Dera Ghazi Khan (Urdu: ???? ???? ?????), abbreviated as D. G. Khan, is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the headquarters of the Dera Ghazi Khan District and was formerly the centre of the Dera Ghazi Khan Division while that level of government existed.
Video Dera Ghazi Khan
History
Post independence
After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while many Muslims refugees from India settled down in the Dera Ghazi Khan District. Many Hindus and Sikhs from Dera Ghazi Khan settled in Delhi found Derawal Nagar along with the migrants from Dera Ismail Khan.
Climate and geography
Dera Ghazi Khan is located at 30'03" N and 70'38" E. The overall climate of the city is dry with little rainfall. The winter is relatively cold and the climate is hot during the remaining part of the year, but it is very hot in summer. The temperature during summer is usually about 115 °F (46 °C), while during winter season the temperature is as low as 40 °F (4 °C). The prevailing wind direction is North-South. Due to the barren mountains of Koh-Suleman (Sulaiman Mountains) and the sandy soil of the area, windstorms are very common in the summer. During summer, the temperatures are generally amongst the highest in Pakistan. Fort Munro, located on the edge of Punjab Province, has relatively cooler weather. In winter, scattered snowfall is also reported in this area.
Maps Dera Ghazi Khan
Civic administration and politics
Dera Ghazi Khan City is administratively subdivided into seven Union Councils.
The majority of the population is poor but they have been ruled by the rich landlords and chiefs of Baloch tribes which played significant role in the national and provincial politics. Some of these feudals use the title Sardar for themselves, including former President of Pakistan Farooq Leghari, Governors of Punjab Zulfiqar Ali Khosa and Latif Khosa, Chief Minister of Punjab Dost Muhammad Khosa, present Chief Secretary of Punjab, Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Former Inspector General Police of Punjab, Tariq Khosa, and present Supreme Court Judge Asif Khosa. The city is one of the oldest districts in South Asia. Dera Ghazi Khan did not develop like other cities in Punjab. Based on the surveys of 2004-2005, Dera Ghazi Khan district is considered as one of the twenty poorest districts of Pakistan with about 51% of its population living below the poverty line.
Location
Notable people
- Farooq Leghari (Ex President of Pakistan)
- Latif Khosa (Ex Governor of Punjab)
- Mohsin Naqvi (Poet)
- Amjad Farooq Khan (MNA)
- Zulfiqar Ali Khosa (Ex Governor of Punjab)
- Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa (Ex Chief Minister Punjab)
- Tauqeer Nasir (Actor)
- Hafiz Abdul Kareem (Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan - MNA)
- Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari (MNA)
Colleges
There are following colleges in Dera Ghazi Khan:
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dera Ghazi Khan (BISE DGK)
General
- College of Agriculture, DG Khan Sub-Campus University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. (CADGK)
- Indus International Institute: It is affiliated with National College of Business Administration and Economics has been established by private sector. For the needs of remote area students, the institute has its own buses to facilitate the transport availability for the students. Indus has a library and Computer Lab as well.
Education
- The College of Education: It was established in 1989 under the affiliation of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. The college became a constituent institution of the University of Education in 2002 and is in its new building adjacent to the Shah Faisal (Bihari) Colony. The campus has a hostel for boys and onel for girls. The campus offers teacher education programs like BEd Secondary, MEd, M.A. Education and B.A. BEd's several private sector colleges also exist in this city.
- Ghazi Khan Medical College: The government decided to establish a medical college in Dera Ghazi Khan to improve the facilities in southern part of the province. Ghazi Khan Medical College classes were started in 2010 in Q.M.C Bahawapur. The foundation stone for Ghazi University and Dera Ghazi Khan Medical College was laid in December 2011. Classes shifted from Q.M.C Bahawalpur to Ghazi Khan Medical College in March 2012. Niaz Ahmed Baloch was appointed as a first principal of the Medical College. The Medical and Dental College has been developed as a state-of-the-art medical institution imparting accredited and approved medical education and research. The D.H. Hospital and Research Institute, which will be a research oriented teaching hospital, will fulfill the requirement of training and research of medical students. The curriculum of the Medical and Dental College will be in line with the PM&DC regulations and international health standards.
Technology and Specialization
- UAF College of Agriculture, Dera Ghazi Khan: It is constituent college of University of Agriculture Faisalabad located near the airport imparts training in the degree of BSc (Hons.) Agriculture. The college consists of teaching sections of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Horticulture, Agronomy, Soil and Forestry Range Management and Wildlife, Agricultural Entomology, Plant Pathology, Animal Production and Health, Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences and Rural Development. It aims to develop as a university.
- Govt. Institute of Technology: It is situated at airport road, is one of the biggest institute in the region offering diploma and BTech classes in more than ten technologies in morning and evening shifts. Diploma courses in technologies are Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Auto-mechanical, Petroleum, Chemical, Petrochemical, I.T. and Computer etc.
Universities
The government has established a state-of-the-art Ghazi University in Dera Ghazi Khan since 2011 near airport.For this purpose 1000 acre land has been acquired for next 50 yeares requirement of the university.The foundation stone for Ghazi University and Ghazi Medical College was laid in December 2011. The Govt. Postgraduate College, FAU Agriculture College and Ghazi Medical College will work under this university.Vice Chancellor of Islamia University Bahawalpur Dr.Mukhtar Ahmed has given additional charge of Ghazi University v.c since 11.06.2014. The Virtual University of Pakistan has established its campus here since 2004 which is providing both campus based and distance learning education primarily based on IT tools and technology. Another prominent educational organisation is the Allama Iqbal Open University campus. The government has approved Akhuwat University of Engineering and Technology in Dera Ghazi Khan since 2012. The university will be established on 351 kanals and will offer courses in Engineering, Veterinary Science, Computer Science, Information Science, Communication Science and Management Science.
Demography
Population
Historical populations of Dera Ghazi Khan city
Fairs and festivals
- Sangh Mela, is a Vaisakhi fair during March and April, is celebrated in Sakhi Sarwar by people coming from Jhang and Faisalabad for centuries. This festival is celebrated by Hindus and Muslims especially at the time of wheat harvesting. In some places it is known as Basant. Throughout history, a large number of followers coming from different religions became the followers of Sakhi Sarwar. Max Arthur Macauliffe, a colonial office appointed in Punjab, observed in 1875 that not only Muslims but Hindus also visited the shrines during the [urs]. In the 1911 census of India, 79,085 Sikhs reported to be the follower of Sakhi Sarwar.
Cuisine
- Sohan Halwa is traditional sweet made by boiling a mixture of water, sugar, milk and wheatflour (coarse pieces)/cornflour until it becomes solid.
Press and media
Daily Jang is published from Dera Ghazi Khan along with many local newspapers in Urdu, Saraiki and Balochi languages. The Daily Kasak is also published in the city.
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- "How Pakistan Made Nuclear Fuel" by Munir Ahmad Khan, former chairperson of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission: Islamabad The Nation 7 February 1998, page 7 [Pakistan: Article on How Pakistan Made Nuclear Fuel: FBIS-NES-98-042 : 11 February 1998].
Source of article : Wikipedia