I. I. Chundrigar Road
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I. I. Chundrigar Road ( ur, ), previously known as McLeod Road, is a
road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...
located in
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, and is named after former
Pakistani Prime Minister The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pakist ...
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 Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
". It is oriented on an east-west basis and links Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road in the east to
Merewether Tower Merewether Clock Tower or Merewether Tower () Reprinted by Pakistan Herald Publications Ltd, Karachi Pg 62 is a neo-Gothic clocktower built during the Victorian era in Karachi, Pakistan. The tower is a landmark in central Karachi, and is at the te ...
in the west. The Karachi Stock Exchange, now consolidated as part of the
Pakistan Stock Exchange The Pakistan Stock Exchange ( ur, , abbreviated as PSX) is a stock exchange in Pakistan with trading floors in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. PSX was classified by MSCI as a frontier market on 8 September 2021. The PSX was established on 11 ...
, is headquartered here along with the largest banks, namely Habib Bank, United Bank, National Bank,
Standard Chartered Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around 9 ...
's Pakistani subsidiary and the State Bank – the nation's
central bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...
. It is also the headquarters of media companies
Hum Network Hum Network Limited or Hum TV Network Limited ( ur, ہم نیٹ ورک) is a Pakistani media company based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was established in February 2004 by Sultana Siddiqui. It is a current member of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Unio ...
and
Geo News Geo News is a Rank Number 1 Pakistani news channel owned by the Jang Media Group. History The Geo Television Network started out with the launch of its flagship channel Geo TV in October 2002 but has since launched several other channels whic ...
.


History

The road was originally named McLeod Road (), in honour of John McLeod, Deputy Collector of Customs in Karachi in the 1850s. Another theory suggests it was named in honour of James John McLeod Innes, a recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, for his services to the Crown during the
1857 Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...
. Several cotton warehouses were established facing the railway line behind the street during a cotton boom in the region after the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, with their offices along the street itself. By the 1870s, a number of European banks and companies were established along the street. 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 Karachi City Station ( ur, ), formerly McLeod Station, is one of two main Karachi railway terminals along with the Karachi Cantonment station. Karachi City Station is located on I. I. Chundrigar Road, adjacent to Habib Bank Plaza, in Karachi, P ...
. In 1963, the
Habib Bank Plaza Habib Bank Plaza (), also known as HBL Plaza, located on I. I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, is the head office of Habib Bank Limited. It was once the tallest building in Asia, a title that hasn't been held by any other building in ...
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. On 9 November 1969, the street was renamed Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road.


Gallery

The following are heritage buildings along I.I. Chundrigar Road which are protected by the
Government of Sindh The Government of Sindh ( sd, حڪومت سنڌ) ( ur, ) is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions un ...
. File:HBL Plaza.jpg,
Habib Bank Plaza Habib Bank Plaza (), also known as HBL Plaza, located on I. I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, is the head office of Habib Bank Limited. It was once the tallest building in Asia, a title that hasn't been held by any other building in ...
, built in 1963, was once the tallest building in
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
File:Old building of State Bank of Pakistan, Now its known as State Bank Museum.jpg, The historic State Bank of Pakistan building now serves as the
State Bank of Pakistan Museum State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * '' State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our ...
File:State Bank of Pakistan Building.jpg, The midcentury building of the new State Bank of Pakistan complex File:Merewether Clock Tower 01.jpg,
Merewether Clock Tower Merewether Clock Tower or Merewether Tower () Reprinted by Pakistan Herald Publications Ltd, Karachi Pg 62 is a neo-Gothic clocktower built during the Victorian era in Karachi, Pakistan. The tower is a landmark in central Karachi, and is at the te ...
is at the western terminus of the road File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img24 Chundrigar Road.jpg, Historic headquarters of the
Standard Chartered Pakistan Standard Chartered Pakistan () is a Pakistani banking and financial services company in Pakistan and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of British multinational bank Standard Chartered. It is Pakistan's oldest and largest foreign commercial bank. It ...
File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img23 Chundrigar Road.jpg, Standard Insurance House, built in 1905 File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img21 Chundrigar Road.jpg, Looking east towards the MCB Tower, with the historic
Karachi Cotton Exchange The Cotton Exchange, Karachi is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is the largest cotton trading exchange in Pakistan. History Founded in 1933, it is the oldest commodity exchange in Pakistan. Building The exterior of the structure has rema ...
on the left File:PK Karachi asv2020-02 img25 Chundrigar Road.jpg, Nadir House


See also

*
List of streets of Karachi This is a list of streets in Karachi, Pakistan. List See also * Transport in Karachi * List of historic roads References Further reading * Junaidi, Shah Waliullah (2020). ''Yeh Sharea-e-Aam Nahin: Karachi Ki Yadgar Sardkain'' {{DEFAU ...


References


External links

{{Karachi topics Economy of Karachi Central business districts in Pakistan Streets in Karachi