| Federal Capital Territory | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former Territory of Pakistan | |||||||||
| 1948–1959 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
 Map of Pakistan with the FCT highlighted | |||||||||
| Capital | Karachi | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• | 2,103 km2 (812 sq mi) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Karachi established as capital ofDominion of Pakistan | 1948 | ||||||||
• Capital moved toRawalpindi.Federal Capital Territory merged intoWest Pakistan | 1959 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | • Sindh Pakistan | ||||||||
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| This article is part of the series |
| Former administrative units of Pakistan |
|---|
One-unit provinces |
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Karachi |
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 |
| Prehistoric period |
| Ancient period |
| Classical period |
| Islamic period |
| Local dynasties |
| British period |
| Independent Pakistan |
TheFederal Capital Territory (FCT) aroundKarachi was the originalcapital territory ofPakistan. The FCT was created in 1948 from the city of Karachi and surrounding areas as the location for Pakistan's capital following its creation.[1] This move, however, was controversial as the territory was created despite resistance from the local groups inSindh.[2] The FCT was bordered by the province ofSindh to the northeast and theprincely state ofLas Bela to the northwest with theArabian Sea to the south.
Karachi became the first capital of the new country of Pakistan in 1947. The FCT was created in 1948 to enable the federal government to operate from a nationally-held territory. At that time it had a population of 400,000 people which began to increase rapidly because of the political focus on the city and the fact that it was the major commercial seaport for western Pakistan. When the territory was absorbed into the province ofWest Pakistan, thecity had a population of about 1.9 million.
The main ethnic groups in this region before thepartition of the Indian subcontinent consisted of several small linguistic andreligious groups such as Sindhi Hindus, Sindhi Muslims, Baloch Makranis,Gujarati communities, which includedParsis,Hindus,Sunni Muslims,Ismaili Muslims,Daudi Bohras,Marwari Muslims, Kacchi Muslims, and a large number of localChristian communities. A considerable number ofSindhis andBalochs resided in sporadic villages in this region.The majority spoken language wasSindhi spoken by 52% of population as per 1946 census.However, all of these communities were collectively and simultaneously outnumbered by the inflow of MuslimMuhajir who started settling in Karachi because it was the federal capital as well as the largestcommercial hub; and somewhat due to Hindu communities' migration from this region to India, resulting in dramatic and demographic changes in this area.
The Federal Capital Territory occupied 2,103 km² compared to the current City-District of Karachi which occupies 3,527 km². Apart from Karachi City, the Federal Capital Territory also contained several small villages and towns which have now been subsumed in the metropolitan area of Karachi. The territory covered rolling plains bound by hills to the north and west, the riverIndus to the east, and theArabian Sea to the south. Several smaller rivers flowed through the heart of the territory including the riverMalir and the riverLayari. ThePort of Karachi was located in a protected bay to the southwest of the city, protected by several small islands. The climate of the territory was moderated by the influence of the sea with relatively mild winters and warm summers. There was lowprecipitation and highhumidity for much of the year except during the shortmonsoon rains.
Karachi was, and still is, the financial capital of Pakistan, accounting for the largest share of the nation'sGDP and generating the largest share of the national revenue. TheState Bank of Pakistan and most commercial banks had their headquarters in Karachi together with Pakistan's first and largeststock exchange - theKSE nowPSX.
The FCT was served by the oldQuaid-e-Azam International Airport (now Jinnah International Airport) terminal which is now used forHajj flights and cargo facilities. In addition, there was an airport at Mauripur which is now the MasroorPakistan Air Force base. In 1947, Karachi had the only major port in western Pakistan whileChittagong was the main port for eastern Pakistan. The city was linked to the rest of West Pakistan by railway with the main stations at Karachi City Station and Karachi Cantonment Station.
Most significantly, the government of Pakistan declared Karachi a federally administered zone despite resistance from the local political classes in Sindh.
