Mianwali ( Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of

Mianwali District The Mianwali District ( ur, ), is a district located in Sargodha Division of Punjab province, Pakistan. It was separated from NWFP in 1901, and has a border with the Chakwal, Attock,Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bhakkar, a ...

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 Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

ethnicities.

History

Mianwali District was an agricultural region with forests during the

Indus Valley Civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...

. Then later

Vedic Civilization The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, betwe ...

took place. In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi took over the

Ghaznavid dynasty The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...

empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin. In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, followed by the conquests of

Punjab region Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

. The Delhi Sultanate and later

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

ruled the region. The population of the Punjab region became majority

Muslim 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 Abrah ...

, following the conquests by various Muslim dynasties from Central Asia. Before the British rule, the area formed an integral portion of the

Graeco-Bactrian The Bactrian Kingdom, known to historians as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom or simply Greco-Bactria, was a Hellenistic-era Greek state, and along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world in Central Asia and the Indi ...

Empire of Kabul and the Punjab. Immediately preceding the annexation of the Punjab by the British after the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

, this area was part of the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

. During

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

, the Indian empire was subdivided into provinces, divisions and districts; afterward, the independence of Pakistan divisions remained the third tier of government until 2000. The British had made the town of Mianwali as

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 administ ...

headquarters of Bannu District then part of

Dera Ismail Khan Division Dera Ismail Khan Division is an administrative division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the southernmost division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Location Dera Ismail Khan Division borders Bannu Division (also Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) in t ...

of Punjab province. The population of Mianwali, according to the 1901 census of India, was 3,591.

Geography

The city of Mianwali is located in North-west region of the

. The city is located near to the Chashma lake to south west and

Namal Lake Namal Lake ( ur, نمل جھیل) is located near Rikhi, a village on one corner of the Namal valley in Mianwali District, Punjab, Pakistan. It was formed following the construction of Namal Dam in . Namal Dam is situated some from Mianwali city. ...

to its north east. The Chasma lake is home to the Chasma Barrage, that houses a 184 MW power station. The Chasma lake also houses one of the two nuclear power facilities in Pakistan – the

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (or CHASNUPP), is a large commercial nuclear power plant located in the vicinities of Chashma colony and Kundian in Punjab in Pakistan. Officially known as Chashma Nuclear Power Complex, the nuclear power plan ...

. The city has an airport built near the old

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

aerodrome and known as M.M.Alam Base Mianwali. It is one of the major operational and training air bases of the country. The No. 1 Fighter Conversion Unit of the PAF is stationed here. Notable locations in the vicinity of the city include:

Chasma Nuclear Power Plant

The

(or CHASNUPP), is a large commercial

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a electric generator, generato ...

located in the vicinities of Chashma colony in Mianwali District

. Officially known as Chashma Nuclear Power Complex, the nuclear power plant is generating energy for industrial usage with four nuclear reactors with one being in planning phase in cooperation with the

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Supported by the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

(IAEA) and

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was established in 2000, the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant became operational when it joined the nation's grid system with

China National Nuclear Corporation The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC; ) is a state-owned enterprise founded in 1955 in Beijing. CNNC's president and vice-president are appointed by the Premier of the People's Republic of China. CNNC oversees all aspects of China's civ ...

overseeing the grid connections of the power plant. In 2004, the China National Nuclear Corporation was awarded contract for building a second unit based on the first reactor, followed by contracting for two more reactors in 2011.

M.M Alam Pakistan Airforce Base

PAF Base M.M. Alam ( IATA: MWD,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

: OPMI) is a

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

airbase located at Mianwali, in the

province of

. The base is named after

Muhammad Mahmood Alam Air Commodore Muhammad Mahmood Alam (Bengali: মহম্মদ মাহমুদ আলম; ur, ) 6 July 1935 – 18 March 2013) was a Bengali fighter pilot officially credited by the Pakistan Air Force with having downed four India ...

. It primarily serves as the Fighter converter base for the Pakistan Airforce. Originally a

airstrip, it was decided that Mianwali would be upgraded into a satellite airbase for

PAF Base Mushaf PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Base Sargodha), ), is a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airbase situated at Sargodha in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is designated as a "Major Operational Base" or "MOB" by the PAF.1965 Indo-Pak War The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

to act as an alternate recovery airfield. The airbase was again upgraded to a permanent operational airbase in August 1974, although construction of facilities was not completed for another three years.

Namal Institute

The

Namal Institute The Namal University is a private university in Rikhi, Mianwali District, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview The Institute is located on 30 km, Talagang Mianwali Road near Namal Lake. Initially, it was established as an affiliated college of t ...

is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

about 20 min drive from the city of Mianwali. The institute is located on 30 km,

Talagang Talagang ( ur, ) is a city and the headquarters of the Talagang District located in Punjab, Pakistan. The former Talagang Tehsil Talagang Tehsil (تلا گنگ تحصیل), is a tehsil of Talagang District in the Punjab province of Pakista ...

Mianwali Road near

. Initially it was established as an affiliate college of the University of Bradford, UK. Later in 2019 Namal College acquired a DAI (Degree Awarding Institute) status and thus became Namal Institute. There are further plans to turn the small campus into an education city, construction is already under way.

Demographics

Mianwali city has an urban population of 220,010, accounting for only about 20.82% of Mianwali District's Population. The rest of 79.18% of the rural population is spread around the district in small villages called Moza's. The average household size comes about to 7.1, that means on average 7 people live in one house. This is in line with Joint family culture prominent in North-West regions of

. Mianwali has a literacy ratio of about 42.8%, considerably less than other urban cities in

. As for male to female ratio, Male inhabitants count for 63.8% of population and female inhabitants account for the remaining 22.2%. This number may somewhat be inaccurate, as Parda culture doesn't allow audience with non-

Mahram In Islam, a ''mahram'' is a family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful (''haram''). One's spouse is also a mahram. A woman does not need to wear hijab around her mahram, and an adult male mahram may escort a woman ...

s. So census teams might have not been able to accurately access the number of females in each house.

Language

The main languages spoken in the city include Punjabi,

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 ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

* List of Cities of Punjab, Pakistan by Area

References

External links

*
Early history of Niazi tribe
*
Niazi Chiefs in the Mughal empire
* {{Mianwali-Union-Councils Populated places in Mianwali District