Sahiwal

History

Main article: Sahiwal District}}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 [Punjab Railway, [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.{{cite web

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 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 94.01% of residents. Urdu forms the largest minority language, accounting for 4.99% of the population. This is followed by Pashto at 0.66%, while the remaining 0.34% 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 musician
• H. K. L. Bhagat, politician and former Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of India

Notes

References

References

1. [https://www.citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/punjab/sahiwal/7290108__sahival/ Citypopulation.de] Population of Sahiwal Municipal Corporation
2. "Punjab Development Statistics 2016". Bureau of Statistics, [[Government of Punjab, Pakistan.
3. (April 10, 2021). "Sahiwal to be connected with Lahore-Multan motorway". [[Dawn (newspaper).
4. (July 2025). "District Sahiwal Official Website}}{{Dead link".
5. Agricultural Research Council (Pakistan). (1 January 1980). "Pakistan journal of agricultural research". Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.
6. Nazli, Caesar B. Cororaton, Abdul Salam, Zafar Altaf, David Orden and Reno Dewina, Nicholas Minot, Hina. "Cotton-Textile-Apparel Sectors of Pakistan: Situations and Challenges Faced". Intl Food Policy Res Inst.
7. (1991). "The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropædia". Encyclopædia Britannica.
8. (1983). "Cotton handbook of Pakistan". Pakistan Central Cotton Committee.
9. "Montgomery District, Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 17, p. 410., 1860–1922". Dsal.uchicago.edu.
10. "Sahiwal".
11. (20 November 2018). "Partition of India Postcolonial Legacies". Taylor & Francis.
12. "Govt. Post Graduate College Sahiwal". Gpgcs.edu.pk.
13. "Population by administrative units 1951-1998". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
14. "URBAN LOCALITIES BY POPULATION SIZE AND THEIR POPULATION BY SEX, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE : CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB".
15. "First Digital Census: Understanding Its Importance and Process - Pakistan Bureau of Statistics population".
16. "University of Sahiwal".
17. "Barani Institute of Sciences".
18. "Punjab Assembly". Pap.gov.pk.
19. "Town twinning". rochdale.gov.uk.