I. I. Chundrigar Road
 I. I. Chundrigar Road forms Karachi's historic central business district | |
| Former name(s) | McLeod Road |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar, the sixth Prime Minister of Pakistan |
| Length | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) |
| Location | Karachi, Pakistan |
| West end | Merewether Tower |
| East end | intersection of Ingle Road, Elander Road, and Dr. Ziauddin Road (Katchery Road) |
| Other | |
| Known for | being "Pakistan's Wall Street" |
I. I. Chundrigar Road (Template:Lang-ur), formerly McLeod Road (میکلوڈ روڈ),[1] is located in central Karachi, Pakistan, and is named after former Pakistani Prime Minister Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar. The road serves as the spine of Pakistan's largest financial centre, and so is frequently referred to as "Pakistan's Wall Street".[2][3] The Karachi Stock Exchange, now consolidated as part of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, is located on the street. Numerous banks are also headquartered along the street, such as Habib Bank Limited, United Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank of Pakistan, as well as both the National Bank of Pakistan and the State Bank of Pakistan. It also home to the headquarters of Geo News.[4]
History
The road was originally named McLeod Road, in honour of John McLeod, Deputy Collector of Customs in Karachi in the 1850s.[5] Another theory suggests it was named in honour of James John McLeod Innes, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, for his services to the Crown during the 1857 Mutiny.[6] Several cotton warehouses were established along facing the railway tracks behind street during a cotton boom in the region after the American Civil War,[6] with their offices along the street itself. By the 1870s, a number of European banks and companies were established along the street.[5] In the 1880s, a small railway station was built along the southern edge of the road, which was upgraded in the 1880s, and again in 1935 with the construction of the McLeod Station, now the Karachi City railway station.[7]
In 1963, Habib Bank Plaza was built along the street, which remained the tallest building of Pakistan until 2005, when the MCB Tower, which was also built on the road, was completed.[2] In 1969, the street was renamed Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road.[8]
Route
I.I. Chundrigar Road's western terminus is at Merewether Tower. The western half of the road features the highest concentration of financial companies. The road courses eastward for 2.2 kilometres in a straight line until it terminates at the intersection of Ingle Road, Elander Road, and Dr. Ziauddin Road (Katchery Road) at Burns Garden.
Gallery
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Looking east towards the MCB Tower, with the historic Karachi Cotton Exchange on the left -
I.I. Chundrigar Road's skyline viewed from the south -
Habib Bank Plaza, built in 1963, was once the tallest building in South Asia -
The historic State Bank of Pakistan building now serves as the State Bank of Pakistan Museum -
The midcentury building of the new State Bank of Pakistan complex -
Historic headquarters of the Standard Chartered Pakistan -
Merewether Clock Tower is at the western terminus of the road -
The road is named after the sixth Prime Minister of Pakistan, I. I. Chundrigar
See also
References
- ^ Haroon, Hameed; Baig, Mariam Ali (2004). Karachi Under the Raj, 1843-1947: Visions of empire. Pakistan Herald Publications.
- ^ a b Nadeem F. Paracha. "Visual Karachi: From Paris of Asia, to City of Lights, to Hell on Earth". dawn.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ "Daily Times". Daily Times.
- ^ "About-us - Geo.tv: Latest News Breaking Pakistan, World, Live Videos". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ a b "Pakistan's Wall Street remains an ugly, chaotic mess". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ a b Salman, Peerzada (2012-12-08). "McLeod bahadur". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Keeping track of history". DAWN.COM. 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ Salman, Peerzada (2019-11-04). "This week 50 years ago: Decentralisation of municipal administration". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
External links
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