Sargodha

Sargodha
سرگودھا
City District / Divisional Capital
Sargodha
Sargodha
Coordinates: 32°5′1″N 72°40′16″E / 32.08361°N 72.67111°E / 32.08361; 72.67111Coordinates: 32°5′1″N 72°40′16″E / 32.08361°N 72.67111°E / 32.08361; 72.67111
Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
Division[1] Sargodha
District Sargodha
Government
 • Commissioner Captain Muhammad Asif
Area
 • Total 5,854 km2 (2,260 sq mi)
Population (2014)[2]
 • Total 1,500,000
 • Rank 11th (Pakistan)[3]
 • Density 260/km2 (660/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+5)
Postal code 40100[4]
Dialling code 048[5]
Number of towns 59
Number of union councils 22
Website www.sargodha.gop.pk; cbs.gov.pk; www.tmasargodha.com

Sargodha, also known as "The City of Eagles"[6], (Punjabi and Urdu: سرگودھا‎) is the 11th largest city in Pakistan[3] with a population of 1.5 million.[7] It is also an administrative centre of Sargodha Division located in the Punjab province, Pakistan and one of the fastest growing cities in Pakistan.[8]

History

The origins of this city are quite old but the proper town was established by the British in 1903.[9] Although it was a small town in the beginning, the British Royal Air Force built an airport here due to its strategic location.[10]

In April, 2017, twenty people were tortured and then murdered with clubs and knives at a Sufi shrine in Sargodha. A government administrator of the area told the Associated Press the custodian Abdul Waheed, 50, was allegedly in the practice of "beating and torturing" devotees to "cleanse" them and said he had confessed to the murders. The law minister for the Punjab provincial government said an initial investigation showed that Waheed had a collection of followers who would regularly visit the shrine and face torture in the name of religious cleansing.[11]

Geography

Sargodha is located 172 kilometres northwest of Lahore, in Sargodha District. It lies about 30 miles from the M-2 motorway, which connects Lahore and Islamabad. It is connected to the M-2 by several interchanges at different locations. Sargodha is roughly 94 km from Faisalabad, due southeast. Directly east connected by the M-2 motorway are Lahore and the route to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Due east is the city of Jhang; toward the west are the city of Mianwali and the Chashma Barrage. Dera Ismail Khan is located 232 km southwest from the city.

Sargodha mainly comprises flat, fertile plains, although here are a few small hills on the Sargodha-Faisalabad Road. The River Jhelum flows on the western and northern sides, and the River Chenab lies on the eastern side of the city.[12]

Climate

The city has a climate of extreme heat in the summers and moderate cold in the winters. The maximum temperature reaches 50 °C (122 °F) in the summer while the minimum temperature recorded is as low as freezing point in the winter.

Climate data for Sargodha (1960–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 20
(68)		 22
(72)		 26
(79)		 32
(90)		 38
(100)		 39
(102)		 38
(100)		 37
(99)		 36
(97)		 32
(90)		 26
(79)		 22
(72)		 30.6
(87.1)
Average low °C (°F) 8
(46)		 11
(52)		 15.5
(59.9)		 19
(66)		 25
(77)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 25
(77)		 20
(68)		 14
(57)		 9
(48)		 18.8
(65.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18
(0.71)		 36
(1.42)		 24
(0.94)		 13
(0.51)		 17
(0.67)		 48
(1.89)		 82
(3.23)		 87
(3.43)		 43
(1.69)		 9
(0.35)		 11
(0.43)		 12
(0.47)		 400
(15.74)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5 4 5 4 3 3 7 7 4 1 1 1 45
Source: Weather2,[13]

Demographics

Total population of the city was 458,440[3] according to the 1998 census. The majority of the people in the city speak Punjabi.[10]

Administration

Sargodha is the capital of Sargodha Tehsil. As of October 2012, the division system in Punjab Province has been restored and Sargodha became the divisional headquarters of districts Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali and Bhakkar. The city of Sargodha is administratively subdivided into 22 union councils.[14]

Local features

Sargodha lies about 30 miles (48 km) from the M-2 motorway which connects Lahore and Islamabad. It is also connected to Faisalabad by a highway. Daewoo Bus Service drives regular routes from Sargodha to the rest of the country.[15] Sargodha is also connected by the rest of the country through the rail.[16] Sargodha Junction railway station is located on Shorkot-Lala Musa branch railway line. Sargodha is home to the Sargodha Cricket Stadium.[17] Sargodha is also ranked as top orange exporting city in Pakistan, with vast of its countryside consist of fruit farms and wheat fields.[18][19]

Mushaf Air Base

Pakistan's largest airbase, PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Base Sargodha), is situated in Sargodha and hosts the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force's Central Air Command. The airbase is also home to the Combat Commanders School (CCS), formerly the Fighter Leader's School.[20]

Educational institutions

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Sargodha Division". getamap.net.
  2. ↑ http://www.urbanunit.gov.pk/PublicationDocs/Punjab%20city%20profiles/Sargodha%20City%20Profile.pdf
  3. 1 2 3 "Population size and growth of major cities" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 1998.
  4. ↑ "Pakistan Post Office Department". Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "National Dialing Codes". Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  6. ↑ http://dailythepatriot.com/sargodha-the-city-of-eagles/ "Sargodha- The City of Eagles"], Daily The Patriot
  7. ↑ http://www.urbanunit.gov.pk/PublicationDocs/Punjab%20city%20profiles/Sargodha%20City%20Profile.pdf
  8. ↑ "Commercial Real Estate Property in Sargodha Pakistan - Ghar47". Ghar47. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "TDCP (Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab) > Explore Pakistan > About Punjab > Major Cities > Sargodha". tdcp.gop.pk.
  10. 1 2 "District Website". lhc.gov.pk.
  11. ↑ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/20-tortured-murdered-pakistan-muslim-sufi-shrine-n741711
  12. ↑ "District at Glance". sargodha.gop.pk.
  13. ↑ "Weather2 – Sargodha". Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Tehsils & Unions in the District of Sargodha - Government of Pakistan". Nrb.gov.pk. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  15. ↑ http://www.daewoo.com.pk/terminal_view.asp?menu_set=5&submenu_set=1&page_title=Sargodha&terminal_code=13
  16. ↑ "Pakistan Railway Time Table". railpk.com.
  17. ↑ "Sports Stadium - Pakistan - Cricket Grounds - ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo.
  18. ↑ http://edu.par.com.pk/wiki/citrus/
  19. ↑ http://www.academia.edu/7790985/Orange_Economy_of_Sargodha
  20. ↑ "About Sargodha". glowpakistan.com.
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