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Sialkot
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Geography and ClimateLying between 32°30' North latitude and 74°31' East longitude at an altitude of 256 m above sea level, Sialkot is bounded on the north by Jammu, north-west by Gujrat, on the west by Gujranwala and on the south by Narowal. The Chenab river flows on the northern side of Sialkot. There are three small seasonal streams flowing through the city, Aik, Bher and Palkhu.
Sialkot is cold during winters and hot and humid during summers. May and June are the hottest months. The temperature during winter may drop to 0°C. The land is, generally, plain and fertile. Most of the rain falls during the Monsoon season in summer which often results in flooding. Sialkot has a one of the most modern weather forecasting and flood warning centre in the country, which is fully activated to take and transfer constant observations and data to and from the relevant concerens. This facility is fully radar based equipped and internationally assisted.
GovernmentThe Sialkot District Government is headed by the District Administrator who is assisted by the Deputy Administrator who is also Speaker of the District Council. The District Administrator is elected by the Administrators of the Union Councils and Union Councillors who, themselves, are elected directly by the votes of the local public. There are 106 Union Councils in District Sialkot. The District Administrator is assisted by the District Coordination Officer (DCO) and the District Police Officer (DPO). All the Departments are grouped and placed under the Executive District Officers, of various Departments, including Health, Finance, Revenue, Industry, Agriculture, Education, Law, Literacy, IT, Community Development, Transport, etc. who are subordinate to the DCO. The city is managed by the Tehsil Municipal Administration which is headed by a Tehsil Administrator. The Sialkot Cantonment is managed by Sialkot Cantonment Board.
DemographySialkot (district) has a diverse population of 3,500,000 which mainly consists of Punjabis, Kashmiris and Pashtuns. The population of the Sialkot city(proper) is about 600,000 with most the lands owned by the Pashtun Kakazai tribes. Population Density is 1160/km. Population Growth Rate is very low as compared to other urban areas of Pakistan. In 1947, Sialkot was the 6th largest city in Pakistan (150,000) and in 2007, it is the 12th largest. Major clans are Jatt, Arain, Rajput, Awan, Kakazai, Butt, Mir, Sharif, Sheikh, Gujar, Pathan, Mughal and Qureshi. Literacy rate is among the highest in Pakistan. In urban areas, it is 73% and in rural areas, it is 54%. Employment in agriculture is only 19.5% and 32% in elementary occupations. 95% of the population have electricity and 96% have water facility. Sialkot has attracted many labourers and other entrepreneurs many of whome hail from Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, notably from Bajaur and Mohmand agencies who have set up vibrant business throughout the area.
Economy and Industry
Sialkot is the third largest economic hub in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. It is commercially linked with the Lahore Stock Exchange through its Sialkot branch, known as the Sialkot Trading Floor (STF). The State Bank of Pakistan and the Export Promotion Bureau of Pakistan have branch offices in Sialkot. After Karachi, Sialkot is Pakistan's second largest source of foreign exchange earnings through its exports and remittances from overseas manpower. For the past several decades, the manufacturers and exporters of the city have been awarded the annual national Exports award by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Sialkot has an Industrial Estate and an Export Processing Zone. Another Export Processing Zone is planned along the Sialkot Lahore Motorway. The per capita Income of Sialkot is ranked among the highest in Pakistan. Honda Motors is planning to establish its second car manufacturing plant in Sialkot. The UAE-based multinational Coastal Group International will also invest US $1 billion to set up a Mercedes car manufacturing plant near Sambrial, Sialkot.
The history of industralization of Sialkot is very old. The Damascene craftsmen of Sialkot (koftgars or koftars) were famous during the Mughal period for their fine swords and daggers. Papermaking in Sialkot dates back to the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar which was famous all over the world. Brick making was another historic skill of the people of the Sialkot and those bricks were known as the "Sialkoti Bricks" throughout India. Most of the states in India relied on the slender but strong Sialkoti bricks for the erection of forts, castles, monuments, public buildings, infrastructure construction, etc.
Nowadays, Sialkot is famous all over the world because of its Sports Equipment and Surgical Instruments manufacturing industry. According to a myth, the sport goods industry got its start in Sialkot when a British man broke his tennis racquet and, since an immediate replacement was not possible, he asked a local craftsman to repair it. The man did a perfect job and the sports goods manufacturing industry took root in Sialkot. The recorded history of the industry goes back to 1895 when the city started becoming famous for its tennis racquets. By 1903, cricket bats were being crafted from imported English willow and exported to different parts of South Asia and beyond. In 1922, a local manufacturer was awarded the British Empire Export Award for supplying footballs to the British Army. Over the years the industry grew to include a variety of wood and leather-based sports equipment, and diversified into related industries such as cricket balls, volleyballs, field hockey sticks, polo sticks, recreational fishing equipment, sports apparel and horse riding equipment and even the Scottish bagpipes. The most successful sports manufacturing firms now have international collaborations with the well-known sports brands like Adidas (Germany), Puma (Germany), Nike (USA), (UK), Mikasa (Japan) and Slazenger (UK). In the recent past, however, lack of modernisation and allegations of child labour usage have resulted in a loss of market share to the new entrants in the business like Thailand, Korea and China. The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry has now almost controlled the incidents of child labour usage within the industry with the collaboration of the United Nations. Most of the companies have adopted the ISO standards.
As with the industrial clusters elsewhere in the world, the birth of Sialkot’s surgical industry can partly be explained by what Paul Krugman, a U.S. economist' calls an "historic accident". In 1905, some broken surgical equipment at the American Mission Hospital in Sialkot afforded a chance for Sialkot craftsmen to adopt their skills. Encouraged by the hospital staff, they gradually started manufacturing replicas of originals. Orders were received from other mission hospitals in British India. By 1920, Sialkot was exporting to all parts of the British empire including Afghanistan and Egypt and was later selected for supplying surgical instruments for the Allied forces in World War II. The Metal Industries Development Centre (MIDC) was established in 1942 to act as a supply and inspection agency for the Allied forces. Although the surgical instruments manufacturing factories were mostly owned by Hindus, the craftsmen were mostly Muslim and the industry was not affected by the partition of British India. At present, the surgical instruments manufacturing industry in Sialkot is one of the world's largest surgical instruments manufacturing industrial clusters second only to Tuttlingen, Germany. However, the quality of workmanship and raw materials are the issues that have been hindering the progress of this niche industry which is also likely to face increasing pressures from the rapid advances in the field of surgery. During last three decades, manufacture and export of veterinary instruments has also emerged very prominently here.
Other important industries in Sialkot include Leather Tanneries, Leather Garments, Musical Instruments, Sportswear included Martial arts wear , Gloves, Badges, Seat and Walking Sticks, Cutlery, Hunting Knives, Air Guns and Shotguns. These are all export-oriented businesses and fetch billions of dollars every year in foreign exchange. There are several other allied industries which are working day and night as vendors of the automobile industry of Pakistan. Sialkot has a rich tradition of producing wooden and steel furniture, rubber products, cooking utensils, bicycles, their tyres and tubes.
Important Personalities
The great Sufi saint of Sialkot,Imam Ali-ul-Haq, better known as Imam Sahib, lived here during the 13th century, during the reign of Feroz Shah Tughlaq (of the Tughlaq Dynasty). He is reputed to have converted a majority of the local population to Islam. Another renowned scholar of Sialkot was Mullah Abdul Hakim Sialkoti who is known in the Middle East as Fazil Lahori. The Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, had him weighed in gold once and in silver twice. He is buried in Sialkot near the old Power House.
Sialkot is city of poets and writers. Sialkot is also the birthplace of the Muslim philosopher, scholar and poet, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the famous Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal was born at Iqbal Manzil. Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, another famous poet and writer was born at Kot Mehrath, Sialkot. Amjad Islam Amjad the famous Urdu poet and lyricist was also born at Sialkot. Professor Asghar Sodai famous Urdu poet and writer of 2nd national anthem (Pakistan ka matlab kiya) was also from Sialkot. Rajinder Singh Bedi, a famous Urdu writer, was also born at Sialkot. Narendra Kohli, who is one of the most prominent Hindi language authors of modern times, also belongs to Sialkot. Zulfikar Ghose, famous English writer, was born at Sialkot. The famous Indian journalist, Kuldip Nayyar, was also born at Sialkot. In journalism, Khalid Hasan, Professor Waris Mir and his son, Hamid Mir, Jawaid Iqbal (Cartoonist) and Mumtaz Hamid Rao are notable. Another notable multi-dimensional personality Dr. Qamar Tabish a physician, a mystic poet, a scholar and a painter who contributed a lot to the Urdu and the Persian poetry, religion and painting also hailed from Sialkot. He is also remembered as a great devotee of Mohammad (peace be upon him) - the Prophet of Islam.
Many famous politicians were born at Sialkot. The famous Indian politician and twice Prime Minister of India, Gulzari Lal Nanda, also came from Sialkot. The eminent orator of Pakistan Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah belonged from Sialkot. Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi was born at Sialkot. Famous religious scholar and politician Allama Ehsan Elahi Zaheer was also from Sialkot. One of the founding figures of Pakistan, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad Malhi, also hailed from an area near this city. It was due to his association with the city that the famous Sialkot Convention of the All-India Muslim League was held here. Another well-known personality from Sialkot was Inayat Ullah Choudhary (1905-1974), who participated actively in the Pakistan Movement. Khawaja Muhammad Safdar was a former acting President of Pakistan and Chairman of the Majlis-e-Shoora. His son Khawaja Muhammad Asif is also a fomous politician and at present he is National Assembly member from Sialkot City area and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources. Former Speaker of the National Assembly, and Acting President, Chaudhry Amir Hussain, is also from Sialkot. The advisor to prime minister for interior affairs Rehman Malik also hails from Sialkot.
The famous Bollywood hero Rajendra Kumar and the vetran actor A. K. Hangal were also born at Sialkot. Ghulam Ali, the famous Ghazal singer and Ustad Allah Rakha, the famous Sarangi Nawaz are also from Sialkot.
Sialkot is not only famous and internationally recognised for its sports industry, but also for the world-famous sports legends like the Pakistani National Cricket players, Zaheer Abbas, Ijaz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Mansoor Amjad, Zahid Fazal, Ijaz Butt, Abdur Rehman, Abbas Khan on Ghazi Road. It is world renonwed center for conducing research on the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. On a low hill in the centre of the old city are the few remains of the Sialkot Fort. It is one of the oldest forts in Pakistan established around the 2nd century AD. The shrine of the saint Muradia Shah is also on the Fort. Puran's Well is a famous historical site located just outside the city of Sialkot. According to Mutiny in Sialkot there were remains of Puran's tomb extant in 1857, but now there is no tomb except for a small building, a small place for worship and a running well.
Also of interest is the birth place of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) which has been turned into a small museum containing some of his personal belongings and a library and named as Iqbal Manzil (Iqbal House). The most famous square of Sialkot city is Allama Iqbal Chowk. Here, the famous Shaheen monument has been erected to pay tributes to Dr. Muhammad Iqbal. Near the Allama Iqbal Chowk is located the biggest grand mosque of the city, Jamia Masjid Donga Bagh. One of its three minarets is the tallest land mark in Sialkot. Other places of interest include the tombs of the great Muslim scholars, Mullah Abdul Hakim Sialkoti near Abdul Hakim Park, Hakim Khadim Ali on Khadim Ali Road and Hafiz Muhammad Alam, near Do Darwaza (the name of one of the gates of the once walled city).
On Zafarwal Road is located a famous Sikh Gurdwara Beri Sahib. Every year, many Sikh pilgrims come to visit here. Located in the cantonment area is the famous Holy Trinity Cathedral Church also known as the Sialkot Cathedral which was built in 1852. In Saddar Bazar is located the famous Clock Tower which is more than a century old. The Connelley Park (named after a British Deputy Commissioner of Sialkot), was converted to Jinnah Stadium in 1979. The Jinnah Stadium has one of the fastest cricket pitches in Pakistan. Close to Jinnah Stadium is located the famous Murray College which was established in 1889. Its alumni include Dr Muhammad Iqbal and Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
Sialkot has two main parks, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park on Parsur Road and Garisson Park on Kashmir Road. More than a century old Company Garden is located on Ghazanvi Road in the Sialkot Cantonment. Some of the other famous and historic places are the Talab Maula Bakhush and Ram Talai. Talab Maula Bakhush is the place where, in May 1944, the historic Sialkot Convention of the All India Muslim League was held. It was also attended by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan. Both sites have been converted to mini stadiums for traditional Wrestling and Vollyball matches and also for political rallies .
There are several famous squares in the city as Beri Wala Chowk, Rang Pura Chowk, Dara-Araian, Imam Sahib Chowk, Shahab Pura Chowk, Sublime Chowk, and Anwar Khawaja Chowk. Famous markets (bazaars) are Bazar Kalan, Trunk Bazar, Tehsil Bazar, Lahai Bazar and Saddar Bazar. The Sialkot Railway Station, is situated on the Railway Road near the Iqbal Chowk. On the Paris Road is located the American Christian Mission Hospital which was established in 1880. Also located there is the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the branches of many multi-national banks.
Marala Headworks is located on the Chenab river about 20 km from Sialkot. Two major water canals originate at the Marala Headworks - the Marala-Ravi Link Canal and the Upper Chenab Canal. Planning of the Mangla-Marala Link Canal is in the pipeline. The area around the Marala Headworks lake is also a picnic spot.
The Bajwat Wildlife Sanctuary includes a complex of natural riverine habitats along the Chenab river and two of its tributaries, extending up to the border with India with a total area of 5400 hectares providing protection to waterfowl, as well as a variety of mammals including Hog Deer and Nilgai.
Transport
Sialkot International Airport is the first-ever private-sector airport of Pakistan managed by the SIAL consortium. It is located near Sambrial and is noted for having the longest runway in Pakistan. Direct flights are available from Sialkot International Airport to Karachi, Faisalabad and Kuwait. Pakistan International Airlines has plans to start non-stop flights from Sialkot to Manchester and Dubai as well as flights to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrims from the Sialkot International Airport in 2008. Emirates is also expected to start flights in mid 2008 to Dubai. Airblue will operate on domestic routes to Islamabad, Multan and Karachi in mid 2008.
A small Sialkot Cantonment Airport, located in the Sialkot Cantonment, is in use of the aviation wing of the Pakistan Army. This airport has also been used as a public airport by PIA for operating a Helicopter service from Sialkot to Islamabad in 1995-1996.
Sialkot Dry Port carries the honor of being the first-ever private-sector dry port in Asia. It was established in 1986 near Sambrial, about 20 km from the Sialkot city under the control of the Sialkot Dry Port Trust.
Sialkot is served by Pakistan Railways through the Sialkot Junction. Sialkot used to be a junction in the British era with trains leaving for Jammu and Gurdaspur. Plans are under consideration to open the border for an international train between Sialkot and Jammu. Express trains to and from Narowal, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur and Karachi are available daily. The Railway station is situated in the center of the city. Other suburban train stations are Ugoki and Sambrial.
Sialkot is about 2 hours' drive from Lahore while, from Islamabad, it's about 4 hours' drive. Sialkot is linked with the National Highway N-5 through Gujranwala and Wazirabad. A dual carriage-way is available between Sialkot and Wazirabad. A new bridge on the Chenab river, called the Shahbazpur bridge, is under construction these days which is located to the north-east of Gujrat. Once completed, it will connect Sialkot to N-5 at Gujrat. The Sialkot Lahore Motorway (M-9) is also under construction. All the bus and commuter coach stations are located on the Jail Road. A bus service operated by Daewoo is available from Sialkot to Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan.
Sialkot does not have any proper infrastructure for public transport and the main mode of transport within the city is the auto rikshaw. Although no proper taxi service exists in the city, there are many rent-a-car service outlets.
Educational Institutions
Sialkot has a fairly well-developed educational infrastructure that comprises a University of Engineering Sciences and Technology
(planned in cooperation with Sweden) a sub-campus of the Fatima Jinnah Women University, a sub-campus of the Virtual University of Pakistan,
8 Degree Colleges for Women, 5 Degree Colleges for Men, 2 Cadet Colleges, 6 Commerece Colleges, one Law College, one Medical College, one Homeopathic Medical College, one Nursing School, one Para-Medical School, one Poly-Technic Institute, with numerous Inter Colleges, Higher Secondary Schools and over 250 High Schools.
The Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sialkot was established in 1856. It was the first Catholic mission school in Punjab and the second of its kind in British India.
Other eminent private-sector schools include the American School, the City School and the Beaconhouse School.
The Murray College, Sialkot was established in 1889 as the Scotch Mission College by the Scottish missionaries belonging to the Church of Scotland Mission. It is one of he oldest educational institutions in Pakistan offering education up to the post-graduate level.
The Jinnah Islamia College, Sialkot is the second oldest college in Sialkot.
The Sialkot Medical College was established in 2002 with a sanction of Rs.750 million. 30 seats were allocated for the year 2003 at the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore to be shifted to the Sialkot Medical College in 2004. However, because of local politics, the project was shelved. In April 2007, the President of Pakistan again announced an immediate construction of the Medical College building in Sialkot. Temporary project office has been established at the Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital, Sialkot which will also be the attached teaching hospital.
The Fatima Jinnah Women University Sialkot Campus is a sub-campus of the Fatima Jinnah Women University and is being established in Sialkot starting from 2008. The sub-campus of the FJWU in Sialkot will be established on a land with a cost of Rs 300 million.
The University of Engineering Sciences and Technology (UEST), Sialkot is being established in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden on the (under-construction) Sialkot Lahore Motorway. It will also have an attached Technology Park. The Government of Pakistan, through the Higher Education Commission (HEC), is financing and building the campus while the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Sweden will be responsible for the provision of technical support which includes course contents specification, university management, human resource development and education quality control.
Sports
The Sialkot Cricket Team is called the Sialkot Stallions. It was a national champion in 2005-2006 and won Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Golden League. It was runners-up in 2006-2007. Sialkot Stallions also won the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Its home ground is Jinnah Stadium. According to the latest 20 International Ranking, Sialkot Stallions are at the 2nd position, only one point behind the Victorian Bushrangers,|Victoria]], Australia).
Sialkot also annually hosts the Allama Iqbal Open Golf Championship at the Sialkot Golf Club. An International Sialkot Hockey Stadium is located at Pasrur Road adjacent to the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park Sialkot. An Internationl level Sialkot Sports Complex is under construction at Daska Road with Tartan track facility for athletic events.
Sialkot is not only famous and internationally recognized for its sports industry, but the world-famous sports legends like the crickters " Asian Bradman" and "Run making Machine" Zaheer Abbas, Ijaz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik (present Pakistan Cricket team Captain), Zahid Fazal, Ijaz Butt, Abdur Rehman and the players and captains of the national hockey team of Pakistan including Shahnaz Sheikh, Manzoor Hussain Junior, Nasir Ali, Tariq Sheikh, Asif Bajwa and Kamran Ashraf also hail from this city. In Sialkot, there are three main national level Vollyball clubs named as Etihad Vollyball Club, Star Volly Ball Club and Asad Vollyball Club. Mazhar Farid Qurashi (Ex Captain) of Pakistan National Volleyball team was from Asad Vollyball Club, Sialkot. Mostly Pakistan's National Volleyball team has always two to three players being picked up from these three clubs of Sialkot. Famous football clubs are the Cresent FC and the Capital FC. CTI High School Sialkot was one of the pioneers of Basket Ball in Pakistan. CTI produced some of Pakistan’s finest Basket Ball players, including Wallace Badruddin. Bodybuilding and Weightlifting are also among the popular sports in Sialkot. Abdul Waheed Butt and Farooq Butt have represented Pakistan in Asian Games for bodybuilding.
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