Markus Daechsel, in his book titled Islamabad and the Politics of International Development in Pakistan, delves deep into a highly original and detailed account of the design and development of Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad, established in the 1960s. The author considers it as a very large urban reconstruction project of the 20th century. It book, spread over six chapters, gives a detailed account of an urban design project, which also explains the relationship between the famous Greek architect, Constantinos A. Doxiadis, and Pakistani policymakers, bureaucrats and others concerned while working on a large project in a post-colonial state. After General Ayub Khan assumed power in the country, he embarked upon a large development plan, which was all encompassing. He aimed at making Pakistan a hub of urban development and transforming it into a centre of industrial development and reforms. The 1950s and 1960s marked the beginning of an era of development in Pakistan as the then newly born state of Pakistan struggled to forge a new identity as a post-colonial state and build upon a new post-colonial order.
