Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi,^[a] colloquially known as Pindi,^[b] is the third-largest city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, serving as the principal commercial and industrial hub of northern Punjab. It is the fourth-most populous city in Pakistan and ranks as the world's third-largest Punjabi-speaking metropolis (after Lahore and Faisalabad). Located along the Soan River in north-western Punjab, Rawalpindi lies adjacent to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, and the two are jointly known as the "twin cities".^[c]

Located on the Pothohar Plateau of northern Punjab, Rawalpindi remained a small town of little importance up until the 18th century.^[8] The region is known for its ancient heritage, for instance the neighbouring city of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[9] In 1765, the ruling Gakhars were defeated and the city came under Sukerchakia Misl. During the Sikh-era, Rawalpindi, from a small regional town, became an important city in regards to trade and its strategic location within Punjab. The city's Babu Mohallah neighbourhood was once home to a community of Jewish traders who had fled Mashhad, Persia, in the 1830s.^[10]

Punjab was conquered by the East India Company in 1849, in the aftermath of Second Anglo-Sikh War, and in the late 19th century Rawalpindi became the largest garrison town of the British Indian Army's Northern command as its climate suited the British authorities.^[11][12] The city was established as the headquarters of the Rawalpindi Division of British Punjab, this elevated Rawalpindi's status to one the largest metropolitan centres in colonial Punjab.^[11] Following the partition of British India in 1947, the city became home to the headquarters of the Pakistan Army.^[13][14]

In 1951, the Rawalpindi conspiracy took place in which leftist army officers conspired to depose the first elected-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan.^[15] Rawalpindi later became site of Liaquat Ali Khan's assassination. On 27 December 2007, it was the site of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.^[11]

Construction of Pakistan's new purpose-built national capital city of Islamabad in 1961 led to greater investment in the city provided by the International Monetary Fund and local banks,^[16] as well as a brief stint as the country's capital before the completion of Islamabad.^[17] Modern Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the greater metropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad.^[18][19] As home to the GHQ of the Pakistan Army, Joint Staff Headquarters (JS HQ), and PAF Base Nur Khan, and with connections to the M-1 and M-2 motorways, Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation centre for northern Pakistan.^[20] The city is also home to historic havelis and temples, and serves as a hub for tourists visiting Rohtas Fort, Azad Kashmir, Taxila and Gilgit-Baltistan.^[21][22][23]

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