Mian Channu (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

/ ), is the capital city of Mian Channu Tehsil in

Khanewal District Khanewal District (Urdu and ) is a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan.Khanewal , Punjab Portal. Retrieved 16 January 2022, from https://www.punjab.gov.pk/khanewal According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a populati ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Etymology

The city was named after a Sufi saint, Baba Mian Channu, who lived in the area and was buried there. An urban legend exists about the name's preservation during British rule: the colonial administration attempted to rename the city, painting all signs with the new name. However, an unknown vandal repeatedly changed the signs back to "Mian Channu." Despite continued efforts by the administration, the original name remained. Mian Channu provides various services and residential areas for its inhabitants, as well as facilities for tourists.

History

Mian Channu was part of the wider Multan region after the Islamic conquest of Punjab region in the 8th century CE by Arab Umayyads. Mian Channu was considered a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

, and by 1938, it was considered a town of Multan region. Its limits were last extended in the year 1950. Since then, no extension has been made, and the development of the town from 1947 to 1961 remained slow. A

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

was established in 1975, as Mian Channu had grown into small urban centre by that time. After that, the town began developing, and major growth has been taking place, from 1972 to 1984. The trend of growth in this period has largely been along G.T Road, and in the northern direction. It has been the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

of the Mian Channu Tehsil of

since 1985, and is administratively subdivided into three Union councils. For more than a century, Mian Channu was part of

Multan District Multan District (), is a district in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Its capital is the city of Multan. The district has a population of million (as of 2024) and an area of 3,720 square kilometres. The district consists of tehsils of Multa ...

. With the raising of status of Mian Channu to a tehsil headquarters, and the creation of Khanewal District on 1 July 1985, Mian Channu Tehsil became a part of Khanewal District. An accidentally fired

BrahMos The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10)2022 India–Pakistan missile incident.

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Mian Channu had a population of 140,112. Mian Channu has approximately 90,130 residents per the 2017 census, and is located on the

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...

(250 km southwest 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 ...

, and 1,050 km northeast of

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

), and the KLP (Karachi, Lahore,

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

) railway line. *

Faisal Town Faisal Town ( Punjabi, ) is a union council and neighbourhood of Gulberg Tehsil in Lahore, in Punjab, Pakistan. Subdivisions Faisal Town is divided into four residential blocks - A, B, C and D. Government Faisal Town comprises union council ...

, residential area

Economy

The city is one of the major contributor to

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

production.

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, and

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

es are the major agricultural products. Major crops of the town are wheat, grain, peas, barley are the important crops of Rabi season, while Kharif crops are cotton, sugarcane, jawar, bajra, oil seeds which are shipped by rail and road to other parts of the country. The city is also known for their local specialty, Khushi

Barfi Barfi or ''burfi'' is a milk-based sweet from the Indian subcontinent with a fudge-like consistency. Its name comes from the Persian and Urdu word (''barf'') for snow. ''Barfi'' is consumed throughout India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and is es ...

(خوشی کی برفی), which is a milk-based sweet with a

fudge ''Fudge'' is a generic role-playing game system for use in freeform role-playing games. The name "''FUDGE''" was once an acronym for ''Freeform Universal Donated'' (later, ''Do-it-yourself'') ''Gaming Engine'' and, though the acronym has since b ...

-like consistency.

Notable people

Ghulam Haider Wyne Ghulam Haider Wyne (, 1940 – 29 September 1993) was a Pakistani politician who served as the tenth Chief Minister of Punjab. He was a member of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad and later Pakistan Muslim League (N) Early life Wyne's family migrate ...

- Pakistani Politician (Former Chief Minister Punjab) *

Arshad Nadeem Arshad Nadeem (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; born 2 January 1997) is a Pakistanis, Pakistani javelin thrower. He is the reigning Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's javelin throw, Olympic, 2025 Asian Athletics Championships � ...

- Olympic Gold Medalist Athlete (Javelin thrower) * Maulana Tariq Jameel - Pakistani Islamic television preacher, scholar. *

Iftikhar Thakur Iftikhar Thakur (Urdu, ), born Iftikhar Ahmed, is a Pakistani actor ,, director, and host. He first gained attention in stage drama for his roles in Punjabi drama and has since starred in numerous stage shows and telefilms in different languag ...

- Pakistani actor and stand up comedian. * Pir Muhammad Aslam Bodla - Pakistani Politician * Rana Babar Hussain - Pakistani Politician *

Begum Majeeda Wyne Begum Majeeda Wyne () is a Pakistani politician who was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 1997 to 1999 and again from June 2013 to May 2018. Family She was the wife of Ghulam Haider Wyne, former Chief Minister of Punjab. Polit ...

- Pakistani Politician * Ayub Ommaya - Pakistani-American

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, ...

(NIH USA) *

Humza Yousaf Humza Haroon Yousaf (; born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish ...

- former First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP)

References

Populated places in Khanewal District {{Khanewal-geo-stub