Islamabad, capital city of Pakistan, northern Pakistan, in the Capital Territory on the Potwar Plateau, near Rawalpindi. In 1959 the site of Islamabad was chosen to replace Karachi as the capital of Pakistan. Constantinos A. Doxiadis and other internationally known urban planners were commissioned to design the new city, and construction began in 1961. In 1967 Islamabad was officially made the capital, and work on the city's principal buildings, streets, and facilities was completed by the mid-1970s. The city is divided into eight largely self-contained zones, each characterized by its predominant usages (such as for government, commerce, light industry, or residential areas). Notable structures in Islamabad include the National Assembly Building, designed by Louis I. Kahn, and Pakistan House, the home of the President. The city is the site of Quaid-i-Azam University (1965). Population (1981) 201,000.