Nawabshah

History

18th–19th century CE

Nawabshah lies near the Indus River in central Sindh, long inhabited since the Indus Valley era. Archaeological surveys note prehistoric and Harappan remains in the area, and the region later passed under various Muslim dynasties. In particular, the 18th–19th-century Kalhora and Talpur dynasties left many mosques and tombs with characteristic Sindhi and Islamic architecture.

British Raj

Under British rule, Nawabshah was carved out of Hyderabad District. Its taluka (subdivision) was established in 1903, and on 1 November 1912, Nawabshah was upgraded to full district status in Sindh. The town was named for Syed Nawab Shah, a local landowner who migrated there in 1881, his family donated land of 60 acres for colonial-era district offices, and in recognition of this generosity, the British named the town after him.

After independence of 1947

After 1947, Nawabshah became part of independent Pakistan. In 2008, the district was officially renamed Shaheed Benazirabad in memory of Benazir Bhutto. In recent years, the city has grown rapidly.

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Nawabshah had a population of 363,138. Nawabshah is inhabited by various communities and tribes. The region's electoral politics have traditionally been shaped by these influential families, often with the support of smaller local communities.

Languages

In the 2023 Census of Pakistan, Sindhi is the dominant first language in Nawabshah City, spoken by 58.96% of the population. Urdu is the second-most common language at 25.11%, followed by Punjabi at 9.89% and 1.61% spoke Brahui,1.59% spoke Balochi, 1.04% spoke Saraiki and an additional diverse 1.80% of the population spoke other languages of Pakistan (Mostly Pashto and Hindko).

Area and population 2014

Climate

| Nawabshah | 5.9|24.3| 2 | 8.7|27.1| 2 |14.2|33.3| 3 |19.7|39.2| 13 |24.6|43.5| 11 |27.7|43.2| 38 |27.6|40.4|82 |26.3|38.6|65 |23.8|38.4|40 |18.2|37.1| 33 |12.2|31.6| 2 | 7.4|25.5| 3

Nawabshah has a hot arid climate (Köppen BWh). The city is considered one of the hottest cities in Pakistan, with summer temperatures soaring as high as 53 °C. Temperatures above 45 °C are fairly common during late May and June. Winters start late, around mid-November, lasting to around mid-February, with night-time temperatures often reaching 4 °C, and temperatures below 0 °C occurring two or three times on average in January.

The highest temperatures each year in Pakistan, typically rising to above 50 °C, are usually recorded in Nawabshah District and Sibi from May to August. The climate is generally dry and hot, but sometimes the temperature falls to 0 °C. On 26 May 2010 record breaking severe heat wave hit the city and the mercury level reached 52 °C which was the highest temperature ever recorded in Nawabshah at the time. The climate is generally dry and hot, but sometimes the temperature falls to 0 °C. On 7 January 2011, temperatures dropped to 4 °C in the city. The highest annual rainfall ever is 685 mm, recorded in 2022.

|Jan record high C = 33.7 |Feb record high C = 38.0 |Mar record high C = 45.5 |Apr record high C = 49.0 |May record high C = 51.0 |Jun record high C = 50.5 |Jul record high C = 47.5 |Aug record high C = 48.9 |Sep record high C = 44.5 |Oct record high C = 43.0 |Nov record high C = 41.0 |Dec record high C = 35.0 |year record high C = 51.0 |Jan record low C = -2.6 |Feb record low C = -3.6 |Mar record low C = 3.0 |Apr record low C = 7.0 |May record low C = 15.0 |Jun record low C = 17.0 |Jul record low C = 20.0 |Aug record low C = 18.9 |Sep record low C = 14.6 |Oct record low C = 7.5 |Nov record low C = 2.8 |Dec record low C = -1.0 |year record low C = -3.6

Major education institutes

Educational institutions in the city include:

• Bakhtawar Cadet College For Girls Shaheed Benazirabad
• Nuclear Medicine Oncology & Radiotherapy Institute Nawabshah
• People's University of Medical & Health Sciences for Women
• Quaid-e-Azam Law College Nawabshah
• Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science & Technology
• Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
• Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal

Sports locations

• Bilawal Cricket Stadium
• Askari Hockey Stadium

Notes

References

References

1. "Populations - Sindh: Province and Major Cities, Municipalities & Towns".
2. Khan, Mohammad Hussain. (20 December 2021). "The tale of Benazirabad".
3. "Archaeological sites in Nawabshah can be a tourist hotspot".
4. (August 2025). "Population by administrative units 1951-1998". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]] }}{{Dead link.
5. "PBS Pakistan Bureau of Statistics".
6. [https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/census_tables/tables/table_11_sindh_districts.pdf TABLE 11 : POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE, SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023]
7. "Nawabshah District profile".
8. [https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR290/FR290.pdf Pakistan: Demographic and Health Survey (2012-13)] Global Demographic and Health Survey Program, Retrieved 9 April 2023
9. "Weather Advisory- 3, Government of Pakistan".
10. (2010-10-13). "Mercury dips to 4°C in Nawabshah".
11. "Nawabshah Climate Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
12. "Nawabshah weather chart".
13. . (18 April 2025). ["41749: Nawabshah (Pakistan)"](https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?lang=en&ind=41749&ano=2025&mes=4&day=17&hora=21&min=0&ndays=30). *OGIMET*.
14. Azeem Samar. (13 February 2022). "First batch of Pakistan's first girls' cadet college passes out". Gulf News website.
15. "PEOPLES UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOR WOMEN- SHAHEED BENAZIRABAD". pumhs.edu.pk.
16. "..:: SBBUVAS ::..". sbbuvas.edu.pk.
17. "SBBU (Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University) SBA". sbbusba.edu.pk.
18. Reporter, Web. (1 December 2017). "Cricketers appear in numbers as Khiladi Ki Khoj kicks off in Nawabshah".
19. "Under-20 hockey matches held in Nawabshah".