Khushab District
| Khushab خوشاب |
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|---|---|
| — District — | |
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| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District Capital | Jauharabad |
| Established | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| District Council | |
| Number of Tehsils | 3 |
| Website | http://khushab.gop.pk/ |
Khushab District (Urdu: ضلع خوشاب) is a rural tribal district located in Punjab, (Pakistan), named after the historical city of Khushab. According to the 1998 census, the population was 905,711 with 24.76% living in urban areas.[1] The district consists of three tehsils, Khushab, Noorpur Thal and Quaidabad.[2] Khushab is home to the Heavy Water and Natural Uranium Research Reactor,[3] a critical part of the Pakistan's Special Weapons Program, which has come under much heated scrutiny.[4]
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[edit] Etymology
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This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
Khushab is a combination of two Persian words khush (Persian: خوش) meaning sweet or tasty and aab (Persian: آب) meaning water. A common belief is that the Persian invaders, from the west, first used the word khush-aab in admiration of the sweet and tasty water found in the historical city situated on the bank of Jhelum River. With time the city started to be known as Khushab.
[edit] History
On March 21, 2000, the Christian Science Monitor published an article written by Alexander Colhoun, a high-resolution aerial satellite photo revealed a nuclear reactor and a missile base near the city of Khushab (32°1′12.62″N 72°12′27.02″E / 32.0201722°N 72.2075056°E). These pictures had mixed views, one of the expression of power that could shackle or reshape diplomatic landscapes[5] of a region and another of the ethical question about the usage of satellite imagery in terms of privacy and national sovereignty of a nuclear-capable nation. The report was published at a time when American President Bill Clinton was due to visit India and sparked concerns worldwide. It was later clearly stated in the Dawn newspaper on June 14, 2000 that this particular nuclear reactor at Khushab and its reprocessing plant were generating between 8 to 10 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium per year, dedicated for military use.
[edit] Geography
Khushab is situated between the cities of Sargodha and Mianwali, near the river Jhelum. The district headquarters is located at Jauharabad (founded 1953, pop. 39,477).
Khushab, consists of agricultural lowland plains, lakes, and hills. Parts of the Thal desert touch the district which has a breadth of over 70 miles (110 km) and is situated between the Indus river and the Jhelum river. The district is rich in natural resources (salt and coal). Most people are associated with farming and agriculture. One third of the district is hilly and is dominated by Awans and other minor tribes. In the 1980s the district was classified as a tax relief zone for new industries. This led to the establishment of many industries including cement, sugar, and textiles.
There are three lakes (Ochali, Khabbaki and Sodhi Jay Wali) in the district. Garden Kanhatti Garden near Khabbaki village is located in the Soon valley area which is the largest forest in Khushab district. Katha Saghral is semi-hilly and mineral area, noted for its coal and salt mining. Khabikki Lake is a salt water lake in the southern Salt Range area in Pakistan. The lake is one kilometre wide and two kilometres long. Khabikki is also the name of a neighbouring village. Sakaser is the highest mountain in the Salt Range area in Pothohar in Pakistan. It is 1522 metre / 4946 feet high. It is situated in Khushab District but it can be seen from adjoining districts of Mianwali and Chakwal. Ochali or Uchhali Lake is just below the Sakaser mountain, it is a salt water lake in the southern Salt Range area in Pakistan. Sakaser (1522 metre / 4946 feet), the highest mountain in the Salt Range, looms over the lake. Due to its brackish water the lake is lifeless.
[edit] Language
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This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
Majority of the locals speaks a dialect of Punjabi which varies significantly as one moves from the mountainous north of the district to the sandy south. The dialect is strongly influenced by the Saraiki in south and by the Pothohari in northern parts of the district. Urdu is also understood by most of the population.
[edit] Administration
The district is divided into three tehsils, Khushab, Noorpur Thal, and Quaidabad,[2] where the latter was created in March 2007.[6] Previous to the creation of the Quaidabad tehsil, it contained a total of fifty one Union Councils.[7]
[edit] Khushab tehsil
Khushab was subdivided into 41 Union Councils before the creation of the Quaidabad tehsil:[7][6]
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[edit] Noorpur Thal tehsil
Noorpur Thal is subdivided into 10 Union Councils.[7]
[edit] Quaidabad tehsil
Quaidabad is subdivided into 9 Union Councils.[6]
- Bandial Janubi
- Chak No.14/Mb
- Goleywali
- Gunjial Janubi
- Okhali Mohlah
- Pajar
- Quaidabad
- Utra Janubi
- Warcha
[edit] Historical forts of Khushab District
- Akrand fort
- Dhak Janjua fort
- Masral Fort
- Kath Saghral Fort
- Khushab fort
- Tilla Jogian
[edit] Notable residents
- Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Urdu poet, fiction writer and journalist
- Wasif Ali Wasif, teacher, writer, poet, and sufi
[edit] References
- ^ Urban Resource Centre (1998 Census)
- ^ a b "Tehsil Codes" (PDF). http://www.pndpunjab.gov.pk/user_files/File/8District%20and%20Tehsil%20Codes.pdf.
- ^ Special Weapons Program of Pakistan (Federation of American Scientists)
- ^ South Asia arms race - is it paranoia? (BBC News)
- ^ Top-Secret Kodak Moment In Space Shakes Global Security, Christian Science Monitor (March 21, 2000)
- ^ a b c "Tehsil status -DAWN - National; March 24, 2007". archives.dawn.com. http://archives.dawn.com/2007/03/24/nat35.htm. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ a b c Tehsils & Unions in the District of Khushab - Government of Pakistan
[edit] External links
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