Chaklala Rawalpindi
Encyclopedia
Chaklala is a major populated area of the city of Rawalpindi
in the Punjab
province of Pakistan
. It is located at 33°36'0N 73°6'0E with an altitude of 487 metres (1601 feet). It is situated astride the Airport road, to the east of Grand Trunk Road
on the main railway line and also has a railway station of its own.
It is home to a Pakistan Army
garrison and a Pakistan Air Force
base, alongwith associated unit HQs, depots and workshops, most of them present since the British era. The area also has modern housing schemes (Chaklala Schemes I, II and III) with a rapidly diminishing rural area.
Islamabad International Airport is an important landmark of the area. An important air base of the Pakistan Air Force
, the Chaklala Airbase is also located here.
The headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan are located in the high-security Pakistan Army
garrison.
Pakistan Television Corporation
's Islamabad
's centre was initially set up in Chaklala before it was shifted to its present location in Islamabad
.
A railway line passes through the area. The area has a railway station, the Chaklala Railway Station. An associated strategic dry port, the Chaklala Dry Port, handles cargo trains.
and Pothohari, the remaining are mainly Urdu
speaking Mohajirs, Kashmiris
and Pathan
.
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
in the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is located at 33°36'0N 73°6'0E with an altitude of 487 metres (1601 feet). It is situated astride the Airport road, to the east of Grand Trunk Road
Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
on the main railway line and also has a railway station of its own.
It is home to a Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
garrison and a Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
base, alongwith associated unit HQs, depots and workshops, most of them present since the British era. The area also has modern housing schemes (Chaklala Schemes I, II and III) with a rapidly diminishing rural area.
Islamabad International Airport is an important landmark of the area. An important air base of the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
, the Chaklala Airbase is also located here.
The headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Pakistan are located in the high-security Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
garrison.
Pakistan Television Corporation
Pakistan Television Corporation
The Pakistan Television Corporation is Pakistan's national television broadcaster. The first live transmission of PTV began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore...
's Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
's centre was initially set up in Chaklala before it was shifted to its present location in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
.
A railway line passes through the area. The area has a railway station, the Chaklala Railway Station. An associated strategic dry port, the Chaklala Dry Port, handles cargo trains.
Demography
Chaklala has a population of around 150,000. The major ethnic groups of the area are PunjabPunjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
and Pothohari, the remaining are mainly Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
speaking Mohajirs, Kashmiris
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
and Pathan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
.
Airport Road
This major route connects the area with the city center of Rawalpindi and provides a route to the capital city of Islamabad. It extends from the Ammar Shaheed Chowk R/A to the Karaal Chowk Intersection. The Benazir Bhutto International Airport and the adjacent Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala are located along this road. It is a modern six-lane road. A fly-over was constructed in 2009 to reduce the load of traffic at the busiest section of the road, closer to the Ammar Shaheed Chowk R/A. It serves as the main artery connecting the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.Rawal Road
It runs along the western perimeter of the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. It connects the busy traffic arteries of Murree Road and Airport Road. It is a four-lane road.Educational Institutions
- Joint Staff Public School and College, Chaklala
- FG Quaid-e-Azam Public School
- Fazaia Intermediate College, PAF base Chaklala
- Fazaia Intermediate College, Jinnah Camp, Chaklala (Khanna Road)
- Bilquis College of Education for Women (Mujahida Academy)
- Army Public School and College (FWO campus), Gracy Lines, Chaklala
- FG Boys High School, Gracy Lines, Chaklala
- FG Girls High School, Gracy Lines, Chaklala