Rahim Yar Khan

Rahim Yar Khan (Punjabi رحیم یار خان) is a city in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the capital of Rahim Yar Khan District and of Rahim Yar Khan Tehsil. The administration of the city is subdivided into nine Union councils. According to the 1998 census, the city population was 233,537 with an annual growth rate of 3.50%. In 2009, it was around 1,900,000. The area of Rahim Yar Khan City is about 89 km². Rahim Yar Khan is bounded on the north by Muzaffargarh district, on the east by Bahawalpur district, on the south by Jasilmir (India) and Ghotki district of Sindh province and on the west by Rajanpur district.^[1]

Although the city is far away from the bustling cities of Karachi and Lahore but it is well connected to the rest of Pakistan by air, railway and modern road network.The city is easily accessible through National Highway N-5. The city is home to an international airport, Sheikh Zayed International Airport. The airport is undergoing a feasibility study for renovation and expansion.

Economy

Evening at the Desert Palace Road, Rahim Yar Khan

The Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 2007.^[2] The main source of income for the people of this city is agriculture and more than 65% of the population is linked to it. The city produces wheat, cotton, corn, sugar cane and many others. It produces large variety of vegetables and fruits. The city produces the world's best mangoes and is known through the Pakistan and the region for it. Mangoes of this area are exported to far off places in the world as Germany, France, Poland, UK, USA, Canada, Turkey and many other countries and the demand is growing year by year. In European Union the mango of Pakistan ( Rahim yar khan ) is considered the best. The city also produces vast amounts of citrus fruits.

Besides agriculture the city also specialises in many industries particularly sugar and fertilizers. The city has many industries like sugar, banaspati ghee, cosmetics, cotton, beverages, marbel, bricks, motorcycles, agricultural equipment, flour, oil, alcohol and fertilizers. There are separate industrial zones dedicated to particular types of industry, far from populated areas. Cotton industry is very common to the region. IT is a growing industry and a large amount of youth has indulged into it.

Higher education

Rahim yar khan is the city on the dash for development in social as well as educational impact. The city already have a number of institutions offering higher education in various fields and many other are planned and under construction and many of them are government owned.The premier higher education institute is the Islamia University, the biggest university in the division, offering various courses in engineering, pure and applied sciences, arts, law and other fields of humanity. Other well mentioning institutes include Sheikh Zayed Medical College (SZMC), Allama Iqbal Open University, Khwaja Fareed College University, Post Graduate College for Women, Degree College for women, Government Institute of Technology (GIT), Commerce College for Women, Commerce College for men, and Agriculture College, the only agricultural institute in the southern Punjab. A state of the art new campus of SZMC is under construction and is near to completion. A modern university for modern studies , named Khwaja Ghulam Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology, is under construction and soon will hit completion. The university has already started classes. The campus on its completion will attract thousands of potential applicants from all over the Pakistan as well as rest of the world. The newly built campus will comprise hundreds of hectares and will include state-of-the-art indoor sports complex. A robust campus of Islamia University is under construction and is near to its completion. The government also wants upgrade Agriculture College to a University, awarding its own degree.

There are many institutes offering Higher education in private sector as well. These include Swedish Coleege of Engineering and Technology, NCBA&E, NICAAS, Ali Law College, the Superior College, the Canadian Institute, Standard College and many more. The city is teeming with scores of colleges and hundreds of schools. Many educational networks of national scope have opened their campuses here i.e. Punjab Group of Colleges, Allied Schools, Beaconhouse School System, The Superior College, ILM College, The KIPS, APS&CS, MTB Schools, MTB College, City School System, Lahore School System etc.These institute offer world class education and learning environment. Local institutes include Sheikh Zayed Public School & College, Oxbridge School & College, Al Huda School, Al Muslim School & Girls College, Islamia School & College etc.

Some of the new grand additions to the city's educational sector are Daanish Schools and H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Al Nahyan School.

Health Care

Sheikh Zayed Medical Complex includes a learning hospital and a medical college. Students are graduated here in Medicine and Surgery. It is the main health care centre for people of the region. There are numerous small health care dispensaries in small towns and villages. There are numerous private hospitals and clinics scattered all over the city. Among some of the local hospitals are the

1. Hamdani Hospital
2. Umar Hospital
3. Sulman Hospital
4. Tehseen Hospital
5. Bukharees Hospital
6. Al Saeed Clinic
7. Iqbal Medical Complex
8. Saeed Laboratories
9. Pakistan Laboratries
10. Naveed Clinic
11. Al Hayat Clinic
12. Lala Hospital
13. Pakistan Hospital

There is a private medical college under development, named Sarfaraz College of Medicine and Dentistry. There is a college graduating in physical therapy exclusively.

Tourism

The city has many tourist and recreational spots which include children parks, family parks, desert stretches, historical sights, zoos etc. City Park is a small but very beautiful park lod in the heart of the city. It has many attractions like swimming pools, skating rink, the wheel, the boat, children's train and lush green grounds. H. H. Sh. Khalifa family park is situated in the outskirts of the city about 11 km from city center. The park is blessed with children's play area, lush green grounds and exotic plants. The park was built in the honour of Sh. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, prince of UAE. There are many newly built family parks in every major residential area.

The city has a zoo at Tibi Larran, spread over an area of 25 acres ( 10 hac.) home to about 350 animals and 65 species of animals and birds. The zoo is undergoing a major multi-million expansion and upgradation to rub shoulders with modern zoos around the world. The zoo is home to many species of peacocks, Asiatic lion, deer, buck, neelgai, monkeys, ducks, elephant, giraffe, Bengal tiger, cougar, cheetah, crocodile, ostrich, emu parrots, amazons, pheasants, pigeons, and many others.

There lies a well known historical site named Pattan Minara, a minaret which dates back to ancients Indus Velly Civilization. There was a city settled on the bank of ancient Hackra River. But as the river changed its course, the area became arid so abandoned. The remnants of the civilizations can still be seen today.

In summer after the rain, people flock from the city to the nearby desert to enjoy picnic or to play. In rainy days the desert is teeming with people. Sand boarding is very popular among young boys and girls. Dune driving is also very charming. All year, the desert is full of activities like hunting, dune climbing, night stay, camping, racing, biking, jeeping etc.

The city regularly receives visitors from UAE, mostly from the royal family, who come here every year to enjoy the hunting of bucks and birds. There are many palaces of royal family built in the city as well as two private airports along with private roads from airports to their palaces.

References

Neighbourhoods of Rahim Yar Khan Administrations: Rahim Yar Khan District Tehsils Khanpur Liaqatpur Rahim Yar Khan Sadiqabad Cities Khanpur Rahim Yar Khan (capital) Liaqatpur Sadiqabad Mian Wali Qureshian Zāhir Pīr Chachran Towns and councils Adam Sahaba Amingarh Bhong Villages Rahimabad Chak 117 p Numberdar Name ''Shahzad Abrar Saleemi'' Chak 152 P Adam Sahaba Aminabad Bangla Manthar Basti Haji Gul Muhammad Bhong Chandrami Chak No 151/P Chak No 111/1L Jajjah Abbasiyan Kot Karam Khan

Districts of Punjab, Pakistan Attock Bahawalnagar Bahawalpur Bhakkar Chakwal Chiniot Dera Ghazi Khan Faisalabad Gujranwala Gujrat Hafizabad Jhang Jhelum Kasur Khanewal Khushab Lahore Layyah Lodhran Mandi Bahauddin Mianwali Multan Muzaffargarh Narowal Nankana Sahib Okara Pakpattan Rahim Yar Khan Rajanpur Rawalpindi Sahiwal Sargodha Sheikhupura Sialkot Toba Tek Singh Vehari See also: Districts of Punjab, India

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