Okara District

Okara District
ضلع اوكاڑہ
District of Punjab
Top: Satghara
Center: Ghausia Masjid, Okara
Bottom: Shaikhu Sharif, Okara
Location of Okara in Punjab.
Location of Okara in Punjab.
Coordinates: 30°48′05″N 73°26′54″E / 30.801380°N 73.448334°E / 30.801380; 73.448334
Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
DivisionSahiwal
HeadquartersOkara
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • Deputy CommissionerZeeshan Hanif[1]
 • District Police OfficerMansoor Aman
 • District Health OfficerN/A
Area
 • District of Punjab
4,377 km2 (1,690 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • District of Punjab
3,515,490
 • Density800/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,187,504
 • Rural
2,327,986
Literacy
[3]
 • Literacy rate
  • Total:
    (60.25%)
  • Male:
    (66.52%)
  • Female:
    (53.71%)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Area code044
TehsilsDepalpur
Okara
Renala Khurd
Number of Union councils10
Websiteokara.punjab.gov.pk

Okara District (Punjabi and Urdu: ضلع اوكاڑہ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. It became a separate district in 1982, prior to that it was part of Sahiwal District.[4]

History

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire invaded and occupied Sahiwal. The Muslims faced restrictions during the Sikh rule. During the period of British rule there was a forest of Okaan where the city has been built. The city is a relatively new agricultural city. The word "Okara" for this district was actually originated from word "Okan" (a lush green tree with needle like leaves). The Okan Tree gave birth to word Okanwali (Land of Okan) which ultimately finalized into Okara.[5][6] During British rule the area was part of Montgomery District and contained a large saltpeter refinery.[7] At independence in 1947, one of the two textile mills that Pakistan got was in Okara. The mill was known as Sutlej textile mill and it was Asia's biggest textile mill at that time but at present, it is closed down. In 1982 the city became the headquarters of the newly created Okara District. Okara has had a railway line since 1892.[4]

Agriculture

Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Vehari and Multan combined produce more than 60% of the potatoes produced in Pakistan.[8][9]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1951 730,472—    
1961 827,528+1.26%
1972 1,123,812+2.82%
1981 1,487,261+3.16%
1998 2,232,992+2.42%
2017 3,040,826+1.64%
2023 3,515,490+2.45%
Sources:[10]
Religion in Okara district (2023)[11]
Religion Percent
Islam
 
 98.38%
Christianity
 
 1.59%
Other or not stated
 
 0.03%

As of the 2023 census, Okara district has 549,724 households and a population of 3,515,490. The district has a sex ratio of 103.73 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 60.25%: 66.52% for males and 53.71% for females.[2][12] 958,545 (27.36% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[13] 1,187,504 (33.78%) live in urban areas.[2]

Religion in Okara District
Religion 1941[14]: 42 [a] 2017[15] 2023[11]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 414,437 73.02% 2,995,995 98.53% 3,446,579 98.38%
Hinduism [b] 78,751 13.87% 214 0% 214 0%
Sikhism 65,749 11.58% — — 44 0%
Christianity 8,602 1.52% 43,636 1.44% 55,735 1.59%
Ahmadi — — 956 0.03% 594 0.02%
Others[c] 60 0.01% 25 0% 285 0.01%
Total Population 567,599 100% 3,040,826 100% 3,503,451 100%
Languages of Okara district (2023) [16]
  1. Punjabi (94.16%)
  2. Urdu (4.64%)
  3. Others (1.2%)

At the time of the 2023 census, 94.16% of the population spoke Punjabi and 4.64% Urdu as their first language.[16] The main Punjabi dialects of the district are Jhangvi (or Rachnavi), and the standard Majhi dialect.

There are many tribes and clans settled in the Okara District. The majority of the population of Okara are Punjabi speaking Muslims. The main tribes and clans include: Syed, Malik, Jhujh, Channar, Wattus, Mungun, Jhakhar, Klaason, Dhall Jutt, Rajputs, Shaikhs, Lodhis, Kharals, Kamyanas, Kumbohs, Khanzadas, Noons, Arains, Chaudhary and Baloch are prominent. However, the Jat population is less compared to other communities.[17]

Livestock

Okara is also known for its cattle breed known as Sahiwal and a Water buffalo breed known as Niliravi. It is very rich in livestock population and production. The Livestock Production Research Institute (LPRI) Bahadar Nagar Farm is a very large Government farm near Okara city (18.5 km on Faisalabad road from DepalPur Chowk Okara). The farm has a large number of cows, buffalos, bulls (for reproduction), goats and sheep. Okara is a major milk producing city of Pakistan. There is also a large military dairy farm in Okara district originally set up in 1913.[18] After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the 'battai system' (sharing-partners in crop yields) continued in all military-owned farms in Pakistan, with the farmers taking their respective shares in the crop yields.[19][18]

Bypass

Since 2005 the Okara Bypass (30.786887° 73.459238°), with a length of 12.7 km, on GT road (N-5) was opened.[4]

Surroundings

Towns in the district include:

  • Depalpur[20]
  • Renaala Khourd
  • BasirPur
  • Haveli Lakha
  • Hujra Shaah Moqeem
  • Adda Gamber
  • Ghaziabad
  • Jaboka

Administration division

Map of the district's constituent units (national assembly)

The following is a table of the Tehsils & Union Councils of Okara District:

Tehsil[21] Area

(km²)[22]

 Pop.

(2023)

 Density

(ppl/km²)

(2023)

 Literacy rate

(2023)[23]

 Union Councils
Depalpur 2,502 1,592,201 636.37 55.29% 55
Okara 1,241 1,393,746 1,123.08 63.34% 41
Renala Khurd 634 529,543 835.24 66.98% 18
TehsilUnionsTotal Unions
Depalpur 1/SP WESAWEWALA, AMLI MOTI, AWAN KALAN, BARICT (CHAK BAWA), BASIRPUR-1, BASIRPUR-2, BEHLOL PUR, BHELA GULAB SINGH, BHOMAN SHAH, BHONE MANZaBTA, BHUTA MOHABBAT, BONGA SALEH, CHIPLI PUR, DEPALPUR-1, DEPALPUR-2, DEPALPUR-3, DHULLIANA, FARID PUR SOHAG, GUDDAR MULKANA, HAVELI LAKHA-1, HAVELI LAKHA-2, HAVELI LAKHA-3, HUJRA SHAH MUQEEM-1, HUJRA SHAH MUQEEM-2, HUJRA SHAH MUQEEM-3, JAITH PUR, JHUJH KALAN, KANI PUR, KLAIR KALAN, MAHANT DARSHAN, MANCHARIAN, MANDI AHMADABAD, MAROOF, MAZHAR ABAD, MEHAR SHAH KHAGA, MOHIB ALI UTAR, MUHAMMAD NAGAR, MUSTAFABAD., NAHAL MAHAR, NAMA JINDEKA, PANDAT MANFOOL PUR, PHULLAN TOLI, PIPLI PAHAR, QADIR ABAD, QILA JAVAND SINGH, QILA TARA SINGH, RAJOWAL, RATTA KHANNA, REHMAT WALA, ROHILA TAJEYKA, RUKAN PURA, SHAH NAWAZ KHAN, SHAH YAKKA, SHERGARH, SOBHA RAM55
Okara Thatta Ghulamka CHAK NO 25/2R SANGO-KA (CH BASHIR AHMAD SANGO-KA PAK ARMY), AKBAR, BIBI PUR, BURJ JEWAY KHAN, CHAK 2/4L, CHAK 12/GD, CHAK 14/GD, CHAK 15/1R, CHAK 16/GD, CHAK 17/GD, CHAK 18/GD, CHAK 24/GD, CHAK 27/4L, CHAK 32/2L, CHAK 32/2R, CHAK 38/2R, CHAK 34/GD, CHAK 36-A/4L, CHAK 4/4L, CHAK 40/3R, CHAK 40-A/4L, CHAK 42/3R, CHAK 44/2L, CHAK 43/GD, CHAK 45/GD(RETRI), CHAK 48/3R, CHAK 52/2R, CHAK 53/2L, FATEH PUR, GOGERA-1, JABOKA, JANDRAKA, KOHLA, LASHARI, OKARA-1, E-BLOCK, Masibat Pura, OKARA-10, OKARA-11, OKARA-2, OKARA-3, OKARA-4, OKARA-5, OKARA-6, OKARA-7, OKARA-8, OKARA-9, SATGHARA, SHEIKHU SHARIF, TARIQ ABAD41, 19/1R REHANO WALA.
Renala Khurd Chak 13/1.R,( Imtiaz Ahmad Bhatti PA Vice Principal Academic, Aitchison College Lahore)

Chak 7/1-AL(of mahalmis) CHAK 10/1.AL, KOT GUJJARAN o KAMYANA Chak No 8/1R

AKHTARABAD, BAZEEDA, CHAK 11/1L, Chak 12/1-L, CHAK 13/1-L, CHAK 14/1-L, CHAK 18/1L, CHAK 22/1AL, CHAK 23/2L, CHAK 33/1AL, CHAK 4/1AL, CHAK 4/GD, CHAK 5/1RA, CHAK NO 4/1RA, CHAK 6/1L, CHAK 4/1.L, CHAK 7/1R, KAMAN, MOPALKEY, RENALA-1, RENALA-2 || 18

The district is also represented in the National Assembly, by 4 elected members who represent the following constituencies:

ConstituencyMemberParty
NA-141Ch. Nadeem Abbas RabberaPML(N)
NA-142Riaz ul HaqPML(N)
NA-143Rao Muhammad Ajmal KhanPML(N)
NA-144Muhammad Moeen WattooPML(N)
Total4

Notable people

  • Bushra Bibi – (wife of Imran Khan)[24]
  • Syed Samsam Bukhari – Politician
  • Aftab Iqbal – Journalist
  • Younis Iqbal[25] Social Activist and Founder/Chairman Anjuman Muzareen Movement
  • Rao Sikandar Iqbal – Politician
  • Zafar Iqbal – Poet and Columnist
  • Ajmal Kasab - 2008 Mumbai Attacks terrorist
  • Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi - Lashkar e taiba terrorist
  • Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal – Historic Hero
  • Ghulam Ali Okarvi – Scholar
  • Indrias Rehmat, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad.[26]
  • Manzoor Wattoo – Politician, Former Chief Minister of Punjab[17]
  • Saieen Zahoor – Sufi Musician
  • Mian Yawar Zaman – Politician
  • Iftikhar Thakur – Comedian
  • Samina Noor_ Politician

See also

Thatta Ghulamka Doll Village of Pakistan in Okara

Notes

  1. ↑ 1941 figures are for Okara and Depalpur tehsils of the former Montgomery District, which roughly corresponds to present-day Okara district.Historic district borders may not be an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
  2. ↑ 1941 census: Including Ad-Dharmis
  3. ↑ Including Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, or not stated

References

  1. ↑ "Punjab CM appoints juniors as DCs in 22 districts". Pakistan Observer (newspaper). February 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  3. ↑ "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 3 History of Okara District on Cantonment Board Okara website Government of Pakistan website, Retrieved 12 April 2021
  5. ↑ Okara on Punjab Portal, Punjab Government website Retrieved 11 April 2021
  6. ↑ Aslam Piracha (22 February 2018). "Visiting Okara District Complex a tough task". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Punjab – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 20, p. 312.
  8. ↑ Mahmood, Amjad (19 April 2021). "The tuber territory of Okara". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Pakistan eyes China to boost potato industry". The Express Tribune. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  11. 1 2 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  12. ↑ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 12" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  13. ↑ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 5" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  14. ↑ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB PROVINCE". Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  16. 1 2 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  17. 1 2 "After election debacle, Wattoo resigns as PPP's central Punjab president". Dawn (newspaper). 14 May 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  18. 1 2 Kunwar Khuldune Shahid (1 June 2016). "This Land is Our Land: Peasants in Okara fight for their rights". Newsline. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Ikram Junaidi (14 February 2017). "Okara farms dispute nearing 'amicable solution'". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  20. ↑ Population Detail of Okara District on Government of Punjab website Retrieved 12 April 2021
  21. ↑ Divisions/Districts of Pakistan Archived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the division names
  22. ↑ "TABLE 1 : AREA, POPULATION BY SEX, SEX RATIO, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB" (PDF).
  23. ↑ "LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  24. ↑ Sana Jamal (19 February 2018). "Baba Farid: Where Imran Khan and Bushra Maneka found each other". Gulf News (World Asia) website. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  25. ↑ "Younis Iqbal". Front Line Defenders. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  26. ↑ "ASIA/PAKISTAN - Appointment of the Bishop of Faisalabad". Agenzia Fides website. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
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