The Twin Cities of Pakistan: Islamabad and Rawalpindi
A city can speak well about its country by making good impact on its citizens and the outside world. We've read(and seen) how New York and Las Vegas gave USA its popularity. Pakistan too, comprises of numerous cities where life is not the same. Many of you might be aware of the names of a few. Read a description of how differnt the beautiful twin cities- Islamabad(Pakistan's capital) and Rawalpindi are in terms of everyday life, economy, with a little touch of history.
Rawalpindi and Islamabad are known as the twin cities of Pakistan mainly because of their high interdependence and areas which connect them. While Islamabad is inhabited by beauracracts and the business elite who are more adept to the western lifestyle, Rawalpindi is just like any other metropolitan city in a developing country- an overbearing population, congested roads and idiosyncrasies who follow the traditional culture of Pakistan. Despite their differences, both Rawalpindi and Islamabad form an integral part of this country because they form the hub of both civil and military leadership and are the platform from where relations with foreign countries are sown.
Being the only planned city; Islamabad the capital is not only known for its infrastructure and the people who inhabit it but also for its breath taking sights that make it an ideal place to live. A plateau that is also close to gullies like Murree (a hill station); Islamabad has a pleasant weather all around the year. Occasional thunderstorms and rains make the summers bearable (unlike any other city of Punjab). Islamabad gains much of its popularity from the fact that it is a planned city. Most cities in Pakistan which are now considered amongst the metropolitan areas are those cities that have had prominence right from the Mughal dynasty. The main city centered under the British Raj and continued to grow because of its employment opportunities it offered. Since employment is the basic pre requisite determining what and how much you eat; these cities have been growing ever since. As a result, the cities faced various water isses, sanitation issues and a vulnerability for development(which Islamabad tackled). There is good scope for development for the future.
The massive influx of Afghan refugees and the government’s failure of over three decades in deciding where exactly they want the refugees to go is another problem; Islamabad is faced with the troubling concern for refugees and finding a suitable place for them to inhabit. Hence katchi abadis are a common sight where these Afghanis have passed their third generation and are still un-documented as either Afghans or Pakistanis. This is then further feared to be the breeding ground for terrorism where the marginalized sections of the society take up arms in the name of Jihad to earn a little more bread for the family. Such fears have been orchestrated by various forces.
Despite the fact that Islamabad is the intelligence hub of the entire country and the second most beautiful capital in the world it is ironic that it doesn’t have a collection of good universities. Islamabad relies heavily on the schools of NUST which impart the highest level of science education but lacks a good business school. Hence many of the new college graduates have to either go abroad or to Lahore and Karachi for their higher education.
Sometimes, when it’s a little past 9 PM, it may seem like Islamabad is a retirement village but when you look below you’ll realize that a planned city lacks the basic city life where citizens have greater options while purchasing commodities. The city has a great scope for growth when it finds a solution to manage refugees, overpopulation and keep away slums.
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