- Life in Islamabad v/s Karachi
- Stability
- Healthcare facilities
- Culture & Entertainment
- Education
- Infrastructure
Pakistan is the seventh most populous country in the world, with its population almost at 200 million. With over a thousand cities and towns, Pakistan has five metropolitan cities; Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. Each of these cities are unique and famous for a variety of reasons, however, Karachi being the largest city of the country is often compared with other metropolises. The most famous debate is of Karachi v/s Lahore, and in this blog we will compare the busy Karachi with the country’s capital, Islamabad. Let’s take a closer look at life in Islamabad v/s Karachi under the livability index’s various factors.
Let’s begin evaluating lifestyle in Islamabad v/s Karachi by looking at each of these factors individually.
Life In Islamabad V/S Karachi
We will be using the Livability Indicators to understand how each city fares up. These factors are: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
Stability
For the longest time, Pakistan had been mired by cross-border conflicts and the economic devastation in aftermath of fighting an inconclusive War on Terror. Resultantly, its major cities, Islamabad and Karachi faced the brunt of the deteriorating security situation. However, in the last decade the country has made significant improvement.
The World Crime Index has ranked Islamabad at 301st position out of 374 cities. This ranking has put Islamabad as a safer city than major cities Amsterdam, Sydney, Paris and Berlin. On the other hand, Karachi has been ranked at 103rd position as of October 2020.
From the mid-year 2019 World Crime Index report, Islamabad has moved up from its 244th position, while Karachi improved its overall ranking from being at 71st during the same time. This achieved stability translates into various socio-economic indicators that contribute towards livability.
According to a recent report, Annual Report on Investment Security of China’s Belt and Road Construction (2021), Pakistan has secured the top 10 spot for most improvement reported in Ease of Doing Business. The State Bank of Pakistan also notes that Pakistan’s economic security has increased by 220% during the last decade, which is a remarkable feat.
Pakistan’s overall business environment has improved significantly, owing to the country’s development as it moves forward with the second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). While there are no specific business statistics for Karachi and Islamabad, it is generally regarded that Karachi is doing better than Lahore as the former is Pakistan’s commercial hub.
However, most of the new startups coming in to Pakistan are being set up in Islamabad, while the capital also get introduced with a large number of high-end real estate projects such as V9 Mall and Residency, Roman Grove, Mall of Enclave etc. these projects are offering highly lucrative investment options for both residential and commercial properties.
Healthcare Facilities
For this factor, Islamabad and Karachi both fare up quite well. In both of these cities you can find numerous government and private medical healthcare facilities. You’ll also find many options for centers for mental health and holistic well-being.
Close to Islamabad, in Rawalpindi, the government-run healthcare facilities have one of the finest healthcare professionals and cater to all the population from the northern areas of the country. Therefore, in both of these capitals, you’ll find state-of-the-art medical facilities and professionals which cater to people from nearby cities and villages as well.
Culture & Environment
Karachi is known for its various communities which give this city its much-celebrated diversity. In this cultural capital of the country, you’ll find different religions and ethnicities celebrating their festivals in harmony. In addition to this, Karachi’s Pakistan National Council of the Arts has significantly contributed towards arranging theatrical productions, while these top cinemas in Karachi have regular showings of local and international movies for families.
Moreover, the historic Frere Hall is a place for civil society members, poets, writers, artists and people who appreciate art and dialogue to get together in a safe environment. You’ll also find coffee shops lined with performers, musicians and stand-up comedians on any given week day.
Karachi, a coastal city, offers its beaches to the public for a range of recreational facilities. For a perfect family get-away, you can even rent beach huts in Karachi. Apart from this, there are a number of amusement parks in Karachi as well as shopping malls that offer top local and international brands, as well as locally produced textiles and handicrafts. It is also worth mentioning here that Karachi’s Clifton offers best fitness facilities, a pioneer in introducing fitness bootcamps and challenges.
Moreover, this city offers various tastes and delicacies as well. Check out these guides to explore the best of food:
- Hi-tea restaurants in Karachi
- Seafood restaurants in Karachi
- Japanese restaurants in Karachi
- Barbecue places in Karachi
- Eclectic ‘highway restaurants’
- Top picks from Clifton
- Continental cuisines in DHA Karachi
- Best steak places
Now, let’s look at Islamabad, a capital that was created for government officers, policy institutes, and foreign diplomats. This city does not have a history attached to it, and its main culture comes from its main purpose, to support commercial activities and governance. However, as a lot of foreigners live in this city, you’ll find the best continental cuisines here, especially in Kohsar Market and the Beverly Center. Monal Restaurant up on the Margalla Hills, is a treasure trove for all those looking for a quick getaway.
The city is particularly famous for its pristine landscapes, engulfed by mountains and the nearby northern areas. If you want to explore the natural beauty, you must check out these trekking trails in Islamabad, which are a healthy way of having fun.
There are cinemas in Islamabad for movie fanatics as well, and top shopping malls which offer a range of local and international brands. However, if you are looking to explore locally produced and sourced products, Jinnah Super Market and Super Market are two spots to satiate this demand.
Overall, it’s evident that Karachi is more culturally-vibrant and a city that offers entertainment avenues for everyone.
Education
With numerous educational institutions in both Islamabad and Karachi, it is hard to understand which city does better. Karachi’s private institutions are particularly famous for introducing new methods of teaching and learning, whereas in Islamabad too you’ll see a number of institutions following suit.
However, Karachi’s convent-run schools and government institutions are still considered to be a class apart from the rest of the country. These include schools such as St. Patrick’s, St. Joseph’s, Mama Parsi. While other popular schools that have been internationally regarded are the Karachi Grammar School (KGS), PAF Chapter etc. This list has the top-tier O level schools in Karachi , and pre-school nurseries for children.
Many experts also believe that since Karachi is primarily the business hub, its graduates also have access to a vast pool of professionals who can provide working knowledge of the various sectors.
From Karachi, graduates in the fields of medicine, business, and engineering are especially preferred for most top-tier jobs, especially from universities such as NED, IBA, Karachi University, etc. Karachi also has a dedicated system of government-run schools which are enabling students to get a good, high-quality education.
Islamabad is famous for its private educational institutions, as well as international high schools such as Beaconhouse Margalla Campus, Khaldunia, Schola Nova, International School of Islamabad, etc. Apart from this, the government-run Punjab Model Schools and Teach For Pakistan’s schools are working to impart education to underprivileged sections of society. These schools have state-of-the-art facilities, especially libraries and laboratories and are a promising development.
Moreover, for higher level education, Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University is the only one to appear in the Times Higher Education System Rankings for Asia persistently. Moreover, institutes like National University of Languages (NUML), National Defense University (NDU), and National University of Science and Technology (NUST) are closely affiliated with government-run research institutes, as well as various other international research institutes. This gives Islamabad a prominence for its academic research and affiliations.
Infrastructure
Islamabad is believed to have the best infrastructure in the country. A number of projects over the past two decades has allowed the city to expand sustainably, to facilitate the ever-increasing population. The most significant developments have been the expansion of Metro Bus, construction of New Airport and road, and the development of interconnected highways and flyovers.
In addition to these, new flyovers and roads are constructed annually, while many signal-free corridors have also been introduced to maintain the flow of traffic. You can easily go from one end of the city to another, without having to worry about the route.
In Karachi, however, apart from the posh areas of Defence and Clifton, you will not see any upkeep of the many roads and flyovers that were constructed a long time ago.
Now that you’ve read through the blog, let us know which country you think is better, by commenting on the post. You can also reach out to us at blog@zameen.com. Also, keep checking Pakistan’s largest property blog, Zameen Blog, for the latest news on Pakistan’s property sector.
