Pakistan Landline Area Codes: Every City and District Code From Lahore 042 to Quetta 081 (PTCL List)

Pakistan's landline area codes are 042 for Lahore, 021 for Karachi, 051 for Islamabad and Rawalpindi, 091 for Peshawar, 081 for Quetta, 041 for Faisalabad and 061 for Multan. Inside Pakistan you dial 0, the area code, then the number. From abroad you drop the 0 and dial +92 first. Below is every one of the 102 district codes PTCL publishes, plus the places where PTCL's own two lists disagree.

A missed call from 0992 or 0544 on your phone is a landline, not a scam prefix. The code tells you the district. We read PTCL's National Dialing Codes page and the city list inside its online directory on 2 November 2026, and built the tables below from them.

Area codes for Pakistan's biggest cities

Most big cities use two digit codes, and smaller districts mostly use three digits. Lahore is 42, Karachi 21, Islamabad and Rawalpindi share 51, and Peshawar is 91. Add a 0 in front when you call from inside Pakistan.

Every district area code in PTCL's list, A to Z

PTCL lists 102 numbering areas, mostly one per district. Some areas cover two districts, such as Mansehra with Batagram. The table follows PTCL's own spelling and notes, so "excluding Muridke" means Muridke uses the Lahore code instead.

How to dial a Pakistani landline from a mobile, a landline or abroad

From any mobile in Pakistan, dial 0, the area code and the number. From a landline in the same area, skip the code. From abroad, dial +92 or 0092, then the code without its 0, then the number.

1. Find the district of the number you want, or read the code at the start of a missed call.
2. From a Pakistani mobile, dial 0, then the area code, then the local number. Example: 042 and a Lahore number.
3. From a landline in the same city, dial the local number on its own.
4. From a landline in another city, dial 0, the area code, then the number, as from a mobile.
5. From outside Pakistan, dial +92, drop the first 0 of the code, then the number. Example: +92 42 and a Lahore number.

A common mistake from abroad is keeping the 0, as in +92 042. Leave it out. The 0 is a prefix for calls made inside Pakistan only.

Where PTCL's two lists do not match

PTCL publishes codes twice: on its national dialing page and in its directory search. They agree for nearly every district, but four entries differ, mostly in Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Use the national page first, and try the other form if a call fails.

• Muzaffarabad: 58 on the national page, 5822 in the directory.
• Mirpur (AJK): missing from the national page, 5827 in the directory.
• Charsadda: grouped with Peshawar under 91 on the national page, listed alone as 918 in the directory.
• Directory only: Dera Pezu 968, Durki 821, Khanozai 8126 and Malik Yar 894 appear in the directory but not on the national page.

Gilgit-Baltistan does not appear on either PTCL list, and we could not confirm its codes on an official page. Landline and internet in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir also come from SCOM, whose internet packages in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan follow different rules from PTCL's.

Mobile numbers do not use area codes

A number that starts with 03 is a mobile number, and its next digits show the original network, not a city. Area codes apply only to fixed lines, so you cannot tell where a mobile caller lives from the number.

PTCL's directory even lists "Mobile" with the code 3 next to the cities, which is how the 03 prefix works. A mobile number keeps its prefix after it moves networks, so 0300 does not prove the caller is on Jazz today. If unknown mobile numbers keep calling you, you can silence unknown callers on your phone, and marketing calls can be stopped with PTA's 3627 service.

PTCL's inquiry and directory service is 1217 from a PTCL landline, according to its contact directory. And if a landline in your area is dead, the fault reports go through a PTCL complaint on 1218, not through the code.

Common questions

What is the area code of Lahore?

Lahore's code is 42, dialled as 042 inside Pakistan and +92 42 from abroad. PTCL's list says it also covers Muridke.

Do Islamabad and Rawalpindi have the same code?

Yes. PTCL lists Islamabad and Rawalpindi together under 51, so both are dialled 051.

What is the code for Karachi landlines?

Karachi uses 21 for all its districts, including Malir. Dial 021 inside Pakistan.

Which city uses 0992?

0992 is Abbottabad. Other common three digit codes are 0544 for Jhelum, 0937 for Mardan and 0946 for Swat.

How do I call a Pakistani landline from Saudi Arabia or the UAE?

Dial +92 or 0092, then the area code without its 0, then the number. For Lahore that is +92 42 followed by the local number.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read PTCL's National Dialing Codes page and the city list inside the PTCL online directory on 2 November 2026, and PTCL's contact directory for the 1217 inquiry number. Every code above comes from those pages. The four mismatches are between PTCL's own two lists, and we could not find an official PTCL or PTA page that settles them. We did not find official landline codes for Gilgit-Baltistan.