Rahim Yar Khan
| Rahim Yar Khan رحیم یار خان | |
|---|---|
| District Headquarters | |
| Coordinates: 28°25′N 70°18′E / 28.42°N 70.30°ECoordinates: 28°25′N 70°18′E / 28.42°N 70.30°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Rahim Yar Khan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 134 km2 (52 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2015) | 863,203 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| Calling code | 068 |
| Number of towns | 4 |
| Number of Union councils | 8 |
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 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 cities of Karachi and Lahore but it is connected to the rest of Pakistan by air, railway and modern road network. The city is 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. These are 8637 shops {department stores, Hotels,etc.}
Economy
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 other crops. It also produces large variety of vegetables and fruits, especially mangoes. 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. The city also produces large 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, marble, 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. There are many factories (Unilever, Fatima fertilizer, Shahbaz cooking oil, Coca Cola, J.D.W sugar mill, Etehad sugar mill, Ahmed textile, Superstar motorcycle, Halib milk, etc.)
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 most 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 newly built campus will comprise hundreds of hectares and will include 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 College of Occupational Safety Health Canada (A Project of Rxianx Group), Swedish College 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. Local institutes include National Garrison Cadet and Secondary School, Oxbridge Secondary school and college, Lahore Grammer School 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. Agha Khan University and Hospital Laboratories' collection unit is also serving the people of Rahim Yar Khan. There are numerous small health care dispensaries, private hospitals and clinics scattered all over the city. Some of the local hospitals are:
- Hamdani Hospital
- Umar Hospital
- Sulman Hospital
- Tehseen Hospital
- Bukharees Hospital
- Al Saeed Clinic
- Iqbal Medical Complex
- Saeed Laboratories
- Pakistan Laboratries
- Naveed Clinic
- Al Hayat Clinic
- Lala Hospital
- Pakistan Hospital
- Ahmad Mukhtiar orthopedic hospital
- Usama Medicare
- Alkhidmat hospital
A private medical college, Sarfaraz College of Medicine and Dentistry, is under development. 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 park in the heart of the city. It has 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, 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 ha) 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 Valley 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 the year, the desert is full of activities like hunting, dune climbing, night stay, camping, racing, biking, jeeping etc.
The city regularly receives visitors from Arab Countries, especially 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
- ↑ "Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan". Pakimag.com. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
- ↑ Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Rykchamber.com. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
External links
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