Piplan
لِياقت آباد | |
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City | |
| piplan | |
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| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Mianwali District |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Liaqatabad (Template:Lang-ur), previously called Piplan (Template:Lang-ur), is a town in Piplan Tehsil in Mianwali District, situated in Punjab, Pakistan. [1] It is almost 52 km (by road) from the district capital Mianwali which lies to the north. Piplan is surrounded by many other similar towns: To the south are the towns of Musa WaliMattha, Churkin,Jhanbir and Kaloor Kot,to the north are Doaba, Kundian and Mianwali; to the east, Harnauli and Quaidabad; to the north, Kaloorkot; and to the west is the Indus River.
History
The town (Tehsil) name Piplan itself was given historically before the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Many Hindus used to live in Piplan and the name of this small town was Peepul or Peepul wala (Peepul: fig tree, regarded as sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, who call it a "bo tree"). Later, after the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the name was changed to Peepul-Aan, now written as Piplan. Many people say the tree was located near to the main railway station of Piplan, however, the tree has been cut down.[citation needed]
There was a huge massacre of the Hindu residents who decided to flee the area after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. They were gathered at the station waiting for the train; suddenly struck by the locals with guns and arms, they were all killed in less than an hour; the bodies, numbering hundreds, were buried in a well near the station. The well still exists, but is filled with sand and beneath it lie the remains of the Hindus and Sikhs.
Sports
Piplan has always been a hub of sports activities for the surrounding areas. The sports include cricket, volleyball, badminton, tug of war, wrestling, hockey, and football. There used to be annual school based games in which the high schools from the surrounding areas participated.
Muhammad Iqbal Zafar is a volleyball player who played at national and international levels, serving as captain of Pakistan's National Volleyball team. He is currently a member of the Punjab Police.
Syed Amir Hider Naqvi was a player of kabaddi before independence and remained unbeatable in South Asia. He won all major tournaments of kabaddi held in major cities of the subcontinent from 1935 to 1947.
Education
There are a number of government and private educational institutions in the town: A degree college each for men and women, three government secondary schools for boys and girls and quite a few primary public and private schools are in and around the town. One reputable elementary school, Tehsil Public School (Piplan), is run by "Tehsil Welfare Council" (Registered). This NGO has initiated other welfare projects, such as a vocational institute in Central Jail Mianwali and coordination with anti-narcotics force in addition to donating money for these projects.
The president of the NGO is also the chairman of District Coordination Council for NGOS. Recently a school for science and commerce named Alhuda Science and Commerce College has opened. Another institute of learning in this area is Jan Academy Of Natural Sciences, or JANS.
Geography and environment
Latitude:32.2867, Longitude:71.3664
Altitude (feet) 610,(meters)185
Time zone: UTC+5
Nearby Cities and Towns
| West | North | East | South |
| Dost Muhammad Khanwala (2.4 km) | Jaal (1.8 km) | Liaqatabad (Piplan) (0.5 km)
Chak No 3/4 ML (9.0 km) |
Musewali (2.1 km) |
| Banda Sardar Khan (2.4 km) | Jaal (1.4 km) | Hafizwala (7.5 km) | Nuranwala (1.5 km)
[Jhangiwala/Raoji] (7.5 km.) |
Climate
Piplan (as does the whole district of Mianwali) has extreme weather. Summer lasts from May to September; June is the hottest month with an average monthly temperature of 42°C with a maximum of up to 50°C. In winter, however, the December and January temperature is as low as a 3 to 4°C average monthly.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °C | 19 | 21 | 26 | 33 | 38 | 45 | 39 | 37 | 37 | 33 | 28 | 21 | 31 |
| Avg low temperature °C | 3 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 16 |
| Rainfall in. (Cm) | 1.6 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 7.6 | 11 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 38.5 |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
Politics and administration
Mianiwali district is divided into 56 union councils, of these 14 are under part of the Piplan administration. These are: Alluwali, Chak No 7 ML at Hafizwala, Dabb Balouchan, Doaba, Gujrat, Harnauli (Rural), Harnauli (Urban), Khanqah Sirajia, Kundian-II, Kundian (Rural), Kundian-I, Piplan, Tibba Mehrban Shah, Vichvin Bala.
Agriculture
Piplan lies in the irrigated zone of Pakistan. There are two main seasons Rabi (October–March) and Kharif (April–September).
References