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History
| Geography |
Infrastructure | Agriculture |
Livestock | Industry |
Important Personalities |
Places of Interest |
Transport | Educational Institutions
| Sports | Media
Sialkot District or the District of Sialkot , is one of the districts of the
Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located in the north-east of the
province. The city of Sialkot is the capital of the district.
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Places of Interest
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Eating &
Dining | Parks &
Gardens |
Educational Institutes |
Hospitals |
Sport Centers |
Banks |
ATM |
Fuel Stations |
CNG Stations |
Police Stations |
Shopping /Trade
History
The legendary history of the District is connected with Raja Salivahan, the
reputed founder of the town of Sialkot, and his famous son Rasalu. Pasrur is
also an ancient place. At an early date the District fell to the Rajas of
Jammu, and under the Mughals formed the Rechna Doab sarkar of the Subah of
Lahore. Under Shah Jahan the sarkar was entrusted to Ali Mardan Khan, the
famous engineer, who dug a canal through it to bring water from the Chenab
river to the imperial gardens in Lahore. On the decline of the Mughal empire
Ranjit Singh Deo, a Rajput hill chief, extended his sway over the lowlands,
owning a nominal allegiance to Delhi. In 1748 he transferred his allegiance
to Ahmad Shah Durrani, who added Zafarwal and two other parganas to his
fief. Before his death in 1773 Ranjit Deo had secured possession of the
whole District, except the Sialkot town and its dependencies, which were
held by a Pathan family.
After his death the Bhangi confederacy of the Sikhs took Sialkot from the
Pathans, and eventually overran the whole country up to the foot of the
Jammu hills, dividing it among a score of leaders. These petty States were,
however, attached by Ranjit Singh in 1791 ; and his annexation of Pasrur in
1807 gave him control of the tract, after his general, Diwan Mohkam Chand,
had defeated the Sardars of Sialkot at Attari.
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the station was denuded of British
troops; and the Native regiments which were left behind rose, and, after
sacking the jail, treasury, and courthouse, and massacring several of the
European inhabitants, marched off towards Delhi, only to be destroyed by
Nicholson at Trimmu Ghat. The rest of the Europeans took refuge in the fort,
and on the morning after the departure of the rebels order was restored. The
only events of interest in the subsequent history of the District are the
plague riots which occurred at the villages of Shahzada and Sankhatra in
1901.
Numerous mounds are scattered about the District, which mark the sites of
ancient villages and towns. None of them, except that on which the Sialkot
fort stood, has been excavated, but silver and copper utensils and coins
have been dug up from time to time by villagers. Most of the coins are those
of Indo-Bactrian kings. The excavations in Sialkot revealed the existence of
some old baths, with hot-water pipes of solid masonry. The fort itself, of
which very little now remains, is not more than 1,ooo years old, and is said
to have been rebuilt by Shahab-ud-din Ghori at the end of the twelfth
century.
In 1859, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Sialkot were placed in the new division of
Sialkot. But in 1884, Gurdaspur along with Amritsar again became a part of
the Lahore Division.
According to the 1901 census the district had a population of 1,083,909 and
contained 7 towns and 2,348 villages. The population at previous three
enumerations were: 1,004,695 (1868), 1,012,148 (1881) and 1,119,847 (1891).
The population decreased between 1891-1901 by 3.2, the decrease being
greatest in the Raya tahsil and least in Daska. The Chenab Colony was
responsible for this fall in population, no less than 103,000 persons having
left to take land in the newly irrigated tracts.
The district was subdivided into five tehsils namely: Sialkot, Pasrur,
Zafarwal, Raya and Daska, the head-quarters of each being at the place from
which it is named. The chief towns of the district were Sialkot, Daska,
Jamki, Pasrur, Kila Sobha Singh, Zafarwal and Narowal.
In 1930, the tehsils of Raya, Daska and Pasrur were split up and parts of
these were amalgamated into Gujranwala District. In 1991, the tehsils of
Narowal and Shakar Garh (which was tehsil Shankar Garh of Gurdaspur district
before partition) were split up and formed into the new Narowal District.
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Geography
Sialkot District lies southeast of Gujrat District, southwest of Jammu
district, while Narowal District is to the southeast and Gujranwala District
is situated to the west. Sialkot district is spread over an area of 3,016
square kilometres comprising of the following four tehsils
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Daska
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Pasrur
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Sambrial
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Sialkot
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Infrastructure
The main crops grown in the district are wheat and rice, the main fruits are
guava and citruses - vegetables cultivated include potatoes, turnips,
garlic, cauliflower, peas, and onions. The district has 15,078 acres (61.02
km2) of forest, 12,295 km of metalled roads, 12 grid stations, 45 telephone
exchanges and 3229 industrial units.
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Agriculture
The major crops and fruit of district Sialkot are wheat, rice, citrus and
guava. Their average annual production over the period 1998-2001 was 453,
242, 6 and 11 thousand Metric Tons, respectively. A variety of vegetables
are also grown in the district.
There are 14 flour mills, 57 rice husking units, one sugar mill, one
vegetable ghee unit and one fruit juice unit already working in the
district. However, there exist good prospects for rice bran oil, rice husk
briquettes, maize products, dal mills, etc.
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Livestock
As per Punjab Development Statistics for the year 2000, the population of
cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats was 195, 471, 42 and 137 thousand heads
respectively. For poultry, there were 954 broiler, 134 layer and 9 breeding
poultry farms, having a rearing capacity of 11150, 747 and 63 thousand birds
respectively. The annual availability of hides and skins is estimated at 536
thousand pieces. In the district of Sialkot there are 92 tanneries, 244
leather garments/products manufacturing units, and more than 900 leather
sports goods manufacturing units. There exists a scope for dairy farms,
animal/poultry feed, and cattle/sheep/goat fattening farms.
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Industry
District Sialkot is traditionally a centre of sports goods, surgical
instruments, leather goods/garments, cutlery, musical instruments
industries. There are also various types of plastic- and metal-based
industries. In view of the existing industries, there exists a good scope
for material testing laboratory, forging, electroplating unit, hospital
furniture, disposable syringes, hospital gloves, steel furniture, cast iron
pipe, steel pipes/tubes, galvanized iron pipe, industrial gloves, and
special thread for sports goods industries.
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Important Personalities
Sialkot is a city of writers and poets. Sialkot is also the birthplace of
the Muslim philosopher, scholar and poet, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the
famous Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, another famous
poet and writer, was born at Kot Mehrath, Sialkot. Sir Muhammad Zafrullah
Khan also born in Sialkot. He was President of the International Court of
Justice in Den Haag, Pakistan's first foreign minister and the president of
the UN-Assembly.
Amjad Islam Amjad the famous Urdu poet and lyricist was born at Sialkot.
Professor Rajinder Singh Bedi, a famous Urdu writer, was also born at
Sialkot. Narendra Kohli, who is one of the most prominent Hindi language
authors of modern times, belongs to Sialkot as well. Zulfikar Ghose, famous
English writer, was born at Sialkot. The famous Indian journalist, Kuldip
Nayyar, was also born at Sialkot. In journalism, Khalid Hasan, Professor
Waris Mir and his son, Hamid Mir, Jawed Iqbal, Muhammad Farooq and Mumtaz
Hamid Rao are notable. The famous Indian politician and twice Prime Minister
of India, Gulzari Lal Nanda, also belonged from Sialkot. The eminent orator
of Pakistan Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah belonged from Sialkot. Maulana
Ubaidullah Sindhi was born at Sialkot. Khawaja Muhammad Safdar a former
acting President of Pakistan and Chairman of the Majlis-e-Shoora also hails
from Sialkot. His son, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, is a well-known and seasoned
politician of Pakistan who presently represents Sialkot in the Pakistan
National Assembly. He was a minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources in
the last democratically-elected parliament. Former Speaker of the National
Assembly, and Acting President, Chaudhry Amir Hussain and the Interior
minister Rehman Malik also hail from Sialkot. ch m.umair
The famous Lollywood hero Waheed Murad, Bollywood hero Rajendra Kumar and
the veteran actor A. K. Hangal were also born at Sialkot. Ghulam Ali, the
famous Ghazal singer and Ustad Allah Rakha, the famous Sarangi Nawaz are
also from Sialkot. Sialkot is not only famous and internationally recognised
for its sports industry, but also for the sports-persons like the Pakistan
National Cricket players, Ijaz Butt, (Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board),
Zaheer Abbas, Ijaz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Mansoor Amjad, Zahid Fazal, Abdur
Rehman, Abbas Khan (Finnish National Cricket player) and Jawaid Iqbal (Hong
Kong National Cricket player) were also born at Sialkot. The captains and
players of the Pakistani National Hockey team including Shahnaz Sheikh,
Manzoor Hussain Jr., Nasir Ali, Asif Bajwa, (Secretary of Pakistan Hockey
Federation), Tariq Sheikh, Zahid Sheikh, Muhammad Waqas Sharif, Mahmood
Hussain, Maqsood Hussain, Munir Bhatti and Kamran Ashraf also hail from this
city. Ex national snooker champion Abu Saim and Chacha Cricket, a
world-known cricket fan, also belongs to Sialkot.
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Places of Interest
The old city has a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and crowded
bazaars. In the old part of the city is located the shrine of Hazrat Imam
Ali-ul-Haq also known as Imam Sahib. The mausoleum complex is a maze of
narrow corridors leading to several shrines of saints. The tomb of Imam Ali-ul-Haq
is to the right, through a mirrored gateway tiled with Koranic inscriptions
and geometric designs. On a low hill in the centre of the old city are the
few remains of the Sialkot Fort. It is one of the oldest forts in Pakistan
established around the 2nd century AD. The shrine of the saint Muradia Shah
is also on the Fort. Puran's Well is a famous historical site located just
outside the city of Sialkot. According to Mutiny in Sialkot there were
remains of Puran's tomb extant in 1857, but now there is no tomb except for
a small building, a small place for worship and a running well.
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Iqbal Manzil
Sialkot FortAlso of interest is the birth place of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal
(1877–1938) which has been turned into a small museum containing some of
his personal belongings and a library and named as Iqbal Manzil (Iqbal
House). The most famous square of Sialkot city is Allama Iqbal Chowk.
Here, the famous Shaheen monument has been erected to pay tributes to Dr.
Muhammad Iqbal. Near the Allama Iqbal Chowk is located the biggest grand
mosque of the city, Jamia Masjid Donga Bagh. One of its three minarets is
the tallest land mark in Sialkot. Other places of interest include the
tombs of the great Muslim scholars, Mullah Abdul Hakim Sialkoti near Abdul
Hakim Park, Hakim Khadim Ali on Khadim Ali Road and Hafiz Muhammad Alam,
near Do Darwaza (the name of one of the gates of the once walled city).
Seerat Study Center is situated at the southern edge of the
Khayaban-I-Iqbal (Company Bagh) on Ghazi Road. It is a world-renonwed
center for conducing research on the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Located
in the cantonment area is the famous Holy Trinity Cathedral Church also
known as the Sialkot Cathedral which was built in 1852. On Zafarwal Road
is located a famous Sikh Gurdwara Beri Sahib. Every year, many Sikh
pilgrims come to visit here. In Saddar Bazar is located the famous Clock
Tower which is more than a century old. The Connelley Park (named after a
British Deputy Commissioner of Sialkot), was converted to Jinnah Stadium
in 1979. The Jinnah Stadium has one of the fastest cricket pitches in
Pakistan. Close to Jinnah Stadium is located the famous Murray College
which was established in 1889. Its alumni include Dr Muhammad Iqbal and
Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
Sialkot has three main parks, Khayaban-e-Iqbal Park, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park
on Parsur Road and Garrison Park on Kashmir Road. More than a century old
Company Garden (Khayaban-i-Iqbal Park) is located on Ghazanvi Road in the
Sialkot cantonment. Some of the other famous and historic places are the
Talab Maula Bakhush and Ram Talai. Talab Maula Bakhush is the place where,
in May 1944, the historic Sialkot Convention of the All India Muslim
League was held. It was also attended by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat
Ali Khan. Both sites have been converted to mini stadiums for traditional
Wrestling (Kabadi) and Vollyball matches and also for political rallies.
A View of Marala HeadworksThere are several famous squares in the city as
Beri Wala Chowk, Rang Pura Chowk, Dara-Araian, Imam Sahib Chowk, Shahab
Pura Chowk, Sublime Chowk, Hansa Chowk and Anwar Khawaja Chowk. Famous
markets (bazaars) are Bazar Kalan, Trunk Bazar, Tehsil Bazar, Lahai Bazar
and Saddar Bazar. The Sialkot Railway Station, is situated on the Railway
Road near the Iqbal Chowk. On the Paris Road is located the American
Christian Mission Hospital which was established in 1880. Also located
there is the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the branches of
many multi-national banks.
Marala Headworks is located on the Chenab river about 20 km from Sialkot.
Two major water canals originate at the Marala Headworks - the Marala-Ravi
Link Canal and the Upper Chenab Canal. Planning of the Mangla-Marala Link
Canal is in the pipeline. The area around the Marala Headworks lake is
also a picnic spot. The Bajwat Wildlife Sanctuary includes a complex of
natural riverine habitats along the Chenab river and two of its
tributaries, extending up to the border with India with a total area of
5400 hectares providing protection to waterfowl, as well as a variety of
mammals including Hog Deer and Nilgai.
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Transport
Sialkot International Airport is the first-ever private-sector airport of
Pakistan managed by the SIAL consortium. It is located near Sambrial and is
noted for having the longest runway in Pakistan. Direct flights are
available from Sialkot International Airport to Karachi, Islamabad, Abu
Dhabi Sharjha & London, Muscat Kuwait, Dubai & Jeddah. Pakistan
International Airlines has plans to start non-stop flights from Sialkot to
Manchester, London & Barcellona & Hajj flights have started from the Sialkot
International Airport last year in 2009. Emirates is also expected to start
flights in mid 2010 to Dubai. Airblue will operate on domestic routes to
Islamabad, Multan and Karachi in mid 2010.
A small Sialkot Cantonment Airport, located in the Sialkot Cantonment, is in
use of the aviation wing of the Pakistan Army. This airport has also been
used as a public airport by PIA for operating a Helicopter service from
Sialkot to Islamabad in 1995-1996.
Sialkot Dry Port carries the honor of being the first-ever private-sector
dry port in Asia. It was established in 1986 near Sambrial, about 20 km from
the Sialkot city under the control of the Sialkot Dry Port Trust.
Sialkot is served by Pakistan Railways through the Sialkot Junction. Sialkot
used to be a junction in the British era with trains leaving for Jammu and
Gurdaspur. Plans are under consideration to open the border for an
international train between Sialkot and Jammu. Express trains to and from
Narowal, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur and Karachi are
available daily. The Railway station is situated in the center of the city.
Other suburban train stations are Ugoki and Sambrial.
Sialkot is about two hours from Lahore and four hours from Islamabad.Sialkot
is linked with the National Highway N-5 through Gujranwala and Wazirabad. A
dual carriage-way is available between Sialkot and Wazirabad. A new bridge
on the Chenab river, called the Shahbazpur bridge, is under construction
these days which is located to the north-east of Gujrat. Once completed, it
will connect Sialkot to N-5 at Gujrat. The Sialkot Lahore Motorway (M-11) is
also under construction. All the bus and commuter coach stations are located
on the Jail Road. A bus service operated by Daewoo is available from Sialkot
to Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan.
Recently, public transport has been launched in Sialkot on one route which
circle around the city. SCCI Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry has
signed an MOU with American bus company FOTON to provide airconditioned
lcoal transport to the citizens with CNG fuel. However main mode of
transport within the city at present is the auto rikshaw. Although no proper
taxi service exists in the city, there are many rent-a-car service outlets
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Educational Institutions
Murray College Sialkot Main HallSialkot has a fairly well-developed
educational infrastructure that comprises a University of Engineering
Sciences and Technology (planned in cooperation with Sweden) a sub-campus of
the Fatima Jinnah Women University, a sub-campus of the Virtual University
of Pakistan, 8 Degree Colleges for Women, 5 Degree Colleges for Men, 2 Cadet
Colleges, 6 Commerece Colleges, one Law College, one Medical College, one
Homeopathic Medical College, one Nursing School, one Para-Medical School,
one Poly-Technic Institute, with numerous Inter Colleges, Higher Secondary
Schools and over 250 High Schools.
The Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sialkot was established in 1856. It was the
first Catholic mission school in Punjab and the second of its kind in
British India. Other eminent private-sector schools include the American
School, the City School and the Beaconhouse School.
The Murray College, Sialkot was established in 1889 as the Scotch Mission
College by the Scottish missionaries belonging to the Church of Scotland
Mission. It is one of he oldest educational institutions in Pakistan
offering education up to the post-graduate level. The Jinnah Islamia
College, Sialkot is the second oldest college in Sialkot.
The Sialkot Medical College was established in 2002 with a sanction of
Rs.750 million. 30 seats were allocated for the year 2003 at the Services
Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore to be shifted to the Sialkot Medical
College in 2004. However, because of local politics, the project was
shelved. In April 2007, the President of Pakistan again announced an
immediate construction of the Medical College building in Sialkot. Temporary
project office has been established at the Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital,
Sialkot which will also be the attached teaching hospital.
The Fatima Jinnah Women University Sialkot Campus is a sub-campus of the
Fatima Jinnah Women University and is being established in Sialkot starting
from 2008. The sub-campus of the FJWU in Sialkot will be established on a
200-acre (0.81 km2) land with a cost of Rs 300 million.
The University of Engineering Sciences and Technology (UEST), Sialkot is
being established in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology,
Sweden on the (under-construction) Sialkot Lahore Motorway. It will also
have an attached Technology Park. The Government of Pakistan, through the
Higher Education Commission (HEC), is financing and building the campus
while the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Sweden will be responsible for
the provision of technical support which includes course contents
specification, university management, human resource development and
education quality control.
The SCHOOL ZONE Badiana is a brain development institute that employs a
unique learning method designed to help each child develop photographic
memory, concentration & learning skills needed to perform to his or her full
potential. VISION: To arm, equip and strengthen our children with knowledge
and health because they are the foundation of the future society.
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Sports
Sialkot Stallions Logo
Jinnah Stadium (Sialkot)The Sialkot Cricket Team is called the Sialkot
Stallions. It is National Champion and have won Quaid-i-Azam Trophy
2008-2009. It was a national champion in 2005-2006 and won Quaid-i-Azam
Trophy Golden League. It was runners-up in 2006-2007. Sialkot Stallions also
won the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup in 2005-2006 and 2006–2007 and RBS Twenty-20
Cup 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 making het trick by three in row. Sialkot
Stallions will not represent Pakistan in Twenty20 Champions League in
December 2008 despite being world number one in the rankings. Its home
ground is Jinnah Stadium. According to the latest 20 International Ranking,
Sialkot Stallions are at the top position. Sialkot is also the champion of
One-day and Three-day competitions of the National Under-19 Championship in
2007-2008 and 2008-2009.
Sialkot also annually hosts the Allama Iqbal Open Golf Championship at the
Sialkot Golf Club. An International Sialkot Hockey Stadium is located at
Pasrur Road adjacent to the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park Sialkot. An Internationl
level Sialkot Sports Complex is under construction at Daska Road with Tartan
track facility for athletic events. Sialkot Junior Hockey Team play in
National Junior Hockey League. Crescent Hockey Club is the one of the top
Field Hockey club of Pakistan with almost 10 olympians playing for it. It
has played in the Surjit Silver Jubilee hockey tournament at Jalandhar in
2008.
Sialkot is not only famous and internationally recognized for its sports
industry, but the world-famous sports legends like the crickters Ijaz Butt
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, " Asian Bradman" and "Run making Machine"
Zaheer Abbas, Ijaz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik (Ex Pakistan Cricket team Captain),
Zahid Fazal, Abdur Rehman, Mansoor Amjad and the players and captains of the
national hockey team of Pakistan including Shahnaz Sheikh, Manzoor Hussain
jr., Nasir Ali, Tariq Sheikh, Zahid Sheikh, Asif Bajwa, Muhammad Waqas
Sharif, Mahmood Hussain, Maqsood Hussain, Munir Bhatti and Kamran Ashraf
also hail from this city. In Sialkot, there are three main national level
Vollyball clubs named as Etihad Volleyball Club, Star Volly Ball Club and
Asad Volleyball Club. Mazhar Farid Qurashi (Ex Captain) of Pakistan National
Volleyball team was from Asad Volleyball Club, Sialkot. Mostly Pakistan's
National Volleyball team has always two to three players being picked up
from these three clubs of Sialkot. Famous football clubs are the Crescent FC
and the Capital FC. There is also a national level polo club named as Rachna
Polo Club. CTI High School Sialkot was one of the pioneers of Basket Ball in
Pakistan. CTI produced some of Pakistan’s finest Basket Ball players,
including Wallace Badruddin. Bodybuilding and Weightlifting are also among
the popular sports in Sialkot. Abdul Waheed Butt and Farooq Butt have
represented Pakistan in Asian Games for bodybuilding.
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Media
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Radio
FM 104 Radio Buraq
FM 101 FM 101 Sialkot
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Television
ATV
STV (sialkot)
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Newspapers
Daily Taqat
Roznama Sialkot
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Magazine
Sialkot Express
The Sialkot Mirror
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