Rawalpindi Cantonment | |
|---|---|
Urban | |
  Rawalpindi Cantonment  Rawalpindi Cantonment | |
| Coordinates:33°35′45″N73°02′46″E / 33.59583°N 73.04611°E /33.59583; 73.04611 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Rawalpindi District |
| Government | |
| • President RCB | Brig. Ijaz Qamar Kiani |
| Area | |
• Total | 41.16 km2 (15.89 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 487 m (1,598 ft) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 740,483 |
| • Density | 17,990.4/km2 (46,595/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Calling code | 051 |
| Website | rcb |
Rawalpindi Cantonment (Urdu:چھاؤنی راولپنڈی) is a largemilitary town located inRawalpindi,Punjab province,Pakistan. The headquarters of thePakistan Army, which are known as theGeneral Headquarters (GHQ), are located in the Rawalpindi cantonment.[1] It covers an area of 41.16 km2 (15.89 sq mi) (10,172 acres).[2] The population of the town is 740,483 according to the 2023 census.[3]
Rawalpindi Cantonment is one of the three components ofRawalpindi Tehsil (sub-district) together withRawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation andChaklala Cantonment. The tehsil is part of the widerIslamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area, which has a population of more than 6 million people. It is situated on theGrand Trunk Road and on Railway Line 1, the main railway line of the country. The town has its own railway station,Rawalpindi Railway Station, and its own hospital,Cantonment General Hospital.[4]
In 1901 the cantonment, with its population of 40,611, was the most important in India. It contained an arsenal, one battery of horse and one of field artillery, one mountain battery, one company of garrison artillery, and one ammunition column of field artillery; one regiment of British and one of local cavalry; two of British and two of local infantry; and two companies of sappers and miners, with a balloon section. It was the winter headquarters of the Northern Command, and of the Rawalpindi military division. The cantonment also contained an English and several anglo-vernacular middle schools, and an English convent school for girls.
Initially, Rawalpindi cantonment was the only one inRawalpindi city and the largest in Pakistan. However, this was one of the most poorly managed cantonments and it was facing administrative challenges due to its size, area and population. Therefore, during GeneralPervez Musharraf's era, Rawalpindi cantt. was split into Rawalpindi Cantonment andChaklala Cantonment. The northern and eastern parts of the city around the airport were included in Chaklala cantt, while the western and southern parts of Rawalpindi cantonment remained as is.
Following the partition, a number of streets and neighborhoods in Rawalpindi Cantonment underwent a renaming process.[5] Mayo Road was renamed Rashid Minhas Road, Wynne Thomas Road became Sarwar Road, and Craig Road was changed to Sir Syed Road.[5] Macdonald Road was renamed Tufail Road, while Napier Road became Iftikhar Janjua Road.[5]
Also, Clyde Road was changed to Aziz Bhatti Road, Church Road to Tamiz-ud-Din Road, and Victoria Road to Sharif Road.[5] Cunningham Road was renamed Kashmir Road, Lawrence Road became Haider Road, and Edward Road was changed to Bank Road.[5] Lastly, Nicholson Road was renamed Taimoor Road.[5]
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