First Capital of Pakistan: The Complete History
Pakistan has had three capitals in its 79-year history. This definitive guide explains why Karachi was chosen first, why the capital moved to Rawalpindi and then Islamabad, with verified dates, reasons and little-known facts.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
Quick answer: The first capital of Pakistan was Karachi, designated in 1947 by Muhammad Ali Jinnah after independence. It served as the national capital from 1947 to 1959. President Ayub Khan then moved the seat of government to Rawalpindi as an interim capital (1959–1967) while the purpose-built new city of Islamabad was constructed. Islamabad officially became the capital on 14 August 1967.
At a Glance
Pakistan’s Capitals: Key Facts
Three cities, three eras — the story of how Pakistan’s capital moved nearly 1,500 kilometres north in two decades.
Karachi becomes first capital
Years Karachi served as capital
Government moves to Rawalpindi
Islamabad declared capital
The Full Story
Pakistan’s Three Capitals: A Timeline
From the Arabian Sea coast to the Potwar Plateau — how the seat of government travelled north in three stages.
Karachi: The First Capital
Newly independent Pakistan’s largest city and port becomes the national capital. Karachi is carved out of Sindh as the Federal Capital Territory. The Constituent Assembly, State Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan Broadcasting all start life here.
Rawalpindi: The Interim Capital
Ayub Khan shifts the government north. Rawalpindi, next to the army’s General Headquarters, hosts the ministries while Islamabad is being built. The Second Five-Year Plan era is administered from here.
Islamabad: The Planned Capital
Designed by Greek planner Constantinos Doxiadis, Islamabad is declared the capital on 14 August 1967 — exactly twenty years after independence. It becomes the Islamabad Capital Territory in 1981.
1947 – 1959
Why Karachi Was Chosen as the First Capital
It was not an accident of geography — Karachi ticked every box a newborn country needed.
Jinnah’s own city
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born in Karachi. The Quaid chose the city he knew best as the seat of the new state, and it became the place where the Constituent Assembly first met.
Only working port
In 1947 Karachi was Pakistan’s only deep-water port. Every import and export, and the arrival of millions of refugees from India, passed through its harbour.
Established institutions
Colonial-era buildings, banks, a functioning municipality and the Governor House gave the new government ready-made headquarters while everything else was being built from scratch.
To protect the capital from provincial politics, Karachi was separated from Sindh and declared the Federal Capital Territory. The city enjoyed a “golden era” in the 1950s — population grew from about 450,000 in 1947 to over 1.1 million by 1951 as refugees arrived, and landmarks such as Habib Bank Plaza (once Asia’s tallest building) rose during this period. Read the deeper story in our guide to 1st Capital of Pakistan: Karachi’s history and legacy.
The Decision
Why the Capital Was Moved from Karachi
By the late 1950s, the government concluded that a coastal commercial city could not serve as a neutral seat of power. The reasons, as historians record them:
Security and strategy
Karachi sits on the Arabian Sea coast — exposed to naval threats. A new inland capital, close to the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and nearer the northern borders, was considered safer.
Business influence on government
Karachi was Pakistan’s commercial hub. Ayub Khan’s government believed business interests were interfering in affairs of state, and wanted the administration physically separated from the merchant class.
Neutral, central location
Karachi was seen as ethnically and politically charged. A new city on the Potwar Plateau — between Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and the federal areas — offered a neutral, central site.
A planned capital
Following the example of planned capitals like Canberra and Brasília, the government wanted a purpose-designed administrative city rather than squeezing ministries into an overcrowded port city.
1959 – 1967
The Rawalpindi Years: Pakistan’s Second Capital
The most misunderstood chapter — the capital was not moved directly from Karachi to Islamabad.
In 1959, Ayub Khan shifted the seat of government from Karachi to Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi served as the interim capital while Islamabad was still a construction site on the drawings of architect-planner Constantinos Doxiadis. Ministries operated from the old garrison city for about eight years, and much of the Ayub era’s economic planning — the “Decade of Development” — was run from there. Islamabad formally took over on 14 August 1967. For the full story, see our guide on the second capital of Pakistan: Rawalpindi’s interim capital years.
| Capital | Period | Duration | Key fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi | 1947 – 1959 | ~12 years | First capital; Federal Capital Territory carved out of Sindh |
| Rawalpindi | 1959 – 1967 | ~8 years | Interim capital; adjacent to army GHQ |
| Islamabad | 1967 – present | 57+ years | Purpose-built; designed by Constantinos Doxiadis |
The Planned City
How Islamabad Was Built to Replace Karachi
From a drawing board in the 1960s to one of South Asia’s most organised cities.
Doxiadis’s master plan
Greek town planner Constantinos Doxiadis won the commission to design the new capital. His grid of numbered sectors (F-7, G-6 and so on), each with its own markaz market, still defines the city.
Construction begins
Work on the new city started around 1960 on the Potwar Plateau at the foot of the Margalla Hills. The Faisal Mosque, Pakistan Monument and the Secretariat blocks rose through the decade.
Capital Territory
In 1981 Islamabad was formally separated from Punjab province to form the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), federally administered to this day.
Curious about the final move? Our companion guide when Islamabad became the capital covers the dates, the 14 August 1967 ceremony and why Rawalpindi served as the bridge between Karachi and the new capital.
Legacy
Karachi’s Legacy as the First Capital
Losing capital status changed Karachi — but did not diminish it.
After the ministries left, Karachi was merged back into Sindh province in 1970, ending its 23-year run as a federally administered territory. The city kept what the capital years gave it: the State Bank of Pakistan headquarters, Pakistan’s largest stock exchange, the busiest port, and the mausoleum of the Quaid-e-Azam — the founder who chose it first. Today Karachi remains Pakistan’s economic capital, home to over 18 million people and contributing the largest share of national tax revenue, while Islamabad hosts the presidency, parliament and the federal ministries.
Karachi today
Economic capital, largest city, port of Pakistan. The former capital’s colonial-era landmarks — Frere Hall, Empress Market, Merewether Tower — stand as reminders of its first-capital years.
Islamabad today
Political capital, seat of the President, Prime Minister, Parliament and Supreme Court. A planned city of about 1.1 million people (2023 census), ranked among South Asia’s greenest capitals.
Quick Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Short, verified answers to the questions students, exam candidates and curious readers ask most.
What was the first capital of Pakistan?
What was the second capital of Pakistan?
When did Islamabad become the capital of Pakistan?
Why was the capital shifted from Karachi to Islamabad?
Was Rawalpindi ever the capital of Pakistan?
Who designed Islamabad?
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Feature Pakistan’s geography guides are written from verified historical records and government sources. Facts on this page were cross-checked against the History of Karachi records and the Islamabad Capital Territory establishment dates. Corrections: contact the editorial desk.