[3] The memorial was proposed in 1985, by the late Governor Ghulam Jilani Khan, and was approved immediately by the President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

The monument is designed by a Lahore-based architect Amjad Mukhtar,[1] who is a graduate from National College of Arts, Lahore.

The monument has an area of 117 acres and will comprise a memorial block, library, park, museum, auditorium and art gallery.

[4] The project experienced some difficulty in getting started because of the unstable political situation following the death of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1988.

A second attempt was made in 1991 with the support of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but again the project was stalled.