Dera Ghazi Khan

Dera Ghazi Khan
ڈیرہ غازي خان
City
Nickname(s): Dera
Motto: Dera phullain da sehra دیرا پھلیں دا سہرا (Translation: Dera–the garland of flowers)
Dera Ghazi Khan

Location in Pakistan

Coordinates: 30°03′N 70°38′E / 30.050°N 70.633°E / 30.050; 70.633
Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
District Dera Ghazi Khan District
Foundation of Old City 1474
Foundation of New City 1910
Population
 • Urban 273,568
Time zone PST (UTC+5)
 • Summer (DST) +6 (UTC)
Postal code 32200
Dialling code 064[1]
Acronym DGK
Demonym Derawal, Dervi
Website http://dgkhan.gop.pk/

Dera Ghazi Khan (Urdu: ڈيره غازي خان‎), abbreviated as D. G. Khan or locally as دیرہ غازی خان in nastaʿlīq script, is a geographically central city of Pakistan at the junction of all four provinces of Pakistan. The city is the headquarters of Dera Ghazi Khan Division, which consists of the Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and Layyah districts.

Punjab Pakistan Districts

Etymology

The word "Dera" is derived from the Balochi word ḍerā which means "encampment". This word is commonly used for residential towns in the Indus valley such as Dera Bugti, Dera Murad Jamali, Dera Allah Yar, Dera Ismail Khan. Dera Ghazi Khan thus means the residential town of Sardar Ghazi Khan Baloch. People of Dera Ismail Khan as well as Dera Ghazi Khan are also known as Derawal or sometimes as Dervi while the latter is used as Pen name or Takhallus. Historically the Derajat were established at the time when in the fifteenth century, Baloch tribal immigration took place from Makran, Qalat and Sibi Balochistan, to Indus Valley. Sultan Husain, the Langah Dynasty's Sultans of Multan, being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions; called the Baloch tribal warriors, for help and assigned these territories to Sardar Malik Sohrab Khan Dodai Baloch as "Jagir". Sohrab's sons, Ghazi Khan, Ismail Khan and Fateh Khan, founded the three Deras or villages' named after them.

Location

Dera Ghazi Khan is a mid-country city located on the junction of all the four provinces of Pakistan i.e. Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. Due to its location, it has been once in the list of prospective capitals of Pakistan. It has beautiful and unique landscape including the Indus River, Green Fields, Pachad Desert and the Sulaiman Mountains.

 Musakhel District (Balochistan), North Waziristan (FATA) Dera Ismail Khan District (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Layyah District (Punjab)
Barkhan District (Balochistan) Muzaffargarh District (Punjab)
   Dera Ghazi Khan District (Punjab)  
Dera Bugti District (Balochistan) Kashmor District (Sindh) Rajanpur District (Punjab)

Ecological features


Religion

Islam came into this region during eighth century when Muhammad bin Qasim (695–715), the Ummayad general entered Sindh and Punjab. More than 99% people are Muslims. After the partition, the Hindu population of the city migrated to India. There are remains of three Hindu temples in the city.

Language

Dialects of Punjabi

Following are the demographics of the Dera Ghazi Khan district, by spoken language:

Inhabitants of DG Khan District speak Punjabi[2] and a great variety of its dialects, including a major dialect Saraiki, but because of good and loving nature of people there is no distinction or hate among different dialects and have a mix culture of Great (North and South) Punjab.

Other languages include:

History

Foundation of old city

The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Multan region became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region. The city was founded in 1476 on the western bank of the Indus River and named after Nawab Mir Ghazi Khan Mirani, son of Nawab Mir Haji Khan Mirani, a Balochi chieftain.

British era and foundation of new city

Derajat eventually came into the possession of the British Raj after the Sikh War in 1849 and was divided into two districts: Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan.[4] General Courtland was appointed as first Deputy Commissioner of this District. Presently there are three revenue sub-division or tehsils of Dera Ghazi Khan District i.e. Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil, Taunsa Sharif, and a tribal belt/political area spread along with western side of the district. Following flash floods in 1908 which partially destroyed the original city, in 1910, the present-day city was established around 10 miles (16 km) away from the old town near Drahma.

The new town was planned in a grid plan, consisting of 66 city blocks with wide roads. Each alternative street join the main street of block to form chowks or town squares for social gatherings, and each block has two such chowks (northern and southern). The town suffered decrease in population due to the move- in 1909, there were 23,731 inhabitants, whereas in 1911 there were 18,446. In 1913, the Municipal Committee came into existence. At that time, the area of the town was very small. Physical growth continued and now the area is about 4 square miles (10 km2). During British era, canals were dug in the region.

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslims refugees from India settled in the Dera Ghazi Khan.

Post independence

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while many Muslims refugees from India settled down in the Dera Ghazi Khan District. Many Hindus and Sikhs from Dera Ghazi Khan settled in Delhi found Derawal Nagar along with the migrants from Dera Ismail Khan.[5] Similarly, Muslims from different parts of India migrated to Pakistan and settled in different cities of Pakistan including Dera Ghazi Khan. This further increased the cultural diversity of Dera Ghazi Khan.

The major growth of the town has taken place since 1947. The town has largely spread to the north and south; it could not expand to the west due to the danger of flooding torrents such as affected the town in 1955. However, growth has also taken place in the eastern side. Almost all of the new developments in north and east of the planned town are haphazardly built. The development in the town from 1947 to 1958 remained slow, due to lack of transportation and communication facilities. Only a boat bridge on the river Indus in winter season and steamer service for summer season linked Dera Ghazi Khan with the rest of the Punjab. The Taunsa Barrage on the river Indus was completed in 1953 and the pace of development has since gained momentum. Keeping in view the rapidly increasing population, district D. G. Khan was further divided in two districts in 1982 i.e. Dera Ghazi Khan District and Rajanpur District. During the last 5 years, 72 industrial units were established. The Ghazi Textile mills are an attempt to establish a heavy industrial complex to raise the economic base of the town.

Climate and geography

Dera Ghazi Khan is located at 30'03" N and 70'38" E. The overall climate of the city is dry with little rainfall. The winter is relatively cold and the climate is hot during the remaining part of the year, but it is very hot in summer. The temperature during summer is usually about 115 °F (46 °C), while during winter season the temperature is as low as 40 °F (4 °C). The prevailing wind direction is North-South. Due to the barren mountains of Koh-Suleman (Sulaiman Mountains) and the sandy soil of the area, windstorms are very common in the summer. During summer, the temperatures are generally amongst the highest in Pakistan. Fort Munro, located on the edge of Punjab Province, has relatively cooler weather. In winter, scattered snowfall is also reported in this area.

Climate data for Dera Ghazi Khan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.0
(77)		 30.0
(86)		 35.0
(95)		 38.0
(100.4)		 42.0
(107.6)		 46.0
(114.8)		 44.0
(111.2)		 42.0
(107.6)		 40.0
(104)		 38.0
(100.4)		 32.0
(89.6)		 22.0
(71.6)		 46
(114.8)
Average high °C (°F) 20.3
(68.5)		 22.1
(71.8)		 26.9
(80.4)		 33.5
(92.3)		 38.7
(101.7)		 41.5
(106.7)		 38.5
(101.3)		 37.4
(99.3)		 36.7
(98.1)		 33.4
(92.1)		 27.7
(81.9)		 21.9
(71.4)		 31.55
(88.79)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.2
(54)		 14.7
(58.5)		 19.9
(67.8)		 26.0
(78.8)		 30.9
(87.6)		 34.2
(93.6)		 32.7
(90.9)		 31.9
(89.4)		 30.2
(86.4)		 25.3
(77.5)		 19.1
(66.4)		 13.6
(56.5)		 24.23
(75.62)
Average low °C (°F) 4.2
(39.6)		 7.3
(45.1)		 12.9
(55.2)		 18.5
(65.3)		 23.1
(73.6)		 26.8
(80.2)		 26.9
(80.4)		 26.4
(79.5)		 23.8
(74.8)		 17.3
(63.1)		 10.5
(50.9)		 5.3
(41.5)		 16.92
(62.43)
Record low °C (°F) −2.2
(28)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 4.0
(39.2)		 9.5
(49.1)		 14.4
(57.9)		 17.5
(63.5)		 18.6
(65.5)		 19.5
(67.1)		 15.8
(60.4)		 8.0
(46.4)		 2.2
(36)		 −2.8
(27)		 −2.8
(27)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 10.0
(0.394)		 17.5
(0.689)		 34.8
(1.37)		 21.7
(0.854)		 17.2
(0.677)		 14.4
(0.567)		 60.8
(2.394)		 57.5
(2.264)		 17.6
(0.693)		 4.8
(0.189)		 2.1
(0.083)		 10.4
(0.409)		 268.8
(10.583)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 222.2 206.8 234.3 259.2 290.1 247.7 241.3 261.1 271.1 283.2 249.7 220.4 2,987.1
Source: NOAA (1961–1990)[6]

Dera Ghazi Khan current weather.

Fauna and flora

Along with its many other fauna and flora it has Jerdon's babbler.

Natural resources

There are iron, gypsum, marble, limestone, cement, precious stones, uranium, coal and petroleum and gas reserves in the district. The Koh-e-Sulaiman constitutes a major part of this area, and has many natural deposits.

Floods

The area is also vulnerable to floods from the Indus River in the east and from the Rod Koh coming from the Sulaiman Mountains (Kōh-e Sulaymān) in the west. In 1957 flood-water entered the city, after about 55 years flood-waters entered the city for the second time on 9 September 2012 due to heavy rains in the Sulaiman Mountains.

Civic administration and politics

Dera Ghazi Khan City is administratively subdivided into seven Union Councils.[7]

The majority of the population is poor but they have been ruled by the rich landlords and chiefs of Baloch tribes which played significant role in the national and provincial politics. Some of these feudals, who use the title Sardar for themselves, include former President of Pakistan Farooq Leghari, Governors of Punjab Zulfiqar Ali Khosa and Latif Khosa, Chief Minister of Punjab Dost Muhammad Khosa, present Chief Secretary of Punjab, Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Former Inspector General Police of Punjab, Tariq Khosa, and present Supreme Court Judge Asif Khosa. The city is one of the oldest districts in South Asia and many of its politicians have been in power but Dera Ghazi Khan did not develop as other cities in Punjab. Based on the surveys of 2004–2005, Dera Ghazi Khan district is considered one of the twenty poorest districts of Pakistan with about 51% of its population living below the poverty line.[8]

Political representation

National Assembly Constituencies

Provincial Assembly Constituencies

Notable people

Education

Dera Ghazi Khan has a literacy rate of 60 percent, which is relatively equal to the national level. Due to lack of adequate higher education facilities locally, most students go to colleges and universities in other cities of Punjab. In the past few years, there has been rapid growth in institutions for higher and technical education. Dera Ghazi Khan has produced well-known scientists, educationalists and scholars. The city is famous for its doctors and engineers usually working in the big cities of Pakistan due to lack of opportunities in this small city until recently.

Schools

The city has a variety of schools, public and private sector, with the Government High School No. 1 being the most prominent and old school of the city for boys. With the adjoining primary school No. 1, it was constructed pre-independence. Government City High School and Government Comprehensive School are also prominent schools for boys. Similarly, there are several schools for girls. All of them are affiliated with the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dera Ghazi Khan. These schools hold several academic and extra-curricular awards. A large proportion of the students go on to serve in prominent positions all over the world. Three high (matriculation) school for girls and four for boys provide enough facilities to educate the young. The Divisional Public School is the oldest private school established in 1986 and is the only school to offer A-levels. The city includes branches of private nationwide school chains, such as Garrison college, Bloomfield Hall School (BHS), Pakistan Atomic Energy School, The City School (TCS), The Educators, AIMS Army Public School Dera Ghazi Khan Cantt,Meezan School Dera Ghazi Khan and the Danish School. Many newly established of international and national standards are also established like The Education Zone (TEZ).APS Choti DG Khan and IIUI Schools DGKhan Campus a nation-wide school system under the banner of International Islamic University Islamabad offering both streamlines of Matriculation and O and A Level.

Dera Ghazi Khan Cantonment

In Dera Ghazi Khan, the Army Cantonment was established in 2006 near Dera Ghazi Khan International Airport. Since, the cantonment is at a distance from the main city, APS Choti was established inside the cantonment area to facilitate the wards of Army personnel.

Initially, the school was housed in a temporary building and was up till primary level with eleven faculty members and sixty students. The school got its affiliation with APSACS in January 2007 and in the same year Classes VI–VII commenced. In 2009 and 2010 the school was upgraded to Matric level. The school was shifted to its present custom-built campus in 2010.

Army Public Schools & Colleges System (or APSACS) is an educational institution with branches in the four provinces of Pakistan. Army Public School has a branch in Dera Ghazi Khan Cantt. area near the airport. APSACSs are semi-private institutions, affiliated with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad.

Colleges

There are following colleges in Dera Ghazi Khan:[10]

General

. Govt. Degree College Choti Zareen (Dera Ghazi Khan)

Commerce

Government Post Graduate College of Commerce (Urdu: گورنمنٹ پوسٹ گریجویٹ کالج آف کامرس ) is a college in Dera Ghazi Khan city in Punjab state in Pakistan. It is one of the five constituent colleges of Ghazi University. The college offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses in commerce. It is situated on Block No. 38, Dera Ghazi khan . The college is also known as University Commerce College.

Education

University of Education, Dera Ghazi Khan campus

Law[13]

Ghazi Khan Medical College

Technology and Specialization

university of Education Lahore (DGKHAN campus )

Universities


The government has established a state-of-the-art Ghazi University in Dera Ghazi Khan since 2011 near airport.For this purpose 1000 acre land has been acquired for next 50 yeares requirement of the university.The foundation stone for Ghazi University and Ghazi Medical College was laid in December 2011.[16] The Govt. Postgraduate College,FAU Agriculture College and Ghazi Medical College will work under this university.Vice Chancellor of Islamia University Bahawalpur Dr.Mukhtar Ahmed has given additional charge of Ghazi University v.c since 11.06.2014.Dr.Khalique Ahmed was appointed first permanent V.C in 2016. The Virtual University of Pakistan has established its campus here since 2004 which is providing both campus based and distance learning education primarily based on IT tools and technology. Another prominent educational organisation is the Allama Iqbal Open University campus. The government has approved Akhuwat University of Engineering and Technology in Dera Ghazi Khan since 2012.[17] The university will be established on 351 kanals and will offer courses in Engineering, Veterinary Science, Computer Science, Information Science, Communication Science and Management Science.

Historical and tourist places

Tomb of Hazarat Sakhi Sarwar

Main article: Sakhi Sarwar

Hazrat Syed Ahmad, also known as Sultan Sakhi Sarwar, Lakh Data, Sakhi Sultan and Lalan Wali Sarkar, was the son of Hazrat Zain ul Abedin, who migrated from Baghdad and settled in Shahkot, near Multan in the 13th century. He studied from Syed Muhammad Ishaq, known as Miran Badshah who came from Iran and settled in Lahore during the time of the Tughlaq dynasty and is buried in the courtyard of Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore. Syed Ahmed later went to Dhaunkal, Wazirabad for further education and is also reported to visit Baghdad. Sakhi Sarwar preached Islam in Sodhra, Wazirabad. From Dhounkal, Sakhi Sarwar came to Dera Ghazi Khan and settled in Nagaha, now named after him, Sakhi Sarwar. He died at the age of 53. His shrine was built in Sulaiman Mountains, 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Dera Ghazi Khan city. It is located in a small village named Muqam. Later, Mughal king Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur amended his tomb. It is a unique building of Mughal architecture. Thousands of people from all over South Asia come here on the Annual Celebrations of Birth of Sakhi Sarwar in March every year.

Tomb of Ghazi Khan

See also: Ghazi Khan

The tomb of Nawab Ghazi Khan Mirrani, locally called as handeera in Saraiki, was built in the beginning of the 15th century. This seems like the tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam in Multan. It is located in the Mulla Quaid Shah Graveyard. Its main gate is from eastern side and two small doors are in side of north and south. In it there are 11 graves, which are of the family of Nawab Ghazi Khan Mirrani. Every side of the tomb is 13 feet (4.0 m) and 3 inches (76 mm) from inside and there are conical minarets from the outside. Its circular distance from the earth is 17 feet (5.2 m) and half. The half diameter of the conical minarets remains 34 inches (860 mm) on the highest of 19 feet (5.8 m). There are 28 ladders from northern side in the internal side. The graveyard was built up around the tomb of Nawab Ghazi Khan Mirrani. This is the oldest building in the city. The tomb condition is continuously deteriorating and many social activists are raising voice to preserve this heritage.[18]

Tomb of Ali Ahmed Qadri (Darbar Qadiriyya)

Hazrat Ali Ahmed Qadri (1898–1962) was born in 1898 in Kaithal, India.[13] His father died three years after birth. He was considered to be an in-born wali. He belonged to the Qadiriyya Sufi order from the lineage of 17th-century saint Shah Kamal Qadri Kaithaly. After the independence, he migrated to Pakistan in 1949. Initially, he settled in Kot Qaboola (Arifwala Tehsil, Pakpattan District) and Multan and then finally moved to Dera Ghazi Khan. He died in 1962 and his tomb is in Block 35.

Taunsa Barrage

Main article: Taunsa Barrage

Taunsa Barrage is also the location of one of the notable structures on the Indus River called Taunsa Barrage, located several kilometres north of Dera Ghazi Khan city. Taunsa Barrage produces 100,000 kilowatts of electricity. It is a best visiting place and lot of families make trip to this tourist spot. It was designated a Ramsar site on 22 March 1996. The Taunsa Barrage was completed in 1958, and it has been identified as the barrage with the highest priority for rehabilitation. It requires urgent measures to avoid severe economic and social impacts on the lives of millions of poor farmers through interruption of irrigation on two million acres (8,000 km2) and drinking water in the rural areas of southern Punjab, benefiting several million farmers. In 2003, the World Bank approved a $123 million loan to Pakistan to rehabilitate the Taunsa Barrage on the River Indus whose structure had been damaged owing to soil erosions and old-age. The project was designed to ensure irrigation of the cultivated lands in the area of the Muzaffargarh[2] and Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil[3] canals, and through the Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal that supplements the water supply to Panjnad headworks canals.

Ghazi Ghat

Ghazi Ghat is one of the notable structures on the Indus River, located 10 kilometres east of Dera Ghazi Khan city. It is a very beautiful village of southern part of Punjab province. Mostly Baloch tribes live in this village. Some famous tribes include Bozdar (Bakhri), Chandia, Kori, Guramani and Surani. It is a best visiting place and lot of families make trip to this tourist spot. A lot of people from Multan visit this picturesque spot. There are lot of fresh river fish stalls where scores of people come to eat. There is a view of the Indus River from here. Boat riding is available for rent. There is a petrol station and a hotel there.

Fort Munro

Main article: Fort Munro
Damis Lake, Fort Munro

Fort Munro, locally in Balochi language it is called "Nimroo". It is a hill station in Dera Ghazi Khan which lies on the Quetta Road at 80 km westward from Dera Ghazi Khan city in the Sulaiman Mountains Range. According to scholar Dr. Ghulam Qasim Mujahid Baloch: "the hill station was named during the British forward policy era in 1880 on the name of Colonel Munro the commissioner Dera jaat and Layyah Division. The old Balochi name of this place was "loh larhi (the iron rock) and "Anari Molh" (the peak of pomegranates). The Balochi poet of Rind Era Mir Mando visited this top and narrated the classical Balochi "Fairy Poem" which is included in the "popular poetry of the Baloches" written by famous orientalist Mr. Longworth Dames the Deputy commissioner of Dere Ghazi Khan. A lake at Fort Munro on the name of Mr. Longworth Dames still exists as: "Dames Lake"(Ref: "Biaz e Dera" University College of Education (Government Elementary College) Dera Ghazi Khan, 2005, PP.176–188). The Fort Munro is away from dusty and hot climate of Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan. It is blessed with clean and cool weather. Its altitude is 1,972 metres (6,470 ft) above sea level and attracts many people for short stays during the summer. Many school trips and families go for recreation. Families from south Punjab cities, such as Multan, Muzaffar Garh, Rajanpur, Jampur, Layyah, Taunsa, Kot addu, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and Kot Mithan make trips to this beautiful hill station during summer. In summer when the temperature reaches 48 °C (118 °F) in south Punjab, the temperature remains at 20 °C (68 °F).

Pir Zinda near cement factory

It is located near the cement factory some 40 km from the city. It is believed that a Sufi saint lived and preached here in Suri nala (Rod Koh). Its nearest village is Sahar. There is small mazar of Pir Zinda Sahib. Many people come here during pir zinda mela. Beside this mazar is its speciality, which is hot water chashma. Warm and salty water constantly comes from the ground, due to pressure. There are lot of mineral and Sulfur rich warm water ponds and springs (chashmas). People normally take bath from these ponds, in the belief that they cure disease. These warm waters have minimum temperature of 35 °C (95 °F) and are rich in salts and minerals, especially sulphur that is anti itching and effective in eliminating skin diseases. These are called thermal and medical baths. Many people come here for their refreshment and the hope of recovery from different diseases and sickness. The road conditions around this place are very poor.

Tribal area and Koh-Suliman Mountains

Main article: Sulaiman Mountains

The Sulaiman Mountains, or the Kesai Mountains, are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan (Zabul, most of Loya Paktia and northeastern Kandahar Province) and Pakistan (South Waziristan and most of northern Balochistan and Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts of Punjab). The Sulaiman Mountains form the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Subcontinent. Bordering the Sulaiman Range to the north are the arid highlands of the Hindu Kush, where more than 50 percent of the lands lie above 2,000 meters.

Famous mosques

Parks of the city

Nawaz Sharif Park, Dera Ghazi Khan

Churchyard

It is situated in the northern side of the Canal colony, residential colony in front of the Central Jail Dera Ghazi Khan. It has the walls on its four sides. This churchyard could not spread because of Christian minority in the local area. This was constructed in 1910.

Economy

Agriculture

Agriculture in Dera Ghazi Khan

Dera Ghazi Khan is located in rich agricultural land with cotton, wheat, sugarcane, rice, tobacco being the major crops grown. Dera Ghazi Khan is also well known for its dates. The district is now connected by rail-road with other parts of the country including Multan, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta.

Dera Ghazi Khan International Airport

Dera Ghazi Khan international Airport

Dera Ghazi Khan International Airport is over 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city. It is near D.G. Khan Cantonment. It has a single, double-sided runway. It was built in 1996.

The airport provides flights to Multan, Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. Because of high demand, it has been operating flights to and from Dubai since 2008, making it an international airport. The traffic to and from most airports is usually high, although flights to Karachi, especially, get a large number of passengers. From November 2012 Shaheen Air started its operation from this airport. In 2013 Air Indus also began its flights from this airport. FlyDubai agreed to start flights from the airport if night landing facility is provided.

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Pakistan International Airlines Karachi,Dubai
Shaheen AirKarachi [Not operational]
Air IndusKarachi [begins 2016]
FlyDubaiDubai [begins 2016]
Qatar AirwaysQatar [begins 2016]
EmiratesDubai [soon]
AirarabiaDubai [begins 2016]
EtihadAbu Dhabi [soon]

Motorways and roads

The city is well connected with whole country by road. It is the only city in country which is at the cross of two National Highways: N70 Quetta to Lahore and N55 (Indus Highway), which connects the country from Karachi to Peshawar, and National Highway from Gwadar to Lahore also passes through Dera Ghazi Khan.

The M-5 Motorway is a planned four-lane motorway that will link Multan with Dera Ghazi Khan. It will be constructed after the completion of the M-4 Motorway. The M-6 is a planned four-lane motorway that will link Dera Ghazi Khan with Ratodero. It will be constructed after the completion of the M-5 Motorway Daewoo Express Bus Service, Faisal Movers and other bus services operate from the city to the entire country.

Rail

Dera Ghazi Khan is connected with the country through only Khushal Express train.

Demography

Population

The population according to the 1901 census of India (then a British colony) was 471,149 – the great majority being Baloch Muslims. The frontier tribes on the Dera Ghazi Khan border include the Ahmedani, Mazari, Lashari, Hajana,Kachela,Talpur,Changwani, Jarwar, Qaisrani,Bakhri, Bozdar,Khosa, Lund, Leghari, Khetran,Kaleri(کلیری ), Nutkani(Notkani),gorgage (Balochi & Brohi speaker dwelling in Quetta & Jiwani and some saraiki speaker dwelling in dera ghazi khan ), Gurchani,Dasti, Jaskani, Marri, Mastoi,Jatoi, Mirani, Bugti, Malghani is part of Nutkani or Notkani and Bamozai Known as Akhund/Akhwand tribes, whose ancestors came in from Afghanistan around 200 years ago and settled in the old Dera Ghazi Khan.Also the local Saraiki clans, Bhatti, Langah, Khundo, Koriya, Daha, Bhutta, Metla, Mochi, Khakhi, Khakh, Hinjra, Chajra,Sippal,Arraien,Chughtai, living in the city.

Historical populations of Dera Ghazi Khan city[19]

National Census Year Population
1972 720,343
1981 1,020,007
1998 1,989,680
2010 2,713,520

Health

Divisional Headquarters Hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan

In D.G. Khan, there is a civil hospital called the Divisional Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), along with many private hospitals and labs. The number of beds is being doubled from 250 to 500 in DHQ. Along with the DHQ there are several private hospitals working for the welfare of the people of Dera Ghazi Khan. The overall condition of public health is unsatisfactory in the city. Hospitals of Dera Ghazi Khan also provide services to people from neighboring areas of Balochistan where situation of health facilities is even more deteriorated compared to Dera Ghazi Khan.

Culture

See also: Saraiki culture

Famous Poets There are lot of famous Siraiki and urdu poets.Here are few of them,

(1)- Syed Mohsin naqvi
(2)- Sarwar Karbalai
(3)- Ahmad Khan Tariq
(4)- Rashid Qaisrani
(5)- Sharif Ashraf
(6)- Dr.Tahir Tansvi
(7)- Aziz Shahid
(9)- Iqbal Sokari
(10)- Farhat Shahzad (New York)
(11)- Prof. Hamad Khan (New York)


Charpai and Hamacha

In the city there is Charpai, locally known as khatt and Hamacha culture. Charpai and Hamacha means a big wooden cart, which are kepts at chowks and baithaks. Normally peoples sit on charpai and hamacha in the evening and on holidays. There they discuss their daily personal, social and political issues in friendly environment.

Fairs and festivals

Cuisine

Sports

Dera Ghazi Khan has a cricket stadium which is still under construction. A Cricket Academy constituted by Lala Maroof Ahmad (Young Ideal Cricket Club). It also has a hockey stadium but without AstroTurf. Other popular games are shooting volleyball, kabaddi and wrestling. Imran Abbas is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium fast bowler who has played for the Pakistani cricket team. Najeeb Amar, famous Hong Kong cricketer, was born in Dera Ghazi Khan in 1971.

These traditional games are also well known:

Arts and entertainment

The city has produced some famous artists like Tauqeer Nasir, who are known nationally and internationally. The National Arts Council, D. G. Khan was established to promote the arts and theatre in the city.

Press and media

Daily Jang is published from Dera Ghazi Khan[22] along with many local newspapers in Urdu, Saraiki and Balochi languages. The Daily Kasak is also published in the city.

Gallery

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "National Dialing Codes". Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Farina Mir (2010). The Social Space of Language: Vernacular Culture in British Colonial Punjab. University of California Press. Retrieved 5 March 2014. Page 70
  3. ↑ India Census Commissioner (1902). Census of India, 1901, Volume 17, Part 1, Page 280. Rajputana Mission Press. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Explore Pakistan | Dera Ghazi Khan". Findpk.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Colonies, posh and model in name only!". NCR Tribune. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
  6. ↑ "Dera Ghazi Khan Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Tehsils & Unions in the District of D.G. Khan – Government of Pakistan". Nrb.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Haroon Jamal (June 2007). Income Poverty at District Level: An Application of Small Area Estimation Technique (PDF) (Report). Social Policy and Development Centre. pp. 15–18. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "HAFIZ ABDUL KAREEM". Geo News. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Universities Affiliated Colleges". Sc.hec.gov.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "CADGK – College of Agriculture, D. G. Khan". University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Indus International Institute". Indusdgk.edu.pk. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Leading News Resource of Pakistan". Daily Times. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  15. ↑ Jafri, Owais. "Dera visit: Sharif lays medical college’s foundation – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "Punjab Assembly: Ghazi University Bill among eight passed". The Express Tribune. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  17. ↑ "Cabinet approves provision of land for 2 universities". The Express Tribune, 22 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  18. ↑ "Dera Ghazi Khan : ALL THINGS PAKISTAN". Pakistaniat.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Pakistan: Provinces, Major Cities & Urban Areas – Statistics & Maps on City Population". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  20. ↑ Census of India, 1911, Vol. XIV, Punjab, Part I Report, by Pandit Harkishan Singh Kaul, 39
  21. ↑ "Sohan Halwa a gift of saints’ city". Dawn.com. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  22. ↑ "Daily Jang Urdu News | Pakistan News | Latest News – Breaking News". Jang.com.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
Bibliography

External links

Coordinates: 30°03′N 70°38′E / 30.050°N 70.633°E / 30.050; 70.633

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