# Pathankot district

Pathankot district, the northernmost district of Punjab, India, was formed on July 27, 2011, after being carved out from Gurdaspur district. Pathankot serves as the district headquarters. The district shares its borders with Pakistan to the west and lies strategically close to the states of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, making it a vital trade and transportation hub in the region.

## Etymology

The original name of Pathankot was Paithan during Mughal times, which is in turn believed to be a derivative of Sanskrit Pratisthana. Later Paithan was retrieved again by Chandravanshi Rajput clan (Pathania “meaning No Pathans”) and named Pathankot. The suffix 'kot' stands for fort.

## Geography

Pathankot is located in the foothills of the Sivalik Hills. It shares international borders with the Narowal District of Pakistan's Punjab. It also shares borders with the Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir and the Chamba and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh. Hoshiarpur district shares a boundary with Pathankot in Eastern Punjab. The two main rivers, – the Beas and the Ravi, pass through the district.

## The district today

In the past, It was a Tehsil of the district of Gurdaspur. The present district was formed, as the 22nd district of the state on July 27, 2011. Pathankot includes the two sub-divisions of Pathankot and Dhar Kalan and the two sub-tehsil of Narot Jaimal Singh and Bamial
Pathankot has gone through a large number of changes and developments. It is also called as the gateway to Himachal Pradesh and J&K states. Ranjit Sagar Dam, the Pride of Punjab, has been emerged about 30 km. north-east of the town. Mamoon, a suburb of Pathankot, is heading towards the biggest army cantonment in Asia. Pathankot already has an Air Force Station and will be coming on the air map of India very shortly. Surprisingly enough, the town is totally devoid of any monumental evidence to speak of its rich past except for a high ridge called Shimla Pahari, where the historical fort once existed, and some part of the rouni around the Gulmohar Tourist Complex. A number of various buildings, such as the PWD Rest House. Gulmohar Tourist Complex, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Municipal Library, Lal Bahadur Shastri Park, the Relay center of Doordarshan, and an office of the central PWD are located at the site of the Fort.

### City and towns

There are two statutory Cities Pathankot and Sujanpur in this district. The district also has 12 census towns, according to census 2011 which are listed below:
* Sujanpur ( City Municipal Council)
* Pathankot ( City Municipal Corporation)
* Jugial (Township)
* Narot Jaimal Singh (Nagar Panchayat)
* Narot Mehra (Town)
* Mamun (Pathankot Urban)
* Manwal (Town)
* Sarna (Pathankot Urban)
* Bungal (Rural Town)
* Malikpur (Pathankot Urban)
* Dunera (Town)
* Dhar Kalan (Town)
* Madhopur (Pathankot Urban)
* Gharota (Rural Town)
* Dhaki (Town)
* Daulatpur (Town)
* Jhakolari (Town)
* Kamini (Settlement)
* Mirthal (Town)
* Taragarh (Rural Town)

### Other villages and settlements

* Abadgarh
* Kataruchak
* Mirthal, Near Beas river (Last town of Pathankot district)

## Demographics

At the time of the 2011 census, the area that would become Pathankot district had a population of 676,598. Out of these 378,432 were rural and 298,166 urban. Pathankot has a sex ratio of 860 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes are 207,032 (30.60%) of the population.
Religion in Pathankot district (2011) :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 88.42% | 88.42% |
| Sikhism | Sikhism | 7.81% | 7.81% |
| Islam | Islam | 2.12% | 2.12% |
| Christianity | Christianity | 1.08% | 1.08% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.57% | 0.57% |
Religion in Pathankot District :
| Religion | Population (1941)$^{:60–61}$ | Percentage (1941) | Population (2011) | Percentage (2011) |
| Hinduism | 83,330 | 54.42% | 598,237 | 88.42% |
| Islam | 59,548 | 38.89% | 14,317 | 2.12% |
| Sikhism | 7,580 | 4.95% | 52,858 | 7.81% |
| Christianity | 2,307 | 1.51% | 7,292 | 1.08% |
| Others | 369 | 0.24% | 3,894 | 0.57% |
| Total Population | 153,134 | 100% | 676,598 | 100% |
At the time of the 2011 census, 89.86% of the population spoke Punjabi, 5.30% Hindi and 1.20% Dogri as their first language. The dialect is in between Kangri and Dogri, the two neighbouring languages.
Languages of Pathankot (First Language) (2011)

## Health

The table below shows the number of road accidents and people affected in Pathankot district by year.
Road accidents and people affected in Pathankot district by year :
| Year | Accidents | Killed | Injured | Vehicles Involved |
| 2022 | 95 | 83 | 38 | 137 |
| 2021 | 131 | 85 | 46 | 139 |
| 2020 | 92 | 63 | 43 | 104 |
| 2019 | 115 | 97 | 44 | 112 |

## Politics

Pathankot district is part of the Pathankot Assembly Constituency.
| No. | Constituency | Name of MLA | Party | Bench |
| 1 | Sujanpur | Naresh Puri | Indian National Congress | Opposition |
| 2 | Bhoa (SC) | Lal Chand Kataruchakk | Aam Aadmi Party | Government |
| 3 | Pathankot | Ashwani Kumar Sharma | Bharatiya Janata Party | Opposition |

## Notable people

* Shaheed Ram Singh Pathania (Rajput Warrior & Freedom Fighter)
* Ashwani Kumar Sharma (MLA)
* Seema Kumari (Ex MLA)
* Siddarth Kaul (Cricketer)