Jinnah Park

Jinnah Park is an amusement and skatepark in the centre of the city of Rawalpindi in Punjab Province, Pakistan located on Jail Road, next to the Rawalpindi District Courts.[1]

For the park in Peshawar, see Jinnah Park, Peshawar.
Jinnah Park Entrance

Former Jail & Bhutto Execution Site

The park was the former site of the District Jail Rawalpindi for close to a century. Most notably it is where former President and Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged to death on 4 April 1979, around the corner from his official residence and office (then known as President's House, currently Army House).[2]

The jail was replaced by a new facility in the village of Adiala 13 km away, and the old jail was demolished in 1988 with the grounds converted into Jinnah Park. It was believed that the military dictatorship of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq which had overthrown Bhutto was keen to erase any potential site of pilgrimage and thus opposition.[3] There is currently only a small and not very well known monument to mark the spot where the gallows from which Bhutto was hanged once stood.

Current Facilities

It currently houses a McDonald's franchise and Cinepax exhibition centre.[4] It also has a dedicated play area, attractions such as rides and games, Motion Rides, lawns, fountains, flower beds, a skating area and a jogging track stretched across the boundary wall.[5][6] The park contains many good restaurants such as McDonald's, Pappasallis and Diva restaurant. There are a few cricket pitches and COSMO cash and carry store.[7][8]

  • Jinnah park
  • An old tree at Jinnah Park's entrance

References
  1. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=jail+road+rawalpindi&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x38df9344da98c179:0x91bf4c77d9bb600e,Jail+Rd,+Rawalpindi&gl=pk&ei=n-OSTpS8DMuUOqLQpYYM&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ8gEwAA
  2. "On this day: Bhutto Hanged". Dawn. Pakistan. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  3. "Pindi Jail Not Too Old to Be Demolished" Sadiq Jafri. The News, 12 April 1992.
  4. "Cinepax". Cinepax. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  5. "Visit Jinnah Park on your trip to Rawalpindi or Pakistan • Inspirock". www.inspirock.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  6. "Jinnah Park (Rawalpindi) - 2020 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)". Tripadvisor. Retrieved 15 June 2020. Popular…skating area
  7. Abbasi, Obaid (10 November 2011). "Eid festivity: Picnics, sightseeing and a lot of swings for the young ones – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  8. "Digital fountain installed at Jinnah Park | Provinces". Dawn.Com. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.


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