Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area the larger metropolitan area. It uses dedicated bus lanes for all of its route covering 24 bus stations. As Pakistan's capital city, Islamabad serves as the seat of the federal government and is the country's political center. Rawalpindi has remained important historically, as it hosts the headquarters of Pakistan's army. Rawalpindi also temporarily served as the federal capital when Islamabad was being built in the 1960s, to replace Karachi as the capital. Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area The Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area is Pakistan's third most populous metropolitan area. It consists principally of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, along with smaller
Embassy of the United States, Islamabad Embassy of the United States, Islamabad The Embassy of the United States in Islamabad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Pakistan. Ambassador David Hale is currently the United States Ambassador to Pakistan, as of November 2015. The U.S. Department of State also maintains Consulates in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. It is one of the largest U.S. embassies abroad, with a staff of 2,500 people. The first U.S. embassy in Pakistan was established on August 15, 1947 in Karachi, then-capital of Pakistan. When the capital was moved to Islamabad in 1960, a new embassy was constructed there. After