Overview of Gulshan-e-Iqbal
Gulshan-e-Iqbal is perhaps one of the most renowned areas of Karachi and is said to be the home of more than a million people. It may sound striking to some but accommodating over a million people is something you can expect from one of the top notch housing societies of a city that is home to over 21 million people. Karachi is a city that has no end to its generosity as it stays true to its promise of providing shelter to those who set their foot on this land. The same is true for Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi as well since it is the home of people from all ethnic groups living in the city.
You’d find Muhajirs, Punjabis, Bohras, Balochis, Pakhtuns, Seraikis, Kashmiris and Sindhis. So suffice it to say that Gulshan-e-Iqbal has embraced all kinds of Pakistanis you can think of. Being one of Karachi's prime areas, it is a fairly large residential colony that was named after Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the Poet of East and the national poet of Pakistan. The society, which literally means the ‘garden of Iqbal’, is no less than a garden in the true sense of the word. The lush green parks, manicured greenbelts and the neatly lined trees beautify the area.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi is often confused with the parks of Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot which is why it is also called the Gulshan Town. It's a rather well connect neighbourhood that borders several of Karachi's high profile areas. To the north, it touches Gadap Town whereas in its east lie Faisal and Malir Cantonment areas. To the west are Gulberg Karachi and Liaqatabad and in the southwest lies Jamshed Town. An intricate weaved web of roads connects it with all of its adjacent residential colonies and go beyond, into the heart of the very city itself.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal is divided into two parts: Gulshan-e-Iqbal I and Gulshan-e-Iqbal II. Moving in and out of both of these colonies is not an issue. Although the roads of Karachi take the burden of half the cars of the whole of Pakistan, but the web of roads, flyovers and underpasses do their best to assist the flow of traffic. On top of private cars, the robust network of public transport takes commuters back and forth from their destinations. There are several bus stops in Gulshan-e-Iqbal where you can easily find a bus. The local buses provide an affordable mode of transport for all.
If buses quite aren’t your style then you can always take a rickshaw or the signature black and yellow taxis of Karachi! While the culture of taking a cab may be ebbing away in most other cities of Pakistan but not in Karachi and certainly not in Gulshan-e-Iqbal so you would find plenty of black and yellow cabs driving around and hailing one can always be an option if you want to avoid the buses. Same goes for rickshaws. These rickshaws and taxis are also often used by the residents of Gulshan-e-Iqbal to pick and drop their children from schools and colleges.
Other than being the locality of a handful of schools and higher educational institutes, Gulshan-e-Iqbal is the location of the main campus of the University of Karachi. It's a public university that has the strength of twenty four thousand students. Undoubtedly, one of the best universities of Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission has ranked it among the top three universities of the country. This is where the cream of the cream studies. Another notable institute of Gulshan-e-Iqbal is Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, without a doubt, is a prime Pakistan real estate project that is still as popular amongst the people of Karachi as it was right after its development.
