| Mukaram District خوشاب |
|
|---|---|
| — District — | |
| Map of Punjab with Khushab District (خوشاب) highlighted | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Capital | Islamabad |
| Established | |
| Government | |
| • MNA | Rao Mukaram |
| • MPA | Asif Bha |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| District Council | |
| Number of Tehsils | 2 |
Khushab District (Urdu: ضلع خوشاب) is a rural tribal district located in Punjab, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census, the population was 905,711 with 24.76% living in urban areas.[1] The district consists of 3 tehsils: Khushab, Nurpur, and Quaidabad, as well as a sub-tehsil Naushera.[2] Khushab is home to the Heavy Water and Natural Uranium Research Reactor,[3] a critical part of the Pakistan's Special Weapons Program, which has come under much heated scrutiny.[4]
Contents |
On March 21, 2000, the Christian Science Monitor published an article written by Alexander Colhoun, a high-resolution aerial satellite photo revealed a nuclear reactor and a missile base near the city of Khushab (). These pictures had mixed views, one of the expression of power that could shackle or reshape diplomatic landscapes[5] of a region and another of the ethical question about the usage of satellite imagery in terms of privacy and national sovereignty of a nuclear-capable nation. The report was published at a time when American President Bill Clinton was due to visit India and sparked concerns worldwide. It was later clearly stated in the Dawn newspaper on June 14, 2000 that this particular nuclear reactor at Khushab and its reprocessing plant were generating between 8 to 10 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium per year, dedicated for military use.
Khushab is situated between the cities of Sargodha and Mianwali, near the river Jhelum. The district headquarters is located at Jauharabad (founded 1953, pop. 39,477).
Khushab, consists of agricultural lowland plains, lakes, and hills. Parts of the Thal desert touch the district which has a breadth of over 70 miles (110 km) and is situated between the Indus river and the Jhelum river. The district is rich in natural resources (salt and coal). Most people are associated with farming and agriculture. One third of the district is hilly and is dominated by Awans and other minor tribes. In the 1980s the district was classified as a tax relief zone for new industries. This led to the establishment of many industries including cement, sugar, and textiles.
There are three lakes (Ochali, Khabbaki and Sodhi Jay Wali) in the district. Garden Kanhatti Garden near Khabbaki village is located in the Soon valley area which is the largest forest in Khushab district. Katha Saghral is semi-hilly and mineral area, noted for its coal and salt mining. Khabikki Lake is a salt water lake in the southern Salt Range area in Pakistan. The lake is one kilometre wide and two kilometres long. Khabikki is also the name of a neighbouring village. Sakaser is the highest mountain in the Salt Range area in Pothohar in Pakistan. It is 1522 metre / 4946 feet high. It is situated in Khushab District but it can be seen from adjoining districts of Mianwali and Chakwal. Ochali or Uchhali Lake is just below the Sakaser mountain, it is a salt water lake in the southern Salt Range area in Pakistan. Sakaser (1522 metre / 4946 feet), the highest mountain in the Salt Range, looms over the lake. Due to its brackish water the lake is lifeless.
The majority of the people of the district speaks Punjabi.Urdu is also spoken and understood by most of the population. In some areas, Siraiki is also spoken.
The district is divided into three tehsils, Khushab, Noorpur Thal and Quaidabad which contain a total of fifty one Union Councils.[6]
Khushab is subdivided into 41 Union Councils.
|
Noorpur Thal is subdivided into 10 Union Councils.
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||