district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in the province of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, Pakistan. The district was created out of parts of
Mianwali
Mianwali ( Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities.
History
Mianwali District was an agricu ...
in 1982, and has the city of
Bhakkar
Bhakkar ( ur, ), is the principal city of Bhakkar District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th largest city in Pakistan.
Administration
Bhakkar city is also the administrative centre of B ...
as its headquarters. Part of its area consists of a riverine tract along the
Indus
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
, called Kaccha, while most of the district area lies in the desolate plain of the
Thal Desert
The Thal desert (Urdu, Punjabi: ) is situated at 31°10’ N and 71°30’ E in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located near the Pothohar Plateau, the area falls under the Indomalayan biogeographic realm and stretches for a length of approximat ...
.Bhakkar Tahsil - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 8, p. 43 /ref> The main languages spoken in the district include Saraiki (79.97%) which according to some lingustics is considered a dialect of Punjabi,Punjabi (10.18%),
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
(2.33%).
It is located in the west of the Punjab province, Bhakkar district is bordered by
Layyah
Layyah ( Saraiki and ur, ), previously spelled as Leiah, is a city in the Pakistan.Jhang
Jhang (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the List of most populous c ...
to its south east,
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan ...
to its west,
Khushab
Khushab ( punjabi: خُوشاب) is a town as well as a district of Sargodha Division, located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The word ''Khushab'' means "sweet water." Khushab city also serves as the headquarters of Khushab Tehsil, an admini ...
to its north east, and
Mianwali
Mianwali ( Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities.
History
Mianwali District was an agricu ...
to its north.
Administration
The district is administratively divided into four
Tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
Bhakkar
Bhakkar ( ur, ), is the principal city of Bhakkar District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th largest city in Pakistan.
Administration
Bhakkar city is also the administrative centre of B ...
*
Darya Khan
Darya Khan ( ur, ) is a town in Bhakkar District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The town is the headquarters of Darya Khan Tehsil.
Mankera
Mankera (In Punjabi and ur, ), is the principal town of Mankera Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of Bhakkar District, in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated about west of the city of Lahore.
Bhakkar is loca ...
Khansar Union Council
Khansar (Urdu: خانسر; Saraiki: خانسر) is a union council in Bhakkar District
Bhakkar District ( ur, ), is a district in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The district was created out of parts of Mianwali in 1982, and has the ...
is one of the major Union Councils in Bhakkar.
Mari Shah Sakhira
Mari Shah Sakhira (''ماڑی شاہ سخیرا'') is a town of Jhang District in the Punjab province of Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the w ...
Union Council is very close to Bhakkar District boundary.
Demography
At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 1,647,852, of which 843,056 were males and 804,669 females. Rural population is 1,388,198 while the urban population is 259,654. The literacy rate was 51.82%.
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
made up almost the entire population with 99.89%.
At the time of the 2017 census, 79.97% of the population spoke Saraiki, 10.18% Punjabi, 7.14%
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
as their first language.
Education
According to the census held in 2017, the literacy rate of Bhakkar is about 55%. There are 19 colleges, and 1300 primary, elementary, secondary, and higher secondary schools.
Notable people
*
Rasheed Akbar Khan Nawani
Rashid Akbar Khan Nawani ( ur, ) is a Pakistani politician and a member of the 13th National Assembly from NA-74 (Bhakkar-II). He was elected to National Assembly in 2008 as an independent but then joined Pakistan Muslim League (N). In that ele ...
Inamullah Niazi
Inamullah Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician who had been a Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, from 1993 to 1996 and again from November 2014 to May 2018. He had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 1997 to 1999. ...