# Sahiwal Division

Sahiwal Division (Punjabi, Urdu: ساہیوال) is one of the ten Divisions of Punjab, Pakistan. Sahiwal Division is situated in east-central Punjab, along the N-5 National Highway, approximately midway between Lahore and Multan. It is bordered by Faisalabad Division to the west, Lahore Division to the north, Bahawalpur Division and India to the east, and Multan Division to the south. The division is located on the floodplains of two major rivers: the Ravi River to the west and the Sutlej River to the east. Additionally, the dry Khushak Bias channel traverses the region, forming a natural boundary between Sahiwal District and Pakpattan District. With an elevation of approximately 500 ft (150 m) above sea level, parts of the division rise to over 200 meters, contributing to its varied topography.

## History

It was formed by merging parts of Lahore Division and Multan Division and took its name Sahiwal from the district and city of the same name. On 14 November 2008, Sahiwal Division was reorganized into three districts: Sahiwal District, Okara District, and Pakpattan District. Sahiwal is the capital of the Sahiwal Division. In 1998, the population of Sahiwal was 6,271,247. The population rate of growth was 1.92 percent per annum.
About 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Sahiwal is Harappa, an ancient city of the Indus Valley Civilization. About 28 miles (45 km) west of Sahiwal, at Kamalia township, is the site of Malli, a city captured by Alexander the Great in 325 BCE. Alexander stayed in this region of Punjab for two years in a time of frequent military conflict.

## List of the Districts

| # | District | Headquarter | Area (km²) | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²) (2023) | Lit. rate (2023) |
| 1 | Okara | Okara | 4,377 | 3,515,490 | 802.2 | 60.25% |
| 2 | Pakpattan | Pakpattan | 2,724 | 2,136,170 | 785.3 | 57.13% |
| 3 | Sahiwal | Sahiwal | 3,201 | 2,881,811 | 900.6 | 64.77% |

## List of the Tehsils

| # | Tehsil | Area (km²) | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²) (2023) | Lit. rate (2023) | Districts |
| 1 | Depalpur | 2,502 | 1,592,201 | 636.37 | 55.29% | Okara District |
| 2 | Okara | 1,241 | 1,393,746 | 1,123.08 | 63.34% | Okara District |
| 3 | Renala Khurd | 634 | 529,543 | 835.24 | 66.98% | Okara District |
| 4 | Arifwala | 1,241 | 999,278 | 805.22 | 58.24% | Pakpattan District |
| 5 | Pakpattan | 1,483 | 1,136,892 | 766.62 | 56.11% | Pakpattan District |
| 6 | Chichawatni | 1,591 | 1,155,978 | 726.57 | 65.25% | Sahiwal District |
| 7 | Sahiwal | 1,610 | 1,725,833 | 1,071.95 | 64.44% | Sahiwal District |

## Climate

In the Köppen climate classification, Sahiwal has a Semi-arid climate. More precisely, it is intermediate between a Desert climate (BW) and a Humid subtropical climate.
Temperatures in Sahiwal vary between hot and very hot in summer and are mild in winters. In May, June and July, temperatures increase to maximums between 40 and 50 °C. In winter months, the temperature falls to minimums between 5 and 10 °C.
Sahiwal lies on the edge of the Thar Desert at a low altitude and so, wet seasons are warm and dry seasons are cool. Sahiwal is also affected by the monsoon. Precipitation is very heavy in the monsoon, and dry during the rest of the year, with few or no months bringing moderate levels of precipitation.
The annual average rainfall in Sahiwal is approximately 349 mm.
The soil in Sahiwal is fertile. The vegetation is short and scrubby. The land supports grasses, shrubs and some forests.

## Economy

The economy of Sahiwal Division depends on agriculture and associated industries. The largest crop is wheat, followed by cotton.
The Sahiwal cattle breed, a dairy breed of Zebu or "humped cattle" is grown in the region. This cattle breed is tick resistant, heat tolerant and resistant to external and internal parasites Due to their heat tolerance and high milk production, Sahiwal cattle are grown in other Asian countries, African nations such as Kenya, Burundi, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, and Guyana.
Other livestock types that are grown in Sahiwal include sheep, and goat. Fish and poultry are also in abundant.
The Nili-Ravi is a breed of domestic water buffalo native to the Sahiwal area.

## Education

The average urban literacy rate of Sahiwal Division (Sahiwal, Okara, and Pakpattan) is 60.7 percent. The average rural literacy rate is 33.8 percent.

## Demography

At the time of the 1998 Census in Pakistan, the population of Sahiwal Division was 6,271,247. The population density was 608 people per square kilometre. Forty-seven percent were female. Seventy-five percent lived in an urban environment. The urban literacy rate was 60.7 percent. The rural literacy rate was 33.8 percent.
According to 2017 census, Sahiwal division had a population of 7,378,065, which includes 3,769,226 males and 3,608,089 females. By the 2023 census, the population rose to 8,533,471.

## Constituencies

| Provincial Assembly Constituency | National Assembly Constituency | District |
| PP-185 Okara-I | NA-135 Okara-I | Okara |
| PP-192 Okara-VIII | NA-135 Okara-I | Okara |
| PP-190 Okara-VI | NA-136 Okara-II | Okara |
| PP-191 Okara-VII | NA-136 Okara-II | Okara |
| PP-186 Okara-II | NA-137 Okara-III | Okara |
| PP-189 Okara-V | NA-137 Okara-III | Okara |
| PP-187 Okara-III | NA-138 Okara-IV | Okara |
| PP-188 Okara-IV | NA-138 Okara-IV | Okara |
| PP-193 Pakpattan-I | NA-139 Pakpattan-I | Pakpattan |
| PP-194 Pakpattan-II | NA-139 Pakpattan-I | Pakpattan |
| PP-197 Pakpattan-V | NA-139 Pakpattan-I | Pakpattan |
| PP-195 Pakpattan-III | NA-140 Pakpattan-II | Pakpattan |
| PP-196 Pakpattan-IV | NA-140 Pakpattan-II | Pakpattan |
| PP-198 Sahiwal-I | NA-141 Sahiwal-I | Sahiwal |
| PP-199 Sahiwal-II | NA-141 Sahiwal-I | Sahiwal |
| PP-200 Sahiwal-III | NA-142 Sahiwal-II | Sahiwal |
| PP-201 Sahiwal-IV | NA-142 Sahiwal-II | Sahiwal |
| PP-202 Sahiwal-V | NA-142 Sahiwal-II | Sahiwal |
| PP-203 Sahiwal-VI | NA-143 Sahiwal-III | Sahiwal |
| PP-204 Sahiwal-VII | NA-143 Sahiwal-III | Sahiwal |

## Notable people

* Fariduddin Ganjshakar (1179 CE - 1266 CE) known as "Baba Farid" (Punjabi: بابا فرید (Shahmukhi), was a 12th-century Sufi preacher and saint of the Chishti Order of South Asia. Ganjshakar is one of the first major poets of the Punjabi language, and is one of the pivotal saints of the Punjab region.
* Tufail Mohammad (1914 CE - 1958 CE) was a recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest military award, for his contribution to the defence of Pakistan.
* Majeed Amjad (1914 CE - 1974 CE) was a writer of modern Urdu literature. He was educated at the Government College Lahore. He was inspired by the flora of Sahiwal. There is a park named for him.
* Abdus Salam (1926 CE - 1996 CE) was a theoretical physicist who won the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to electroweak theory. He was born in Santokdas a village near haveli lakha tehsil depalpur where his maternal grand father was resided, raised in Jhang and is buried in Rabwah.