History
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Chakwal is located in the Dhanni region of the Potohar in northern Punjab, Pakistan. During the Independence War of 1857 Chaudharials of Chakwal trengthened the hand of the British Raj by escorting the treasury from Chakwalto Rawalpindi and got the khilats and Jagirs.Chakwal's non-Muslim minorities departed during the independence of Pakistan in 1947 but the city is still in their heart and mind and had never forgotten it. In April 2009 a terrorist attack on the mosque killed more than 30 people. |
Geography
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Chakwal's landscape features the canyons in Thirchak-Mahal. There are man-made and natural lakes around the city in neighbouring communities.On the top of this hill is a shrine called Chehl-Abdal of Chehl Abdal hill top which is at 3,500 feet (1,100 m) above sea level. Another well-known tourist place in the area is Kalar Kahar, 2,500 feet (760 m) above sea level. The famous temple-fort of Katas raj is nearby. Chakwal is connected by road to Jhelum and Lahore via the Sohawa road.Chakwal is a semi-arid area with a shortage of irrigation systems and water sources for agriculture. Over 70% of the population engages in agriculture, mostly subsistence agriculture dependent on rainfall. Most villages have no irrigation system
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Language
Inhabitants of Chakwal District speak Punjabi Language in dialects Dhani and Majhi (Standard). English is also spoken by educated people
Administration
The district of Chakwal, which covers an area of 6,524, is subdivided into 5 tehsils, these tehsils were formerly part of neighboring districts
Chakwal of jhelum District
Talagang of Attock District and police station Choa Saiden Shah, carved out of subdivision Pind Dadan Khan, Jhelum District, and amalgamating it with sub-division Chakwal. Choa Saidan Shah was upgraded to the level of a sub-division in 1993.
At present district Chakwal consists of 5 subdivisions – Chakwal, Talagang, Choa Saiden Shah, Lawa and Kallar Kahar, 23 qanungois and 198 patwar circles. The police subdivisions correspond with those of the district administration and there are 11 police stations- Chakwal City, Saddar, Kallar Kahar, Dhumman, Nila, Dhudhial, Talagang City, Saddar, Tamman, Lawa and Choa Saidan Shah.
The district is administratively subdivided into four tehsils and 68 Unions.
- Chakwal Tehsil 30
- Kallar Kahar Tehsil 8
- Choa Saiden Saha Tehsil 7
- Talagang Tehsil 23
Constituencies
There is one district council, two municipal committees- Chakwal and Talagang and two town committees- Choa Saiden Shah and Kallar Kahar.The district is represented in the national Assembly by two constituencies NA-60 and NA-61.The district is represented in the Provincial Assembly by four elected MPAs and in National Assembly by two MNAs who represent the following constituencies:
Constituency MPA Party
- Sardar Zulfiqar Khan MNA, NA-64, PTI
- Chaudhry Salik Hussain MNA, NA-65, PMLQ
- Raja Yasir Hamayun Sarfraz MPA, PP-21, Chakwal-I
- Malik Tanveer Aslam MPA, PP-22, Chakwal-II
- Sardar Aftab Akbar MPA, PP-23, Chakwal-III
- Hafiz Ammar Yasir MPA, PP-24, Chakwal-IV
- Mst. Fozia Behram MPA Special Seat, PTI
- Mst. Mehvish Sultana MPA Special Seat PML-N
- Mst. Asia Amjad MPA Special Seat PTI
Demography
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the total population is 1,083,725 of which 12.01% only were urban making Chakwal the most rural district in Punjab. 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 Muslim refugees from India settled in the Chakwal District.