Sahiwal (Punjabi / Urdu: ساہيوال; Punjabi pronunciation: [sä˦ʱi̯.ʋälᵊ]; Urdu pronunciation: [ˈsɑːˌɦiːˈʋɑːl]), formerly known as Montgomery in British India, is a city in central Punjab, Pakistan.
It is the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. It is the 19th most populous city of Pakistan, according to the 2023 census. Sahiwal is located approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and 100 km from Faisalabad and lies between Lahore and Multan.
Sahiwal is approximately 152 meters above the sea level.
Contents
Historical background
The ancient city of Harappa, one of the major Indus Valley Civilisation sites, is located just 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of Sahiwal.
The city lies in a densely populated region between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers. The principal crops are wheat, cotton, tobacco, legumes, potato and oil seeds. Cotton goods and lacquered woodwork are manufactured.
The modern-day city of Sahiwal was founded in 1865 when a train station was built at the site of a small village on the Karachi-Lahore railway line. The site was named Montgomery for Sir Robert Montgomery, then lieutenant governor of the Punjab and it replaced Gogera as the capital of the recently created Montgomery district. Two years later in 1867, it was constituted a municipality.
In 1914, construction began of the Lower Bari Doab Canal which now irrigates both the city and the wider region.
During the Partition of India in 1947 the city, being part of the Montgomery district, was allocated to Pakistan by the Punjab Boundary Commission. This was on the basis of being a Muslim-majority area, despite claims from the Indian National Congress and Sikh groups on the basis of greater property ownership and revenues paid to the state.
Climate
The climate of Sahiwal district is hot semi arid, reaching 47 °C in summer, and down to 5 °C in winter. The soil of the district is very fertile. The average rainfall is about 685 mm, peaking during the summer monsoon season.
Demography
Population
According to the 2023 census, Sahiwal city had a population of 538,344.
Language
According to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, Urban Sahiwal has an overwhelmingly Punjabi-speaking population, spoken by 93.2% of residents. Urdu forms the largest minority language, accounting for 5.2% of the population. This is followed by Pashto at 0.5%, while the remaining 0.5% consists of speakers of other languages of Pakistan.
Education
Notable educational institutes of the city include:
University of Sahiwal
COMSATS University, Sahiwal Campus
Barani Institute of Sciences
Sahiwal Medical College
Quaid-e-Azam College of Engineering and Technology, Sahiwal
The Superior College
Army Public Schools & Colleges System (APSCS)
Beaconhouse School System
The City School
Divisional Public School and College
The Educators
Government Postgraduate College Sahiwal
Twin city
Sahiwal is twinned with the town of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. Approximately eight per cent of Rochdale's population is of Asian origin, most of whom have links with Pakistan. The twinning arrangement was agreed between Rochdale and Sahiwal in 1998.
Notable people
Mushtaq Ahmed, former test cricketer
Imran Ali, a cricketer
Majeed Amjad, Urdu poet
Tariq Aziz, television anchor
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, Indian Army Officer
Dildar Pervaiz Bhatti, (TV artist, compere, comedian, anchor)
Attash Durrani, Urdu writer and scholar
Manzoor Elahi, former test cricketer
Mehdi Hasan, journalist and historian
Rana Mohammad Hanif Khan, politician and former Finance Minister of Pakistan
Nazir Naji, journalist and Urdu columnist for various media groups
Emmanuel Neno, Christian author and translator
Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi Sahar, Urdu poet
Nouraiz Shakoor, politician and former federal minister
Saieen Zahoor, Sufi music folk singer
H. K. L. Bhagat, politician and former Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of India