Rahim Yar Khan (; ) is a city in the

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 ...

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# ...

. It is the 21st most populous city in Pakistan and is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District. The city's administration is divided into nine union councils.

History

Rahim Yar Khan was founded in 1751 as "Naushehra." Its region was part of Multan province of Mughal Empire. In 1881, to avoid confusion with the similarly named city of Nowshera, the ruler of

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division. Founded in ...

, Nawab Sadiq Khan IV, renamed the city after his first son, Rahim Yar Khan (1877–1881). Rahim Yar Khan was a part of Bahawalpur State until 1943, when it became a separate district. People have lived near this area for a very long time. The ancient tower of Pattan Minara stands 8 km to the East of the city center, and is believed to be the remains of a 5,000-year-old Buddhist monastery, with the minara built during the Hakrra valley civilization of the

Mauryan period The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

(250 BC).

Demographics

Population

The population of the city is 519,261 during the 2023 census.

Education

Universities and colleges

* Army Public School and College * Islamia University of Bahawalpur, RYK campus *

Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology The Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT) is a public university located in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 2014 on the initiative of the then Chief Minister of Pun ...

* National College of Business Administration and Economics * Shaikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital

Schools

* Army Public School and College * Oxbridge Secondary School * National Garrison Secondary School * Lahore Grammar School

Transport

Airport

Shaikh Zayed International Airport is located in Rahim Yar Khan. It serves the people of city with domestic and international flights. There are daily flight from this airport to Karachi, twice in a week to/from Lahore, and once a week to Islamabad. This airport was partially damaged in 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.

Railway

Rahim Yar Khan is connected with rest of the country by rail. The Rahim Yar Khan railway station is a major railway station of

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering bot ...

on the Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line.

Notable people

Aima Baig Aima Noor-ul Ain Baig (, ; born 10 March 1995) is a Pakistani singer, known for her soundtracks in films and television. Started as appearing on Dunya News' program '' Mazaaq Raat'' during 2015–2017, she rose to fame from her songs in '' L ...

, singer * Asim Saleem Bajwa, Lieutenant general (Pakistan) * Talha Chahour, actor * Saima Akram Chaudhry, Pakistani screenwriter * Abdullah Darkhawasti, Pakistani Sunni Islamic scholar * Fida-Ur-Rehman Darkhawasti, Islamic scholar, academic person and politician * Muniba Mazari, social activist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahim Yar Khan Bahawalpur Division Cities in Punjab (Pakistan) Populated places in Rahim Yar Khan District Populated places in Punjab, Pakistan Rahim Yar Khan District