Rawalpindi District
Encyclopedia
Districts of Pakistan
The Districts of Pakistan are the second order administrative divisions of Pakistan. Districts were the third order of administrative divisions, below provinces and "divisions", until the reforms of August 2000, when "divisions" were abolished...
of Pakistan in the north of the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
province which contains the city of Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. The district has an area of 5286 km² (2,040.9 sq mi). It was part of Rawalpindi Division
Rawalpindi Division
Rawalpindi Division was one of the administrative subdivisions of the Punjab province of Pakistan, forming part of the third tier of government below the federal and provincial levels...
, until the year 2000 when the division was abolished. It is situated on the southern slopes of the north-western extremities of the Himalayas, including large mountain tracts with rich valleys traversed by mountain rivers. It contains the Murree hills and the sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
of the same name, the chief hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
in the Punjab. The chief rivers are the Indus and the Jhelum, and the climate is noted for its health benefits.
Demography
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the population of the district was 3,363,911 of which 53.03% were urban, and is the second-most urbanised district in Punjab. The population was estimated to be 4.5 million in 2010.The main tribes of the district are the Sayyid (Kazmi), Gakhars (kiani), Janjua, Awans
Awans
Awans is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Awans had a total population of 8,696. The total area is 27.16 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km²....
, Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
, Jats, Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
, Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
, Abbasi
Abbasi
Abbasi is a prominent Islamic family name. - Origin :The Abbasid caliphate was founded by the descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's youngest uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, in Harran in 750 CE and shifted its capital in 762 to Baghdad...
, Bhatti, Chauhan
Chauhan
Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan , , - is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. The clan is most famous for Rajput King Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan...
, Mughals
Mughal (tribe)
The term Mughal is simply a Turkic word and many groups in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh use the term Mughal to describe themselves...
, Qureshi, Rawal
Rawal
The Rawal is Rajput clan . Rawal is also a last name for in state of Gujarat, India-History and origin:Bappa Rawal's, a legendary figure in Rajput history, warlike temperament commended him to the attention of Maan Mori, a local chieftain who belonged to the Parmara clan of Rajputs; Maan Mori is...
, and Satti
Satti
The Satti is a Rajput tribe of Punjab, India/Pakistan. They are one of the main tribes of India and Pakistan Rawalpindi District.-Religion:...
.
Ancient history
In ancient times the whole or the greater part of the area between the Indus and the Jhelum seems to have belonged to a NagaNaga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
tribe called Takshakas
Takshak
Thakshak or Taxak, classically called the Taxilleans , is a gotra or clan of Jats and Rajputs found in India, Pakistan. This clan has descended from Nagavansh king named Takshaka.- The Shavi dynasty :...
, who gave their name to the city of Takshasila. Known as Taxila
Taxila
Taxila is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site.Taxila is situated about northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road...
by the Greek historians, the location of the ancient city has been identified to be in the ruins of Shahdheri in the north-west corner of the District. At the time of Alexander's invasion Taxila was described by Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
as a flourishing city, the greatest indeed between the Indus and the Hydaspes; Strabo adds that the neighbouring country was crowded with inhabitants and very fertile; and Pliny speaks of it as a famous city situated in a district called Amanda. The invasion of Demetrius
Demetrius
Demetrius, also spelled as Demetrios, Dimitrios, Demitri, and Dimitri , is a male given name.Demetrius and its variations may refer to the following:...
in 195 B.C. brought the Punjab under the Graeco-Bactrian kings. Later they were superseded by the Sakas, who ruled at Taxila with the title of Satrap. At the time of Hiuen Tsiang the country was a dependency of Kashmir.
Mughal era
Mahmud of Ghazni passed through the District after his defeat of Anand Pal and capture of Ohind. The GakharsGakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
, a tribe still of importance within the district trace their origins back to Mahmud of Ghanzi. The first mention of the Gakhars occurs in the memoirs of Babar
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
, who gives an interesting account of the capture of their capital, Paralah. It was strongly situated in the hills, and was defended with great bravery by its chief Hati Khan, who escaped from one gate as the Mughal army marched in at the other. Hati Khan died by poison in 1525 ; his cousin and murderer Sultan Sarang then submitted to Babar, who conferred on him the area of Potwar. From that time on the Gakhar chieftains remained firm allies of the Mughal dynasty, and provided significant aid to the Mughal in their struggle against the house of Sher Shah. Salim Shah attempted in vain to subdue their country.
In 1553 Adam Khan, Sarang's successor, surrendered the rebel prince Kamran to Humayun. Adam Khan was subsequently deposed by Akbar, and his principality given over to his nephew Kamal Khan. During the height of the Mughal empire, the family of Sarang retained its territorial possessions. Its last and gakhars
Gakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
chief, Mukarrab Khan, ruled over a kingdom which extended from the Chenab to the Indus.
Sikh era
In 1765, during the total paralysis of the Mughal government, Sardar Gujar Singh Bhangi, a powerful Sikh chieftain, marched from Lahore against Mukarrab Khan, whom he defeated outside the walls of Gujrat.Mukarrab Khan then retired across the Jhelum, where he was soon murdered by his own tribesmen; but the traitors quarrelled, and fell to Sardar Gujar Singh. The Sikhs ruled Rawalpindi, exacting revenue from the proprietors, who were often glad to admit their tenants as joint-sharers, in order to lighten the incidence of the revenue. Gujar Singh held the District throughout his life, and left it on his death to his son, Sahib Singh, who fell in 1810 to Ranjit Singh. Another Sikh Sardar, Milka Singh, decided to take Rawalpindi, then an insignificant village, for his headquarters. In spite of Afghan inroads and the resistance of the Gakhars, he soon conquered on his own account a tract of country round Rawalpindi worth 3 lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s a year. On his death in 1804, his estates were conferred to his son, Jiwan Singh, by Ranjit Singh, until 1814, when, upon Jiwan Singh's death, they were annexed to the territory of Lahore.
The Murree and other hills long retained their independence under their Gakhar chieftains; but in 1830 they were defeated after a bloody struggle, and handed over to Gulab Singh of Jammu, under whose rule the population was almost decimated, and the country reduced to a desert.
British era
In 1849 Rawalpindi passed with the rest of the Sikh dominions under British rule; and though tranquillity was disturbed by an insurrection four years later, led by a Gakhar chief with the object of placing a pretended son of Ranjit Singh on the throne, its administration was generally peaceful until the outbreak of the Mutiny in 1857.The Dhunds
Dhond Abbasi
The Dhund Abbasi are a tribe of northern Pakistan. The tribe claims descent from Dhond Khan and ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib and hence are known as Dhund Abbasi. The tribe speak the Dhundi-Kairali dialect...
and other tribes of the Murree Hills, incited by Hindustani agents, rose in insurrection, and the authorities received information from a faithful native of a projected attack upon the station of Murree in time to organise measures for defence. The women near the station, who were present in large numbers, were placed in safety, while the Europeans and police were drawn up in a cordon round the station. The rebels arrived expecting no resistance, but were met with organised resistance and were repelled.
The district of Rawalpindi was created during British rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
as part of Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
province. The district obtained its current boundaries in 1904 when Attock District
Attock District
Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock...
was created as a separate district. According to the 1901 census of India the population in 1901 was 558,699, an increase of 4.7% from 1891.
The principal crops were wheat, barley, maize, millets, and pulses. The district was traversed by the main line of the North-Western railway, crossing the Indus at Attock, and also by a branch towards the Indus at Kushalgarh.
Subdivisions
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
s:
- Gujar KhanGujar Khan TehsilGujar Khan Tehsil, head-quartered at Gujar Khan, is one of the seven Tehsils of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan...
- KahutaKahuta TehsilKahuta Tehsil is one of the seven Tehsils of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The neighbouring Tehsil of Kotli Sattian used to be part of Kahuta, but was later created as a separate tehsil.-History:...
- Kallar SyedanKallar Syedan TehsilKallar Syedan is a tehsil of the Rawalpindi District. On 1st July 2004 Kallar Syedan became the seventh tehsil of Rawalpindi District, prior to which it was a part of the Kahuta Tehsilpopulation 1million 90 thousand people. 23 patwars. 1 police station. 7 union councils. literacy rate 62%. 99...
- Kotli SattianKotli Sattian TehsilKotli Sattian is a tehsil of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its name is derived from the mountain town of Kotli and the Satti tribe...
- MurreeMurree TehsilMurree Tehsil is one of the seven Tehsils of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.Murree Tehsil is located in the northernmost part of Punjab province where it borders the North West Frontier Province...
- Pothohar
- Rawalpindi Town
- TaxilaTaxila TehsilTaxila Tehsil, head-quartered at Taxila, is one of the seven Tehsils of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According to the 1998 census has a population of 151,000.-Administration:...
Kallar Syedan became the seventh Tehsil of Rawalpindi district on 1 July 2007; prior to this date it was part of Kahuta Tehsil.
Notable people
A popular personality of Rawalpindi is Raja Zafar ul Haq of Matore, Rawalpindi descended of the Raja Kala Khan Janjua clan of Rajput. He is the Chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and he is also Secretary General of the World Muslim Congress since 1992. He has also served as Pakistan's Ambassador to Egypt from 1985, as well as served as Leader of the House (Pakistan Senate). He was a close associate and minister of information and religious affairs of President Zia ul Haq during his reign. He was also member of cabinet of Prime minister Nawaz Sharif.A publically less known but well recognized personality in the diplomatic circles is Mr. Muhammad Siddique Bhatti of Rupper village (now Fatimia Jinnah Park, F-9, Islamabad). Mr. Bhatti now lives in Sadiqabad, Rawal Town of Rawalpindi district. He is an Education Advisor with the European Union and a prominent member of Education Donors Group in Pakistan.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is also a popular personality of Rawalpindi district, He comes from an Alpial Rajput family from Fateh Jang. He is the current opposition leader in the National Assembly. He is a member of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and was elected as MNA for his seventh term as a PML(N) candidate in the 2008 general election from the constituencies NA-52 (Rawalpindi-III) and NA-53 (Rawalpindi-IV). Ch. Nisar Ali Khan was a senior minister and held the portfolios of Ministry of Communication and Ministry of Food and Livestock (MINFAL). However, all the PML-N ministers resigned en route on 12 May 2008 protesting the delay of restoration of judges by the PPP-led government.
Nisar Ali Khan has previously served as Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, and Provincial Coordinator during 1990 - 1993 government of PML(N). From 1997 - 1999 government of PML(N), he was again Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister. He has served as Member National Assembly (MNA) for the terms of 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2002. Currently he is Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly of Pakistan.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was elected 4 times as a Member to the National Assembly (MNA) and is Ex. Minister of Railways. He was the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. Ejaz-ul-Haq was also an MNA and remain the Minister of Religious Affairs from Rawalpindi. He is the son of the Dictator General Zia-ul-Haq who served as President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Officer for 11 years. Three of the above mentioned ministers lost their seats in the 2008 Elections.
Syed Jamil Hussain Kazmi is a well known political and religious personality of Rawalpindi district, based at Dhaman Syedan, Adiala Road, Rawalpindi. Syed Jamil Kazmi is the son of highly respected saint, Peer Syed Salamat Hussain Kazmi, a successor of shrine of Baba Shah Meeran Mustafa Badshah. Kazmi remained Nazim of Union Council Dhaman Syedan in 2001- 2005 and hoarded remarkable achievements during his tenure as Nazim, outstanding of which were high schools for boys and girls, dispensary, graveyard and vast network of roads and cemented streets. He is heading and patronizing various social organizations and IMDAD Welfare Trust is one of them. He took the initiative and started distributing free food to deserving people on every Sunday. For his meticulous character and extending brilliant contributions towards social, political and religious issues he is taken as a “Jewel of the locality” and a lighthouse for rest to follow.
Athar Bashir Awami was born in Rawalpindi. Chairman Tameer-e-Millat Party Pakistan. He is also a civil right activist for farmers and students of Pakistan.
Ijaz-ul-Haq, elder son of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who was ex-president of Pakistan, is among notable people of Rawalpindi district. He was elected MNA number of times and remain federal minister in era of Nawaz Sharif and Prevaiz Musharaf.
Khan Ghulam Sarwar Khan is another politician from the area who was a Federal Minister of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis. He has served as a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) of Punjab, Health Minister of Punjab and Member of the Central Zakat Council in the past. His younger brother, Khan Muhammad Sadeeq Khan, was elected Nazim of Tehsil Taxila.
Raja Tariq Mehboob Kayani belongs to prominent gakahr clan of district Rawalpindi.He was elected first district Nazim [Mayor] in 2001 and had been chief executive of Rawalpindi till 2005.He has the distinction of having been elected President of Rawalpindi chamber of commerce&industry twice,1993-4&2000-1. Widely respected for development initiatives, he took for the Rawalpindi District.
Shoaib Akhtar World Fastest Bowler Hometown Rawalpindi.
Kahuta
KahutaKahuta
Kahuta is a town and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. According to Pakistan's 2008 census, Kahuta tehsil has a population of approximately 160,000....
Tehsil (Urdu: تحصیل کہوٹہ) is one of the seven Tehsils (subdivisions) of Rawalpindi District.The tehsil is administratively divided into 13 Union Councils, two of which form the city of Kahuta.Kahuta is a beautiful place, of many mountain ranges, breathtaking views, snow capped mountains, forests, gushing rivers and a cool climate hot in the summer with more rainfall just giving it that coolness, cold winters, different spices of wildlife, different tribes of people living off the land, keeping livestock.According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, Kahuta has a total population of 153,000.Janjua Rajput is the famous tribe of this region.
Gujar Khan
Gujar KhanGujar Khan
Gujar Khan is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab...
is located in the heart of the Potohar region and is also called the land of Shaheed. The region has produced people from all walks of life. Two recipients of Nishan-i-Haider came from Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab...
. The area is notable for producing many top Military professionals as well. See also famous personalities of Gujar Khan.
Murree
In the North of Rawalpindi District, where the Punjab meets the North-West Frontier ProvinceNorth-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
is the city of Murree
Murree
Murree city is a popular hill station and a summer resort, especially for the residents of Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and for the cities of the province of Punjab, Pakistan...
, Murree is one of the hill stations that was established during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.
Kotli Sattian
Provincial Minister of Public Health Engineering, Mushtaq Ahmad Kiani is elected MPA from Kotli Satyan.Rawal Town
- The Administration of Rawalpindi city is called Rawal Town administration. The main Rawalpindi city is Rawal Town. Famous personality is Former Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad.Few famous and influential student leaders are Maqbool Ahmad khan, Ch Fakhar iqbal, Ch Shahid Nawaz khan etc.The main shopping Centers and Bazaars are Raja Bazaar, Committee Chowk, Dhoke Khabba, Kashmiri Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar, Rehman Abad, Satellite Town, Commercial Market, Kohati Bazaar, Dhoke Hassu Chowk, Pirwadhai, Pirwadhai Mor, Khana Pul, Kaak Pul, Faizabad, Mochi Bazaar, Jinnah Road.
Kallar Syedan
- Kallar Syedan became the seventh Tehsil of Rawalpindi in 2007, a very promising area with people of all tribes residing there including Syed, Raja,Bhatti, Malik, Jatt, Chaudary, Rajputs, Kashmiri Butt & Dhar and many others. During the building of the Mangla Dam many of the inhabitants of the surrounding areas of the Mangla Dam migrated in Kallar Syedan, making Kallar the hot spot of new technological developments.
External links
- http://www.pindiplus.com
- Rawalpindi District