Hafizabad District (Punjabi and Urdu: ضلع حافظ آباد) is located in Punjab, Pakistan. Hafizabad was made a district in 1993; formerly, it was a tehsil of Gujranwala District. It is situated in central Punjab and is known for its rice industry on the agricultural side and rice industry on the industrial side and have top 5 exporters of rice from Pakistan.[3]
The capital of the district, Hafizabad, known for strengthening the administration of Punjab.
History
In 327 BC, when Alexander the Great invaded the territory that is now Pakistan, the territory of the Sandal Bar (where Hafizabad is now located) was a populated area. Big cities were located in the district, and many sub-states were organized here in the presidency of native Maharajas and Rajas. In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin. In 1005, he conquered the Shahis in Kabul and followed it up by the conquests of the Punjab region.
The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to missionarySufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of the region. During the Delhi Sultanate period, a large city was situated at the site of the present village of Mehdiabad. But afterwards, this territory became unpopulated and was reclaimed by the jungle since there was a shortage of water and later Afghan incursions caused the population to leave. This situation persisted until Mughal EmperorAkbar's period. Hafizabad was formerly a place of some importance, and is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari as headquarters of a Mahal. Hafiz, the founder, was a favourite of emperor Mughal EmperorAkbar.[4][5]
After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire invaded and occupied Hafizabad District. The Muslims faced restrictions during Sikh rule.[citation needed]
In 1846, Hafizabad came under the supervision of British colonial rule, when a settlement of land revenue was effected under order from the provisional government at Lahore. The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while Muhajir refugees from India settled in the Hafizabad region. Most of the Muhajirs have since assimilated into the local population.
The climate of the district is hot and dry during the summer and moderately cold in the winter. The maximum summer temperature in June is 50 °C (122 °F), while in winter, during January, the minimum temperature is 1 °C (34 °F). Owing to the proximity of the hills, there is more rainfall in the east than the west. The monsoon season usually starts in the middle of July and continues until September. The soil is alluvial and fertile.[3]
Industry
Rice, power, and loom industries are important industries, located in Hafizabad city. Hafizabad Textile Power Loom industry is directly connected with Faisalabad which is a major industrial city in Pakistan known for its textile industry.
At the time of the 2017 census, Hafizabad district had 174,967 households and a population of 1,156,954. Hafizabad had a sex ratio of 979 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 61.80% - 68.65% for males and 54.90% for females. 402,729 (34.81%) lived in urban areas. 302,365 (26.13%) were under 10 years of age.[11] In 2023, the district had 197,277 households and a population of 1,319,909.[12]
^Divisions/Districts of PakistanArchived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the division names
^Hafizabad tehsil of erstwhile Gujranwala district, which roughly corresponds to the present district. District and tehsil borders may have shifted slightly over time.
