Jhelum

Jhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. The district of Jhelum stretches from the river Jhelum almost to the Indus. Salt is quarried at the Mayo mine in the Salt Range. There are two coal-mines, the only ones worked in the province, from which the North-Western railway obtains part of its supply of coal. The chief centre of the salt trade is Pind Dadan Khan. 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. The district is crossed by the main line of the. North-Western railway, and also traversed along the south by a branch line. It is located in the north of the Punjab province, Jhelum district is bordered by Sargodha to its south, Gujrat and the Jhelum River to its south and east, Chakwal to its west, Mirpur to its east, and Rawalpindi to its north.

The history of the district dates back to the Hindu mythological period of the Mahabharata. The epic represents the Salt Range as the refuge of the five Pandava brethren during the period of their exile, and every salient point in its scenery is connected with some legend of the national heroes. Modern research has fixed the site of the conflict between Alexander and Porus as within Jhelum district, though the exact spot at which the Macedonian king effected the passage of the Jhelum (or Hydespes) has been hotly disputed.           

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 Delhi empire, Jhelum fell, like its neighbours, under the sway of the Sikhs.   

In 1765 Gujar Singh defeated the last independent Gakhars Chief, Muqarrrab Khan, and reduced the wild mountaineers of the Salt Range and the Murree Hills to subjection. His son succeeded to his dominions until 1810, when it fell to Ranjit Singh. Under the Lahore government the dominant classes of Jhelum suffered much from fiscal actions; and the Janjua, Gakhars, and Awan families gradually lost their landed estates, which passed into the hands of their Jat dependants.

In 1849. Jhelum passed with the rest of the Sikh territories into the power of the British. Ranjit Singh, however, had so thoroughly subjected the wild mountain tribes who inhabited 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, the main body. being subsequently arrested by the Kashmir 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 2,813 square miles (7285 km2) 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.  

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) which mainly consists of Punjabis. The population of the Jhelum city (proper) is about 172,073 (2009) 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, Bharat, Gakhars, Gujars, Janjua Rajputs , Jalaps, Jats (Cheema, Dhamial Jats, Gondal Jats, Ghuman, Sipra, Nagyal jats, thathal jats), Kashmiris, Khokhars,Lilla Tribe Qureshis, Phaphra Mughals, Rajputs ( Bhakral, Bhatti, Chib, Minhas, Narma, Sohlan, e.t.c), Arain, Syed and Punjabi Shaikh.                                       

 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 2009 is 172,073 and the area of Jhelum is about 22 km2 (8.5 sq mi).   

Jhelum District has a total area of 8,58,767 acres, out of which 3,16,815 acres are cultivated. It has four tehsils viz; Jhelum, Pind Dadan Khan, Dina and Sohawa. The area is located on the eastern part of Potohar upland along with River Jhelum.Agriculture in the District Jhelum depends mainly on rainfall. The average rainfall of the area varies from 20 to 40 inches. About three fourth of this precipitation is received in monsoon season and the remaining one fourth is received during the rest of the year. The irrigated area at present is limited but the emphasis on construction of small Dams and Mini Dams is gradually increasing. Wheat remains the main crop.In Tehsil P.D.Khan Salt is the predominant feature which is spoiling the rich agricultural land day by day. There is a long strip of very rich and virgin soil along the river which could be made a paradise of citrus plantation by drip irrigation if the local people are motivated and the Government of Punjab expressed some interest in it.