Gujar Khan ( ; ) is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is also the headquarters of

Gujar Khan Tehsil Gujar Khan Tehsil (; ), headquartered at Gujar Khan, is one of the Tehsils (sub-divisions) of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is administratively subdivided into 36 Union Councils and according to the 1998 census has ...

, the largest

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

of Punjab by land area. Gujar Khan is located approximately southeast of

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, the capital of Pakistan, and to the northwest of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, the capital of Punjab. It is bounded on the north by

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

, Islamabad, and

Attock Attock ( Punjabi, ), formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest c ...

, on the south by

Jhelum Jhelum (; , ) is a city, located along the western bank of the Jhelum River, in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city in Punjab and 31st largest in Pakistan, by population. Located in northern Punjab, it serves as the capital of the ...

, Lahore, and Gujrat, on the east by

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

, and

Kahuta Kahuta ( Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a census-designated place, city and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab, Pakistan. The population of the Kahuta Tehsil is approximately 220,576 at the 2017 census. Kahuta is the home to the Kahuta Research ...

and on the west by

Chakwal Chakwal (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a city in Chakwal District in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the Largest cities of Pakistan, 48th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west o ...

and

Khushab Khushab (Punjabi language, punjabi: خُوشاب) is a city as well as a district of Sargodha Division, located in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. The word ''Khushab'' means "sweet water." Khushab city also serves as the headq ...

. Situated in the heart of the

Pothohar Plateau The Pothohar Plateau (, : ''Pо̄ṭhoā̀r Paṭhār''; , ''Satāh Murtafā Pо̄ṭhohār''), also spelled Pothwar, is a plateau in the Sindh Sagar Doab, Sind Sagar Doab of northern Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan, located between the Indus ...

in northern Punjab, the city and surrounding region is renowned for their martial culture and is sometimes referred to as the '''Land of Martyrs, having produced two recipients of the

Nishan-i-Haider Nishan-e-Haider (NH; or 'Emblem of the Lion') is the highest military decoration, military gallantry award of Pakistan. The Nishan-e-Haider is awarded only to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It recognises the highest acts of extraordina ...

. There is the main district hospital in the center of the city, along with many other private and public medical and care services.

History

The place was named due to the large population of

Gujjars The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

which inhabited this area. Some Gujjar settlements are still present in the

. The modern town was developed by the British colonial authorities after the region came under

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

in 1848.

Administration

Gujar Khan is administratively subdivided into 36 union councils, whereas City Gujar Khan is administered by municipal corporation.

Demographics

Population of Gujar Khan city.

Natural resources

Large reserves of oil and gas were discovered in February 2002 at Tobra, about ten kilometres from Gujar Khan. The field is being developed by the

Oil and Gas Development Company Oil & Gas Development Company Limited, commonly known as OGDC, is a Pakistani state-owned oil and gas company headquartered in Islamabad. It is listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. It is the largest company in Pa ...

. The field could produce 1,600 barrels of crude oil daily. Missa Kaswal and Ahdi is also a major source of energy in Gujar khan. Missa Kaswal is supplying several cubic meters of gas on a daily basis and is also extracting large quantities of oil.

Transport

Road

Gujar Khan is located on the N5 National highway from Islamabad-Lahore. Railway Road links from the east of the city to the nearby towns of

Bewal Bewal ( Punjabi and ) is a town and Union Council in Pakistan's Punjab province. It is situated in the Kallar Syedan Tehsil of Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district loca ...

and Islampura. There are also many other minor roads linking the villages and towns of the region to the city.

Rail

The Gujar Khan railway station is located in the center of the city and provides links to

, and

Bus

Local services also provide extensive bus routes to local towns, and smaller shuttles go around the villages in the surrounding area. There are also services to

, and

. Local

auto-rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...

drivers also provide transport for people in and around the city.

Notable people

* Chaudhry Muhammad Riaz, politician and Ex-MNA *

Raja Muhammad Sarwar Captain Raja Muhammad Sarwar (; 10 November 1910 – 27 July 1948) , better known as Muhammad Sarwar Bhatti, was a Pakistani military officer who was cited as the first recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, Nishan-e-Haider, for his ga ...

, first recipient of

Nishan-e-Haider Nishan-e-Haider (NH; or 'Emblem of the Lion') is the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan. The Nishan-e-Haider is awarded only to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It recognises the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in the f ...

Mohammad Amir Mohammad Amir ( ; born 13 April 1992) is a Pakistani cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team from 2008 to 2024. He plays for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League. He is a left-arm fast bowler and a left-handed ...

, cricketer *

Muhammad Javed Ikhlas Raja Muhammad Javed Ikhlas (, born 5 October 1955) is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, from June 2013 to May 2018. Previously, he had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from 1985 t ...

, former MPA and MNA from

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (born 26 December 1950) is a Punjabis, Punjabi Pakistani politician, businessman and agriculturist who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from June 2012 to March 2013 and as the Speake ...

, Speaker National Assembly, former

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

Muhammad Hussain Janjua Sowar Muhammad Hussain Janjua , (Punjabi, ; 18 January 1949 – 10 December 1971) was a Pakistani soldier and the 8th recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider, and the only soldier of the Pakistan Armoured Corps to be ...

, first soldier to be awarded

Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the eighth chief of army staff, being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired from his ...

, former

Chief of Army Staff Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

, Pakistan Army *

Najaf Shah Najaf Shah (, born 17 December 1984) is an international cricketer from Pakistan who now plays for Rawalpindi region and Pakistan International Airlines and various international franchise leagues. He played his first One Day International game ...

, cricketer

Friendship links

Gujar Khan also has formal "Friendship" links with:
*

Redditch Redditch is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, north-west of Alcester and north-east of Worcester. In 2021, the town had a population of ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, UK

References

{{Neighbourhoods of Rawalpindi Gujar Khan Tehsil Populated places in Gujar Khan Tehsil Cities in Rawalpindi District Cities in Punjab (Pakistan) Populated places in Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District

History

Administration

Demographics

Natural resources

Transport

Road

Rail

Bus

Notable people

Friendship links

See also

References