Burewala

بُورے والا
City
Burewala
بُورے والا
Coordinates: 30°10′N 72°41′E / 30.167°N 72.683°E / 30.167; 72.683Coordinates: 30°10′N 72°41′E / 30.167°N 72.683°E / 30.167; 72.683
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Elevation	133 m (436 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	209,343
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)

Burewala (Urdu: بُورے والا‎) (Punjabi: بُورے والا), is a city of Vehari District in southern Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Burewala is the headquarters of Burewala Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of the district.^[1] It is located at 30°10'0N 72°39'0E and has an altitude of 133 metres (439 feet).^[2] According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, Burewala had about 150,000 people.^[3] As of 2000, it is the 31st biggest city in Pakistan by population.^[4]

Language

Local language is Punjabi, while Urdu being National Language is spoken and understood.

History

Burewala is situated on the Dehli Multan Road. Sutlej River crosses Burewala near the towns Jamlera and Sahuka. Shrine of Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Dewan Chawli Mashaikh is also situated in Dewan Sahib at a distance of 18 km. from Burewala. In the very beginning it was just a jungle which was 'humanized' by local tribes called "Baloch". When the Pakpattan canal operating in this area, people started to settle in villages as agriculture developed, resulting in jungles being cut to make way for cultivation fields. As this area was in 'Eastern Canal Division' so it was named village no. 122/EB (EB = Eastern Bar). In the northern side of Burewala, there are still signs of an old water canal which is now called Sukh Bias.^[5] It is 35 km east of District Capital Vehari on main Dehli Multan Road. Burewala is the second biggest tehsil of Punjab.

Etymology

The exact origin of Burewala's name is unknown; however, there are different theories. One theory is that the city is named after a person named "Burha." He was, according to some people, 'Sikh'. The village is also called "Old Bura" or "Purana Boora." The people of this villages constructed a well with a diameter of 8 feet and named it after their ancestor so it was called "Chah Boorhay wala" (Well of Burha). This well is now included in the P.I. Link canal. Due to this well the new city was named Burewala. In July 1976, Burewala was upgraded as a subdivision. The areas of Gaggo, Sheikh Fazil, Sahuka, Jamlera, and Saldera were included in the subdivision.

City facts

Burewala has approximately 188,986 inhabitants (2006). Burewala has the first shrine of Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Dewan also called Dewan Sahib, who was one of the earliest Muslim saints in the subcontinent.

Burewala is the birthplace of the Bollywood legend, late Rajesh Khanna whose family home stands there to this day. In sports, World renowned former fast bowler of Pakistan cricket team, Waqar Younis is from Burewala and is dubbed as "Burewala Express."^[6] The world's tallest cricketer with the height of 7'1, Mohammad Irfan also hails from Burewala.^[7][8]

Asia's largest textile industry was in the city of Burewala, owned by Dawood Group of Industries called (BTM) Burewala Textile Mills, which is now known as Lawrencepur Limited. Burewala is surrounded by boundaries of few industrial and agricultural cities (e.g. Vehari, Arifwala, Chichawatni, Hasilpur, Chishtian)

Business

Burewala has an all seasonal grain market in the area and it is a major business centre. Other business activities include 7 Flour Mills, 2 ghee mill, 50+ rice mills, 50+ cotton ginning factories and about 250+ oil mills and an extensively growing network of rice husking/processing mills, cotton gins, and flour mills.^{[citation needed]} It is Pakistan's second largest cotton-seed-cake producing city (after Rahim Yar Khan).^{[citation needed]} Dawood Lawrencepur Limited (formerly known as BTM Burewala Textile Mills Limited) is also located in the city with an installed ring spinning capacity of 216,000 spindles. Three PVC products factories are also situated in the city.

Government

Tehsil Municipal Administration

Burewala and Vehari were declared as Mandi's in 1925 and Railway station were established and it was named as "Mandi Burewala" and in 1927 Secretary Government of Punjab Ram Chand declared it "Notified Area Committee" and Mr. Vas, CIS was its first administrator. In 1935, Chaudhary Ata Ullah was elected as the head of the Grand Girga, overlooking social and legal problems of the area. The Government of the Punjab on 27 August 1957 upgraded "Notified Area Committee" to 2nd Class "Municipal Committee" and Mr. Faiz Kareem was named its first Chairman. According to 2000 local bodies system Burewala Municipal Committee became "Tehsil Municipal Administration".

Political division

Burewala has two National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies seat. NA-167 and NA-168 seats.However; NA-168 is shared by both Vehari and Burewala sub-divisions. NA-167 Burewala consists of Burewala, Gaggo mandi urban and rural areas while NA-168 shares Burewala and Vehari sub-divisions most of the rural areas and it includes 3-R Qannogo block of Burewala, Machiwal, Luddan, Sahuka towns. Provincial Assembly four seats in the Burewala sub-division includes PP-232, Gaggo Mandi urban & rural, PP-233 Burewala City urban and rural, PP-234 Sahuka rural, PP-235 Machiwal and also two seats shared by both Vehari and Burewala sub-divisions.

Shrine of Baba Haji Sher Dewan

The Shrine of Baba Haji Sher Dewan is the first shrine of sub-continent Indo-Pak.^{[citation needed]} It is situated here some 17 kilometers away from Burewala, located in Chak No. 317 EB, on the Burewala-Sahuka road. Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Muhammad Dewan Chawali Mashaikh is the saint of early years of the establishment of Islam. The place has a rich spiritual significance in the area. Tapasthan Baba Guru Nanak Dev is also situated there where Baba Guru Nanak performed Taphasya. The present Sajjada Nasheen is Peer Gulzar Hussain Shah Sahib.

Educational institutions of Burewala

University of Agriculture Faisalabad sub-campus

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on 13 February 2013 laid a foundation stone ofUniversity of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Sub-Campus at Chak No. 427/EB (Chichawatni road) Burewala.^[9] The project is spread over 132 acres^[10] and will be completed at the cost of Rs 541.373 million rupees and Punjab government released an amount of Rs. 49.987 million to start the project and it will be completed in three years time.^{[citation needed]} UAF sub campus would provide an opportunity of agricultural education to the local youth at the affordable cost to address the issues of growers and industry.^[11]

References

External links

• Burewala News Online
• Burewala News Online Urdu Page