pakistan.
Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the northern part of Pakistan, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. It is a well-organized city divided into different sectors and zones. It was ranked as a Gamma + world city in 2020. The city is home to Pakistan Monument, which is built on top of a hill in Shakarparian, and the Faisal Mosque, one of the largest mosques in South Asia and the sixth -largest mosque as per area in the world. The Capital Development Authority is tasked with developing the city and its facilities.
The transport system in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, connects it with all major cities and towns via regular trains and bus services running mostly from the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi.
Seventh Avenue, also known as the Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi Avenue, is a signal free road located in Islamabad. It starts from the intersection on Khayaban-e-Iqbal near Islamabad Zoo, and ends at the intersection on Srinagar Highway.
Zero Point Interchange is a large cloverleaf interchange in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is located at the intersection of Islamabad Highway, Srinagar Highway, and Khayaban-e-Suharwardy. It was inaugurated in 5 July 2011, and has an estimated life of 30 years.
The M-6 Motorway, or the Sukkur–Hyderabad Motorway, is an under-construction motorway project in Pakistan. It will connect Sukkur to Hyderabad. The 306 km long M-6 motorway is the only missing vital link of North to South connectivity, i.e. from Karachi to Peshawar. The motorway will cost approximately $1.7 billion to build. The M-6 will be a six-lane motorway with a design speed of 120 km/hour, 89 bridges, 15 interchanges and 243 underpasses.
The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is a 83.6 km (51.9 mi) bus rapid transit system operating in the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area of Pakistan. It consists of four routes, namely the Red, Orange, Blue, and Green Lines. The Red and Orange Lines have dedicated lanes with proper stations built along them, while the Blue and Green Lines currently run along the Islamabad Expressway and Srinagar Highway respectively, with regular traffic.
The M-14 Motorway, also known as the Islamabad–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and the Hakla–Yarik Motorway, is a four-lane north–south motorway in Pakistan. The 285-kilometre-long (177 mi) motorway is a part of the Western Alignment of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, and offers high speed road connections between the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area, and the southern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province around Dera Ismail Khan.
The Margalla Avenue or Margalla Expressway is a 33-kilometer six-lane highway in the Margalla Hills area in the suburbs of Islamabad, Pakistan. It was planned in 1966, but work on it was stalled till 2021. The road is an alternative to the Srinagar Highway, and provides easy access of the tenth and eleventh sectors of Islamabad to the N-5 National Highway. This road is a crucial section of the larger Rawalpindi Ring Road project as it connects the town of Sangjani to the town of Barakahu.
The M-13 motorway, or the Kharian-Rawalpindi motorway, is a motorway in Pakistan, under construction since September 2022. M-13 will connect Rawalpindi to Kharian. The 117 km (73 mi) long motorway will have 8 interchanges, 2 service areas, 26 bridges, including one spanning River Jhelum, and two twin-tube tunnels of 1.3 km (0.81 mi) and 0.6 km (0.37 mi) respectively to cross the Salt Range between Dina and Sohawa. The M-13 will be a four-lane motorway with a design speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and an expected completion time of 2 years. The motorway will reduce the travel time between the capital cities of Islamabad and Lahore by one hour compared to the existing M2 Motorway, while also taking traffic off of the congested N5 Highway that runs parallel to it. It is link to M2 Motorway via Rawalpindi Ring Road.
