[Overview] Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. Located on the Potwar Plateau which is 600 meters in altitude in the northeast of the country, Islamabad covers an area of 909 square kilometers and has a population of 1.1 million. Backed by the Margalla Hills and facing the Rawal Lake in the east, the city is 195 kilometers to the east of Peshawar and 1,530 kilometers from Karachi.

[Politics] Islamabad is governed by the Capital Development Authority, the Board of which consists of a chairman and six members. The chairman is equivalent to mayor of the city, while the members are responsible for planning, finance, municipal administration, real estate, environment, and construction projects respectively. The incumbent Chairman of the executive board is Amer Ali Ahmed.

[Economy] Islamabad's main industries include food processing, furniture and construction. Commerce, transportation, communications and municipal construction industries are also well-developed. To meet people's needs, the Capital Development Authority actively promotes the production of poultry, eggs and vegetables while vigorously encouraging the development of fairs.

[Education] Islamabad has a fast-growing education sector. It is home to Quaid-i-Azam University, Allama Iqbal Open University, International Islamic University and National University of Modern Languages. It also houses a range of natural sciences research institutes, including the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and the affiliated nuclear technology institutes, the National Institute of Health, National Agricultural Research Center, the Defense Science and Technology Organization , Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, Oil and Gas Development Company, and Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan.

[Relations with Beijing] Beijing and Islamabad officially became sister cities on October 7, 1992.

High-Level Exchanges: In October 2009, Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, the then Chairman of the Capital Development Authority, came to Beijing for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.