At the time of independence, Karachi was chosen as the capital of Pakistan. However, after assuming the reins of the government, President Muhammad Ayub Khan decided to develop a new capital for the country, which should portray the natural beauty and and aspirations of the people of Pakistan. A site north of Rawalpindi was chosen to be named as Islamabad and the new capital city of the country. Rawalpindi was designated as the temporary capital. In 1959 the site of Islamabad was chosen to replace Karachi as the capital of Pakistan. The master plan of this modern city was prepared in 1960 by M/s. Constantinos A Doxiades, a Greek firm of Architects. Construction was started in October 1961, and the city came into life on 26 October, 1966, when the first office building of Islamabad was occupied. In 1967 Islamabad was officially made the capital, and work on the city's principal buildings, streets, and facilities was completed by the mid-1970s.