Shakargarh Tehsil

History

Shakargarh became a tehsil in 1853. Its literacy rate is 97 percent. Sialkot was annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849. In 1853, Shakargarh Tehsil of Sialkot district was transferred to Gurdaspur District and it remained an administrative subdivision of Gurdaspur district until the Partition in 1947. Under the Radcliffe Award, three of the four tehsils of Gurdaspur district on the eastern bank of the Ujh river (which joined the Ravi a little further down) – Gurdaspur, Batala and Pathankot – were awarded to India and only one, Shakargarh, was assigned to Pakistan. After the creation of Pakistan, Shakargarh became a part of Sialkot district once again. In July 1991, two tehsils (Narowal and Shakargarh) were split off from Sialkot district and Shakargarh became a tehsil of the newly formed Narowal district.

The Imperial Gazetteer of India, written over a hundred years ago during British rule, describes Shakargarh as follows:

Tahsīl of Gurdāspur District, Punjab, lying between 32°2' and 32° 30' N. and 74° 57' and 75° 23' E., with an area of 485 sqmi. The Ravi divides it from the rest of the District to the south, while on the north it touches Jammu territory. West of the narrow lowlands along the Ravi, the country is an arid expanse of rolling downs intersected by torrent beds. The population in 1901 was 234,465, compared with 250,336 in 1891. It contains 703 villages, of which Shakargarh is the headquarters. The land revenue and cesses in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 4,29,000.

Administration

The tehsil of Shakargarh is administratively subdivided into union councils, three of which form the tehsil capital Shakargarh. These are:

• Achli
• Akhlaspur
• Babral
• Bara Manga
• Chak Fatehpur
• Afghana
• Bhati
• Bua Shakargarh
• Badwal
• Bajjar Chak
• Chandwal
• Chatrana
• Darapur, Shakargarh|Darapur
• Darman, Shakargarh|Darman
• Dinga
• Dinga Narainpur
• Fatwal
• Gamrola
• Jamwal
• Kanjrur
• Mangri, Shakargarh|Mangri
• Masrur
• Nagwal
• Nurkot
• Rambari
• Shakargarh-I
• Shakargarh-II
• Shakargarh-III
• Shahpur

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Shakargarh Tehsil in Narowal District, Punjab, Pakistan, has a total population of 769,339, with 642,597 residing in rural areas and 126,742 in urban areas. The tehsil covers an area of 835 square kilometers, resulting in a population density of approximately 921.36 people per square kilometer. The literacy rate in Shakargarh Tehsil is 76.28%, with male literacy at 81.38% and female literacy at 70.95%. The average annual growth rate is 1.35.

Shakargarh city, the administrative center of the tehsil, has a population of 126,742 as of 2023.

Religion

An overwhelming majority (99%) are Muslims with a small minority adhering to Christianity. Local Sikhs and Hindus.

Tribes

Gujjar and Jats are the predominant caste followed in order by Ansaris, Pathans, and Rajputs. The tehsil has one of the highest literacy rates in Pakistan at over 87%.

Notable people

• Dev Anand : Indian Bollywood actor
• Anwar Aziz Chaudhry : Former member of the National Assembly and federal minister.
• Muhammad Tariq Anis : Ex Minister, MNA and MPA.
• Daniyal Aziz : Ex MNA
• Shiv Kumar Batalvi : Punjabi poet.
• Nek Chand : Indian sculptor and creator of Rock Garden, Chandigarh
• Chaudhry Abdul Rahim : Ex MLA and MNA. He was given title of khan bahadur by British Raj.
• Gurbachan Singh Salaria : Captain of British Indian Army, he was awarded by Param Vir Chakra.
• S. M. Zafar : former minister, human rights lawyer in Pakistan

References

References

1. (2024-10-05). "DISTRICT AND TEHSIL LEVEL POPULATION SUMMARY WITH REGION BREAKUP: PUNJAB". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
2. "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023".
3. link. (2009-02-14)
4. (1908). "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India". Clarendon Press.
5. Ishtiaq Ahmed. (1 November 2013). "Splitting India VII". The Friday Times.
6. "Narowal - Punjab Portal".
7. (1908). "Imperial Gazetteer of India". Clarendon Press.
8. "NRB: Local Government Elections".
9. "Population by administrative units 1951-1998". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
10. "Shakargarh (Tehsil, Pakistan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location".
11. "Shakargarh (Tehsil, Pakistan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location".
12. (1884). "Gazetteers Of Gurdaspur District, 1883-84".
13. (1892). "Gazetteer of the Gurdaspur district, 1891-92".
14. (1913). "Punjab District Gazetteers Gurdaspur District Vol.21 Statistical Tables".
15. (1911). "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables.".
16. Kaul, Harikishan. (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II".
17. (1921). "Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables.".
18. (1931). "Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables.".
19. (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab".
20. "Page 40 - Narowal Gazetteer".