I. I. Chundrigar Road

I. I. Chundrigar Road (Urdu: آئی آئی چندریگر روڈ) is located in central business district of 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 is frequently referred to as "Pakistan's Wall Street".[1][2]

I. I. Chundrigar Road
آئی آئی چندریگر روڈ
I. I. Chundrigar Road forms Karachi's historic central business district
Former name(s)McLeod Road
NamesakeIbrahim Ismail Chundrigar, the sixth Prime Minister of Pakistan
Length2.2 km (1.4 mi)
LocationKarachi, Pakistan
West endMerewether Tower
East endIntersection of Ingle Road, Elander Road, and Dr. Ziauddin Road (Katchery Road)
Other
Known forbeing "Pakistan's Wall Street"

The Karachi Stock Exchange, now consolidated as part of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, is headquartered here along with the largest banks, namely Habib Bank, United Bank, National Bank, Standard Chartered's Pakistani subsidiary and the State Bank – the nation's central bank. It is also the headquarters of media companies Hum Networks and Geo News.[3]

History

The road was originally named McLeod Road (میکلوڈ روڈ),[4] 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 1870s, 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.[1] On 9 November 1969, the street was renamed Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road.[8]

The following are heritage buildings along I.I. Chundrigar Road which are protected by the Government of Sindh.[9]

See also

References

  1. Nadeem F. Paracha. "Visual Karachi: From Paris of Asia, to City of Lights, to Hell on Earth". dawn.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  2. "Daily Times". Daily Times.
  3. "About-us - Geo.tv: Latest News Breaking Pakistan, World, Live Videos". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  4. Haroon, Hameed; Baig, Mariam Ali (2004). Karachi Under the Raj, 1843-1947: Visions of empire. Pakistan Herald Publications.
  5. "Pakistan's Wall Street remains an ugly, chaotic mess". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  6. Salman, Peerzada (2012-12-08). "McLeod bahadur". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  7. "Keeping track of history". DAWN.COM. 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  8. Salman, Peerzada (2019-11-04). "This week 50 years ago: Decentralisation of municipal administration". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  9. "Karachi Heritage Building Re-Survey Project". antiquities.sindhculture.gov.pk. Retrieved 2020-04-13.

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