Gujar Khan

Gujar Khan

گوجر خان
City
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan is located in Punjab, Pakistan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Location within Punjab, Pakistan
Gujar Khan is located in Pakistan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Location within Pakistan
Coordinates: 33°15′11″N 73°18′14″E / 33.253°N 73.304°E / 33.253; 73.304
Country Pakistan
ProvincePunjab, Pakistan Punjab
DivisionRawalpindi
DistrictRawalpindi
TehsilGujar Khan
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Committee
Elevation
461 m (1,512 ft)
Population
 (2023)
 • City
103,284
Society
 • LanguagesPunjabi (native and majority)
Urdu (minority)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Calling code0513
FounderGujjars
Number of union councils36

Gujar Khan or Gujjar Khan (Punjabi: گُجر خاں [ɡʊˈd͡ʒəɾ ˈxãː]; Urdu: گوجر خان [ˈɡoːdʒəɾ ˈxaːn]) is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is also the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab by land area.

Gujar Khan is located approximately 57 km (35 mi) southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and 220 km (140 mi) to the northwest of Lahore, the capital of Punjab. It is bounded on the north by Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Attock, on the south by Jhelum, Lahore, and Gujrat, on the east by Azad Kashmir, and Kahuta and on the west by Chakwal and Khushab.

Situated in the heart of the Pothohar Plateau in northern Punjab, the city and surrounding region is renowned for their martial culture and is sometimes referred to as the 'Land of Martyrs', having produced two recipients of the Nishan-i-Haider.

History

Gujjar Khan city took its name from the Punjabi Gujjar community who are the oldest inhabitants of the city. Apart from the city, many Gujjar families live in the Gujar Khan Tehsil. The modern town was developed by the British colonial authorities after the region came under British rule in 1848.

Administration

Administrative subdivisions of Rawalpindi District

Gujar Khan is administratively subdivided into 36 union councils, whereas City Gujar Khan is administered by municipal corporation.

Demographics

Population of Gujar Khan city over the years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19518,496—    
196111,529+35.7%
197224,121+109.2%
198133,920+40.6%
199857,099+68.3%
201790,149+57.9%
2023103,284+14.6%
Sources:

Social groups

Gujjar is a major and oldest ethnic group in the city. Other ethnic groups in the city include Rajput, Arain, Jat, Kashmiri.

Languages

Urban Population of Gujar Khan Tehsil (2023)
  1. Punjabi (61.9%)
  2. Urdu (20.3%)
  3. Pashto (9.36%)
  4. "Others" (7.71%)
  5. Others (0.71%)

According to the 2023 census, Punjabi is the dominant first language, spoken by 61.90% of the population, followed by Urdu at 20.32% and Pashto at 9.36% and 0.71% spoke other languages (mostly Sindhi and Saraiki). 7.71% of the population also chose the "Others" option as they did not consider their mother tongue to be present among the options.

Natural resources

Large reserves of oil and gas were discovered in February 2002 at Tobra, about ten kilometres from Gujar Khan. The field is being developed by the Oil & Gas Development Company. The field could produce 1,600 barrels of crude oil daily. Missa Kaswal, Ahdi and Mastala are also a major sources of energy. Missa Kaswal is supplying several cubic meters of gas on a daily basis and large quantities of oil are also being extracted.

Transport

Rail

The Gujar Khan railway station is located in the center of the city and provides links to Rawalpindi, Jhelum, and Lahore.

Road

Gujar Khan is located on the N5 National highway from Islamabad-Lahore. Railway Road links from the east of the city to the nearby towns of Bewal and Islampura. There are also many other minor roads linking the villages and towns of the region to the city.

Local services also provide extensive bus routes to local towns, and smaller shuttles go around the villages in the surrounding area. There are also services to Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum, and Lahore.

Local auto-rickshaw drivers also provide transport for people in and around the city.

Electro buses

On 21 February 2026, a fleet of electric buses built in China started operating in the city. This is the first time the green public transport system has been implemented at the sub-district level in Punjab. The service connects Gujjar Khan with Rawat and Sohawa. These buses are a component of Punjab's larger shift to ecologically friendly public transportation. The vehicles, which run solely on electricity, are intended to encourage environmentally friendly mobility options, minimise fuel import prices, and lessen urban air pollution. Modern safety and surveillance systems, including seven onboard cameras to improve passenger security, are installed in every bus. In an effort to improve accessibility and promote the use of public transit, older citizens, women, and students have been given facility to ride for free.

Notable people

Gujar Khan also has formal "Friendship" links with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Citypopulation.de Population of Gujar Khan
  2. ↑ "Zila, Tehsil & Town Councils Membership for Punjab (scroll down to Rawalpindi District to read Gujar Khan)". Election Commission of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ↑ Debates: Official Report (in Urdu). 1976. pp. 199–200. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "List of Administrative Units of Pakistan (Tehsil/Taluka) (Punjab)". Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "District Website". rawalpindi.dc.lhc.gov.pk. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469-1606 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 3. ISBN 978-81-269-0857-8. Gujjars were numerous around Jehlum in Hasan Abdal and throughout the Hazara district and thinly scattered towards the north where they gave their name to important places such as Gujranwala, Gujarat and Gujarkhan.
  7. 1 2 Qazi, S. A. (2005). Systematic Geography of Jammu and Kashmir. APH Publishing. p. 170. ISBN 978-81-7648-786-3. Later Mrs. Gandhi as Prime Minister declared Gujjars as a scheduled tribe which will go a long way in the upliftment of Gujjar. In the southern Punjab they are thinly scattered, but their number increases rapidly towards the north, where they have given their name to several important places such as Gujranwala in the Rechna Doab, Gujarat in the Chief Doab, and Gujjar Khan in the Sindh Sagar Doab.
  8. ↑ Sharma, Kamal Prashad; Sethi, Surinder Mohan (1997). Costumes and Ornaments of Chamba. Indus Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-81-7387-067-5. There are many localities and regions called after Gurjaras. Gujranwala, Gujarat and Gujjar Khan (in west Punjab) are associated with these people. According to certain historians, Gurjaras had migrated from Georgia, a former republic of the U.S.S.R. Georgia is known in Persia as Gurjarastan. A study of the Gujjars in 1967 A.D. by Prof. Georgi Chogoshvili of the Georgian Academy of Science, pointed out striking similarities between the Georgians and Gujjars. K.M. Munshi points towards the Indian origin of Gujjars. The name Gujjar first appears in the Indian literature in 7th century A.D. in the Harash Charitra of Ban Bhat. Hiuen Tsang also mentions them. In Sanskrit the word Gurjar was used, and now-a-days Gujjar is used in place of Gurjar which predicts the qualities of a warrior community.
  9. ↑ "Towns & Unions in the City District of Rawalpindi". National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "Gujar Khān (Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  12. ↑ "PBS Pakistan Bureau of Statistics". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  13. ↑ "Business in Asia Today (scroll down to 'Huge reserves discovered in Pakistan near Gujar Khan)". Asia Times Online website. Archived from the original on 14 May 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "Maps – National Highways Authority". National Highway Authority, Government of Pakistan website. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "Railway Road at G.T. Road - Wikimapia". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Pindi-Gujar Khan CNG bus service from today". Dawn (newspaper). 8 June 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Rickshaws plying in Gujar Khan to be registered". The Nation (newspaper). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Chinese electric buses launched in Gujar Khan". The Nation. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "Najaf Shah". Cricinfo.com website. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  20. ↑ Archived 27 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine