Many people participated in the War of Independence 1857 in the Bar area. District head quarter Gogaira was the center of the war. It is situated in Ganji bar. Other cities of Ganji Bar were Harappa, Chichawatni, and Kamalia. When British annexed Punjab in 1849, the District Headquarters of this area was Pakpattan. It consisted of the present Sahiwal division. Now it is consisted of three districts Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan. After defeating Sikhs, the British made Gogaira its District headquarter which was on the southern bank of River Ravi. It was the root of communication through River Ravi and road along with Ravi from Lahore to Multan and Karachi. It was also on the military road from Lahore to Multan. It was called Kakhan Wali Sarak (Road of Straws). It is about 30 miles from Sahiwal to Ravi. In 1855 twenty villages were included in the Gogaira district from Lahore. It had five Tehsils Syed wala, Gogaira, Harappa, Pakpattan, and Hujra with 1446 villages and a total area of 1138620 acres. Headquarters of the District were shifted to the village Sahiwal and it became Montgomery in 1865 after the name of Governor Punjab Sir R Montgomery.