Chakwal District

Chakwal District (Punjabi and Urdu: ضلع چکوال) is in Pothohar Plateau of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the north of the Punjab province, Chakwal district is bordered by Khushab to its south, Rawalpindi to its north east, Jhelum to its east, Mianwali to its west and Attock to its north west. The district was created out of parts of Jhelum and Attock in 1985.[2]

Chakwal
ضلع چکوال
District of Punjab
Top: Katas Raj Temples
Bottom: Neela Wahn Waterfall
Chakwal is located in the north of Punjab.
Chakwal is located in the north of Punjab.
Coordinates: 33°40′38″N 72°51′21″E
Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
DivisionRawalpindi
HeadquartersChakwal
Tehsils (3)
List
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • Deputy CommissionerQuratulain Malik (PAS)
 • District Police OfficerN/A
 • District Health OfficerN/A
Area
 • Total3,593 km2 (1,387 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total967,707
 • Density270/km2 (700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Main language(s)Punjabi
Websitechakwal.punjab.gov.pk

History

During British rule, Chakwal was a tehsil of Jhelum district, the population according to the 1891 census of India was 164,912 which had fallen to 160,316 in 1901. It contained the towns of Chakwal and Bhaun and 248 villages. The land revenue and cesses amounted in 1903-4 to 3–300,000.[3] The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslims refugees from India settled down in the area of Chakwal later it was upgraded as a District on 1st of July 1985.

Administrative divisions

The district of Chakwal, which covers an area of 6,524 km2, is subdivided into five tehsils.[4] These tehsils were formerly part of neighbouring districts:[5]: 1 

The district is administratively subdivided into three tehsils and 45 union councils.[6]

Name of tehsil No. of union councils No. of villages No. of public schools No. of police stations No. of post offices Parent tehsil
Chakwal[4] 30 207 523 5 48 Chakwal
Choa Saidan Shah[4] 7 47 96 1 14 Chakwal
Kallar Kahar[4] 8 72 148 1 15 Chakwal[4]
Total 45 326 767 7 77

Constituencies

There is one district council, one municipal committees — Chakwal — and two town committees — Choa Saidan Shah and Kallar Kahar.

The district is represented in the National Assembly by two constituencies: NA-60 and NA-61. The district is represented in the provincial assembly by four elected MPAs and in National Assembly by two MNAs who represent the following constituencies:[7]

Constituency MPA Party[8][9]
(PP-21) Raja Yasir Hamayun Sarfaraz Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PP-22) Tanveer Aslam Malik Pakistan Muslim League (N)
(PP-23) Sardar Aftab Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PP-24) Ammar Yasir Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
(NA-64) Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(NA-65) Choudari Perwaiz Ilahi Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

Geography

Chakwal district borders the districts of Rawalpindi and Attock in the north, Jhelum in the east, Khushab in the south and Mianwali in the west. The total area of Chakwal district is 6,609 square kilometres, which is equivalent to 1,652,443 acres (6,687.20 km2).

The southern portion runs up into the Salt Range and includes the Chail peak, 3,701 feet (1,128 m) above the sea, the highest point in the district. Between this and the Sohan river, which follows more or less the northern boundary, the country consists of what was once a fairly level plain, sloping down from 2,000 feet (610 m) at the foot of the hills to 1,400 feet (430 m) in the neighbourhood of the Sohan; the surface is now much cut up by ravines and is very difficult to travel over.[3]

Demography

At the time of the 2017 census, Chakwal district had 170,908 households and a population of 967,707. Chakwal had a sex ratio of 1064 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 77.21% - 85.34% for males and 69.80% for females. 203,930 (21.07%) lived in urban areas. 213,052 (22.02%) were under 10 years of age. 4,123 (0.43%) were from religious minorities.[1]

Languages of Chakwal district (2017)[1]

  Punjabi (91.28%)
  Pashto (5.77%)
  Urdu (2.13%)
  Others (0.82%)

At the time of the 2017 census, 91.28% of the population spoke Punjabi, 5.77% Pashto and 2.13% Urdu as their first language.[1]

The local Punjabi dialects are Dhani[10] and Awankari.[11]

Education

Chakwal has a total of 1,199 government schools out of which 52 percent (627 schools) are for female students. The district has an enrollment of 181,574 in public sector schools.[12]

Educational institutions

Educational institutions in the Chakwal District include:

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  2. "Chakwal Tehsils". Punjab Portal, Punjab Government website. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 10, p. 126 Digital South Asia Library, University of Chicago website, Retrieved 27 January 2023
  4. "List of Tehsils and Districts". Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. 1998 District Census report of Chakwal. Census publication. Vol. 77. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 2000.
  6. "Tehsils & Unions in the District of Chakwal". National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  7. "CHAKWAL Constituancies (PP-20 to PP-23)". Provincial Assembly of the Punjab website. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  8. "PML-N wins Chakwal by-polls with thumping majority". The News International (newspaper). 10 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. Nabeel Anwar Dhakku, "Chakwal district falls into PML-N's fold", Dawn (newspaper), retrieved 27 January 2023
  10. Masica, Colon P. (9 September 1993). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 19. ISBN 0521299446.
  11. Rensch, Calvin R. (1992). "The Language Environment of Hindko-Speaking People". In O'Leary, Clare F.; Rensch, Calvin R.; Hallberg, Calinda E. (eds.). Hindko and Gujari. Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan. Islamabad: National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University and Summer Institute of Linguistics. p. 7. ISBN 969-8023-13-5.
  12. "Statistics for District Chakwal, Punjab Annual Schools Census Data 2014-15". School Education Department, Punjab Government website. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2023.

Bibliography
  • University of Engineering and Technology. Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Engineering; Pakistan Science Foundation (1979), National Seminar on Land and Water Resources Development of Barani Areas, [July 21-24, 1979], The University of Wisconsin, ISBN 978-01-9023-806-3

"Official Website of Chakwal District". Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2023.

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