Islamabad
Islamabad was selected by a Commission appointed in 1959 to recommend the location of theCapital of Pakistan in place of  Karachi in which the Capital of the country was established at Independence in 1947. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) was constituted and entrusted with the planning and development of Islamabad. The resposibility has remained with the CDA since, including all Municipal services. Intially the Capital was shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi in 1959. However, by 1963, the new city came to life with the shifting of the pioneer residents. Until 1981, Islamabad was part of thePunjab Province, when Islamabad Capital territory was demarcated and placed under Federal jurisdiction and administration.

Islamabad, with an area of 906.5 kms, is situated at the fool of Murree Hills, and forms the north-east part of the Potwar Plateau. The capital area is bordered to the north-east by hills and hillspurs of Margalla range with elevation of 762 to 1,615.5 meters. The Margalla range takes sharp curve at its eastern side and assumes an almost north-south direction. The area enjoys a pleasant climate. The maximum average in winter is 16.7°C and minimum 3.4°C; in summer it is 34.2°C and 24.4°C. The Aiwan-e-Sadr (Presidency), Parliament Building, Secretariat Blocks, Supreme Court of Pakistan's Building, State Bank Complex, Rawal Lake, and Faisal Mosque are some of the capital's land marks.

The local head of Territory's administration is designated as Administrator, who is assisted by Inspector General of Police, Deputy Commissioner, and other functionaries at the district and subdivision levels. Subject to such general or speacial instructions as may, form time to time, be given to the Administrator by the Federal Government, he has, in respect of the Islamabad Capital Territory, all the powers and duties conferred on the Provincial Government under law for the time being in force in the Territory.

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the province of the Punjab. It is the second largest city with a population of nearly 5.5 million. Lahore is a famous historical city situated on Karachi - Peshawar railway line and G. T. Road (Grand Trunk Road), about 1,287 km from Karachi and about 280 km from the Capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. It is an old city which considerably developed during Sultanate period. It has been closely associated with the legendary traditions of the past and has witnessed the history making events of the ancient and modern times. The famous Lahore Resolution, which shaped the destinies of the millions of the Muslims of South Asia, was passed at Lahore in 1940. Lahore also has the distinction of staging the Second Islamic Summit in 1974.

The Mughal rule greatly enhanced its cultural and social aspect. A great many buildings, monuments and archives of Mughal period are safely preserved in Lahore. The most significant buildings of the Mughal period are Shahi Mosque, Shalamar Gardens, Shahi Qila and Jahangir¹s Tomb. These buildings are the excellent examples of the splendid architecture of the Mughal period. Akbar the Great (1556-1605) began the construction of the magnificent Fort of Lahore. The Lahore Fort is one of the most striking examples of Mughal architecture. The Diwan-e-Aam, the marble Baradari and the splendid Sheesh Mahal, studded with glittering mirrors are treat to watch. The Badshahi Mosque, built by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1670 is one of the largest mosques in the world. It can accommodate nearly 100,000 worshippers in its spacious yard to offer their prayers. Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, the poet of the East who put forward the idea of Pakistan is buried just outside this mosque.

The Minar-i-Pakistan is situated in the famous Iqbal Park ground as the symbol of the sacrifices and struggle of the Muslims of the subcontinent. The Summit Minar has been erected in front of the Assembly Chambers which adds to the beauty of Lahore.

Lahore is an important educational centre and is known as the City of Colleges with a large number of educational institutions. The famous and influential seat of high learning in Asia, Government College, Lahore is situated in the heart of city. It is a traditional institution having produced a large number of celebrated men in all walks of life. Besides Government College, Lahore there is the University of the Punjab, King Edward Medical College, University of Engineering and Technology, F. C. College, Islamia College, Kinnaird College and lot of other educational institutions spreading the light of knowledge throughout the country.

Lahore has been termed as the city of Gardens and historical monuments. The historic Shalamar Garden, the Bagh-i-Jinnah and its botanical gardens are really the fascinating spots. The botanical gardens consists of a Zoo, a mosque and the beautiful and rich Quaid-e-Azam library.

Lahore is a great commercial and trade centre. There are a large number of commercial and trade markets dealing in different types of trade and business. Like Karachi, Lahore is also a cosmopolitan city where people of different nationalities can be seen. It has combined the life style of east and west and presents a lively mixture of old and new patterns of life.

There is a large number of industrial factories which are running day and night to play their vital role in country¹s economy. Ittefaq foundaries is one of the biggest and most important industrial unit which has played its role commendably in stabilising the country¹s economy. Lahore is also an important centre of journalistic activities. A large number of newspapers, journals and magazines are published here.

Karachi

Karachi is the capital city of the province of Sindh and the largest city of Pakistan. It is situated on the eastern coast of the Arabian sea and to the north-west of the Indus river. Its population is nearly 8 million consisting people of different origins.

Karachi was made the capital of Pakistan after Independence. It is the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy. Karachi is the busiest city with great activity in the trade, industry, education and other fields of life. It has gone through a tremendous change and development in various spheres. With enormous rise in the population, several residential colonies have emerged in Karachi accommodating the influx of people from other provinces as well. Due to this reason Karachi quickly expanded within a short span of time.

Karachi is the centre of education and other cultural and social activities. A great number of prestigious educational institutions are functioning here. It is an ultra-modern city, with most modern cinemas, recreational clubs, hotels and restaurants. There are beautiful beaches at Sandspit, Sommiani and Hawks Bay. These places are excellent picnic resorts with their tranquil surroundings and provide an atmosphere to rest and relax. The opportunities for yachting, water-skiing and cruising are also available here. The presence of huge and tall buildings has given it a grandeur and majestic appearance.  

Karachi has an state-of-the-art international airport where flights from all over the world land and take off. It has thus become the "Gateway to Pakistan". It is a sea-port which is the source of conducting international trade and business. It is considered as commercial and industrial capital of Pakistan. It has played a vital and dominant role in erecting Pakistan¹s economy on firm basis. Karachi is a Cosmopolitan city with people coming from different parts of the world. It is a mingling of old and new, east and west. It has absorbed the charm and beauty of modern and conventional way of life.

Karachi enjoys great importance because the Founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born here. He received his early education in this great city. The Quaid-i-Azam is buried here. The Quaid¹s mausoleum is the most important monument in Karachi. It stands in the heart of the city with its splendour combining classical oriental architecture with modern way of designing. His birth place, the Wazir Mansion, has been preserved as a national archive.

There is a great Steel Mill established in Karachi with the assistance of U.S.S.R. It is the only steel factory of the country which is playing an important role in stabilising country¹s economy. The Government is planning to develop few more picnic spots in Karachi for the attraction of the tourists. A proposal has been made to establish Hub Lake Tourist Complex at the cost of Rs. 200 million which is 56 km from Karachi. The proposal has been submitted to the Sindh and Baluchistan Governments and the Federal Tourism Department. It will be the most fascinating recreational resort which is likely to attract a large number of tourists and the local people.

Peshawar

Peshawar derives its name from a Sanskrit word "Pushpapura", meaning the city of flowers. Peshawar's flowers were mentioned even in Moghal Emperor Babur's memories.

Alexander's legions and the southern wing of his army were held up in here in 327 B.C. for forty days at a fort excavated recently, 28km north-east of Peshawar at Pushkalavati (lotus city) near Charsadda.

The great Babur marched through historic Khyber Pass to conquer South Asia in 1526 and set up the Moghal Empire in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.

The pass and the valley have resounded to the tramp of marching feet as successive armies hurtled down the cross-roads of history, pathway of commerce, migration and invasion, by Aryans, Scythians, Persians, Greeks, Bactrians, Kushans, Huns, Turks, Mongols and Moghals.

And Peshawar is now, as always, very much a frontier town. The formalities of dress and manner give way here to a free and easy style, as men encounter men with a firm handclasp and a straight but friendly look. Hefty handsome men in baggy trousers and long, loose shirts, wearing bullet studded bandoliers across their chest or pistols at their sides as a normal part of their dress.

There is just that little touch of excitment and drama in the air that makes for a frontier land. An occasional salvo of gunfire--no, not a tribal raid or a skirmish in the streets but a lively part of wedding celebrations.

Remember, we are in the land of Pathans--a completely male-dominated society. North and South of Peshawar spreads the vast tribal area where lives the biggest tribal society in the world, and well-known, though much misrepresented.

Pathans are faithful Muslims. Their typical martial and religious charaters has been moulded by their heros like Khushal Khan Khattak, the warrior-poet and Rehman Baba, a preacher and also a poet of Pushto language.

Today, they themselves guard the Pakistan-Afghanistan border along the great passes of Khyber, the Tochi, the Gomal and others on Pakistan's territory, but before independence they successfully defied mighty empires, like the British and the Moghals and others before them, keeping the border simmering with commotion, and the flame of freedom proudly burning.

Peshawar is the great Pathan city. And what a city. Hoary with age and the passage of twenty-five centuries, redolent with the smell of luscious fruit and roasted meat and tobacco smoke, placid and relaxed but pulsating with the rhythmic sound of craftsmen's hammers and horses' hooves, unhurried in its pedestrian pace and horse-carriage traffic, darkened with tall houses, narrow lanes and overhanging balconies, intimate, with its freely intermingling crowd of townsmen, tribals, traders and tourists--this is old Peshawar, the journey's end or at least a long halt, for those travelling up north or comming down from the Middle east or Central Asia, now as centuries before when caravans unloaded in the many caravan-serais now lying deserted outside the dismantled city walls or used as garages by the modern caravans of far-ranging buses.

Until the mid-fifties Peshawar was enclosed within a city wall and sixteen gates. Of the old city gates the most famous was the Kabuli Gate but only the name remains now. It leads out of the Khyber and on to Kabul.

You come across two-and three-storeyed houses built mostly of unbaked bricks set in wooden frames to guard againt earthquakes. Many old houses have beautifully carved heavy wooden doors and almost all have highly ornamental wooden balconies. There is a tall and broad structure whose lofty portals look down upon the street. This historic building houses the police offices and the site was occupied centuries ago by a Buddhist stupa, then by a Hindu temple and then by a Moghal serai. It was, in Sikh days, the seat of General Avitable, an Italian soldier of fortune in the service of Ranjit Singh.

The prime attraction in the region is the Khyber Pass situated in the Sulaiman Hills which form the western barrier of Pakistan. The hills dip down here, leaving a passage sometimes as broad as 1.5km and sometimes as narrow as 16 meters. The pass begins near Jamrud Fort 18km from Peshawar and extends beyond the border of Pakistan at Torkham 58km away. At Torkham PTDC has a motel-cum-Information Center which is closed at present due to unsettled conditions in Afghanistan.

Quetta

Quetta is the Capital of the Province of Baluchistan. It is situated about 544 km, northeast of Karachi. It is situated at the Bolan Pass and occupies a highly strategic position. It is 1,667 meters (5,500 feet), above the sea level which has made it a hill resort. It gets its first snow fall with the arrival of the New Year.

Quetta has a dry and chilly climate. It is very cold in winter and extremely pleasant in summer. Hanna Lake and Urak Valley are picnic resorts near Quetta. A plan is under way to develop a new hill station 30 km from Quetta at an altitude of 8,000 feet. It will have all modern facilities to attract tourists both the domestic and foreign. Quetta is a fruit-producing city where different types of fruits are cultivated in large quantity.

Quetta is a famous Military Cantonment. The Staff College, Quetta is an excellent army institution. It is an important trade center of Baluchistan. Quetta has one university and one Medical College.