Shakarparian (Urdu: شکر پڑیاں; also known as Shakarparian Hills) is a hill and a national park located near the Zero Point Interchange in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Monument and Pakistan Monument Museum are also located in Shakarparian.
Members of the Gakhar tribe settled here before the Indo-Pak partition in 1947; later, the clan was relocated to create a park for the newly marked federal capital of the country in 1960–61.
Margalla Hills National Park (Urdu: مارگلہ پہاڑیاں قومی پارک) is a national park in Pakistan located in Islamabad Capital Territory, near its northern boundary with Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The park includes the Margalla Hills, which form the foothills of the Himalayas, along with Shakarparian Park and Rawal Lake.
Established in 1980, it is the third-largest national park inPakistan with an area of 17,386 hectares (42,960 acres). Tilla Charouni, with a height of 1604 m, is tallest peak in the park. The Park is a major tourist destination, with Daman-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa serving as popular hill stations, while the Monal Restaurant, Shakarparian Cultural Complex, and Lake View Park are popular picnic spots.
Islamabad (/ɪzˈlɑːməbæd/ ; Urdu: اسلامآباد, romanised: Islāmābād, lit. 'City of Islam', [ɪsˈlɑːmɑːbɑːd] ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Built as a planned city in the 1960s and established in 1967, it replaced Karachi as Pakistan's national capital. Islamabad is located north of the city of Rawalpindi, with which it forms a metropolitan area of over 5.7 million inhabitants.
The Greek architect Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis developed Islamabad's master plan, in which he divided it into eight zones; the city comprises administrative, diplomatic enclave, residential areas, educational and industrial sectors, commercial areas, as well as rural and green areas administered by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation with support from the Capital Development Authority. Islamabad is known for its parks and forests, including the Margalla Hills National Park and the Shakarparian. It is home to several landmarks, including the country's flagship Faisal Mosque. Other prominent landmarks include the Pakistan Monument and Democracy Square.
Gaza-Chowk, is a large town square located on the junction of Jinnah Avenue and Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is located in the government district, close to several important government buildings: the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Parliament, and the Supreme Court.
The square used to be a popular recreational area for the local people. After the shift of venue from Rawalpindi's Race Course, the Pakistan Day Parade used to be here for several years. It has now been moved to the Shakarparian Parade Ground.
The Margalla Hills is a hill range of subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Indomalayan realm within the Margalla Hills National Park in the northwestern Punjab region in Pakistan, forming the northern edge of the Islamabad Capital Territory, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills on the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. The Margalla range has an area of 12,605 hectares. It is a range with many valleys and rainforests as well as high mountains.
The Pakistan Armed Forces (Urdu: پاکستان مسلح افواج; pronounced [ˈpɑːkˌɪstaːn mʊˈsəlˌle(ɦ) əfˈwɑːd͡ʒ]) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's seventh-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backed by several paramilitary forces such as the National Guard and the Civil Armed Forces. As of the 2025 reforms, the highest-ranking military officer is the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), who also serves concurrently as Chief of Army Staff (COAS), holding principal command authority over all three branches and overseeing war strategy, operations, joint force development, and resource allocation. The office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) has been abolished, and many prior responsibilities are now assumed by the CDF, streamlining military command and accelerating decision-making.
A pivotal part of the 2025 reforms is the formation of the position of Commander of National Strategic Command (CNSC), a four-star army general appointed by the Prime Minister upon the CDF’s recommendation and is responsible for Pakistan’s nuclear and strategic assets. The Strategic Plans Division remains crucial, managing nuclear policy of Pakistan and national deterrent under the CNSC’s supervision. The President of Pakistan is the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. All branches of Pakistan Armed Forces are now coordinated through the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), who directs strategic planning, resource allocation, and joint military operations, with the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) being reorganised to support integrated command across all services from the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ).
The Pakistan Day Parade, also known as the National Day Joint Services Parade, is an annual event held at Shakarparian in Islamabad to commemorate the Pakistan Day, marking the anniversary of the 1940 Lahore Resolution. The parade is presided over by the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, alongside the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Foreign dignitaries often attend as special guests. The event is organised by Joint Staff Headquarters and showcases the country's military strength and national unity.