Toba Tek Singh District
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| Toba Tek Singh District | |
|---|---|
| — District — | |
 |
|
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Capital | Toba Tek Singh |
| Established | |
| Government | |
| - District Nazim | Chaudhry Abdul Sattar |
| - District Naib Nazim | Muhammad Khalid Sardar[1] |
| Population (2009) | |
| - Total | 1,621,593 |
| - Density | 250,000/km2 (647,497/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| District Council | |
| Number of Tehsils | 3 |
Toba Tek Singh (Urdu: ضلع ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located between 30°33' to 31°2' Degree north latitudes and 72°08' to 72°48' Degree longitudes.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Origins of Name
The town and district is named after a Sikh religious figure Tek Singh. Legend has it that Mr. Singh a kind hearted man served water and provided shelter to the worn out and thirsty travellers passing by a small pond ("TOBA" in Punjabi) which eventually was called Toba Tek Singh, and the surrounding settlement acquired the same name.[2] There is also a park here named after the Sardar Toba.[citation needed]
[edit] British Raj
Toba Tek Singh was developed by the British toward the end of the 18th Century when a canal system was built. People from all over the Punjab (currently Indian and Pakistani Punjab) moved there as farmlands were allotted to them. Most of the people who migrated there belonged to Lahore, Jalandhar,hoshiar pur districts. The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the tehsil of Toba Tek Singh as follows:
"Tahsil of the new Lyallpur District, Punjab, lying between 30°50' and 31°23' N. and 72° 20' and 72°54' E., with an area of 865 square miles (2,240 km2). The population in 1906 was 148,984. It contains 342 villages, including Toba Tek Singh (population, 1,874), the head-quarters, and GOJRA (2,589), an important grain market on the Wazirabad-Khanewal branch of the North-Western Railway. The land revenue and cesses in 1905-6 amounted to 4.7 lakhs. The tahsil consists of a level plain, wholly irrigated by the Chenab Canal. The soil, which is very fertile in the east of the tahsil, becomes sandy towards the west. The boundaries of the tahsil were somewhat modified at the time of the formation of the new District of Lyallpur"[3]
[edit] After Independence
During 1970's, when many Pakistani cities were renamed to change names given after British Rulers to their original or native names or more acceptable names to local population like Montgomery was renamed to its old original name Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh remained one of the very few cities to maintain its original name mainly because of reputation of Tek Singh. In 1982 Toba Tek Singh, formerly a subdivision, was separated from Faisalabad District and became a separate district.[2]
[edit] Demography
Toba Tek Singh is located in central Punjab and occupies 3252 square kilometres and is made up of large areas of lowlands that flood frequently during the rainy season; the floods originate from the Ravi River that runs along the southern and southeastern borders. The Pre-partition T.T.Singh had a sizeable Sikh population which migrated to Indian Punjab in 1947.
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the population was 805,580 of this, 520,601 were Muslim and 284,979 were non-Muslim (mainly Christian).[4] According to the 2008 estimate the population had risen to 1.39 million.[5]
[edit] Administration
The district of Toba Tek Singh is administratively subdivided into three tehsils and 82 Union Council[6]:
| Name of Tehsil | No of Unions |
|---|---|
| Gojra | 24 |
| Kamalia | 26 |
| Toba Tek Singh | 32 |
| Total | 82 |
The district is represented in the provincial assembly by seven elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies: [7][8]
| Constituency | MPA | Party |
|---|---|---|
| PP-84 | Ch.Bilal Asghar Warraich | Pakistan Muslim League (Q) |
| PP-85 | Haji Muhammad Ishaq | Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians |
| PP-86 | Neelam Jabbar Chaudhary | Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians |
| PP-87 | Lieutenant Colonel (R) Sardar Muhammad Ayub Khan Gadhi | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| PP-88 | Begum Nazia Raheel | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| PP-89 | Makhdoom Syed Ali Raza Shah | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| PP-90 | Mian Muhammad Rafique | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
Until the year 2000, when the Divisions of Pakistan were abolished, Toba Tek Singh and Jhang districts were part of Faisalabad Division (this included Faisalabad District.
Major towns in Toba Tek Singh District are:
[edit] References
- ^ Zila Nazims & Naib Zila Nazims in the Province of Punjab
- ^ a b c Official Government website of Toba Tek Singh
- ^ Toba Tek Singh - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 23, p. 406.
- ^ District Stats - District Government of Toba Tek Singh
- ^ District Profile: Central Punjab- Toba Tek Singh
- ^ Tehsils & Unions in the District of Toba Tek Singh - Government of Pakistan
- ^ Legislators from Toba Tek Singh - Website of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab
- ^ Election Results 2008
[edit] External links
- Toba Tek Singh profile on Punjab's government website
- Toba Tek Singh District Government Profile
- Apna Pirmahal Official English News & Urdu News website
- Toba Tek Singh Best Website
- Make Friends
- Pirmahal Picture Gallery
- pmln Web site
- Pirmahal's Official website
- Pirmahal's Official News website
- Pir Mahal and Toba Tek Singh Web Masters Sites
- Website of Hazrat Data Ganj Ganj Bakhsh Lahore and mirror site (in Urdu and English)
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Towns & Cities of Toba Tek Singh District |
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| Toba Tek Singh | Pirmahal Kamalia | Gojra | Rajana | Sandhilianwali |
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