Okara ( Punjabi, ur, ), is the capital city of Okara District in the

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 a ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The name Okara is derived from ''Okaan'', which is the name of a type of tree. It is the 23rd largest city of Pakistan by population. The city is located southwest of the city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

and

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pakis ...

is 100 km bypassing away Ravi River. It is known for its agriculture-based economy and cotton mills. The nearest major city to Okara is Sahiwal, which was formerly known as Montgomery.

Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kasu ...

is also located in the east of the city. Pakistan military dairy farms, known for their cheese, are situated in Okara. Pul Dhool near Abdulla Sugar Mill is a town in the Okara district. Pul Dhool is on Hujra Chunian road. From Hujra Shah Muqeem 9KM and from Chunian 17KM.These farms were established before the creation of

in 1947.

Climate

The climate of Okara is usually warm and dry. The coldest months are December to February, when temperatures may drop to , with moderate rainfall. The hottest months are May to July, when temperatures may reach . The annual average rainfall in the city is approximately .

History

Okara is a relatively new agricultural city; during the period of

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 ...

there was a forest of Okaan where the city has been rebuilt, and from this, the name of the city was derived. During British rule, the area was part of Montgomery District and contained a large

saltpeter Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate Salt (chemistry), salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ...

refinery. There are many textile mills in Okara. The predominantly Muslim population supported the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

and the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

. After the independence of

in 1947, the Muslim refugees settled in the Okara District. In 1982, the city became the headquarters of the newly created Okara District. Okara has had a railway line since 1892. Okara is known for its cattle breed known as Sahiwal and a

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

breed known as Niliravi. It is very rich in livestock population and production. Livestock Production Research Institute Bahadar Nagar Farm is a very large government farm near Okara. The farm has many cows, buffalo, bulls (for reproduction), goats, and sheep. Olympian Liaqat Ali Wahlah Ali was awarded a wildcard for th
2012 Summer Olympics
in London, the UK where he represented Pakistan by competing in the 100m. He eventually came fourth in the men's 100-meter preliminary race with a time of 10.90 seconds. He missed the third position by just 0.01 seconds and thus did not qualify for the next round. He won two Bronze medals for Pakistan at the 2010 South Asian games. Ali has participated in 17 international competitions and has secured a medal in each. He has also represented Pakistan at the 2009 and 2013 World Athletics championships. Ali has completed the IAAF Level 1 coach course, He is now a certified IAAF coach.

Demography

The majority of the population of Okara are Punjabi-speaking

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 Abrah ...

. The main tribes and clans include: Sayyed, Rai Family,Khichi,

Arain Arain (also known as Raeen) are a large Punjabi agricultural tribe with strong political identity and organisation, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh with a small population in parts of Indian Punjab, Uttar Pradesh ...

, Rajpoot,

Sial In geology, the term sial refers to the composition of the upper layer of Earth's crust, namely rocks rich in aluminium silicate minerals. It is sometimes equated with the continental crust because it is absent in the wide oceanic basins, but ...

, Jats, Shaikhs, Lodhis, Dhall Jutt,

Kharal The Kharal also spelled ''Kharral'' or ''Kharl'' is a very large tribe centered in Punjab Region that was traditionally semi-pastoral and is classed as Jat or Rajput. Modern Indian and Pakistani census reports mention Kharals as Rajputs. The ...

s, Kamyanas, Wattus, Kambohs,

Noon Noon (or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour clock) or 1200 ( military time). Sola ...

s, Bhutta, Jakkhar, Malik Awan and Khanzadas.

Administration

The city of Okara serves as

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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

and

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 ...

capital and is itself administratively subdivided into ten Union councils.

Education

Schools

* District Public School and College, Okara. * Holy Family Convent Boys/Girls High School, G.T. Road, Okara. * The Brilliant Academy, Okara. *Al-Furqan School Okara. *Superior Shah Muqeem High School Rana Basit Town Near DHQ Hospital South City Okara * Noble Education Kids School, Okara * The Educators Sir Syed Campus * Falcon Public High School, Okara * Al-Huda Educational complex High school Lasharian, Okara * Tooba (2) school of science education kohla, Okara * Iqbal Educational Complex * Ashfaq Educational School * M.S. Scholar’s High School Okara * Suffa Educational Complex * Government High School 32/2-R-A okara * Government MC Model High School * Government Commerce College Okara * Government Islamia High School (City Campus) * Government Islamia High School (New Campus) * Government CMR High School * Government Sutlej High School * Government High School 31/2-L Okara * Government Girls High School 31/2-L Okara * Government Primary School 29-30/2-L Okara * Government High School 32/2-L Okara * Government Girls High School 32/2-L Okara * Government Boys High School 48/3R Okara * Government High School Chak NO.27/4 Shahbhore * Government MC High School Ladies Park Okara * Government Junior Model Girls High School Okara * The House of Knowledge School System, Chaudhary Colony Faisalabad Road, Okara City * Christ Church School, Church Road, Okara City * Govt Boys High School 52/2.L Okara * Govt Girls Higher Secondary School 52/2.L Okara * Convent High School Chak No.6/4-L Okara * Convent High School Chak No.10/4-L Okara * Allied School Okara * Beaconhouse School System Okara Campus * The City School Okara Campus * Hassan Middle School Okara * Motivational Speaker By Salman Kamboh

Colleges

*Punjab College Okara * DPS College Okara * Cadet College Okara *Concordia College Okara *Falcon Public School Okara *Professional College Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okara *Government college of commerce okara *Government Degree College Okara *Suffa Educational Complex School and College, Okara *Superior College Okara *Uni Tech Institute of Management Sciences (UCMT) Karmawala Town, Okara *Vocational Training Institute, Okara *Aspire College Okara sufa school and college, okara govt.primary school 37/37 2 RA,okara

Universities

* The University of Okara is located in Okara. It is located on the highway to Lahore Near Renala. * the University of Agriculture is also setting up its campus in Okara. This campus is also located on the highway to Lahore. * Motivational Lecturer Salman Kamboh Complex

Politics

Political leaders * NA-142 Chaudhry Riaz-ul-Haq * PP-188 Mian Yawar Zaman * PP-189 Muneeb-ul-HaqProfile of Muneeb-ul-Haq on Provincial Assembly Of The Punjab website
Retrieved 11 April 2021 * NA-143 Ch Nadeem Abbas Rabera

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okara, Pakistan Cities and towns in Okara District