Gujranwala

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}}Template:Main other GujranwalaTemplate:Efn is the fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of the eponymous district and division. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A metropolitan hub, it is the fifth-most populous in the country.

Founded in the 18th century, Gujranwala is a relatively modern town compared to the many nearby millennia-old cities of northern Punjab. The birthplace of Ranjit Singh, the city served as the capital of the Punjabi state of Sukerchakia Misl between 1763 and 1799; and of the Sikh Empire from 1799 to 1801, succeeded by Lahore.

Gujranwala is now Pakistan's third largest industrial centre after Karachi and Faisalabad,<ref name="Naz"/> and contributes 5% to 9% of Pakistan's national GDP.<ref name=PAAG/> The city is part of a network of large urban centres in north-east Punjab province that forms one of Pakistan's mostly highly industrialized regions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Along with the nearby cities of Sialkot and Gujrat, Gujranwala forms part of the so-called "Golden Triangle" of industrial cities with export-oriented economies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Naz"/>

EtymologyEdit

Gujranwala's name means "Abode of the Gujjars" in Punjabi, and was named after the Gujjar tribe that live in northern Punjab.<ref name="IGI">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> One local narrative suggests that the town was named after a Gujjar, Choudhry Gujjar, owner of the town's Persian wheel that supplied water to the town.<ref name="Naz" /> Evidence suggests, however, that the city derives its name from Serai Gujran (meaning "inn of Gujjars"), a village once located near what is now Gujranwala's Khiyali Gate.<ref name="Naz" />

HistoryEdit

FoundingEdit

Gujranwala was founded by Gurjars in the eighteenth century<ref name="dawn/22march2021">Template:Cite news</ref> however the exact origins of Gujranwala are unclear. Unlike the ancient nearby cities of Sialkot and Lahore, Gujranwala is a relatively modern city. It may have been established as a village in the middle of the 16th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Locals traditionally believe that Gujranwala's original name was Khanpur Sansi, though recent scholarship suggests that the village was possibly Serai Gujran instead – a village once located near what is now Gujranwala's Khiyali Gate that was mentioned by several sources during the 18th-century invasion of Ahmad Shah Abdali.<ref name="Naz"/>

SikhEdit

File:Baradari - Sheranwala Bagh, Gujranwala.jpg
The interior of the Sheranwala Baradari.

In 1707, with the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Mughal power began to rapidly weaken especially following Nader Shah's invasion in 1739 and then completely dissipated from the Punjab region due to the invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali who raided Punjab many times between 1747 and 1772 causing much devastation and chaos.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author">Template:Cite book</ref>

Abdali's control over the region began to weaken in the latter part of the 18th century with the rise of the Sikh Misls (independent chieftainships usually consisting of the chief's kinsmen) who overran Punjab.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> Charat Singh, ruler of the Sukerchakia Misl, established himself in a fort which he had built in the area of Gujranwala between 1756 and 1758.<ref name="Naz"/>

Nuruddin, a Jammu-based Afghan (Pashtun) general, was ordered by Abdali to subdue the Sikhs but was driven back at Sialkot by Sikh soldiers led by Charat Singh.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> In 1761, Khwaja Abed Khan, Abdali's governor in Lahore, tried to besiege Charat Singh's base in Gujranwala but the bid misfired. The Sikh misls rallied to his support by attacking Afghan officers wherever they were found.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> A fleeing Abed Khan was pursued by Sikh contingents led by the Ahluwalia misl into Lahore, where he was killed.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> Charat Singh made Gujranwala the capital of his misl in 1763.<ref name="Naz" /><ref name="TSA" />

In a 1774 battle waged in Jammu, Charat Singh of the Sukerchakia misl and Jhanda Singh of the powerful Bhangi misl, fighting on opposite sides, were both killed.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> Before his death, Charat Singh had become master of large and contiguous territories in the three doabs between the Indus and the Ravi. He was succeeded by his son Maha Singh who added to the lands that Charat Singh had not only captured but also capably administered.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/>

In the Gujranwala area in the 1770s, the Jat Chathas of Wazirabad and Rajput Bhattis of Hafizabad (Muslims in both cases) offered 'fierce resistance' to the Sukerchakias, whose attack was aided by Sahib Singh of the Bhangi misl.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> Describing the conflict, the (British) writer of the Gujranwala Gazetteer wrote that besieged for weeks in his fortress, Ghulam Muhammad Chatha eventually surrendered after Maha Singh assured him safe passage to Mecca, but the promise was 'basely broken' when Ghulam Muhammad was shot and his fortress razed to the ground.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> Rasoolnagar (Prophet's city) which belonged to the Chathas was renamed Ramnagar (Ram's city) to humiliate the Muslims.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> The Gazetteer noted that the treacherous killing of Chatha and his resistance was remembered 'in many a local ballad' in Gujranwala.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> The Bhattis of Hafizabad tehsil, who were Muslim Rajputs, did not cease their resistance to the Sukerchakias until 1801 when their leaders were killed and their possessions captured.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/> Some Bhattis fled to Jhang.<ref name="Gandhi, Rajmohan, author"/>

Ranjit Singh, Maha Singh's son and successor who would later go on to establish the Sikh Empire, was born in 1780 in Gujranwala's Purani Mandi market.<ref name="TSA">Template:Cite news</ref> Ranjit Singh maintained Gujranwala as his capital initially after rising to power in 1792. His most famous military commander Hari Singh Nalwa, who was also from Gujranwala, built a high mud wall around Gujranwala during this era and established the city's new grid street-plan that exists until the present day.<ref name="Naz" /> Gujranwala remained Ranjit Singh's capital until he captured Lahore from the Durrani Afghans in 1799, at which point the capital was moved there, leading to the relative decline of Gujranwala in favour of Lahore.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>Jind Kaur, the last queen of Ranjit Singh and mother of Duleep Singh, was born in Gujranwala in 1817.<ref name="bansal">Template:Cite book</ref>

By 1839, the city's bazaars were home to an estimated 500 shops, while the city had been surrounded by a number of pleasure gardens, including one established by Hari Nalwa Singh that was famous for its vast array of exotic plants.<ref name="Naz"/>

BritishEdit

File:Clock Tower, Hafizabad road side, Gujranwala.jpg
Estcourt Clock Tower, commonly known as Ghanta Ghar, was built in 1906.
File:Gujranwala Railway Station.jpg
Gujranwala's rail station dates from the British era.

The area was captured by the British Empire in 1848, and rapidly developed thereafter.<ref name="Naz"/> Gujranwala was incorporated as a municipality in 1867,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the city's Brandreth, Khiyali, and Lahori Gates built atop the site of Sikh-era gates were completed in 1869.<ref name="Naz"/> A new clocktower was built in central Gujranwala to mark the city's centre in 1906.

Christian missionaries were brought to the region during British colonial rule, and Gujranwala became home to numerous churches and schools.<ref name="Naz"/> The city's first Presbyterian Church was established in 1875 in the Civil Lines area – a settlement built one mile north of the old city to house Gujranwala's European population. A theological seminary was established in 1877, and a Christian technical school in 1900.<ref name="Naz"/>

The North-Western Railway connected Gujranwala with other cities in British India by rail in 1881.<ref name="IGI"/> The major Sikh higher learning institution, Gujranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa College, was founded in Gujranwala in 1889, though it later shifted to Ludhiana.<ref name="Naz"/> The nearby Khanki Headworks were completed in 1892 under British rule, and helped irrigate 3 million acres in the province. Gujranwala's population, according to the 1901 census of British India, was 29,224.<ref name="IGI"/> The city continued to grow rapidly for the remainder of British rule.

Riots erupted in Gujranwala following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in April 1919. These were some of most violent riots in response to the massacre in all of British India.<ref name="Naz"/> Riots lead to the damage of the city's railway station and burning of the city's Tehsil Office, Clock Tower, Dak Bangla and city courts.<ref name="Naz"/> Much of the city's historical record was burnt in the attacked offices.<ref name="Naz"/> Protestors in the city, nearby villages, and a procession from Dhullay were fired upon with machine-guns mounted to low-flying planes, and subjected to aerial bombardment from the Royal Air Force under the control of Reginald Edward Harry Dyer.<ref name="Naz"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

According to the 1941 census, 269,528 out of the Gujranwala District's 912,234 residents were non-Muslim.<ref>Abid, D. (1989). A Fresh Look at the Redcliffe Award. Grassroots.</ref> 54.30% of Gujranwala city residents were Muslims prior to Partition, though non-Muslims controlled much of the city's economy.<ref name="Naz"/> Hindus and Sikhs together owned two-thirds of Gujranwala's properties.<ref name="Naz"/> Sikhs were concentrated in the localities of Guru Nanak Pura, Guru Gobind Garh, and Dhullay Mohallah, while Hindus were dominant in Hakim Rai, Sheikhupura Gate area and Hari Singh Nalwa Bazaar. Muslims were concentrated in Rasul Pura, Islam Pura and Rehman Pura.<ref name="Naz"/>

PartitionEdit

File:Tomb of Maha Singh or Mahan Singh.jpg
Tomb of Maha Singh, ruler of the Sukerchakia Misl and father of Ranjit Singh.

Following the Independence of Pakistan and the aftermath of the Partition of British India in 1947, Gujranwala was the site of some of the worst rioting in Punjab.<ref name="Naz"/><ref name="ilyas"/> Large swathes of Hindu and Sikh localities were attacked or destroyed.<ref name="Naz"/><ref name="ilyas">Template:Cite book</ref> Rioters in the city gained notoriety for attacks, with the city's Muslim Lohar (blacksmiths) particularly carrying out brutal attacks.<ref name="ilyas"/> In retaliation for attacks against a trainload of refugees by Sikh rioters at Amritsar railway station on 22 September that resulted in the deaths of 3,000 Muslims over the course of three hours,<ref name="ilyas"/><ref name="AAP"/> rioters from Gujranwala attacked a trainload of Hindus and Sikhs fleeing towards India on 23 September,<ref name="ilyas"/> killing 340 refugees in the nearby town of Kamoke.<ref name="AAP">Template:Cite news</ref> Partition riots in Gujranwala resulted in systematic violence against the city's minorities,<ref name="ilyas"/> and may constitute an act of ethnic cleansing by modern standards.<ref name="ilyas"/> Gujranwala became home to Muslim refugees who were fleeing from the widespread anti-Muslim pogroms that depopulated eastern Punjab in India of almost its entire Muslim population.<ref name="ilyas"/> Refugees in Gujranwala were mainly those who had fled from the cities of Amritsar, Patiala, and Ludhiana in what had become the Indian state of East Punjab.<ref name="Naz"/>

ModernEdit

The influx of Muslim refugees into Gujranwala drastically altered the city's form. By March 1948, over 300,000 refugees had been resettled in Gujranwala District.<ref name="Chattha">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many refugees found post-Partition Gujranwala lacking in opportunities, causing some to move south to Karachi.<ref name="Chattha"/> The refugee population mostly settled in localities that were mostly non-Muslim, like Gobindgarh, Baghbanpura and Nanakpura.<ref name="Chattha"/>

Suburban districts were rapidly laid, including Satellite Town in 1950, which was designed mostly to house wealthy and upper-middle-class refugees.<ref name="Chattha"/> D-Colony was built in 1956 for poorer Kashmiri refugees,<ref name="Chattha"/> and Model Town in the 1960s.<ref name="Naz"/> The city experienced strong industrial growth during this period. In 1947, there were only 39 registered factories – a number which rose to 225 by 1961.<ref name="Chattha"/> The city's colonial-era metal-working industry continued to grow, while the city became a centre of hosiery manufacturing that was run by refugees from Ludhiana.<ref name="Chattha"/> The city's jewellery-trade had been run by Hindus but came under the control of refugees from Patiala.<ref name="Chattha"/>

Gujranwala's economy continued to grow into the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Naz"/> New development continues, such as the opening of a 5,774-foot long flyover that functions as an elevated urban expressway,<ref name="Naz"/> as well as the nearby Sialkot International Airport which serves the entire Golden Triangle region, and is Pakistan's first privately owned commercial airport.<ref name=economist>Template:Cite news</ref> Institutions of higher learning have also been established in the city since independence. The Sialkot-Lahore Motorway, opened in 2020, passes near Gujranwala.

GeographyEdit

Gujranwala sits at the heart of the Rechna Doab, a strip of land between the Chenab in the north, and Ravi River in the south. Gujranwala is also part of the Majha, a historical region of northern Punjab. The city was built upon the plains of Punjab, and the surrounding region is an unbroken plain devoid of topographical diversity.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Punjabdoabs1.jpg
Gujranwala is in the Rechna Doab region of Punjab, marked in grey.

Gujranwala is 226 metres (744 ft) above sea level, sharing borders with Ghakhar Mandi and several towns and villages. About Template:Convert south is the provincial capital, Lahore. Sialkot and Gujrat lie to its north. Gujrat connects Gujranwala with Bhimber, Azad Kashmir, and Sialkot connects it with Jammu. About Template:Convert southwest is Faisalabad. To its west are Hafizabad and Pindi Bhattian, which connect Gujranwala to Jhang, Chiniot and Sargodha.

ClimateEdit

Gujranwala has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh),<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> according to the Köppen-Geiger system, and changes throughout the year. During summer (June to September), the temperature reaches Template:Convert. The coolest months are usually November to February when the temperature can drop to an average of Template:Convert. The highest precipitation months are usually July and August when the monsoon reaches Punjab. During the other months, the average rainfall is about Template:Convert. October to May have little rainfall.<ref>Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala – Monthly Averages</ref>

Template:Weather box

Urban formEdit

File:Sialkoti Gate ( Brandreth Gate ).jpg
Brandreth Gate in old Gujranwala.
File:House no3 Civil lines area internal street, Gujranwala..jpg
The Civil Lines neighbourhood has many buildings that date from the British colonial era.

Gujranwala's oldest precincts were laid according to the new city plan devised by Hari Singh Nalwa, following Ranjit Singh's establishment of Gujranwala as his capital in 1792. A street plan based mostly on a grid plan was implemented, with bazaars intersecting one another at 90-degree angles. Some of the blocks are rectangular in shape, resulting in a polygonal shaped old city. This old city was then enclosed by a high mud wall with gates and a fort that was built immediately north of the old city. The city's Sheranwala Bagh was also expanded under Hari Singh Nalwa's direction.<ref name="Naz" />

Gujranwala's old city is centred on the Shahi (Royal) Bazaar. The old city is home to many of the city's pre-Partition houses of worship for Hindus and Sikhs. The Hindu Devi Talab temple was once famous for its large water-tank, and remains in good condition despite being used as a residence for a family who fled Patiala.<ref name="zrj">Template:Cite journal</ref> The Sikh Gurdwara Damdama Sahib is located near the Devi Talab Temple, is important in Sikhism for its association with Baba Sahib Singh Bedi, a Sikh saint.<ref name="zrj" /> An old gurdwara is also located near the Chashma Chowk intersection near Shahi Bazaar.<ref name="zrj" />

Gujranwala was also home to a Jain community, called Bhabra in Punjab. In the heart of the town, Lala Mubdas Jain Mandir is present. The samadhi of Jain Acharya Atmaramji (also known as Acharya Vijayanandsuri, who died on 20 May 1896.<ref>The legend of Atmaram Ji’s Samadhi, Tania Qureshi, Daily Times, MAY 28, 2019</ref> The samadhi, now being restored, was visited by Jain Acharya Dharmadhurandar Suri in on 28 May 2023, along with other Jain munis and lay Jains after a gap to more than 75 years.<ref>पूजनीय आत्म वल्लभजी के गुरुदेव आत्मारामजी समाधि धाम में जैनाचार्य पूजनीय धर्मधुरंधर जी मा.सा का आगमन, PALI SIROHI ONLINE, Nagendra Agrawal, May 28, 2023</ref>

Gujranwala grew rapidly following British rule, and connection of the city to the railways of British India. The city grew outside of the city's walls, requiring new bazaars to be laid, which were done in a radial plan centred on the old city.<ref name="Naz" /> Some historic structures like the Haveli of Sardar Mahan Singh were torn down by the British and replaced with other structures. The city's Brandreth, Lahori, and Khiyali Gates were built atop the city's demolished original gates, while Mahan Singh's haveli was transformed into a public square named Ranjit Ganj.<ref name="Naz" /> The city's boundaries remained mostly west of the railways' line prior to 1947.<ref name="Naz" />

The Civil Lines neighbourhood was built for European residents approximately one mile north of the old city. The area was characterized by bungalows, large and verdant lawns, and shady tree-lined avenues.<ref name="Naz" /> Civil Lines is where the city's Presbyterian Church was built in 1875, while the city's Theological Seminary was established here in 1877. The Christian Technical Training Center followed suit in 1900.<ref name="Naz" /> The city's elite Hindus and Sikhs eventually also settled in small numbers in Civil Lines.<ref name="Naz" /> Several of their mansions still remain in the area including those of Charan Singh, Banarsi Shah, as well as other buildings such as Islamia College and Khurshid Manzil.<ref name="Naz" />

Growth occurred mostly in areas northwest and southeast of the city immediately after independence until 1965 along routes emanating from old Gujranwala. Satellite Town was established on the southwest side in 1950. Areas northeast and southwest of the city were the sites of most growth between 1965 and 1985. The growth grows outwards mostly evenly after 1985 until the present time.<ref name="Naz" /> Much of the growth has been unplanned due to poor enforcement of development guidelines and lax enforcement of property laws.<ref name="Naz" />

DemographyEdit

Gujranwala is the 5th largest city in Pakistan by population. Since the 2000s the population growth rate of Gujranwala has averaged at 3.0%. The population growth rate is projected to slow down to 2.51% by 2035.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Historical Populations

Religious groups in Gujranwala City (1881−2023)Template:Efn
Religious
group
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1911<ref name="Census1911">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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1921<ref name="Census1921">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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1931<ref name="Census1931">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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1941<ref name="Census1941">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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2017<ref name="Census2017B">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Islam File:Star and Crescent.svg 11,820 Template:Percentage 14,049 Template:Percentage 15,525 Template:Percentage 16,398 Template:Percentage 20,622 Template:Percentage 33,241 Template:Percentage 45,904 Template:Percentage 2,272,402 Template:Percentage 2,762,265 Template:Percentage
Hinduism File:Om.svgTemplate:Efn 9,114 Template:Percentage 9,909 Template:Percentage 10,390 Template:Percentage 8,547 Template:Percentage 11,669 Template:Percentage 16,958 Template:Percentage 24,378 Template:Percentage 104 Template:Percentage 482 Template:Percentage
Sikhism File:Khanda.svg 1,396 Template:Percentage 2,020 Template:Percentage 2,181 Template:Percentage 3,200 Template:Percentage 3,571 Template:Percentage 5,879 Template:Percentage 11,016 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 87 Template:Percentage
Jainism File:Jain Prateek Chihna.svg 413 Template:Percentage 522 Template:Percentage 700 Template:Percentage 713 Template:Percentage 683 Template:Percentage 978 Template:Percentage 1,343 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Christianity File:Christian cross.svg Template:N/a Template:N/a 284 Template:Percentage 428 Template:Percentage 614 Template:Percentage 1,342 Template:Percentage 1,660 Template:Percentage 1,893 Template:Percentage 76,598 Template:Percentage 89,897 Template:Percentage
Zoroastrianism File:Faravahar.svg Template:N/a Template:N/a 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a 3 Template:Percentage
Judaism File:Star of David.svg Template:N/a Template:N/a 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Buddhism File:Dharma Wheel (2).svg Template:N/a Template:N/a 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Ahmadiyya File:Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya 1-2.svg Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a 1,901 Template:Percentage 1,275 Template:Percentage
Others 141 Template:Percentage 1 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 0 Template:Percentage 11 Template:Percentage 209 Template:Percentage 122 Template:Percentage
Total population 22,884 Template:Percentage 26,785 Template:Percentage 29,224 Template:Percentage 29,472 Template:Percentage 37,887 Template:Percentage 58,716 Template:Percentage 84,545 Template:Percentage 2,351,214 Template:Percentage 2,854,131 Template:Percentage

EconomyEdit

File:Gujranwala Tools Dies and Moulds Centre.jpg
Gujranwala is home to a wide variety of industries.

Gujranwala is the Pakistan's third largest centre of industrial production, after Karachi and Faisalabad. Gujranwala, along with the nearby industrial cities of Sialkot and Gujrat City, form what is sometimes referred to as the Golden Triangle in reference to their relative prosperity and export-oriented industrial base.<ref name="Naz">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The city's industries employ up to 500,000 people,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while the city's GDP makes up 5% of Pakistan's overall economy.<ref name=PAAG>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

An estimated 6,500 small and medium enterprises,<ref name="GBC"/> 25,000 cottage units, and some large factories, are located in and around the city as of 2002<ref name="Chattha"/> -and are engaged in the manufacture of a wide variety of goods.<ref name="dawn.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="gbc.org.pk">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The city is the centre for manufacture and export of sanitary fittings and wares in Pakistan, with over 200 producers based in Gujranwala.<ref name="GBC"/><ref name="TSA"/> More than 60 producers of auto parts are found in the city.<ref name="GBC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The city is well known as a centre for manufacturing electric fans – with 150 small and medium enterprises in Gujranwala tied to the electric fan industry.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The city is Pakistan's third largest centre for iron and steel manufacturing – reflecting Gujranwala's historic association with metalworking since the migration of the Lohar clan of blacksmiths to the city during the colonial era.<ref name="Chattha"/> The city has been a centre of hosiery-manfuacture since the migration of refugees primarily from Ludhiana in 1947.<ref name="Chattha"/>

Textiles, apparel, yarn, and other textile goods are also produced in Gujranwala.<ref name="TSA"/> Other manufacturing based in the city include rice, plastic, cutlery, coolers and heaters, agricultural tools and equipment, carpets, glass goods, surgical equipment, leather products, and machinery for military uses, domestic appliances, motorcycles, and food products.<ref name="Naz"/> The rural regions surrounding Gujranwala are heavily engaged in the production of wheat and are yield more wheat per acre than the national average.<ref name=sbp>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gujranwala District is also the most productive region for rice-growing in Punjab.<ref name=sbp/>

In 2010, Gujranwala was rated number 6 out of Pakistan's top 13 cities in order of ease of doing business by the World Bank, and was ranked the second-best in Pakistan for construction permits.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Pakistan's electric shortages of the 2010s severely stymied the city's growth. Industrial units in the city suffered an average of 2872 hours per year in Gujranwala in 2012.<ref name="PGS">Template:Citation</ref> By the end of 2017, the supply of electricity had drastically improved with augmented electric generation as a result of new power-stations coming online.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Improved supplies of electricity contributed to the country's double-digit rise in exports in the second half of 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

TransportationEdit

File:Gujranwala Wikivoyage banner.jpg
Hospital road and Sialkot road, Church road, Gujranwala

RoadEdit

File:Gujranwala flyover.jpg
Gujranwala Flyover

Gujranwala is situated along the historic Grand Trunk Road that connects Peshawar to Islamabad and Lahore. The Grand Trunk Road also provides access to the Afghan border via the Khyber Pass, with onward connections to Kabul and Central Asia via the Salang Pass. The Karakoram Highway provides access between Islamabad and western China, and an alternate route to Central Asia via Kashgar, China.

Gujranwala is connected to Lahore by Sialkot-Lahore Motorway. The motorway passes east of the Grand Trunk Road, and terminates near the Sialkot International Airport. Plans for the motorway's extension farther north to Kharian near Gujrat City were announced in late 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

RailEdit

Gujranwala railway station serves as a stop along Pakistan's Template:Convert-long Main Line-1 railway that connects the city to the port city of Karachi to Peshawar.

The entire Main Line-1 railway track between Karachi and Peshawar is to be overhauled at a cost of $3.65 billion for the first phase of the project,<ref>"PURCHASE OF POWER: PAYMENTS TO CHINESE COMPANIES TO BE FACILITATED THROUGH REVOLVING FUND". Business Recorder. Retrieved 6 December 2015.</ref> with completion by 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Upgrading of the railway line will permit train travel at speeds of 160 kilometres per hour, versus the average 60 to 105 km per hour speed currently possible on existing track.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

AirEdit

Gujranwala has no airport of its own. The city is instead served by airports in nearby cities, including the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore that offers non-stop flights to Europe, Canada, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Gujranwala is also serviced by the nearby Sialkot International Airport – Pakistan's first privately owned commercial airport. Built-in 2007, the airport offers non-stop service to the Middle East, as well as domestic locations.

Public transportationEdit

Gujranwala has a small scale centrally managed public transportation system known as a city tour. It has its routes from Wazirabad to Kamoke mainly extended on GT road only. Uber became available in Gujranwala in early 2017<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was soon followed by Careem.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

AdministrationEdit

Gujranwala and its environs were amalgamated into a district in 1951. The Gujranwala Development Authority was established in 1989 to oversee economic and infrastructure development in the city. The city is currently administered by the City District Government Gujranwala (CDGG) and Gujranwala Metropolitan Corporation, while development is generally under the office of the Gujranwala Development Authority. In 2007, the city was re-classified as a city district with 7 constituent municipalities: Aroop, Kamonke, Khiali Shahpur, Nandipur, Nowshera Virkan, Qila Didar Singh, and Wazirabad Towns.<ref name="Naz"/>

In December 2019, Gujranwala Municipal Corporation was upgraded into Metropolitan Corporation under Punjab Local Government Act 2019.<ref name="dawn news 1524621">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

EducationEdit

Gujranwala city's adult literacy rate in 2008 was 73%,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which rose to 87% in the 15–24 age group throughout Gujranwala District,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> including rural areas. The city is also home to the Gujranwala Theological Seminary which was established in Sialkot in 1877, and moved to Gujranwala in 1912.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Army Aviation School of the Pakistan Air Force was moved to Gujranwala in 1987 from Dhamial.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many institutes are established for higher education such as:

SportsEdit

Gujranwala has the multipurpose Jinnah Stadium, which has capacity of 20,000 spectators. It has hosted matches of the 1987 and 1996 Cricket World Cup.

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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