22 | May | 2013 | Inspiring Pakistan

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road aka I. I. Chundrigar Road is the financial district of Karachi, Pakistan that is the center of Karachi’s banking and financial institutions. It is the largest financial district in the country and often termed as the “Wall Street of Pakistan”.^[1] Situated in the heart of Karachi, Sindh, it was known as McLeod Road during the Colonial rule but was later renamed after the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar. The road starts from the Merewether Memorial Tower near Former Lloyds bank building (Now Saudi-Pak bank) up to Shaheen complex. An estimated Fifteen percent of all Karachi cars pass from this road.

Most of the headquarters of Pakistan’s financial institutions are located on the I.I. Chundrigar Road, including the State Bank of Pakistan which is Pakistan’s Central Bank, Major Banks like Habib Bank Plaza, MCB Tower, National Bank of Pakistan, Bank Al-Falah, Standard Chartered Bank, CitiBank, etc. The new headquarters of United Bank Limited is also under construction on this road.

Pakistan’s most circulated newspapers including Jang Newspaper, Daily Times, TV Channels including Geo TV, CNBC Pakistan, Hum TV, AAG TV and Dhoom are also based on I.I. Chundrigar Road. Consulates of Tunisia, Sweden, Sierra Leone, Norway, Guinea, Gambia and Finland are also located here.

Two of Karachi’s largest computer markets Uni Plaza and Techno city; Police Headquarters and nearby Rangers Headquarters are also located on this road.

In 2007 Sharjah-based Enshaa Holdings in a joint venture with NLC has launched Karachi International Financial center on II Chundrigar road which will comprise a hotel, office towers, serviced apartments and a railway station. The Karachi Financial Towers will include two identical 37-storey towers connected by a three-floor glass skybridge.

I. I. Chundrigar Road has always been the financial center of Karachi’s economy. Most of the biggest businesses and financial institutions in the city have offices here including the Karachi Stock Exchange, Karachi Cotton Exchange, Mutual Funds, Money Exchangers, Auditing companies, Insurance companies and Shipping companies. Karachi’s largest GPO and Telegraph office is also located here. British-era architecture on this street ranges from the Former Lloyds Bank building to the City Railway Station buildings and administrative offices. This road also preserves some of the finest private architecture from Karachi’s early period. World famous “Mashhood Chouk” is also located at the junction of Shara-e-Faisal and Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road. It is famous for a statue of a horse, associated with historical man named Mashhood.