Sahiwal District

 

Sahiwal District (Urdu: ساہیوال ) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It had a population of 1,843,194 of which 16.27% were urban in 1998^[1]. The town of Sahiwal is the capital of this district.

History

The city and district was original known as Montgomery as the city of Sahiwal was founded in 1865 by Sir Robert Montgomery, then Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab. It took its current name in 1966.

Location

Sahiwal District is located in the southeast of Punjab, in the former Multan Division and lies between 30-40 north latitude and 73-10 longitude. It is approximately 500 ft above sea level. It roughly forms a parallelogram lying generally NE-SW along the Ravi River. It is approximately 100 km from east to west and 45 km from the northwestern boundary of the district of Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh. The dead River Khushak Bias separates it from the district of Pakpattan. On the eastern side, Okara District is situated. While on the district the boundaries of Khanewal and Vehari District and on the southern side is Pakpattan district. Sharif exists where is shrine of one of the famous sufi Hazrat Baba Fareed Shaker Gunj.

Administration

Sahiwal District now consists of 531 villages in two subdivisions. Sahiwal District is spread over an area of 3201 km² and comprises two tehsils, Sahiwal and Chichawatni. Sahiwal District also contains many subtowns like Qadirabad, Yousafwala, Iqbalnagar, Kassowal, Noorshah, Harappa and Ghaziabad. There are transport connections via road and Pakistan railways to Lahore, and a regional airport under construction, Sahiwal Airport.

Agriculture

Agriculture is important to the local economy, particularly the growing of cotton and grain. Cattle are also kept and Sahiwal is famous for its water buffalo milk and one of the ancient civilization on archaeological evidence dated 3000 to 5000 B.C. 15 miles southwest from downtown in suburb of Harapa which was the northern city of Indus Valley Civilization^[2].

Harappa

Harrapa is today a large village in the Sahiwal District of Punjab, 15 miles southwest of the district town. Archaeologists think that ancient Harappa was the urban centre dominating the upper Indus region, much like Mohenjo-daro dominated the lower Indus Valley and Ganweriwala might have been the urban centre for what is now Rajasthan. The site at Harappa was first briefly excavated by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1872-73, two decades after brick robbers carried off the visible remains of the city. He found an Indus seal of unknown origin.

The first extensive excavations at Harappa were started by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni in 1920. His work and contemporaneous excavations at Mohenjo-daro first brought to the world's attention the existence of the forgotten Indus Valley civilization as the earliest urban culture in the Indian subcontinent. His work was followed later in the decade by that of Madho Sarup Vats, also of the Archaeological Survey of India. Excavations by other archaeologists continued in the 1930's, and in 1946 Sir Mortimer Wheeler excavated the so-called fortification walls and found the first pre-Indus Valley civilization (Kot Dijian) deposits. After independence in 1947 and coming in District Sahiwal of Province of Punjab, Pakistan, Harappa was excavated by Mohammed Rafique Mughal of the Archaeological Survey of Pakistan in 1966.

In 1986, the first systematic, multi-disciplinary excavations of an Indus Valley city were begun by the Harappa Archaeological Project (HARP), under the direction of George F. Dales and Jonathan Mark Kenoyer. The main features of the plan, the citadel on the west and the mounds of the ‘lower city’ towards the east and southeast have already been indicated. To the north a slightly hollowed belt containing notably green crops marks an old bed of the Ravi River. Today the river flows six miles further north. Between the citadel and the riverbed, Mound F has been found to contain a remarkable and significant piece of town planning; to the south of the citadel lie the outlying hills, the Harappan cemetery and the post Harappan cemetery. To the southeast, sporadic digging has been carried out in Area G, but the ragged Mound E and its surroundings are virtually unexplored. There is an enormous amount still to be learned about the site, most of which remains unexcavated. The earliest deposits on the site go back to 5300 B.C. and the area seems to have been continuously inhabited ever since. Archaeological evidence is the key to understanding Harappa’s past. Although Harappa continues to be the centre of historical debate, further archaeological explanations may some day reveal the validity or inaccuracy in the historical accounts of Harappa. Regardless of its impact on written history, archaeology will continue to reveal the way of life for Harappa's inhabitants.

Sahiwal dairy cattle breed

The Sahiwal breed is the best dairy breed of zebu or humped cattle (Bos indicus), followed by the very similar Red Sindhi and Butana breeds. See photos ^[3]. It originated in the dry Punjab region which lies along the Indian-Pakistani border. They were once kept in large herds by professional herdsmen called "Junglies". However, with the introduction of irrigation to the region they began to be kept in smaller numbers by the farmers of the region, who used them as draft and dairy animals. The Sahiwal is one of the best dairy breeds in India and Pakistan. It is tick-resistant, heat-tolerant and noted for its high resistance to parasites, both internal and external. Cows average 2270 kg. of milk during a lactation while suckling a calf and much higher milk yields have been recorded. Due to their heat tolerance and high milk production they have been exported to other Asian countries as well as Africa and the Caribbean. As oxen they are generally docile and lethargic, making them more useful for slow work. Their colour can range from reddish brown through to the more predominant red, with varying amounts of white on the neck, and the underline. In males the colour darkens towards the extremities, such as the head, legs and tails. Sahiwal breed arrived in Australia via New Guinea in the early 1950’s. In Australia, the Sahiwal breed was initially selected as a dual-purpose breed. It played a valuable role in the development of the two Australian tropical dairy breeds, the Australian milking zebu and the Australian Fresian Sahiwal. Sahiwal breeds are now predominantly used in Australia for beef production, as crossing high-grade Sahiwal sires with Bos taurus animals produced a carcass of lean quality with desirable fat cover.

The Sahiwal breed is the heaviest milker of all zebu breeds and displays a well-developed udder. It demonstrates the ability to sire small, fast-growing calves and is noted for its hardiness under unfavourable climatic conditions. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Climate

The climate of Sahiwal district is extremely hot, reaching 52 degrees Celsius in summer, and cold in winter, down to -5C. The soil of the district is very fertile. The average rainfall is about 2000 mm. See Latest Sahiwal Weather at ^[7] and ^{[8] [9]}

Major industries

It is famous for its cotton ginning & pressing, tannery, textile spinning, textile weaving, leather products, garments, pharmaceuticals, flour mills, food industry, oil mills, tobacco, vegetable ghee/cooking oil, biscuit plants, chip board, confectionery, and woollen textile spinning/weaving, etc. Its garments are especially famous all over the world due to unique eastern designs (e.g., City Fashion Point [Idrees Silk Center]in the Alfah Market and City Cloth Palace in Baroon Sori Gali). Its main crops are wheat, cotton, sugarcane, maize and rice. Main fruits are citrus, mangoes and guava. Sahiwal is a green and fertile town with 11,522 acres under naturally grown forests, the biscuit industry is also popular.

Sahiwal District Jail

The Sahiwal District Jail is one of the ancient jails in Punjab. It was depicted in one of the famous Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) drama Jangloos. A famous Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz wrote a major part of his poetry while he was in Sahiwal Jail as a political prisoner.

Educational institutes

Sahiwal houses several educational institutes of high esteem. DPS & C is one of the leading high schools of the city. Government High School, GOVT high School Urban Area and Comprehensive High School are other eminent institutes imparting knowledge to the younger generations and have produced many notables in different fields of life. Education for girls is also given prime importance. Government Pilot Higher Secondary School and Junior Model High School are noted to be the finest institutes. Government college for Women is the only Government institute for Women in the city. Now Government college SWL has got also Baha-u-deen zikria university campus in it.

A lots more is being done for education sector in Sahiwal. BZU (Baha-u-deen Zikria University) Multan is planning for its dedicated, separate sub-campus in Sahiwal. Land is acquired for this purpose. This university is hoped to be completed in two years, after that it would named as University of Sahiwal.

Moreover COMSATS (An IT and Computer Science College based in Lahore) sub-campus in sahiwal in being under construction. KEMU (King Edward Medical University Lahore) is also planning for its sub-campus in Sahiwal. Looks like after two years there would be no need of moving toward big cities for higher eduction.

Private sector in coming forward in education side. Renowned school such as Educator, Beconhouse , Bloom Field, City School, and last but not the least The Lahore Lyceum is also contributing their share in Education sector. A remarkable new building is under construction for City School in front of Comprehensive School Sahiwal. After completion it would be the largest Private School Campus in Sahiwal.

The Educators College has separate campus for Boys and girls. It has grabbed the whole share of student from Govt. College Sahiwal.

Heads of the Local Bodies in District Sahiwal

District Nazim (District Mayor) Sahiwal: Rai Hassan Nawaz

Tehsil Nazim (Tehsil Mayor) Sahiwal: Muhammad Umar Ishaq Chaudary

Tehsil Nazim (Tehsil Mayor) Chichawatni: Chaudary Muhammad Tufail

Politicians and People

One of the old Political families of Sahiwal is the Rajput Chaudhary's. They have been part of Local, Provincial and National level Politics of Sahiwal, Punjab and Pakistan for last 40 years. After partition in 1947, the late Ch.Abdul Shakoor moved from India to Pakistan to settle in one of the Punjab District's 'Sahiwal'. In late 1960's, he became the first Vice-Chairman of the Union Council, Sahiwal and later the Chairman of District Council, Sahiwal. His friendship with late Zulifqar Ali Bhutto made him join Pakistan People's Party in 1968. He contested twice on PPP MPA ticket in 1971 and 1973 later he died in 1983. His son, Chaudhry Nouraiz Shakoor Khan contested all MNA elections from 1985-2002 on PPP ticket except 1985. He has been elected thrice in 1988, 1993 and 2002 as Member National Assembly Pakistan. Nouraiz, later formed PPPP-Patriots in 2002 and became the Senior Vice President of the party.

During these tenures as Federal Cabinet Minister, Pakistan he rendered dedicated services as Parliamentary Secretary for Communications in 1993-95, as the Federal Minister of State for Communications and Youth Affairs in 1995-97. He then held the office of the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources from 2002-04. From 2005-present, he holds the portfolio of Minister of Science and Technology. He is an Advocate and an Agriculturist by profession. He is one of the senior most politicians of Pakistan who has a strong visionary political background. In 2002, his cousin Rana Aftab Ahmed got elected on a PPP ticket as Member Provincial Assembly, Punjab. He also contested in 1997 as MPA on the same PPP ticket but lost. After winning the elections in 2002, he also joined PPPP-Patriots co-founded by Nouraiz. From 2003-present, he is serving in the Provincial Cabinet of Punjab as Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Marketing and Production. Nouraizs' other cousin, Chaudhary Iftikhar Ahmed holds their family Nazim seat in his village. This Nazim seat has been won by Chaudhary's for last 40 years.

In his life long services as a triumphant political leader Ch. Nouraiz Shakoor held the membership of Standing Committee on Finance Economics Affairs in 1988-90 and 1993-96, Standing Committee on Production 1988-90, Standing Committee on Planning and Development 1993-96 and Parliamentary Kashmir Committee 1993-96.

Being on these titles Ch. Nouraiz Shakoor attended many national and international Conferences, Workshops and Seminars as the part and leader of the delegations. He has represented Pakistan on many official tours around the World and has visited regions within U.S.A, Europe and Asia. Married, he is the father of two sons (Jaffer Shakoor and Muhammad Ali Shakoor) and three daughters. An avid fan of sports, he is President of the Cycling Association Pakistan, President Sahiwal Club and Member Tennis Association, Punjab.

Farid Town Sahiwal

Farid Town Sahiwal is a new development that started sometime in the late 50s. Government College for boys was built at the "entrance" of this town. The town grew overnight when the well-to-do of the city wanted to enjoy the suburban lifestyle. The larger tracts of individual homes were first bought out by the wealthy and as you proceeded towards the inside of this town the areas got smaller. Downtown is of the largest mosque surrounded by a circle of road on the outskirts of which shops sprung up. One can compare it with any advanced Towns in the Country having almost all the best facilities of living. Farid Town is the best town in Sahiwal. Also over 97% population of this town are educated A vast majority of people now moving abroad for higher education. Current Mayor of Town is Sajid Naeem. Town is a very good place for living all the nice persons were want to live in town.sarmadgulraiz khan

Kot Khadim Ali Shah Sahiwal

Kot Khadim Ali Shah is the oldest colony of Sahiwal. It is located on the main Sahiwal-Faisalabad road. Kot Khadim Ali Shah has its own identity within Sahiwal. Many renowned personalities belong to this colony. This colony is distributed into eleven streets and each street is long enough even up to 30 blocks each. Kot Khadim Ali Shah is proud to have the largest Wood Market in Asia named as "Lakkar Mandi Sahiwal". This market is trading timber and furniture woods all over the Pakistan. rana zeeshan qamar is the youngest most famous businessman to establish a net-worth of over $6000 000 in the whole of mid- punjab

TARIQ BIN ZIAD COLONY,SAHIWAL

Tariq Bin Ziad colony is the most beautiful housing scheme of Sahiwal. It is located beside Bilal colony and Faridia Park. More literary persons and government officers live here .Some important personalities of Sahiwal like jamat-e islami leader of sahiwal Shakih Shahid Hameed, professors of Govt college of Sahiwal sir sharif of statistics department and retired professor hafiz waryaam sahib and professor riaz hussain zaidi and Muhammad aslam abid enrich the literary and educational environment of the community. they are great personalities of sahiwal.mostly students and youngsters of community learnt a lot from these all great people.beautiful and clean streets and homes are the scene of tariq bin ziad colony.it has a medical dispensary and here Doctor Abdul qauuym served the people.

Nobel Prize Winner

This district has the honour that Pakistan's only Nobel Prize winner was born in this district. The only Pakistani Nobel laureate, Dr. Abdus Salam, was born in District Sahiwal, according to his elder sister. He was brought up in Jhang, therefore it is erroneously assumed that he was also born there. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his achievements in the field of Theoretical Physics in 1979. He is buried at Rabwah city of Jhang district.

One of the founding forefathers of modern Urdu, Majeed Amjad, was born in Sahiwal and got his education from Govt. College Lahore. He was inspired by the greenery of Sahiwal and wrote about the trees.

Twin town

Sahiwal is twinned with the town of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England.

Broad Cast Media

After long long time Sahiwalians are also enjoying the crystal clear sound from FM 96 (Sun Rise Pakistan). It was first choice for students and wagon and rickshaw driver right after its launch. Cable networks like Voltas Cable Network, GEO Cable Network, Galaxy Cable network are equipped with Fiber Based CATV distribution System. On every main crossing of Sahiwal there is Closed Circuit TV Cameras monitoring 24 Days a week for security purpose.

Sahiwal on the Information Super Highway

Now Sahiwal is also on Information Super High way after getting High Speed DSL Internet Facility by Multi net . A lots more development in being done in the field of IT and Telecoms. Sahiwal is also connect with backbone fiber that connect all major cities of Pakistan. All Govt. Schools in Sahiwal have latest PIV Based Computer Lab from IT and Computer Labs Project Govt. of Punjab. Roughly 1 Million Rupees is spent on each lab. These furnished labs contain 16 Latest PIV (Core 2 Duo) Computer, Air Conditioner , Printer and Internet Facility. Each Lab has dedicated IT Staff including IT Teacher working on 17 Scale and Lab In charge). Govt. hoped that this project will defiantly improve the IT Education Standard in Sahiwal.

Hospitals

The Government hospital provides medication to people of the city. The city has got many other Government Hospitals and Dispensaries to look after the people. The District Hospital commonly named as Civil Hospital is the larger one. It also got a school for nursing classes and different Lab courses. Many of the well Known Doctors have served here as their House Job, but there is not enough medical facilities in the hospital and over all in the city of Sahiwal. Patients have to go to Lahore (the capital city of the Punjab) for better treatment and sometimes the civil hospital don't have the required arrangements for emergency. All critical patients are referred to Lahore which is problematic and risky for people who require treatment. Ch norez shakur and Rana aftab are available in the city only in election days. None of the politician of Sahiwal did anything for the development of the city.

Chaks of Sahiwal

There are many villages in SAHIWAL, for example 86-6r,876-r, these villages are named by the division of LOYAR BAARI DUWAAB, the villages which are on the left side of canal, these are named as 53-32L, in the end L is present but the villages which are present on the right side these are named as ending point is R e.g 86-6R

References

Administrative divisions of Punjab (Pakistan)
Capital	Lahore
Districts	Attock | Bahawalnagar | Bahawalpur | Bhakkar | Chakwal | Dera Ghazi Khan | Faisalabad | Gujranwala | Gujrat | Hafizabad | Jhang | Jhelum | Kasur | Khanewal | Khushab | Lahore | Layyah | Lodhran | Mandi Bahauddin | Mianwali | Multan | Muzaffargarh | Nankana Sahib | Narowal | Okara | Pakpattan | Rahimyar Khan | Rajanpur | Rawalpindi | Sahiwal | Sargodha | Sheikhupura | Sialkot | Toba Tek Singh | Vehari

Coordinates: 30°35′N, 73°20′E

Donate to Wikimedia