About Sargodha

Jinnah Hall

About Sargodha

Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan. Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan’s best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries. Sargodha is one of the few planned cities in Pakistan, the other four being Gwadar, Jauharabad, Faisalabad and Islamabad. Pakistan’s largest airbase, PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Base Sargodha), is situated in Sargodha and hosts the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force’s Central Air Command. The airbase is also home to the Combat Commanders School (CCS), formerly the Fighter Leader’s School, an elite training facility for training Pakistan Air Force pilots in fighter tactics and weapons.

Sargodha history

The term Sargodha has its origins in the words Sar, meaning pond, and Godha, meaning sadhu.

Sargodha is famously called as the city of eagles, due it its popular air base

Sargodha was a small town at the beginning of the British Empire but, due to its geographical location, the British Royal Air Force built an airport there. It took on greater importance after the Independence of Pakistan for the Pakistan Air Force. Shahpur, which is now a tehsil ofSargodha District, was the district at that time. Most parts of the tehsil Sillanwali and Kirana Hills region were part of Jhang district and were included later during the British Raj in the Sargodha district. Many writers have come from Sargodha, including Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi,Prof Ghulam Gilani Asghar (former Principal Govt College Sargodha,now University of Sargodha), Wazir Ali Agha, Anwar Sadid, Wasi Shah, Moeen Nizami, Abdulqadir Hassan, Zaheer Ud Din Zaheer, Dr. Prince Sajjad (London, UK),Dr. Muhammad Nawaz (Sweden/Norway), and Haroon-ur-Rashid. Singers who hail from Sargodha District include Maloko, Muratab Ali, and Ali Arshad. Sargodha division has also shown talent in sports. The cricket legends Imran Khan, Misbahulhaq, Samiullah Niazi (all from Mianwali), Muhammad Hafeez, Naved Latif (from Sargodha), Shafqat and Muhammad Shabbir, Olympians from hockey, are from Sargodha division.

Famous Indian writer Khushwant Singh and famous Urdu writer Satyapal Anand were born in Sargodha division and shifted to India after partition in 1947
The 1965 war with India on September 6, 1965 meant the city was a prime target for India, due to the city’s close proximity to the neighbouring rival. The citizens of Sargodha supported the Pakistan Army against the advancing of the Indian Army into Pakistan. In 1966, recognising this bravery, the Government of Pakistan awarded the city of Sargodha as well as Sialkot and Lahore with the award of Hilal-E-Istaqlal. The city also has a Pakistan Air Force base within its city. The PAF Base Sargodha now known as PAF Base Mushaf, named after the late Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, a former Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The strategic location of the base has allowed the Air Force to carry out experimental work within the city. Sial Shareef is the most famous and blessed place of Sargogha. People all over the country and world come to Sial Shareef to gain spiritual education and for religious education. Khawja Muhammad Qamar Ud Din Sialvi was a the greatest saint, religious scholar of Sial Shareef (Sargodha). He took an active part in the Muslim League movement to gain Pakistan. He was entitled Sheikh Ul Islam by the Government of Pakistan.[clarification needed]
Demographics
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of 2,665,979, of which 27.96% lived in urban settlements.The little village of Takhat Hazra is situated in Sargodhah district; it is famous as the hometown of Ranjha,the major character of the love story Heer Ranjha. Another historical city, Bhera, is located in Sargodha near the Jehlum River. Maulana Haji Hakeem Noor-ud-Din, a close companion of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and first successor of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, hails from Bhera.
Geography and climate

It is located 172 kilometres northwest of Lahore, in Sargodha District. It lies about 30 miles from the M2 motorway, which connects Lahore and Islamabad. It is connected to the M2 by several interchanges at different locations. Sargodha is roughly 94 km from Faisalabad, due southeast. Directly east connected by the M2 motorway are Lahore and the route to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Due east is the city of Jhang; toward the west are the city of Mianwali and the Chashma Barrage. Dera Ismail Khan is located 232 km southwest from the city.

Sargodha mainly comprises flat, fertile plains, which are the ideal conditions for cultivation of the land. There are a few small hills on the Sargodha-Faisalabad Road. The River Jhelum flows on the western and northern sides, and the River Chenab lies on the eastern side of the city. The city has a climate of extreme heat and cold. The maximum temperature reaches 50 °C (122 °F) in the summer while the minimum temperature recorded is as low as freezing point in the winter.
Government

Sargodha is the capital of Sargodha Tehsil. Until divisions were abolished in the year 2000, Sargodha was the divisional headquarters of Sargodha Division. As of October 2008, the division system in Punjab Province has been restored, and Sargodha became the divisional headquarters of Sargodha District, Khushab District, Mianwali District and Bhakkar District. The city of Sargodha is administratively subdivided into 22 union councils.

Economy

Kinnows (mandarin oranges) are a speciality fruit produced in high amounts in the city.

Sargodha is largely an agricultural and industrial city. The vast fields in the city have allowed the farmers to develop a range of crops and animal breeding programs. Some of the main crops include citrus, wheat, rice, and sugar cane, which are exported to the other cities as well as internationally. Citrus fruits such as oranges (locally known as kinnows) and guavas are the main fruits grown in the district. Jaman, pears, dates, pomegranates, phalsa and almonds are also grown in minor quantities. Turnips, onions, cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes are the main vegetables grown in the district. The main livestock for the city include goats, sheep, buffaloes and cattle.

Even with agricultural goods being the major income generator for the city as well as the district, the economy and industry has been diversifying itself to generate more demand for other goods which can be manufactured and produced in the city. Other industrial markets include: beverages, manufacture of diesel engines, foundry products, glass products, leather footwear, oil mills, pesticides, insecticides, poultry feed, plastics, readymade garments, tanning and textiles.

Education

Sargodha is home to the University of Sargodha as well as several institutions of higher education and research centres:
Federal Government Public High School Sargodha Cantt
F.G.Public High School Sargodha Cantt
Air Base Inter College Sargodha
PAF Public School Sargodha
Sargodha Catholic High School
Punjab College Sargodha
University of Sargodha
Sargodha Medical College, Sargodha
KTK School System
Connoisseur Grammar School
British Education Center PAF Sargodha
Fazaia Inter College
Army Public School and College Sargodha Cantt.
Allama Iqbal Open University
Al Suffah Girls College
Acme College of Excellence
Northwestern Theological Seminary
Progressive Public School & College
Superior College Sargodha
The Punjab Girls High School
Al Suffah Saviour High School
Beaconhouse School System
Govt Model High School No.2 Sargodha
Govt.Boys High School Jauhar Colony Sargodha.
MC Boys Primary School 23 Block Sargodha
Sanai School System
Govt.College of Technology Sargodha
Govt. College of Commerce Sargodha
Comprehensive School
Comprehensive Model College
Sargodha Institute of Technology
ILM College, Boys & Girls
ITM College of Commerce & Science
Dar-e-Arqam Schools & Colleges
Zia ul Quran Grammar School Kheyaban-e-Sadiq
Misali Ravien Science Academy & High School
Govt.Comprehensive High School
Nishan-e-Haider School Aziz Bhatti Town
Zia Shams Ul Islam Sial Shareef
Government Girls Degree College
Government Central Model High School New Satellite Town

Languages

Punjabi is the main language of the people. Urdu is also spoken. English is used in offices and used as one of the main educational language. In some areas (such as Chak Mangla), a mixture of Punjabi and Saraiki is spoken. There is no official name for this language, but it is commonly known as Jungli-Punjabi.

Media

• Radio Pakistan Sargodha (FM 93 MHz)
• Voic of University of Sargodha(FM 98.2 MHz)
• FM-96 Sunrise Pakistan
• FM Bhalwal (FM 104 MHz)
• Pakistan Television

Sargodha at a glance

Population

• 3400,000

Literacy Rate

53%

Area (square kilometers)

• 5,854

Population density (per km2)

• 455

Tehsils

• Sargodha, Bhalwal, Sahiwal, Kotmomin, Silanwali, Shahpur

Main towns

• Bhera, Miani, Phularwan, Kotmomin, Lulliani, MoazzamAbad, Farooqa, Jhawrian

Main crops

• Sugarcane, Wheat, Rice, Maize, Cotton

Main fruits

• Citrus, Guavas, Mangoes

Main vegetables

• Turnips, Onions, Cauliflower, Potatoes, Tomatoes

Forest area (in acres) || 1,443
Total paved roads (km) || 1,721
No. of grid stations
16
No. of telephone exchanges
42

Major industries

Beverage, Citrus Grading, Cotton Ginning & Pressing, Dairy Products, Bakelite, Diesel Engines, Electric Goods, Flour Mills, Fruit Juices, Fruit Preservation, General Engineering, Glass & Glass Products, Leather Footwear, Oil Mills, Packages, Pesticides / Insecticides, Poultry Feed, PVC Pipe, Readymade Garments, Sugar, Tannery, Textile Composite, Textile Spinning and Vegetable Ghee & Cooking Oil.