# Shahpur District

Shahpur District, established in 1893 during the British Raj, existed in what is now Pakistan until 1960. From its inception until 1914, Shahpur served as the district headquarters. In 1914, the headquarters were relocated to Sargodha, although the district retained the name Shahpur. In 1960, the Sargodha District was formed, and Shahpur District was restructured as Shahpur Tehsil.

## Notable and historical personalities

* Hazrat Shah Shams Shirazi - Qazi in the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar
* Hazrat Shah Yousaf - Sufi Peer.
* Nawab Sir Malik Umar Hayat Khan Tiwana- A General from British India
* Nawab Sir Khizar Hayat Tiwana- Former Prime Minister of the United Punjab
* Nawab Muhammad Hayat Qureshi - Former Cabinet Member of the Viceroy,Governor-General of India
* Nawabzada Zakir Qureshi - Former Federal Minister of Pakistan
* Nawab Mubaraz Khan Tiwana of Jahanabad - Philanthropist, Former Cabinet Member of the Governor-General of India
* Mian Habib Sultan Nangiana - Sufi Saint
* Sir Feroz Khan Noon - Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
* Syed Azwar Abbas Sherazi - Poet and Academic (Lecturer at Hazara University)

## History

Shahpur district was annexed by the British from its former Sikh rulers after the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848–1849. Shahpur, historically significant in the Punjab region, was a district during British colonial rule. Established in the early 19th century, it encompassed parts of present-day Sargodha, Khushab, and Bhakkar districts in Pakistan. The district played a role in the 1857 uprising against British rule, witnessing notable events. Post-independence in 1947, Shahpur underwent administrative changes, leading to the creation of separate districts. Today, the region continues to carry historical and cultural significance within the broader context of Punjab's heritage.
The Shahpur district was one of the six districts of the Rawalpindi Division. It was divided into two equal parts by the river Jhelum, the western half constituting the Khushab tehsil, while the cis-Jhelum portion was subdivided into two tehsils also nearly equal in area, the Bhera tehsil to the east, and the Shahpur tehsil in the middle.

## Demographics

Four census were conducted between 1855 and 1891 by the British. The proportion percent of total populations returned as belonging to the chief religions at successive censuses is as follows.
Percentage of total populations
| Census of | Hindu | Sikh | Muslim | Other | |
| 1855 | 17.2 | | 82.8 | | 100 |
| 1868 | 14.5 | 0.9 | 82.8 | 1.8 | 100 |
| 1881 | 14.0 | 1.1 | 84.9 | | 100 |
| 1891 | 13.4 | 2.0 | 84.6 | | 100 |
Religious groups in Shahpur District (British Punjab province era) :
| Religious group | 1881 | 1881 | 1891 | 1891 | 1901 | 1901 | 1911 | 1911 | 1921 | 1921 | 1931 | 1931 | 1941 | 1941 |
| Religious group | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Islam | 357,742 | 84.87% | 417,661 | 84.62% | 442,921 | 84.49% | 572,565 | 83.3% | 596,100 | 82.8% | 679,546 | 82.72% | 835,918 | 83.68% |
| Hinduism | 59,026 | 14% | 66,065 | 13.38% | 68,489 | 13.06% | 72,695 | 10.58% | 82,182 | 11.42% | 90,561 | 11.02% | 102,172 | 10.23% |
| Sikhism | 4,702 | 1.12% | 9,777 | 1.98% | 12,756 | 2.43% | 33,456 | 4.87% | 30,361 | 4.22% | 40,074 | 4.88% | 48,046 | 4.81% |
| Christianity | 29 | 0.01% | 80 | 0.02% | 91 | 0.02% | 8,616 | 1.25% | 11,270 | 1.57% | 11,294 | 1.37% | 12,770 | 1.28% |
| Jainism | 9 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0% | 5 | 0% | 3 | 0% | 14 | 0% | 13 | 0% |
| Buddhism | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 28 | 0% | 2 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| Zoroastrianism | 0 | 0% | 5 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Judaism | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Others | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Total population | 421,508 | 100% | 493,588 | 100% | 524,259 | 100% | 687,366 | 100% | 719,918 | 100% | 821,490 | 100% | 998,921 | 100% |
| Note1: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. Note2: Presently known as Sargodha District, following district headquarters relocated to Sargodha in 1960. |||||||||||||||
Religion in the Tehsils of Shahpur District (1921) :
| Tehsil | Islam | Islam | Hinduism | Hinduism | Sikhism | Sikhism | Christianity | Christianity | Jainism | Jainism | Others | Others | Total | Total |
| Tehsil | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Shahpur Tehsil | 117,894 | 85.49% | 14,610 | 10.59% | 5,014 | 3.64% | 381 | 0.28% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 137,899 | 100% |
| Khushab Tehsil | 149,087 | 88.36% | 14,307 | 8.48% | 5,301 | 3.14% | 23 | 0.01% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 168,718 | 100% |
| Bhalwal Tehsil | 190,194 | 86.08% | 25,620 | 11.6% | 4,152 | 1.88% | 984 | 0.45% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 220,951 | 100% |
| Sargodha Tehsil | 138,925 | 72.23% | 27,645 | 14.37% | 15,894 | 8.26% | 9,882 | 5.14% | 3 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 192,350 | 100% |
| Note: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. |||||||||||||||
Religion in the Tehsils of Shahpur District (1941) :
| Tehsil | Islam | Islam | Hinduism | Hinduism | Sikhism | Sikhism | Christianity | Christianity | Jainism | Jainism | Others | Others | Total | Total |
| Tehsil | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Shahpur Tehsil | 161,337 | 87.91% | 15,968 | 8.7% | 6,037 | 3.29% | 179 | 0.1% | 5 | 0% | 3 | 0% | 183,529 | 100% |
| Khushab Tehsil | 211,565 | 90.08% | 17,474 | 7.44% | 5,809 | 2.47% | 8 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0% | 234,859 | 100% |
| Bhalwal Tehsil | 263,691 | 87.22% | 31,683 | 10.48% | 6,484 | 2.14% | 482 | 0.16% | 1 | 0% | 4 | 0% | 302,345 | 100% |
| Sargodha Tehsil | 199,325 | 71.65% | 37,047 | 13.32% | 29,716 | 10.68% | 12,021 | 4.32% | 7 | 0% | 72 | 0.03% | 278,188 | 100% |
| Note1: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. Note2: Tehsil religious breakdown figures for Christianity only includes local Christians, labeled as "Indian Christians" on census. Does not include Anglo-Indian Christians or British Christians, who were classified under "Other" category. |||||||||||||||