Chakwal ( Punjabi and ) is a city in

Chakwal District Chakwal District () is a district located on the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern area of the Punjab province, bordered by Talagang to its west, Rawalpindi to its northeast, Jhelum to its east. The distr ...

in the Potohar region of

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west of the federal capital,

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

and 270 kilometres from the provincial capital,

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. It is accessible by both the

Islamabad International Airport Islamabad International Airport () () is an international airport serving Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan and Rawalpindi. It is located south-west of the city, and is directly connected to the Lahore and Peshawar motorways as well to ...

as well as the Lahore International Airport.

Geography

Chakwal's landscape features the canyons in Thirchak-Mahal. There are man-made and natural lakes around the city in neighbouring communities.

Administration

Chakwal was created as an independent district of Rawalpindi in 1985 by combining sub division Chakwal of district Jhelum, sub division Talagang of district Attock and the police station Choa Saidan Shah, carved out of sub division Pind Dadan Khan of district Jhelum. In addition to being the district headquarters, Chakwal city is also the administrative centre of Chakwal

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

(a subdivision of the district). The Chakwal District is divided into three Tehsils, namely,

Kalar-Kahar Kallar Kahar () is a town and subdivision (Tehsil) of Chakwal District in Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Kallar Kahar Tehsil.Choa Saidan Shah and

Chakwal Chakwal (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a city in Chakwal District in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the Largest cities of Pakistan, 48th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west o ...

itself. The city of Chakwal itself is divided into five Union councils, and Chakwal district is divided into 68 union councils.

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Chakwal had a population of 218,356.

Religion

Notable people

* Sub. Abdul Khaliq (23 March 1933 – 10 March 1988), Fastest Man of Asia, Flying Bird of Asia, Olympian,

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

(Presidential Award) holder * Sukh Dev, Indian Organic Chemist * Amir Gulistan Janjua, Governor of North West Frontier Province, Ambassador to Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. * Ayaz Amir, journalist, columnist, and a senior politician * Fozia Behram, politician * Talib Chakwali (1900–1988), Indian Urdu poet * Sadaf Hussain, cricketer * Colonel Imam (died January 2011), member of

Special Service Group The Special Service Group (SSG) are the special forces of the Pakistan Army. They are also known by their nickname of "Maroon Berets" due to their headgear. The SSG is responsible to deploy and execute five doctrinal missions: foreign inte ...

(SSG) and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

* Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Dullah, politician * Iftikhar Khan (10 January 1907 – 13 December 1949), designated to become the first Commander-in-Chief of

, died in air crash. * Khudadad Khan (20 October 1888 – 8 March 1971), was the first South Asian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. * Muhammad Khan (1910 – 23 October 1999), veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Yahya Khan Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (4 February 191710 August 1980) was a Pakistani army officer who served as the third president of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the fifth Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan, commander-in-chief of the Pakistan ...

(4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980), third

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

* Allah Bakhsh Malik, academic, researcher, development economist, social scientist, management and institutional development specialist * Lt.(R) General Faiz Hameed, Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence *

Madan Mohan Madanamohana () is an epithet of the Hindu deity Krishna. It translates as, "he whose charm (''mohana'') bewilders even the god of love ('' madana'')". The epithet describes the powerful nature of the attraction for the deity from his devotees, e ...

, music director of India * Malik Munawar Khan Awan, Major rank officer in the Pakistan Army * Lt. General Abdul Qayyum, retired three-star General *

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

, former Prime Minister of India * Awais Zia, cricketer * Mudassar Ali Khan, former Field Hockey Player of Pakistan and Olympian

Notes

References

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Chakwal District Cities in Punjab (Pakistan)