Why are my Facebook ads reaching people outside Islamabad?

The first place to look is the ad set's location setting. A boost from the app or a hastily built campaign can default to the whole country, or to a city name that Meta interprets more widely than you expect. Set the area deliberately: name Islamabad and Rawalpindi, or drop a pin on your shop and choose a radius that matches how far your customers really travel. A bakery in Saddar and a wedding planner serving the whole region need very different circles.

Second, check whether Advantage+ audience or other audience expansion is on. Meta increasingly treats your targeting as a suggestion and may reach beyond it when it predicts results. Location is usually still respected as a limit, but interests and age often are not. If the ads reach the wrong kind of person inside the right city, that is the likely cause.

Third, read the breakdown by region in Ads Manager. A little spend in nearby areas such as Wah, Taxila or Murree is not always a problem; some of those people do come to the twin cities to shop. Spend in Karachi or Lahore is a setting error. People who travel, overseas Pakistanis looking at home, and those with location services off can also show up at the edges.

Last, check the creative. If the ad never says where you are, people elsewhere will happily message. Naming the location in the first line ('Only in G-11 and G-13', 'Free delivery within Rawalpindi Cantt') filters out the wrong people before they cost you a conversation, and makes the right ones more confident.