Shalimar, Lahore
Shalimar Town (Urdu: شالیمار ٹاؤن) is one of the oldest towns in Lahore, Pakistan It is located on the Grand Trunk Road. The town is named after the Shalimar Gardens built by Emperor Shah Jehan in 1640 CE. The Mela Chiraghan festival used to take place in the Shalimar Gardens, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958.
History
The settlement of this area dates back to the 15th century under the Mughal rule of India. The area was a bustling community with a large concentration of gold shops and jewellers. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Hindu residents migrated to India. The area became mainly a residential quarter, heavily populated with Muslims. Shalimar town was officially declared a township of Pakistan in 1962 when the main attraction of the area, the Shalimar Gardens were nationalised by General Ayub Khan.
Today
Today Shalimar town is a semi-commercial area with all major banks located within the vicinity. The south west part of the town is residential while the rest is commercial and industrial. It is a beautiful place in Pakistan. BaghbanPura Police Station(In front of Shalimar Garden) operates legal functions of this area.
Demographics
The majority of the town is Sunni with 35%, 30% is Shia, 05% is Ahmadi and 10% is other including Christians, Hindus and Sikhs
Schools
There are 4 government schools, more than 100 private schools, and 1 Madrassa located in Shalimar Town.
University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, commonly referred to as UET Lahore is one of the leading engineering universities of Pakistan, and the oldest of them all, offering Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees in a variety of disciplines. UET is a state university and the Governor of Punjab is the Chancellor of the university. The Vice-Chancellor is the executive head and manages the university functions. It is located on Grand Trunk Road, on the border of Shalimar Town and Baghbanpura, Lahore. It is within a few kilometres from Shalimar Gardens.
Hospitals
Shalimar Hospital is one of the oldest hospitals located in Lahore. It was founded by the donations of businessmen in the area, In the 1960s. It is still run jointly by public donations and government support. It provides treatment to all citizens of Lahore at minimal cost. It also provides free coverage to all families in Shalimar Town. There are several private clinics and ambulatory care centers across the town. Malik Hospital is becoming famous with the passage of time, but is quite smaller than Shalimar Hospital. The Hospital is of famous doctor of the town Dr. Hanif who died in a case of criminal firing at Supreme Court Lahore in 2010.
Major public companies
The Major government establishments in the town include:
- WAPDA
- State Bank of Pakistan Mint
Major private companies
Private companies in the town include:
- Mapco Pvt Ltd
- Safina Soap asif
- UNIICO - The Injection Moulding Company.
- Shalimar Steel Mills
Industry
Plastic manufacturing and processing is the main industry in Shalimar Town, soap, oil and biscuits come in second.
Town nazim
At This time there is no town nazim of Shalimar Town,
Politics
Shalimar town is the most laboure town of Lahore. The majority of the town supports the "Pakistan Muslim Leaque N" (PMLN)
