The Aiwan-e-Sadr ( ur, ), or Presidential Palace, is the
official residence
An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...
and workplace of the
President of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.[Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...]
on
Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened bet ...
, between the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
Building and the Cabinet block of the
Pakistan Secretariat
Pakistan Secretariat ( ur, ) serves as the headquarters for the Cabinet and Government of Pakistan. It is located on Red Zone in Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan.
Blocks
* Block A:
** Ministry of Commerce & Textile Industry
** Minis ...
. Residences for the Presidential staff, known as the President's Colony, are also located behind the Presidency, adjacent to 4th Avenue.
The administrative head of Aiwan-e-Sadr is the
Principal Secretary to the President of Pakistan
The principal secretary to the president of Pakistan is the administrative head of Aiwan-e-Sadr. The position was considered to be a very important one until 2010 as after the Eighteenth Amendment, the presidency was reduced to a mere ceremonia ...
, a position being held by Waqar Ahmed since 21 May 2022.
History
Prior to Aiwan-e-Sadr's construction, the Presidents of Pakistan lived in the Prince Palace located on The Mall in
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...
. That building now houses the
Fatima Jinnah Women University
Fatima Jinnah Women University ( ur, ) or FJWU is a public university in the neighborhood of Mall Road of Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.
Recognized university
Regarded as the first women's university in Pakistan, it is ranked at number 18 in ...
.
The construction of the building commenced in 1970, and took 11 years to complete. President
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...
inaugurated it, but he lived instead in the Army House on Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi since he was also the
Chief of Army Staff. Therefore, the first
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
to live there was
Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Ghulam Ishaq Khan ( ur, غلام اسحاق خان; 20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), was a Pakistani bureaucrat who served as the seventh president of Pakistan, elected in 1988 following Zia's death until his resignation in 1993. He wa ...
, in 1988. Presidents
Farooq Leghari
Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari ( ur, ; 29 May 194020 October 2010), was a Pakistani politician who served as the eighth president of Pakistan from 14 November 1993 until resigning on 2 December 1997. He is the first Baloch to have been elected a ...
,
Muhammad Rafiq Tarar
Muhammad Rafiq Tarar (; ur, ; 2 November 1929 – 7 March 2022) was a Pakistani politician and jurist who served as the ninth president of Pakistan from January 1998 until his resignation in June 2001, and prior to that as a senator from Pu ...
,
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakist ...
, and
Mamnoon Hussain
Mamnoon Hussain ( ur, ; 22 December 1941 – 14 July 2021) was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq ...
also used it as their official residence. President
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...
never lived in the palace, as he was also the Army Chief, and therefore lived in the Army House, which had by then shifted to the old Prime Minister House.
Currently, President
Arif Alvi
Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi (; born 29 July 1949) is a Pakistani dentist and politician currently serving as the 13th President of Pakistan, in office since 9 September 2018. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2 ...
, lives there.
Building complex
The building is built in a modern step pyramid architectural style. There are four main halls, each named after one of the
Founding Fathers of Pakistan: Jinnah Hall, Liaquat Hall, Johar Hall, and Nishtar Hall.
The adjacent gardens have been designed on the lines of the old
Mughal gardens, and contain fountains as well as a zoo. The zoo was opened in 2008, and once housed monkeys, deer,
nilgai
The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus ''Boselaphus'' and was described by Peter Si ...
, zebras, and
pheasants. The current menagerie consists of
chinkara
The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Taxonomy
The following six subspecies are considered valid:
* Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii ...
, deer,
urial
The urial ( ; ''Ovis vignei''), also known as the arkars or shapo, is a wild sheep native to Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Characteristics
Urial males have large horns, curling outwards from the to ...
, pigeons,
grey parrots, and pigeons, and pheasants. A stable, housing around a hundred horses, is also present nearby.
Green Presidency Initiative
After assuming office in 2018, President Alvi launched the Green Presidency Initiative to reduce the building's energy consumption, and to shift it to renewable energy. On 15 October 2022, the Aiwan-e-Sadr received the ISO 50001 EnMS certification, which made it the world's first green presidency. The savings from energy conservation and clean energy generation were reported to be equivalent to 3,154,750
kWh
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
, reduction of 3,144 tonnes of
greenhouse gases
A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane ...
, or plantation of 142,909 mature trees.
The building also received a GBC SEED Platinum certification from the
Green Building Council
A green building council (GBC) is any national non-profit, non-government organization that is part of a global network recognized by the World Green Building Council. A green building council's goal is to promote a transformation of the built ...
due to its electricity requirements being fulfilled by a 1
MW solar system
The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...
.
Public access
Aiwan-e-Sadr is usually out of bounds for the general public owing to its sensitive nature. However, in recent years, it has been opened for public twice – on 8 December 2018 and 1 January 2022.
See also
*
List of palaces in Pakistan
References
Buildings and structures in Islamabad
Presidential residences
Official residences in Pakistan
Continuity of government in Pakistan
Palaces in Pakistan
1981 establishments in Pakistan
Government buildings completed in 1981
{{Pakistan-struct-stub