Rawalpindi Division
Encyclopedia
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. Divisions were composed of districts which formed the fourth tier of government, but the local government reform of 2000 abolished administrative divisions
and raised the districts
to become the new third tier of government.
of British India, primarily because of the strategic location of the city of Rawalpindi
.The Rawalpindi Division
itself was a part of Lahore Division
.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India describes the division as follows:
"North-western Division of the Punjab, lying between 31º35' and 34º 1' N. and 70º 37' and 74º29' E. The Commissioner's head-quarters are at Rawalpindi and Murree. The total population of the Division increased from 2,520,508 in 1881 to 2,750,713 in 1891, and to 2,799,360 in 1901. Its total area is 15,736 square miles, and the density of the population is 178 persons per square mile, compared with 209 for the Province as a whole"
The division was composed of five district:
but from 1955 to 1970, the divisions was one of twelve (later thirteen) divisions of West Pakistan
province under the One Unit
policy. On the dissolution of West Pakistan, the division was restored to the new Punjab province, but parts of the division were transferred with parts of Lahore Division
to form the new Gujranwala Division
.
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 of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, forming part of the third tier of government below the federal and provincial levels. Divisions were composed of districts which formed the fourth tier of government, but the local government reform of 2000 abolished administrative divisions
Divisions of Pakistan
Divisions are the third tier of government in Pakistan, between the provinces and districts. They were abolished in 2000 by the government of former president Pervez Musharraf to make way for local governance via district governments...
and raised the districts
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...
to become the new third tier of government.
British rule
Following the British conquest of the region in 1849, the area around Rawalpindi became a division of the Punjab provincePunjab (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...
of British India, primarily because of the strategic location of 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 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...
itself was a part of Lahore Division
Lahore Division
Lahore Division was an administrative division of the Punjab Province of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government.-History:Lahore Division was originally an administrative division of the Punjab Province of British India...
.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India describes the division as follows:
"North-western Division of the Punjab, lying between 31º35' and 34º 1' N. and 70º 37' and 74º29' E. The Commissioner's head-quarters are at Rawalpindi and Murree. The total population of the Division increased from 2,520,508 in 1881 to 2,750,713 in 1891, and to 2,799,360 in 1901. Its total area is 15,736 square miles, and the density of the population is 178 persons per square mile, compared with 209 for the Province as a whole"
The division was composed of five district:
| District | Area (sq mi) | Population (1901) |
|---|---|---|
| Gujrat Gujrat District Gujrat is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is an ancient district located in between two famous rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. Because of its proximity with the rivers the land is good for cultivation with rice and sugar cane as main crops... |
2,051 | 750,548 |
| Shahpur | 4,840 | 524,259 |
| Jhelum Jhelum District Jhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as... |
2,813 | 501,424 |
| Rawalpindi Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi is a district of Pakistan in the north of the Punjab province which contains the city of Rawalpindi. The district has an area of . It was part of Rawalpindi Division, until the year 2000 when the division was abolished... |
2,010 | 558,699 |
| Attock 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... |
4,022 | 464,430 |
| Total | 15,736 | 2,799,360 |
After independence
On independence in 1947, the division was one of four divisions of the province of West PunjabWest Punjab
West Punjab was a province of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 160,622 km², including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but excluding the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The capital was the city of Lahore and the province...
but from 1955 to 1970, the divisions was one of twelve (later thirteen) divisions of West Pakistan
West Pakistan
West Pakistan , common name West-Pakistan , in the period between its establishment on 22 November 1955 to disintegration on December 16, 1971. This period, during which, Pakistan was divided, ended when East-Pakistan was disintegrated and succeeded to become which is now what is known as Bangladesh...
province under the One Unit
One Unit
One-Unit was the title of a scheme launched by the federal government of Pakistan to merge the four provinces of West Pakistan into one homogenous unit, as a counterbalance against the numerical domination of the ethnic Bengalis of East Pakistan...
policy. On the dissolution of West Pakistan, the division was restored to the new Punjab province, but parts of the division were transferred with parts of Lahore Division
Lahore Division
Lahore Division was an administrative division of the Punjab Province of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government.-History:Lahore Division was originally an administrative division of the Punjab Province of British India...
to form the new Gujranwala Division
Gujranwala Division
Gujranwala Division, once a district of Lahore Division, is an administrative division of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The division, headquartered at the city of Gujranwala, covers an area of 17,206 km2, the population according to the 1981 census was 7,522,352 this had risen by almost four 4...
.
Districts
The division was composed of four districts at abolition in 2000.- Attock DistrictAttock DistrictAttock 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...
- Chakwal DistrictChakwal DistrictChakwal is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Chakwal district was created in 1985; until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished, it was part of Rawalpindi Division.-Administration:...
- Jhelum DistrictJhelum DistrictJhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as...
- Rawalpindi DistrictRawalpindi DistrictRawalpindi is a district of Pakistan in the north of the Punjab province which contains the city of Rawalpindi. The district has an area of . It was part of Rawalpindi Division, until the year 2000 when the division was abolished...
See also
- Divisions of PakistanDivisions of PakistanDivisions are the third tier of government in Pakistan, between the provinces and districts. They were abolished in 2000 by the government of former president Pervez Musharraf to make way for local governance via district governments...
- Punjab provincePunjab (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...