Sangla Hill

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Sangla Hill
—  Tehsil  —
Sangla Hill Tehsil
The Hill
The Hill
Country Flag of Pakistan Pakistan
Province Punjab
Towns 9
Government
 - MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir (PML (N))
 - MPA Mr. Tariq Bajwa
Elevation 297 m (974 ft)
Population (2007)
 - Total 165,000
  Combined population of towns
Area code(s) 0563

Sangla Hill is a Tehsil in Pakistan located in Nankana District in the Punjab Province.

Coordinates: 31°43′N 73°23′E / 31.717, 73.383

Contents

[edit] Introduction

The tehsil of Sangla Hill is situated in the newly created district of Nankana Sahib and lies 130 km [78 miles] from the provincial capital of Lahore. The area has a population of more than 150,000 Muslim Community, with around 12,000 of the population being Christian and Qadianees.

[edit] Administration

Sangla Hill is a tehsil, an administrative subdivision, of Nankana Sahib District.

[edit] Economy

Agriculture is one of the main sources of employment, the town has been a popular grain market for last 80 years as the town is located in a highly fertile area. The Rakh Branch canal passes near one side of the town and is an irrigation source, the canal passes areas of Salarwala Chak Jhumra and ends at Samundri.

Many people commute to work in cities such as Faisalabad or Lahore daily. The HUDA Sugar Mill has been operating since 1980 and provides jobs to three thousand people making hand woven carpets.

However the primary source of income comes from overseas Pakistanis, almost 50% houses in Sangla Hill have at least one person who has gone abroad.

[edit] Famous people

  • Hameed Nizami (October 3, 1915 - 1962) was an eminent journalist from Pakistan. He was the founder of the Urdu newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt. He was born in Sangla Hill. There is also a road name after him the "Hameed Nizami Road"
  • Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir a very close ally of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and is a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan belongs to this city. The only individual who has brought great services to the town such telephone exchanges, Gas utility, roads, and helping farmers in their efforts to produce better crops. He is also famous for his courageous stand in politics, his simple life style together with his strong ethics.
  • Mufti Zafar Ali Nomani was the great religious person of the country. He also played his role in government as a Senator, member of Islamic ideology council and also was the chairman of Rouatehilal comety Pakistan.


Barjees Tahir (on left) taking Oath in the Parliment
Barjees Tahir (on left) taking Oath in the Parliment

[edit] Geography

It is an historic town located at a height of 313m from sea level[1]. The town has some very old buildings belonging to Hindu people who left them in during the partition of 1947. A Hindu temple is still visible at the side of Salarwala Sangla Hill road just outside the main city. The chief feature and logical reason for the name of the town is a hill. The magnificent peak of this hill is visible from five miles. Three are two police stations, police station Sadar and City police station. The town also has 2 degree colleges, one for boys and one for girls.

The whole city is built around the Main bazaar and the Committee bazaar which lie at the heart of the city and acts as the economic centre of the city. All the shops and Markets are situated here and it also acts as the primary source of Income.

The Place has been very famous and different stories are famous about Alexander the Great visiting it and liking it. It is strange due to the presence of a lonely hill in it. This hill is strange because the land almost within 100km does not contain any hills and is a perfect plain. The city is 20km south-west of Shahkot and 35km North West of Sheikhupura.

In the surrounding of Sangla Hill there are many villages like Chatthay Ckak # 46, 2 Km away from City, Marer 42 .5 Km Marer 45 1 KM

[edit] Sports

Cricket like all the other parts of the country is the game of choice for majority. Along with cricket, indoor games like snooker and billiard are also played. Some other games like chess, badminton and football are also played seasonally.Volleyball is being played in adjacent Villages. Specially a Village named Dhuroorkey and Longowal team of Volleyball is very famous in that region.The village longowal criket team is very famous. The city has a cricket stadium, which is negelected for years by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The city also has a community play ground where gym, and basket ball grounds are available.

[edit] Anti-Christian Riots

This town came into limelight of International media on 12 November 2005, when a Christian allegedly burnt a Quraan and as a consequence the people from the Jamia mosque and other common people, mostly workers from workshops and labour men, gathered and protested against the Christian community. Things got out of control and a church was burnt. Windows about 10 feet high were set on fire. A curfew was enforced and Police due to international pressure captured any one who was seen on the road filed a case against him for setting the church on fire. 84 people were caught, of whom around 30 were below 16 years old and were students. They were kept in custody for about three months with a court gradually dismissing the cases and in the end either all were relieved (due to lack of proof and witnesses) or were relieved on bail. The Christian was sent abroad thus the general idea arose that he did it just to gain fame. There is also a notion that the man was drunk when he did it.

[edit] Hill Park

The British government had built a railway to carry off the stone from the hill of the city. This tradition continued even after partition. The hill got smaller and smaller and got reduced to the size of a 5 story building. Due to the conservation demands of some locals, government was forced to stop stone cutting from the hill. In 1990-1991, local MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir secured fundings from the Punjab governemnt for a recreational park. The park was built around the hill with plantation and rides for children. The park was inaugurated by Member Parliament Barjees Tahir, and further grant was also announced for the park.

Recently a contract was completed by the local government in which stairs were built to the top but for hikers there is still the back side of the hill which is very difficult to climb. There is a Mizaar at the hill known as Baba Malkoo ka Mizaar here each year a carnival is held in November in which people from all over the area gather the carnival was held first time in 2001.

Children have many playing facilities. The hill top offers a panoramic view of all around green fields and flowing water of Canal Rakh Branch

[edit] Politics

Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir is very famous politician and was elected four times (three times in a row) as MNA since 1990 from Sangla Hill. Recently, he also won fourth time as Member National Assembly (MNA) in 2008 general election. He belongs to PML(N). In the 2002 elections Mr Shamim Haidar was elected Who was later on designated as Minister of Railway and then as Minister of sports. He belongs to Shahkot: a neighbouring sub-district. In 2008 General election he lost again by Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir.

Mr. Munir Ahmed Malik has been elected twice as a Member provincial assemebly from PP-139 — Sheikhupura and he belongs to Sanglahill.

There are other individuals who have played and have been playing an active role in the politics and bringing social balance to Sanglahill. It would be unfair of not mentioning them. These people include:

  • Ch. Muhammad Jamil (late)
  • Ejaz Hussain Bhatti(Ex- Chairman Sangla hill Baldia)
  • Munir Ahmed Malik (Ex-MPA)[2]
  • Nazir Ahmed(late), Ex-MPA PP- 139 — Sheikhupura, Punjab Assembly[3]
  • Shiekh Asif Jilani(Ex- MPA PP-139 — Sheikhupura- Punjab Assmebly[4]
  • Syed Abdul Latif Ahmad Shah (Ex- MPA PP-139 — Sheikhupura- Punjab Assmebly (late))[5]
  • Tariq Mehmood Bajwa, sitting MPA PP-139, — Sheikhupura -Punjab Assembly[6]

[edit] Communications Services Available

[edit] Dialing Codes

NWD 0563

ISD +92563xxxxxxx

[edit] Postal Code

39600

[edit] Internet Service Providers(ISPs)

WOL :World Online

Brain net

Paknet

Hinet

Cybernet

Dancom Online

Pol :Pakistan online

[edit] Mobile Phone Operators

Paktel GSM

Mobilink GSM

Ufone

Telenor (Telenor Pakistan)

[edit] WLL Operators

V-PTCL Wireless (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd.)

[edit] Transport

[edit] Airport

The closest airport is Faisalabad International Airport which is approximately 65 kilometres from the city through Faisalabad, and is a major transit point for exporting goods to other parts of Pakistan and abroad. Passenger flights are run by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), and several private airlines. See also Lahore International Airport

[edit] Road transport

There are not many well off roads in Sangla hill which connect the city with other cities, but has major links with main roads making it well located in a moderate road network. There is no public bus network within the city but many privately operated rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and tangas.

For outer routes there are these awful buses and dare devil wagaon upon which no traffic or legal rule apply(its the same in the whole country). It is hoped that the current situation would become better after the new tehsil government takes over.

[edit] Highways

There is a link road through Sahianwala Interchange through which you can travel to other cities of the country through M2(Motorway).

[edit] Rail network

The Central railway station is the main railway station built during the British reign around the nineteenth century. The station is used to take people to all parts of Pakistan from Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar and many more cities and towns of Pakistan.

A large amount of cargo is exported and imported into Sangla hill with many deliveries a day from all parts of the Pakistan.

[edit] See also

[edit] References