About
Narowal District (Urdu: ضِلع نارووال), is a district in the province of Punjab of Pakistan. Narowal city is the capital of the district.The district is administratively divided into the following Three tehsils (subdivisions), which contain a total of 74 Union Councils.
Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Shakargarh town was the headquarters of Shakargarh Tehsil, which was a subdivision of the Gurdaspur District of British India. Under the Radcliffe Award, the tehsil of Shakargarh was transferred to Pakistan and attached to Sialkot District. On July 1, 1991, Narowal and Shakargarh were removed from Sialkot District to form Narowal District.
Narowal District takes its name from its headquarters town. It is divided into two tehsils viz Narowal and Shakargarh. Before coming into being the district, both Narowal and Shakargarh were the tehsils of the district Sialkot. In 1991, Narowal district was created comprising Narowal and Shakargarh tehsils. Before independence of Pakistan, Shakargarh town was the headquarters of tehsil Shakargarh, which formed part of Gurdaspur district. Under the Radcliff Award, Shakargarh tehsil was transferred to Pakistan and attached with Sialkot district. Then in 1991, Shakargarh was attached with Narowal district. Now Shakargarh is functioning as tehsil in District Narowal. Narowal is functioning as a separate administrative district with effect from July 1, 1991.
| Tehsil | No. of Unions |
|---|---|
| Narowal | 28 |
| Shakargarh | 28 |
| Zafarwal | 18 |
| Total | 74 |
| ضِلع نارووال | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | |||
| Narowal District | |||
Location of Narowal in Punjab. | |||
| Country | Pakistan
| ||
| Province | Punjab | ||
| Headquarters | Narowal | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,337 km2 (902 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1998) | |||
| • Total | 1,156,097 | ||
| • Density | 538/km2 (1,390/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) | ||
| Number of Tehsils | 3 | ||
Boundaries
The district is bounded on the northwest by Sialkot District, on the north by Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, on the southeast by the Gurdaspur District(India) pathankot District (Republic of India), on the south by Amritsar district (Republic of India) and on the southwest by Sheikhupura District in Pakistan.
Short History
Narowal District was agricultural region with forests during the Indus Valley Civilization. The Vedic period is characterized byIndo-Aryan culture that invaded from Central Asia and settled in Punjab region. The Kambojas, Daradas, Kaikayas, Madras,Pauravas, Yaudheyas, Malavas and Kurus invaded, settled and ruled ancient Punjab region. After overrunning theAchaemenid Empire in 331 BCE, Alexander marched into present-day Punjab region with an army of 50,000. The Narowal was ruled by Maurya Empire, Indo-Greek kingdom, Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire, White Huns, Kushano-Hephthalites andShahi kingdoms.
In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of Punjab region. TheDelhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due tomissionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.
After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire invaded and occupied Narowal District. During the period of British rule, Narowal district increased in population and importance.
The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence ofPakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Narowal District.
Language
As per the 1998 census of Pakistan, Punjabi language is spoken by 95%. Punjabi dialects spoken in the city are
- Majhi or Standard (Majority)
- Dogri/Darhab (Jammu and Border area's people)
Other Languages include:
- Urdu being national language is spoken and understood.
- English is also understood and spoken by the sizable educated people.
Notable Residents
- Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar Khan, longest serving parliamentarian from 1951 to 1999
- Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Urdu poet and journalist
- Abrar-ul-Haq, Pakistani pop, Bhangra and folk legend singer also chairman of Sughra Shafi Medical Complex Narowal ( Sahara for life Trust )
- S.M. Zafar, Senior Advocate Supreme Court
- Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning and Development
- Sayed Zahid Hussain, Former Chief Justice, Lahore High Court, Lahore
Tehsils
- Narowal
- Shakargarh
- Zafarwal
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