Lahore

Lahore (/ləˈhɔər/; Punjabi: لہور ALA-LC: Lahor [ləhoːr]; Urdu: لاہور‎ ALA-LC: Lāhor [lɑːhoːr]) is the capital city of the province of Punjab, the second largest metropolitan area in Pakistan and 16th most populous city in the world. It is an important historical centre in South Asia. With a rich history dating back over a millennium, Lahore is a main cultural centre of the Punjab region and Pakistan and is the largest Punjabi city in the world. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains an economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and educational hub of Pakistan.

Lahore successively served as the regional capital of the empires of the Hindu Shahi kingdom in the 11th century, the Ghaznavids in the 12th century, the Ghurid State in the 12th and 13th centuries and the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. From 1802 to 1849, Lahore served as the capital city of the Sikh Empire. In the mid-19th and early 20th century, Lahore was the capital of the Punjab region under the British Raj. The traditional capital of Punjab for a millennium, Lahore was the cultural centre of the northern Indian subcontinent which extends from the eastern banks of the Indus River to New Delhi. Mughal structures such as the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, the mausolea of Jehangir and Nur Jahan, Chauburji Gate, and the walled city are some of the major tourist attractions in the city. Lahore is also home to many British colonial structures built in the Indo-Saracenic style, such as the Lahore High Court, the General Post Office, Lahore Museum, Lahore Railway Station, and many older universities and colleges including the University of the Punjab, Govt College and King Edward Medical University. The Lahore Zoo, thought to be the fourth oldest in the world, is also situated here.

Imran Khan

Imran Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) better known as Imran Khan is a Pakistani politician, former cricketer, philanthropist, cricket commentator and former chancellor of the University of Bradford. He is also founder of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and the Namal College, Mianwali. Khan played international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century and, after retiring, entered politics.

Khan was Pakistan's most successful cricket captain, leading his country to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup, playing for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992, and serving as its captain intermittently throughout 1982–1992. After retiring from cricket at the end of the 1987 World Cup in 1988, owing to popular demand he was requested to come back by the president of Pakistan Zia ul Haq to lead the team once again. At the age of 39, Khan led his team to Pakistan's first and only One Day World Cup victory in 1992. With 3807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, he is one of eight world cricketers to have achieved an 'All-rounder's Triple' in Test matches. On 14 July 2010, Khan was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Pakistan

Coordinates: 30°N 70°E / 30°N 70°E / 30; 70

Pakistan (ⁱ/ˈpækᵻstæn/ or ⁱ/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاكستان‎ ALA-LC: Pākistān, pronounced [pɑːkɪst̪ɑːn]), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاكستان‎ ALA-LC: Islāmī Jumhūriyah Pākistān IPA: [ɪslɑːmiː d͡ʒʊmɦuːriəɪh pɑːkɪst̪ɑːn]), is a country in South Asia. It is the sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 199 million people. It is the 36th largest country in the world in terms of area with an area covering 881,913 km² (340,509 sq mi). Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast respectively. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.

The territory that now constitutes Pakistan was previously home to several ancient cultures, including the Mehrgarh of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and was later home to kingdoms ruled by people of different faiths and cultures, including Hindus, Indo-Greeks, Muslims, Turco-Mongols, Afghans and Sikhs. The area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander of Macedonia, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the subcontinent's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of the Subcontinent where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.

Bahria Town

Bahria Town officially Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd. is the largest real-estate developers and Investors in Pakistan and the largest private housing society in Asia. Bahria Town has establishments in Islamabad (Phase 2 to 7 and enclave), Rawalpindi (Phase 1 and 8), Lahore, Murree and Karachi. Bahria Town is a mega gated community, worth $6 billion only in twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi where it is the original community with nine phases, which has a capacity of a planned residential city for 1 million people. The Town's offers amenities (24-hour armed security, schools, hospitals, a fire department, retail shopping, restaurants and entertainment centers).

Given the Pakistan's security issues, Bahria Town remain the safest place to live with a lower crime rate than other developments. Bahria Town operate's Pakistan’s largest private sector fleet of heavy earth moving equipment and the service workshops. Bahria is also building the First Formula 1 racing track with full proof safety provided to Bahria Town residents. It employs a workforce of over 35,000. Recently Bahria Town announced its collaboration with Starwood Hotels for the opening the Sheraton Golf & Country Club, which would be the first of its kind in Pakistan. Malik Riaz Hussain, Founder and Chairman, is the force behind Bahria Town, started in the 1980s as a small-time contractor. As competitors targeted the rich, he built for the emerging middle class, becoming one of the wealthiest Pakistanis alive. In May 2012, Bahria Town won five awards at the Asia Pacific International Property Awards.

Lahore Metro

The Lahore Metro or Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS) (Urdu: لاہور میٹرو‎) is an under constructionrapid transit system (metro train system) for Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan. First proposed in 1991, funding was not secured, and in 2012 it was abandoned by the Punjab government in favour of the more cost–effective Lahore Metro Bus System which opened in February 2013. However, the Punjab Government decided to restart development on the Lahore Metro as a $1.6 billion project with Chinese assistance. The Orange Line, which will be 27.1-kilometre (16.8 mi) long (25.4 kilometres (15.8 mi) of which will be elevated), will be the first line of the project and is under construction.

History

The system was first proposed in 1991 and was updated in 1993 by Lahore Traffic and Transport Studies, funded by the World Bank. The project was subsequently shelved.

In 2005, the Transport Department of Pakistan revisited the project and carried out a feasibility study and in 2007, the Asian Development Bank provided PKR1 billion to conduct a study on the project. An 82 km (51 mi) long rail network with 60 stations was to be constructed in four separate phases as a part of the project. The first phase involved construction of a 27 km (17 mi) km railway line called green line which would include an 11.6 km (7.2 mi) underground network. This line would carry 250,000–300,000 passengers after construction. The construction was expected to start in 2008 and complete in 2010. However, the new Pakistani government in 2008, shifted its priorities to other projects.