Jhelum

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NA-63 Jhelum-II Election 2016

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Jhelum (Urdu, Punjabi: جہلم) (Greek: Alexandria Bucephalous) is a city on the right bank of the Jhelum River, in the district of the same name in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as city of soldiers or land of martyrs and warriors. Jhelum is a few miles upstream from the site of the Battle of the Hydaspes between the armies of Alexander the Great and Raja Porus. A city called Bucephala was founded nearby to commemorate the death of Alexander's horse, Bucephalus. Other notable sites nearby include the 16th century Rohtas Fort, the Tilla Jogian complex of ancient temples, and the 16th-century Grand Trunk Road which passes through the city. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the population of Jhelum was 145,647 and in 2010 its population is 174,679. The name of the city is derived from the words Jal (pure water) and Ham (snow), as the river that flows through the river originates in the Himalayas. There are a number of industries in and around Jhelum city, including a tobacco factory, wood, marble, glass and flour mills.

Etymology

Many writers have different opinions about the name of Jhelum. One suggestion is that in ancient days Jhelum was known as Jalham. The word Jhelum is reportedly derived from the words Jal(pure water) and Ham (snow). The name thus refers to the waters of a river (flowing besides the city) which have their origins in the snow-capped Himalayas.

However some writers believe that when "Dara-e-Azam" reached a certain place on the river bank after winning many battles, he fixed his flag at that place and called it "Ja-e-Alam" which means "Place of the Flag". With the passage of time it became Jhelum from "Ja-e-Alam".
 

According to tradition, Hazrat Saeed Bin Abi Waqas, brother of Hazrat Saad Bin Abi Waqas, was sent to China to preach Islam, during his journey he arrived at the city of Jhelum, he saw the reflection of a city in the river and said "هذا جهيلم" (this is Jheelum), which means "City besides the river, in full moonlight"

Ahmed Shah Abdali also used "Jheelum" in place of Jhelum and "Harian" for Kharian in his diary.

Shahbaz, Anjum Sultan (September 2003). Tareekh-e-Jhelum. history of Jhelum (2nd ed.). Book Corner, Main Bazar, Jhelum. p. 92.

History 

The Janjuas Rajputs, Jats and Ahirs who now hold the Salt Range and its northern plateau respectively, appear to have been the earliest inhabitants of Jhelum. The history of Jhelum dates back to the semi-mythical period of the Mahabharata. Hindu tradition represents the nearby Salt Range as the refuge of the five Pandava brothers during the period of their exile. The next major point in the history of the district was the Battle of the Hydaspes between Alexander the Great and the local ruler, Porus.Abisares (or Abhisara; in Greek Αβισαρης), called Embisarus (Eμβισαρoς) by Diodorus, was an Indian king of abhira descent beyond the river Hydaspes, whose territory lay in the mountains, sent embassies to Alexander the Great both before and after the conquest of Porus in 326 BC, although inclined to espouse the side of the latter. Alexander not only allowed him to retain his kingdom, but increased it, and on his death appointed his son as his successor.

A Sikh-era fort in Jhelum City

The Gakhars appear to represent an early wave of conquerors from the west, and who still inhabit a large tract in the east of the district; while the Awans, who now cluster in the western plain, are apparently later invaders, the Gakhars were the dominant race during the early Muslim era and they long continued to retain their independence, both in Jhelum itself and in the neighbouring district of Rawalpindi.

 During the flourishing period of the Mughal dynasty, the Gakhar chieftains were among the most prosperous and loyal vassals of the house of Babar, but after the collapse of the Mughal empire, Jhelum came under the rule of the Sikhs.

In 1765 Gujar Singh defeated the last independent Gakhar chief, Muqarrrab Khan, and subjugated the wild mountaineers of the Salt Range and the Murree Hills. His son succeeded to his dominions until 1810, when it fell to Ranjit Singh. Under the rule of Ranjit Singh, the dominant classes of Jhelum suffered much from fiscal actions; and the Janjua, Gakhars, and Awan families gradually lost their landed estates to their Jat dependents.

In 1849 Jhelum passed with the rest of the Sikh territories to the British. Ranjit Singh, however, had so thoroughly subjugated the wild mountain tribes of the district that little difficulty was experienced in reducing it to working order. In 1857 the 14th Native Infantry stationed at Jhelum town mutinied, and made a vigorous defence against a force sent from Rawalpindi to disarm them, but decamped on the night following the action, with the main body being subsequently arrested by the Kashmiri authorities, into whose territory they had escaped.

During British rule Jhelum was a district of Rawalpindi Division, and was larger than the current district of Jhelum. On April 1, 1914, the tehsil of Talagang was detached from the district and incorporated with the new district of Attock. The old Jhelum district (minus Talagang) covered an area of 7,285 km2 (2,813 sq mi) and included Chakwal tehsil - it was bounded by Shahpur and Attock to the west, and by Rawalpindi to the north - the Jhelum River separated it from Kashmir to the north-east and from Gujrat and Shahpur to the south-east and south.

During British rule Jhelum was connected by the North-Western Railway to other cities in the Indian empire, 1,367 miles from Calcutta, 1,413 from Bombay, and 849 from Karachi. The population according to the 1901 census of India was 14,951.

According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India:“ "The present town is of modern origin, the old town, which may have been the Bucephala of Alexander having been, on the left or opposite bank of the river. Under Sikh rule the place was quite unimportant, being mainly occupied by a settlement of boatmen, and at the time of annexation contained about 500 houses. It was then chosen as the site of a cantonment and as the head-quarters of the civil administration. For some years it was the seat of the Commissioner of the Division, but in 1859 his head-quarters were transferred to Rawalpindi. Under British rule Jhelum has steadily advanced in prosperity; and it is the entrepôt for most of the trade of the District, though, since the completion of the Sind-Sāgar branch of the North-Western Railway; the salt trade no longer passes through it. It is an important timber dépôt, the timber from the Kashmir forests which is floated down the river being collected here. A good deal of boat-building is carried on. The cantonment, which is 3 miles from the civil station, contains the church and post office. The normal strength of the garrison is one Native cavalry and four Native infantry regiments. The municipality was founded 1867. During the ten years ending 1902-3 the receipts averaged Rs. 32,100, and the expenditure Rs, 31,900. Receipts and expenditure from cantonment funds in the same period averaged Rs. 31,900 and Rs. 6,100 respectively. The chief income of the municipality in 1903-4 was Rs.34,200 chiefly from octroi; and the expenditure was Rs. 41,000. The town has two Anglo vernacular schools, a municipal high school, and a middle school maintained by the American Presbyterian Mission. Besides the civil hospital, the mission also maintains a hospital."

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 35 British soldiers of HM XXIV regiment were killed by the local resistance. A lectern inside St. John's Church Jhelum the church shows the names of those 35 soldiers. St. John's Church is located in Jhelum Cantonment beside the river Jhelum. It was built in 1860 and is a landmark of the city. It is a Protestant church and was in use during the British period. For forty years it remained closed. Now it has been renovated and opened and almost in good condition.

Abisares King 

Hazara (country), the Abisares of the Greeks; it forms the north-western district of the Peshawar division. It was conquered by Arjuna. But Dr. Stein identifies the kingdom of Abhisara with the tract of the lower and middle hills between the Vitasta (Jhelum) and Chadrabhaga (Chenab) including the state of Rajapuri (Rajauri) in Kasmira.

Administrative Division

Headquarter

•  Jhelum City*

Jhelum City

1. Jhelum-I
2. Jhelum-II
3. Jhelum-III
4. Jhelum-IV
5. Jhelum-V
6. Jhelum-VI
7. Jhelum-VII.

Tehsil Jhelum

1. Boken
2. Chak Jamal
3. Chak Khasa
4. Chotala
5. Darapur
6. Dhanyala
7. Kala Gujran
8. Kotla Faqir
9. Monan
10. Mughalabad
11. Nakka Khurd
12. Nara
13. Sanghoi

Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan:

1. Ahmedabad
2. Chak Shadi
3. Daulatpur
4. Dharyala Jalap
5. Gharibwal
6. Golepur
7. Gujjar
8. Haranpur
9. Jalalpur Sharif
10. Kandwal
11. Khewra-I
12. Khewra-II
13. Lilla
14. Pind Dadan Khan
15. Pindi Said Pur
16. Sauwal
17. Toba.

Tehsil Dina

1. Badlot
2. Dina-I
3. Dina-II
4. Garh Mahal
5. Khukha
6. Madu Kalas
7. Pandori
8. Sohan
9. Sultanpur

Tehsil Sohawa

1. Adrana
2. Domeli
3. Jajial
4. Kohali
5. Lehri
6. Nagial
7. Pail Bane Khan
8. Phulrey Sydan
9. Pind Matay Khan
10. Sohawa

Demography 

Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Punjab. It was established on 23 March 1849. Jhelum District has a diverse population of 1,103,000 (2006)[24] which mainly consists of Punjabis. The population of the Jhelum city (proper) is about 174,679(2010)[6] and it is the 35th largest city of Pakistan with respect to population. Population Density is 261/km. Population Growth Rate is 1.51 which is very low as compared to other urban areas of Pakistan. The majority of the population i.e. 98.47 percent is Muslim. Among the minorities Christians are in majority sharing 1.36 percent in the district. Punjabi is the dominant language (96.6 percent), while, other languages spoken in the district are Urdu (1.9 percent), Pushto (1.2 percent). Major clans are Awans, Akra[disambiguation needed], Bharat, Gakhars, Gujars, Janjua Rajputs, Jalaps, Jats (Cheema, Dhamial Jats, Gondal, Ghuman, Sipra, Nagyal, Thathal, Kashmiris, Khokhars, Lilla Tribe Qureshis, Phaphra Mughals), Rajputs (Bhakral, Bhatti, Chib, Minhas, Narma, Sohlan, etc.), Arain, Syed and Punjabi Shaikh.

Literacy rate of Jhelum is among the highest in Pakistan. At 79%, it is only lower than that of Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi. Somewhat higher than the literacy in Punjab province (58 percent). The literacy rate has remarkably increased from 38.9 percent in 1981. The rate is much higher in urban area when compared with rural areas both for males and females. 84% of the population have electricity and 96% have the water facility.Human Development Index of Jhelum is 0.770, which highest in Pakistan after Karachi.

City 

In the past few years, the city has experienced rapid expansion and has become a vibrant economic and cultural center. The old city has fascinating narrow streets and crowded bazaars.

The main market area of the city is centered around "Shandar Chowk", "GTS Chowk", "Muhammadi Chowk" and includes "Main Bazaar", "Niya Bazaar", "Raja Bazaar", "Kinari Bazaar", "Sarafa Bazaar", "Chowk-Ehl-e-Hadith" and Soldier Arcade etc.

Some of the main roads of Jhelum City are Civil Line, Railway Road, Old GT Road, Kucheri Road, Iqbal Road and Rohtas Road.

A cantonment was built during the British rule, which has grown up into a strong Garrison, with an Infantry Division commanded by a Major General.

The estimated population of Jhelum in 2010 is 174,679 and the area of Jhelum is about 22 km2 (8.5 sq mi).

Major floods

The biggest flood in Jhelum came in 1992. This flood sunk Jhelum city. Some people argue that 1996 flood was the biggest but they are very weak in their analysis as 1996 flood was very normal flood and did nothing to the city. But 1992 flood was very devastating. 

Important sites

Rohtas Fort is a garrison fort built by the great Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. This fort is about 4 km in circumference and the first example of the successful amalgamation of Pukhtun and Hindu architecture in the sub-continent. Qila Rohtas is situated in a gorge approximately 16 km NW of Jhelum and 7 km from Dina.

The old city has a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and crowded bazaars. Opposite to the CMH Jhelum Cantt is located the beautiful mosque of the city, CMH Masjid Jhelum.

Located in the cantonment area is the St. John's Church Jhelum which was built in 1860. There was a local stadium near Gul Afshan Colony which is now transformed to a Cricket stadium named Zamir Jaffri Cricket Stadium. Close to Zamir Jaffri Cricket Stadium is located the Altaf Park which was constructed in 1994-95.

Nearly at a distance of 100m from Shandar Chowk, in the center of city is located Major Akram Shaheed Memorial Park. Major Muhammad Akram Memorial Library is also present in this park. On 6 September at the occasion of Defence Day, Parade also took place over here.
 
 Lehri Nature Park is almost 30 kilometers from Jhelum and 90 kilometres on GT Road in the hilly Pothohar region from Islamabad. It is 10 kilometres from GT Road. The Mangla Dam is located on the Jhelum River about 30 km (19 mi) from Jhelum, it is the twelfth largest dam in the world. It was constructed in 1967 across the Jhelum River. There is the Mangla View Resort[32] that is the first planned resort development in Pakistan to offer residences, villas, townhouses, hotels, serviced apartments & retail outlets. The resort is located on a 340-acre (1.4 km2) site on the Mangla Dam area.

Rasul Barrage is located on the Jhelum River about 30 km downstream from Jhelum. Two major water canals originate at the Rasul barrage, Rasul-Qadirabad link canal which is also called Lower-Jhelum link canal and Rasul-Shahpur branch canal.The area around the Rasul Barrage lake is also a picnic spot.

Travel 

                           Local

Auto Rickshaws are very popular mode of transport for short routes within the city. Many of the new rickshaws in the city use Compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of the petrol engines as CNG is environmentally clean and cheaper compared to petrol. Rickshaws by QingQi are another important mode of transportation. The older horse drawn tongas are now defunct although some can still be privately commissioned. Taxis and privately commissioned small passengger carrying vans are available

                   
                        National

There is a regular bus/Hiace service available running from early hours of the morning to late night. Daily routes includes Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Chakwal, Mirpur and Faisalabad.

Regular Bus/Van service is also available with in Jhelum District, It include some of the important towns and villages such as: Buses from Jhelum to Pind Dadan Khan, Dina, Sohawa, Lillah, Nakka Khurd,Chakri Rajgan Pind Sawika, Nagyal, Sanghoi, Mangla Cantt, Nara, Domeli, Darapur, Jalalpur Sharif and many more, while Vans from Jhelum to Sanghoi, Dina, Kharian, Sarai Alamgir, Chak Jamal, Chak Doulat, Mughalabad, Boken, Dhanyala and many other destinations as well.

                          Railway  

The Jhelum Railway Station was built in 1928 during British rule before the independence of Pakistan. It was connected by the North-Western Railway to other cities in the Indian empire. Jhelum is on main line of Pakistan Railways, and linked to whole country through Railway line across the Pakistan. Many of the railway lines and bridges were designed and constructed by exceptionally hardworking engineers during the British time and after independence in railway workshop Jhelum.

                         Air

The nearest airport is the Islamabad International Airport, which is approximately 110 km by road from Jhelum. A small airport called Mangla Airport, located near Dina, is in use of the aviation wing of the Pakistan Army. 

Telecommunication

The PTCL provides the main network of landline telephone with minority shares of few other operators like WorldCall. All major mobile phone companies operating in Pakistan provide service in Jhelum. Broadband internet access is available from DSL, EVDO to state of the art WiMax technology from many ISPs, WiMax and WiFi operators like PTCL EVO,[33] Wateen, Mobilink, WorldCall, LinkdotNet etc. WorldCall has laid its fiberoptics throughout the city of Jhelum for future project of FTTH with Tripple Play service.[34] In August 2008 PTCL has also launched its IPTV service named PTCL Smart TV in Jhelum. 

Education

Jhelum has a fairly well-developed educational infrastructure. The overall literacy rate for Jhelum is 79 percent, somewhat a higher literacy in Punjab province (58 percent).[26]

Jhelum has 6 Degree Colleges for Women, 6 Degree Colleges for Men, 6 Co-education Colleges, 6 Commerce Colleges, one Law College, with numerous higher secondary schools and over 150 high schools.

Higher/technical education 

In technical education there are two technical colleges, the Government Institute of Technology, Chak Daulat and the Government Technical Training Institute. Jhelum also has two sub-campuses of the Virtual University of Pakistan namely Wings Institute of Learning and Punjab College For Women. University of the Punjab is also establishing a sub-campus at Jhelum. Governament of Punjab has allocated 65 kanals of land for this purpose. 

Colleges 

1.Army Public School and College Jhelum Cantt.
2.F.G. Intermediate College Jhelum Cantt
3.Fauji Foundation Model School & College, Jhelum Cantt.
4.Bahria Foundation College, GT Road, Jhelum.
5.Govt. Degree College, Jhelum.[49]
6.Govt. College. G.T. Road, Jhelum.[50]
7.Govt. College for Women, Jhelum.
8.Govt. College of Commerce, Bilal Town, Jhelum.
9.National Foundation School and College, Jhelum.
10.Govt. Islamia Girls Higher Secondary School and College, Jhelum.
11.Govt. Islamia Boys Higher Secondary School and College, Jhelum.
12.Jinnah Law College Near Kutcheri, Jhelum.
13.M.A. Jinnah College of Commerce & Computer Science, Jhelum.
14.PICS, Bilal town Jhelum.
15.City College for Girls, Jhelum
16.Islamic Asian College
17.UIML College

Hospitals

1.Jhelum has some of the largest hospitals in the area which include the hospital in cantonment area of the city managed by the Pakistan Army or sub organisations.
2.District Headquarter Hospital, Jada
3.Combined Military Hospital Jhelum
4.Fauji Foundation Hospital, GT Road
5.Khadam Ali Memorial Hospital, Machine Mohalla No. 1
6.Khan Muhammad Hospital, AlAsria Road.
7.Sughra Hospital, Jhelum Cantt
8.Shahid memorial trust hospital Jhelum
9.Inayat Karim Medical Center, Jhelum Main G.T.road
10.AlKaram Hospital, Civil Lines
11.Afzal Hospital, Machine Mohalla No.3
12.Noor-un-Nisa Hospital
13.Fazal Hospital, Civil Lines
14.Azeem Hospital, Jhelum Cantt
15.Umair Children Hospital, Machine Mohalla No.3
16.Capt.Moazzam Shaheed Hospital
17.Mirza Hospital, Shandar Chowk

Major industries

1.Some of the major Industries are:
2.Pakistan Tobacco Company, Jhelum
3.KDC Plywood Factory
4.Pakistan ChipBoard Factory
5.Allience Textile Mill
6.Rani Ghee Mill
 
 Notable people

People with origins in Jhelum[60] are listed below:

1.Ghafer Shahzad, Deputy Director Architecture (Punjab Auqaf Department), First PhD Architecture from UET, Lahore
2.Raja Porus who fought against Alexander in 326BC
3.Major Muhammad Akram, Shaheed Nishan-e-Haider
4.Dr Ghulam Hussain Ex. Secretary General Pakistan People's Party,
Ex. Federal Minister (Mr. Z.A Bhutto's Cabinet).
5.Major Abid Majeed Malik,Shaheed Tamgha-e-Basalat
6.Raja Fazil Muhammad, Inspector of Schools, Rawalpindi Division (1930).
7.Raja Muhammad Afzal, Additional Secretary, Government of Pakistan.
8.Raja Muhammad Arshad PSP, Inspector General of Police.
9.Raja nasir nawaz PSP, Inspector General of islamabad Police
10Raja Raza Arshad, Federal Secretary, Government of Pakistan.
11.General Asif Nawaz Janjua, former Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Army
12.Admiral (R) Tariq Kamal Khan, former Chief of Naval Staff Pakistan Navy
13.Lt Gen Masood Aslam, Hilal-e-Imtiaz[HI], Hilal-e-Imtiaz Military [HI](M),Sitara-i-Jurat[SJ], XI Corps Commander
14.Lt Gen (R) Ejaz Azim, former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
15.Lt Gen (R) Afzal Janjua ex Director General ISI.
16.Mirza Abdul Ghafoor Baig, Advocate Supreme Court, Ex-Member Punjab Bar Council, Ex-President District Bar Association, Jhelum, Ex-Chairman, Punjab Bait-ul-Mal, Jhelum, Ex-Non-Official Visitor of Jail, Senior Most Advocate of Jhelum practicing since 1956. Referred in Moulana Kousar Niazi's Book 'Aur Line Cut Gai' and can be easily seen in the captioned Picture on Book 'Tareekh-e-Jhelum' sitting at the immediate right hand of Mustafa Zaidi.
17.Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain DG Training and Evaluation.
18.Fazal-i-Qadar Additional Secretary Government of Pakistan.
19.Major General (R) Syed Saeed Zaidi, DG Rangers, DG Artillery, DG Plans, MD Fauji Cement. Ex SSG. Presently in Politics.
20.Sqn.Ldr(r)/Capt(R) Syed Masood Zaidi, Veteran Fighter Pilot of 1965 & 1971 Wars. Senior Pilot of PIA. He is PM Gilani's Relative.
21.1SSP (R) Syed Wajih ul Hasan Zaidi (late), Was SSP(Police) West Pakistan and also was a Philanthropist. as one of the pioneers of Pakistan Rangers. Best known for being very blunt & taking confrontations with Nawab Kalabagh, General Ayub Khan, & General Yahaya Khan over their policies. Was forced into retirement.
22.Air Marshal (R) Raja Shahid Hamid, former DG Air Weapons Complex
Squadron Leader Imran Rafique, Pakistan Air Force
EX-Wing Commander Syed Manzoor ul Hassan Hashmi (late) awarded Sitara-e-Jurat PAF twice each time after 1965 and 1971 WARs;
23.Syed Mushtaq Hussain Shah (Late) Tehsildar (R) Department of Revenue-Government of Punjab, died on 28 August 2005. He belonged to Village Raiya Chak Maddu near C.M.H. Jhelum Cantonement and now lies buried in the Muslim graveyard of the same village;
24.Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, Sufi saint and a Punjabi poet of great repute, he is especially renowned as the writer of a book of poetry called Saiful Malūk.[61]
25.Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan[62]
26.Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry[63] Chief Justice Of Lahore High Court
27.Chaudhry Altaf Hussain, former Governor of Punjab
28.Dr. Hasnat Khan, linked to Diana, Princess of Wales
29.Dr. Anwar Naseem, Adviser Science, COMSTECH, Islamabad
30.Rabia Qari, First Muslim woman barrister
31.Syed Zamir Jafri, poet
32.Allama Khalid Masud, a Muslim scholar of Pakistan, wrote a number of books and articles and delivered lectures on Islam, science and other subjects.
33.Inder Kumar Gujral, former Prime minister of India
34.Sunil Dutt, Bollywood actor
35.Satish Gujral[64]
36.Azeem Hafeez, a Pakistani cricketer, fast bowler
37.Dr Shahbaz Khan international water scientist and engineer
38.Brig Naeem Janjua
39.Brig (R) Raja Mansoor, former Personal Secretary to PM Zafarullah Khan Jamali
39.Maj Gen Saeed-u-Zaman Janjua, Ex Embassidor Brunai.
40.Lt Gen Agha Mohammad Umer Farooq, President, National Defence University Islamabad
41.Mrs Razia Latif, Head Mistress Noor Maddrasa tul Banat, Social worker and religious preacher
42.Maj Gen (Dr) Azhar Mahmood Kiyani, cardiologist.
Rear Admiral (R) Mushtaq Ahmed
43.Brig (Dr) Raja Sami Ullah, Medical Specialist, Personal Physician to the Prime Minister, Islamic Republic of Pakistan
44.Shahid Hussain Raja, Federal Secretary Pakistan Railways
45.Maj Gen Naveed Ahmed (Defence Attache Pakistan Embassy Beijing,China)
46.Raja Faizul Hassan Faiz, Central Labour Adviser to Government of Pakistan