Wazirabad, وزیر آباد

Wazirabad (Punjabi, Urdu: وزیر آباد) is an industrial city located in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of the Chenab River nearly 100 kilometres north of Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. It is 45 kilometres from Sialkot, 30 kilometres from the district capital - Gujranwala and about 12 kilometres from Gujrat. The city of Wazirabad is the headquarters of Wazirabad Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of the district, the city is itself subdivided into 5 Union Councils.Wazirabad City is located near the south banks of the Chenab River where the picturesque Nala_Palkhu, a snow stream from the Himalayas joins to this big river.History

Wazirabad, literally the city of the Wazir, was first settled in 1542 CE.[citation needed] In 1636 CE Wazir Hakim Illmmudiddin, an amir of Shah Jahan constructed the first ever residential building of Wazirabad namely Musaman Burj on the bank of Palkhu Nala. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb another building namely Shesh Mahal at the east of Musaman Burj was built during 1705 CE.

The town saw a decline in its population at the beginning of Sikh rule when it was taken over by Charat Singh around 1760 together with other towns in the District. but Sardar Gurbaksh Singh Warraich and his son Jodh Singh restored its glory. Maharja Ranjit Singh occupied the town in 1809 and Avitabile was appointed as the Nazim of the city. He built an entirely new town, with a straight broad bazar running through it, and side streets at right angles.

British rule

During British rule Wazirabad was the headquarters of the old Wazirabad District, broken up in 1851-2, and was the site of a cantonment removed to Sialkot in 1855 on account of the unhealthiness of the place.

The municipality was created in 1867, the population according to the 1901 census was 18,069. The income during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 20,800, and the expenditure Rs. 21,400. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 20,800, chiefly from octroi; and the expenditure was Rs. 19,200. The town had a considerable trade in timber, which comes down the Chenab from Jammu territory, and in cloth, grain, and sugar. The smiths of Wazirabad had a reputation for the manufacture of small articles of cutlery, and the, village of Nizamabad within a mile of the town is famed for its weapons; Wazirabad was an important junction on the North-Western Railway, as the Sialkot-Jammu and Lyallpur lines both branch off here.

The Chenab river is spanned opposite Wazirabad by the Alexandra railway bridge, one of the finest engineering works of the kind in India, which was opened by Edward VII the King-Emperor when he was Prince of Wales in 1876. An important fair is held at: Dhaunkal, a short distance off. The town possessed two Anglo-vernacular high schools, one maintained by the Church of Scotland Mission, and a Government dispensary.

Structure

Wazirabad city was divided into 4 Katras namely Ram Katra, Katra Mai, Katra Thatharian, Katra Dewanan beside a Chohatrah. Exactly in the front of the Musaman Burj Main Bazar of the City is located which is absolute wide and is about 2 kilometer long as the same ends in the south of the city at Lahori Darwaza. Beside the Main Bazar there are two more roads which are parallel to Main Bazar namely Circular Road and Collage Road with an outer road travelling beside the railway lines inside the city which starts from Lahori Darwaza and ends at the first ever underpass of Gujrawala Division to contact with the main G. T. Road.

Education

Here in the small town, there are many educational institutions in public and private sectors.The results of the government schools are always better than the private schools.'Govt schools are Govt Public high School (Ghulaam Qader),Govt MC Famous private schools include. Shaheen Junior Model School (MUSAMMAN BURJ). 'The Educators, Imperial Public school, and Mumtaz Grammar School, Sir Syed Pilot School. There is also a Women Government Degree College and a government Mc girls high school Muslim hands technical training center. Now the improvements have been seen in the field of education in Wazirabad. Many other new schools and colleges have been opened especially in the private sector. These schools include S.Z Elahi model school and Allied schools. The newly opened college is Punjab college which is having the campuses both for the females and males.

 Notables

* 1. Moulana Zafar Ali Khan (Late) (Journalist)

* 2. Moulana Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi (Late) (President Jamiat-e-Ulamai Pakistan)

* 3. Rana Manzoor Ahmed (Late) (Scholar,Socialist,Educationist)

* 4. Ghulam Haider Wyne (Late) (Chief Minister Punjab)

* 5. Munnu Bhai (Writer)

* 6. Atif Aslam (Singer) (Born here in 1983)

* 7. Abdullah Yousuf Dar (Ex - Chairman Federal Board of Revenue)

* 8. Raja Khalique Ullah Khan (Late) (Federal Law minister)

* 9. Razia Butt (Writer)

* 10. Hamid Nasir Chattha (Ex - Speaker of National Assembly)

* 11. Justice (R) Rafique Tarar (Ex - President of Paktistan)

Local Industries

Wazirabad is internationally famous for its fine quality cutlery products such as:

* Hunting knives

* Pocket knives

* Daggers

* Swords

* Axes

* Utensils

Wazirabad also produces export quality rice. The main villages and towns of Wazirabad Tehsil are;''''

* Hairanwala kalan (numerdar ch Ghulam Rasool Cheema s/o Ch Inayat numberdar)

(source:wikipedia)