Dina (Punjabi and Urdu: دِینہ) is a city in Jhelum District of Punjab the province of Pakistan. Dina is one of the oldest towns in Punjab.
According to 2023 census, 50,737 people live in Dina, of which 34.12% were urban.[2] Dina provided many soldiers to the British and later the Pakistan armed forces and is known as city of soldiers or land of martyrs and warriors.[3]
Dina is about 17 kilometres (10 mi) far from Jhelum and about 27 kilometres (20 mi) far from Sohawa 190 kilometres (120 mi) northwest of Lahore,70 kilometres (40 mi) southeast of Rawalpindi and around 103 kilometres (60 mi) southeast of Islamabad,[4] at the junction of roads, one leading to the Mangla Dam and Mirpur, and another to Rohtas Fort and Tilla Jogian mountain. The historic Grand Trunk Road passes through the centre of the city.
Economy
There is limited industrial activity including woodworking, ironworking and marble processing. The main source of income for residents is remittances from relatives working in the UK and the Persian Gulf region. Many residents join the Pakistan Army. There is some small-scale agriculture with wheat and pulses as the main crops.
Salt is quarried at the Mayo mine in the Salt Range hills. The chief centre of the salt trade is Pind Dadan Khan. Two coal mines in the district supply the North-Western Railway. They are the only working coal mines in Punjab province.
History
Dina is the nearest town to the Pothohar Plateau, Mirpur which is rich in archaeological sites of the ancient Soanian culture.[5]
Culture
The main languages spoken in Dina are Punjabi and Urdu. English is not understood by majority of the population.
Several poets and famous personalities were born in Dina, the popular Pakistani poet Zamir Jafri and the Indian poet Gulzar. Gulzar wrote the following lines for his birthplace:
Zikr Jhelum ka, baat ho Dine ki.
Chand Pukhraj ka, raat Pashmine ki
Transport
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The district is crossed by the main line of the North-Western railway of Pakistan Railways, and traversed along the south by a branch line.
The district us also crossed by main road N5.