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 | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Dera Ghazi Khan District |
| Foundation of Old City | 1474 |
| Foundation of New City | 1910 |
| 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.
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 Sulemaan Mountains.
 |
Musakhel District (Balochistan), North Waziristan (FATA) | Dera Ismail Khan District (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) | Layyah District (Punjab) | |
| Barkhan District (Balochistan) |  |
Muzaffargarh District (Punjab) | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Dera Bugti District (Balochistan) | Kashmor District (Sindh) | Rajanpur District (Punjab) |
Language
Following are the demographics of the Dera Ghazi Khan district, by spoken language:
- Punjab province local people different dialects: 90%
- Other: 10%
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.
- Derawali (mainly)
- Majhi or standard (sizeable population in cities also in newly cultivated areas)
- Raangri (a mixture of Punjabi and Urdu spoken by sizeable population in cities)
- Thlochi (border areas near Layyah and Muzafargarh districts)
- Khetrani (border areas near Barkhan and Musa Khel districts)
Other languages include:
- Urdu is mother tongue of few people but being national language is spoken and understood by the sizeable population.
- English is also understood and spoken by the educated elite.
- Balochi is also spoken by size-able population in the Balochistan province border areas.[3]
- Pashto which is spoken by minority population in the Balochistan province border areas and in the cities.
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.
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.
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.
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]
Notable people
- Farooq Leghari (Ex President of Pakistan)
- Latif Khosa (Ex Governor of Punjab)
- Mohsin Naqvi (Poet)
- Zulfiqar Ali Khosa (MPA)
- Dost Muhammad Khosa (MPA)
- Tauqeer Nasir (Actor)
- Hafiz Abdul Kareem (Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan - MNA)[9]
- Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari (MNA)
- Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari (MNA)
- Jagdish Mukhi (Retired professor/Indian politician)۔ *Mir Muhammad Mirza khan Talpur[Advisor of CM of punjab]
Colleges
There are following colleges in Dera Ghazi Khan:[10]
General
- College of Agriculture, DG Khan Sub-Campus University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. (CADGK)[11]
- PAEC Inter Science College, Dera Ghazi Khan
- Army Public school and College D. G. Khan Cantonment near airport.
- Govt. Postgraduate College, Dera Ghazi Khan
- Govt. College for Women, Model Town
- Govt. College for Women
- Govt. College for Women, kot chutta
- Govt. College, Behind Shalimar Hotel, Dera Ghazi Khan
- Govt. College for Women, Choti Zareen (Dera Ghazi Khan)
- Indus International Institute: It is affiliated with National College of Business Administration and Economics has been established by private sector.[12] For the needs of remote area students, the institute has its own buses to facilitate the transport availability for the students. Indus has a library and Computer Lab as well.
. 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.
- Citi College of Commerce
Education
- The College of Education: It was established in 1989 under the affiliation of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. The college became a constituent institution of the University of Education in 2002 and is in its new building adjacent to the Shah Faisal (Bihari) Colony. The campus has a hostel for boys and onel for girls. The campus offers teacher education programs like BEd Secondary, MEd, M.A. Education and B.A. BEd Several private sector colleges also exist in the city.
- Govt. College for Elementary Teacher (M)
- Govt. College for Elementary Teacher (W)
Law[13]
- Indus Law College, Near General Bus Stand Road, Dera Ghazi Khan
- Multan Law College, Dera Ghazi Khan
- Pak Law College
Ghazi Khan Medical College
- Ghazi Khan Medical College: The government decided to establish a medical college in Dera Ghazi Khan to improve the facilities in southern part of the province.[14] Ghazi Khan Medical College classes were started in 2010 in Q.M.C Bahawapur. The foundation stone for Ghazi University and Dera Ghazi Khan Medical College was laid in December 2011.[15] Classes shifted from Q.M.C Bahawalpur to Ghazi Khan Medical College in March 2012. Niaz Ahmed Baloch was appointed as a first principal of the Medical College. The Medical and Dental College has been developed as a state-of-the-art medical institution imparting accredited and approved medical education and research. The D.H. Hospital and Research Institute, which will be a research oriented teaching hospital, will fulfill the requirement of training and research of medical students. The curriculum of the Medical and Dental College will be in line with the PM&DC regulations and international health standards.
Technology and Specialization
- UAF College of Agriculture, Dera Ghazi Khan: It is constituent college of University of Agriculture Faisalabad located near the airport imparts training in the degree of BSc (Hons.) Agriculture. The college consists of teaching sections of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Horticulture, Agronomy, Soil and Forestry Range Management and Wildlife, Agricultural Entomology, Plant Pathology, Animal Production and Health, Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences and Rural Development. It aims to develop as a university.
- Govt. Institute of Technology: It is situated at airport road, is one of the biggest institute in the region offering diploma and BTech classes in more than ten technologies in morning and evening shifts. Diploma courses in technologies are Civil, Mechanical,Electrical, Auto-mechanical, Petroleum, Chemical, Petrochemical, I.T. and Computer etc.
- Science institute of Technology college: It is situated at Mohsin Town near by Pull Dot,is second of the biggest institute in region which offering Diploma classes in more than four technologies in morning and evening shifts.DAE courses are Electrical,Electronics,Civil,Mechanical,Chemical etc.
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. 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.
Economy
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.
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
Historical populations of Dera Ghazi Khan city[18]
| National Census Year | Population |
| 1972 | 720,343 |
| 1981 | 1,020,007 |
| 1998 | 1,989,680 |
| 2010 | 2,713,520 |
Fairs and festivals
- Sangh Mela, is a Vaisakhi fair during March and April, is celebrated in Sakhi Sarwar by people coming from Jhang and Faisalabad for centuries. This festival is celebrated by Hindus and Muslims especially at the time of wheat harvesting. In some places it is known as Basant. Throughout history, a large number of followers coming from different religions became the followers of Sakhi Sarwar. Max Arthur Macauliffe, a colonial office appointed in Punjab, observed in 1875 that not only Muslims but Hindus also visited the shrines during the [urs]. In the 1911 census of India, 79,085 Sikhs reported to be the follower of Sakhi Sarwar.[19]
Cuisine
- Sohan Halwa is traditional sweet made by boiling a mixture of water, sugar, milk and wheatflour (coarse pieces)/cornflour until it becomes solid.[20]
Press and media
Daily Jang is published from Dera Ghazi Khan[21] along with many local newspapers in Urdu, Saraiki and Balochi languages. The Daily Kasak is also published in the city.
See also
References
- Notes
- ↑ "National Dialing Codes". Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ↑ Farina Mir (2010). The Social Space of Language: Vernacular Culture in British Colonial Punjab. University of California Press. Retrieved 5 March 2014. Page 70
- ↑ India Census Commissioner (1902). Census of India, 1901, Volume 17, Part 1, Page 280. Rajputana Mission Press. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ↑ "Explore Pakistan | Dera Ghazi Khan". Findpk.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ "Colonies, posh and model in name only!". NCR Tribune. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
- ↑ "Dera Ghazi Khan Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ↑ "Tehsils & Unions in the District of D.G. Khan – Government of Pakistan". Nrb.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "HAFIZ ABDUL KAREEM". Geo News. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ↑ "Universities Affiliated Colleges". Sc.hec.gov.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ "CADGK – College of Agriculture, D. G. Khan". University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ↑ "Indus International Institute". Indusdgk.edu.pk. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑
- ↑ "Leading News Resource of Pakistan". Daily Times. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ Jafri, Owais. "Dera visit: Sharif lays medical college’s foundation – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ "Punjab Assembly: Ghazi University Bill among eight passed". The Express Tribune. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ↑ "Cabinet approves provision of land for 2 universities". The Express Tribune, 22 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ↑ "Pakistan: Provinces, Major Cities & Urban Areas – Statistics & Maps on City Population". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ Census of India, 1911, Vol. XIV, Punjab, Part I Report, by Pandit Harkishan Singh Kaul, 39
- ↑ "Sohan Halwa a gift of saints’ city". Dawn.com. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ↑ "Daily Jang Urdu News | Pakistan News | Latest News – Breaking News". Jang.com.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- Bibliography
- "How Pakistan Made Nuclear Fuel" by Munir Ahmad Khan, former chairperson of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission: Islamabad The Nation 7 February 1998, page 7 [Pakistan: Article on How Pakistan Made Nuclear Fuel: FBIS-NES-98-042 : 11 February 1998].
External links
- Official website of the Dera Ghazi Khan, Complete Encyclopedia about Digerians
- October 2009+19:28:42 Dera Ghazi Khan
- Dera Ghazi Khan. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001–05
Coordinates: 30°03′N 70°38′E / 30.050°N 70.633°E
