Mianwali District Explained

Mianwali
Native Name Lang:ur
Settlement Type:District of Punjab
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Pakistan
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1: Punjab
Subdivision Type2:Division
Subdivision Name2:Sargodha Division
Parts Type:Number of Tehsil
Parts Style:coll,para
Parts:03
P1:Isakhel Tehsil
Mianwali Tehsil
Piplan Tehsil
Seat Type:Headquarters
Seat:Mianwali
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:5900
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population As Of:2023
Population Total:1,795,897
Population Density Km2:auto
Established Title:Established
Founder:British Raj
Government Type:District Administration
Leader Title:Deputy Commissioner
Leader Name:Sajjad Ahmad[2]
Leader Title1:Constituency
Leader Name1:NA-89 Mianwali-I
NA-90 Mianwali-II
Leader Title2:CNIC Code Mianwali District
Leader Name2:383XX-XXXXXXX-X
Timezone:PKT
Utc Offset:+05:00
Timezone Dst:DST is not observed
Elevation M:210
Area Code Type:NWD (area) code
Area Code:0459
Postal Code Type:Postal Code
Postal Code:42200
Iso Code:PK-PB

The Mianwali District (ur|{{Nastaliq|ضِلع مِيانوالى) is a district located in the Mianwali division of the Punjab province of Pakistan created in November 1901, (Mianwali Tehsil & Isa Khel Tehsil) were separated from Bannu District and (Bhakkar Tehsil and Layyah Tehsil) separated from Dera Ismail Khan District to integrate into new district named Mianwali. Mianwali District remained part of Rawalpindi Division until 1963, when Mianwali District became part of Sargodha Division. According to 2023 Pakistani census Population of Mianwali District is 1.79 million.

It has borders with the Chakwal, Attock, Kohat,[3] Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bhakkar,[4] and Khushab districts.

History

The history of the district is tied to the Miana family which came from Baghdad and settled in Mianwali. The name Mianwali is derived from a sufi saint Mian Ali's name. Mian Ali Mianwali was a known settlement and an agricultural region with forests during the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300 – c.1300 BCE). Mianwali later became part of the Vedic civilization.

After the conquest of Punjab, Arabs who had established themselves in Multan were in control of Mianwali and surrounding areas of Punjab.[5]

In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi took over the Ghaznavid empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin. In 1005 CE, he conquered the Hindu Shahis and followed it by the conquests of the Punjab region. The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal empire ruled the region. The population of the Punjab region became majority Muslim, following the conquests by various Muslim dynasties from Central Asia.

The real historical representation of the Mianwali region is older than 900 AD but the true accuracy is traced to the arrival of Qutb Shah in 1090 AD who in later years of his conquest allowed his sons to settle and further rule the region. Their lineage still exists to date in the Mianwali district as well as in Pakistan and are known as Awan tribe. Historically, all major rulers of South Asia governed this area in their turn. Mughal emperor Babur mentioned Isakhel in the Baburnama when describing his campaigns against the Malik Awans and Niazi Pakhtuns during his invasion of Punjab in the 1520s.

Prior to the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1738, there is little to relate concerning the history of the northern part of the district. The upper half of the district was ruled by the Gakhars, who became feudatories of the Mughal empire, of which the district continued to form a part until the invasion of Nadir Shah. In 1738, a portion of his army entered Chashma. By its atrocities so cowed the Bannuchis and Marwats that a heavy tribute was raised from them. Another portion of the army crossed the Darra Pezu and worked its way down to Dera Ismail Khan. Contingents raised from the neighborhoods of Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan marched under Nadir Shah's banner to the sack of Delhi.

In 1739, the area west of the Indus was surrendered by the emperor of Delhi to Nadir Shah and passed after his death to Ahmad Shah Abdali. In 1748, a Durrani army under one of Ahmad Shah's generals crossed the Indus at Kalabagh, and drove out the Ghakkars, who still ruled in the cis-Indus tracts of the district, owing nominal allegiance to the emperor at Delhi. Their stronghold, Muazzam Nagar, was razed to the ground, and with their expulsion was swept away the last vestige of the authority of the Mughal emperor in these parts. During the British Raj, the Mianwali district was also among the states of the British Punjab where regional offices of East India Company were in position until winter of 1883 when the regional office of East India Company in Mianwali was shut down due to civil unrest and hostile conditions.[6]

The British had made the town of Mianwali as tehsil headquarters of Bannu District then part of Dera Ismail Khan Division of Punjab province. The population of Mianwali, according to the 1901 census of India, was 3,591.

In November 1901, the North-West Frontier Province was carved out of Punjab and the tehsils of Mianwali and Isa Khel, and were separated from Bannu District (Bannu became part of NWFP). A new district was made with the headquarters in Mianwali city and placed in Punjab. The district became a part of Rawalpindi Division. There were four tehsils: Mianwali, Isa Khel, Bhakkar, and Layyah. Layyah was included in the Muzaffargarh District in 1909. The district became a part of Sargodha Division in 1963. Bhakkar Tehsil was separated from Mianwali and was made a separate district inside Sargodha Division w.e.f. 01-07-1982.

On January 14, 2023, CM Pervaiz Elahi announced that Mianwali and Bhakkar districts upgraded to divisional status, carved from the Sargodha Division. Newly formed Talagang district from the northern Rawalpindi Division would also be part of the division.[7] [8]

Geography

Mianwali district covers an area of .[9] The area in the north is a continuation of the Pothohar Plateau[10] and the Kohistan-e-Namak.[11] Southern side of the district is a part of Thal desert.[12] Indus River flows through the district.[13]

Climate

Mianwali district has an extreme climate with a long hot summer season and dry cold winters. Summer lasts from May to September and winter lasts from November till February.[14] June is the hottest month with average temperature of 42 °C (highest recorded temperature was 52 °C); in winter, the average temperature can be as low as 3 to 4 °C, particularly in December and January. The average rainfall in the district is about 385 mm.[15] [16]

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Average High Temperatures °C (°F)19° (66.2 °)21° (69.8 °)26° (78.8 °)33° (91.4 °)38° (100.4 °)42° (107.6 °)39° (102.2 °)37° (98.6 °)37° (98.6 °)33° (91.6 °)28° (82.4 °)21° (69.8 °)31° (87.8 °)
Average Low Temperatures °C3612172227272623169416
Rainfall in. (cm)1.62.14.12.41.91.87.6114.50.70.10.938.5
Source: Weatherbase

Administration

The municipal committee was founded in December 1993 and has remained operational since then. The district is administratively divided into three tehsils 7 Municipal Committees and 51 union councils:[17] [18]

TehsilArea(km²)[19] Pop.(2023)Density(ppl/km²)

(2023)

Literacy rate(2023)[20] Union CouncilsMunicipal Committees
Isakhel1,863414,100222.2855.02%133
Mianwali2,689908,405337.8266.09%262
Piplan1,288475,763369.3863.46%122
Total517

Demographics

Language

At the time of the 2023 census, 73.69% of the population spoke Saraiki language, 11.35% Pashto, 7.79% Punjabi, 3.5% Hindko and 3.15% Urdu as their first language.[21]

Population

At the time of the 2017 census, Mianwali district had 237,952 households and a population of 1,546,094. Mianwali had a sex ratio of 998 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 61.28% - 78.54% for males and 44.35% for females. 327,812 (21.25%) lived in urban areas. 396,880 (25.73%) were under 10 years of age.[22] In 2023, the district had 296,614 households and a population of 1,798,268.[23]

Religion

As per the 2023 census, Muslims made up almost the entire population with 99.32%, although there is a small mainly urban minority of Christians numbering 11,951.

Religious
group! colspan="2"
1941[24] 20172023
Pop.%
266,9841,535,3451,783,68799.32%
30,08421630%
2,869410%
3027,04411,9510.67%
Ahmadi101450%
Others47901100.01%
Total Population300,2861,542,6011,795,897100%
Religious
group! colspan="2"
1901[25] 1911[26] [27] 1921[28] 1931[29] 1941[30]
371,674299,971308,876357,109436,260
50,20236,32645,97449,79462,814
2,6334,8812,9864,2316,865
44168369380358
353102023
00051
00000
00000
Others00000
Total population424,588341,377358,205411,539506,321
Tehsil! colspan="2"
OthersTotal
Mianwali Tehsil129,00417,1771,18918300147,553
Bhakkar Tehsil122,43723,2621,3358700147,121
Isa Khel Tehsil57,4355,535462990063,531
Tehsil! colspan="2"
OthersTotal
Mianwali Tehsil194,44225,4882,202251033222,416
Bhakkar Tehsil169,27632,7303,9962201206,035
Isa Khel Tehsil72,5424,5966675123177,870

People

Places of interest

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2023). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  2. News: Commissioner reviews revenue officers' performance. December 2023. Pakistan Observer (newspaper).
  3. Web site: Mianwali | Pakistan on Encyclopedia Britannica website.
  4. Web site: District Website . District Courts Bhakkar, Punjab Government website . 2023-02-21.
  5. Web site: Tareekh e Pakistan pdf - Available for Download . 2022-11-12 . Yahya Amjad . en-US.
  6. Web site: Brief History of Mianwali. District Courts Mianwali, Government of the Punjab website. 21 February 2023.
  7. News: Reporter . ((News)) . 14 January 2023 . ECP bars Punjab gov from notifying Mianwali as division . 1 . Duniya News . 14 January 2023.
  8. News: Malik . Mansoor . January 15, 2023 . Punjab cabinet approves upgrade of Mianwali as division . 1 . Dawn News . January 15, 2023.
  9. Web site: Mianwali Map | Pakistan Google Satellite Maps.
  10. Web site: Fig. 1. A map of Punjab Province, Pakistan, showing Potohar Plateau.... ResearchGate.
  11. Web site: PAKISTAN'S SALT MINES - Luke Duggleby Photography. Luke Duggleby website.
  12. Web site: Thal | region, Pakistan on Encyclopedia Britannica.
  13. Web site: Indus River | Irrigation System and Barrages in Mianwali District included. Encyclopedia Britannica. 8 October 2024 .
  14. Web site: December Climate History for Mianwali District area | Local | Pakistan.
  15. Web site: Climate & Weather Averages in Mianwali, Pakistan. timeanddate.com website. 21 February 2023.
  16. Web site: Mianwali Climate. en.climate-data.org website . 21 February 2023.
  17. Web site: Tehsils & Unions in the District of Mianwali. Government of Pakistan website. https://web.archive.org/web/20080611223556/http://www.nrb.gov.pk/lg_election/union.asp?district=19&dn=Mianwali . 2008-06-11 . 1 December 2022. dead.
  18. Web site: District Overview - History of Mianwali District. District Police Office Mianwali website. 21 February 2023.
  19. Web site: TABLE 1 : AREA, POPULATION BY SEX, SEX RATIO, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB .
  20. Web site: LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023 .
  21. Web site: Pakistan Census 2023 .
  22. Web site: Population and Household Detail Blockwise - Mianwali District. dead. 23 November 2018. 25 February 2024. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan website. https://web.archive.org/web/20181123211126/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk:80/sites/default/files/bwpsr/punjab/MIANWALI_BLOCKWISE.pdf.
  23. Web site: 2023 . Table 1: Households, Population, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate . www.pbscensus.gov.pk . Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  24. Web site: Census of India, 1941 Volume VI Punjab Province. 21 July 2022.
  25. Web site: Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province. ]. saoa.crl.25363739 . 29 March 2024 . 1901 . 34.
  26. Web site: Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. . saoa.crl.25393788 . 29 March 2024 . 1911 . 27.
  27. Web site: Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II . 23 March 2024 . 1911 . 27 . Kaul, Harikishan.
  28. Web site: Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables. . saoa.crl.25430165 . 29 March 2024 . 1921 . 29.
  29. Web site: Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. . saoa.crl.25793242 . 29 March 2024 . 1931 . 277.
  30. Web site: Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab . saoa.crl.28215541 . 29 March 2024 . 1941 . 42 . India Census Commissioner . 6 .
  31. Web site: Imran Khan (Cricketer of the Year - 1983). ESPN Cricinfo website. 21 February 2023.
  32. Web site: Atta Ullah Eesakhelvi and the Cassette Revolution. 22 November 2008. All Things Pakistan website. 21 February 2023.