Dera Ghazi Khan District
Encyclopedia
Dera Ghazi Khan is a district
in the Punjab province of Pakistan
. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m. in length, sloping gradually from the hills which form its western boundary to the river Indus on the east.
Below the hills the country is high and arid
, generally level, but sometimes rolling in sandy undulations, and much intersected by hill torrents, 201 in number. With the exceptions of two, these streams dry up after the rains, and their influence is only felt for a few miles below the hills.
The eastern portion of the district is at a level sufficiently low to benefit by the floods of the Indus. A barren tract intervenes between these zones, and is beyond the reach of the hill streams on the one hand and of the Indus on the other. Although liable to great extremes of temperature, and to a very scanty rainfall, the district is not unhealthy.
The Sulaiman Mountains
rise to a height of 10000 feet (3,048 m) in the north of the district.
, son of Nawab Haji Khan Mirani, a Baloch
i chieftain, who had declared independence from the Langah Dynasty
's Sultan
s of Multan
. Together with two other Deras i.e. settlements, Dera Ismail Khan
and Dera Fateh Khan
, it gave its name to Derajat
. Derajat
eventually came into the possession of the British
after the Sikh War
in 1849 and was divided into two districts: Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan
. After the partition of India
, many of the city's Hindu
residents settled in Derawal Nagar
colony of Delhi
, India
. The district of Rajanpur
was later carved out of the Dera Ghazi Khan district. Some of them also settled in various part of India, including Bhiwani, Delhi, Jhansi, Ranchi, Ambala and Haridwar.
Dera Ghazi Khan was founded in 15th century by Amar a Tribal Sardar of Mirani tribe. The old city of Dera Ghazi Khan was situated at the distance of 10 miles (16.1 km) towards east of the present city. In 1908, the old city of Dera Ghazi Khan was abolished due to heavy flood in the river Indus. Resultantly the existing city of Dera Ghazi Khan was came into being in the year 1910. The city is divided into different blocks. The British ruler established colonial system in the continent and declared D.G.Khan as district in the year 1849. General Court Land was appointed as first Deputy Commissioner of this District. Keeping in view the rapidly increasing population of the area and deteriorating law and order situation district D.G.Khan was divided in two districts i.e. D.G.Khan and Rajanpur. Presently there are two revenue sub division of the District. A tribal belt/political area spread along with western side of the District. Mirani has been extinct three centuries ago. The population according to the 1901 census of India (then a British colony
) was 471,149 - the great majority being Baloch
Muslims. The frontier tribes on the Dera Ghazi Khan border include the Qasmani, Qaisrani
, Lund
, Bozdar
, Khosa
, Leghari
, Jatoi
, Nutkani
, gorgij, Mirani {Chandio}. Pakistan. Their ancestors came in from Afghanistan around 200 years ago and settled in the old Dera Ghazi Khan. In very small number people belonging to Saharan Jat lineage were also setteled in the old Dera Ghazi Khan, they basically belongs to Jangladesh, Utterpardesh & Rajhistan (India). After the major floods of early 1900s that washed away the city, they moved into the new Dera Ghazi Khan. They are still settled in Block 11. One of the Family Member Akhund Nadir Majeed (Late) Ex Joint Secretary PML-N was knoned as a Great Social Worker .Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th edition published in 1911 mentions Baluchs of this area as:
There are petroleum and gas reservoirs in district Dera Ghazi Khan at sites rodho, zindapir, afiband, Dhodhak etc.
The Koh-e-Sulaiman Range constitutes a major part of this area, This range is full of naturl deposits like Marble & Lime Stone. A big cement plant DG Cement is also situated in Kofla Sattai Tehsil Dera Ghazi Khan.
s
, which are divided into a total of sixty Union Councils
: REHMANI BALOCH
which lies on the Quetta
Road at 85 km from Dera Ghazi Khan city in the Sulaiman Mountains Range. Its altitude is 1800 meters (6,470 feet) above sea level and attracts many people for short stays during the summer.
Districts of Pakistan
The Districts of Pakistan are the second order administrative divisions of Pakistan. Districts were the third order of administrative divisions, below provinces and "divisions", until the reforms of August 2000, when "divisions" were abolished...
in the Punjab province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m. in length, sloping gradually from the hills which form its western boundary to the river Indus on the east.
Below the hills the country is high and arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
, generally level, but sometimes rolling in sandy undulations, and much intersected by hill torrents, 201 in number. With the exceptions of two, these streams dry up after the rains, and their influence is only felt for a few miles below the hills.
The eastern portion of the district is at a level sufficiently low to benefit by the floods of the Indus. A barren tract intervenes between these zones, and is beyond the reach of the hill streams on the one hand and of the Indus on the other. Although liable to great extremes of temperature, and to a very scanty rainfall, the district is not unhealthy.
The Sulaiman Mountains
Sulaiman Mountains
The Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan and northern Balochistan province of Pakistan. In Pakistan, it forms the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Asian Subcontient...
rise to a height of 10000 feet (3,048 m) in the north of the district.
History
The city was founded at the close of the 15th century and named after Nawab Ghazi Khan MiraniGhazi Khan
Ghazi Khan Mirani Baloch was the son of Haji Khan Mirani, a powerful Baluchi chieftain living in modern-day Pakistan. He declared independence from the Langhi sultans of Multan. In the 15th century, he founded the city of Dera Ghazi Khan in modern-day Pakistan, which is named after him.- See also...
, son of Nawab Haji Khan Mirani, a Baloch
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
i chieftain, who had declared independence from the Langah Dynasty
Langah (tribe)
For the Article on the folk musicians, see LanghaLangah is a clan of the Afghan tribe settled in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. They are not a baloch tribe. They have no connection with the Rajasthani Langha community.-History and origin:...
's Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
s of Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
. Together with two other Deras i.e. settlements, Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan is a city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is situated on the west bank of the Indus River, west of Lahore and northwest of Multan. The city is the capital of the district and tehsil of the same name. In Pakistan, its name is often abbreviated to D. I...
and Dera Fateh Khan
Fateh Khan
Fateh Khan is a town and union council of Dera Ghazi Khan District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 31°4'0N 70°43'0E and has an altitude of 140 metres .-References:...
, it gave its name to Derajat
Derajat
Derajat meaning, 'Land of the Jats' or "Jat Land'. Derajat is a cultural region of central Pakistan, located in the region where the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab meet. Derajat is bound by the Indus River to the east and the mountains to the west...
. Derajat
Derajat
Derajat meaning, 'Land of the Jats' or "Jat Land'. Derajat is a cultural region of central Pakistan, located in the region where the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab meet. Derajat is bound by the Indus River to the east and the mountains to the west...
eventually came into the possession of the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
after the Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...
in 1849 and was divided into two districts: Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan is a city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is situated on the west bank of the Indus River, west of Lahore and northwest of Multan. The city is the capital of the district and tehsil of the same name. In Pakistan, its name is often abbreviated to D. I...
. After the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, many of the city's Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
residents settled in Derawal Nagar
Derawal Nagar
Derawal Nagar is a colony in Delhi, India in which people of the Derawal ethnic group reside. Originally native to the Derajat region Derawal Nagar (Hindi: डेरावाल नगर, Urdu: ڈیرہوال نگر) is a colony in Delhi, India in which people of the Derawal ethnic group reside. Originally native to the...
colony of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The district of Rajanpur
Rajanpur District
Rajanpur District is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 1,103,618 of which 14.27% were urban. Its administrative centre is the town of Rajanpur.-History & geography:...
was later carved out of the Dera Ghazi Khan district. Some of them also settled in various part of India, including Bhiwani, Delhi, Jhansi, Ranchi, Ambala and Haridwar.
Dera Ghazi Khan was founded in 15th century by Amar a Tribal Sardar of Mirani tribe. The old city of Dera Ghazi Khan was situated at the distance of 10 miles (16.1 km) towards east of the present city. In 1908, the old city of Dera Ghazi Khan was abolished due to heavy flood in the river Indus. Resultantly the existing city of Dera Ghazi Khan was came into being in the year 1910. The city is divided into different blocks. The British ruler established colonial system in the continent and declared D.G.Khan as district in the year 1849. General Court Land was appointed as first Deputy Commissioner of this District. Keeping in view the rapidly increasing population of the area and deteriorating law and order situation district D.G.Khan was divided in two districts i.e. D.G.Khan and Rajanpur. Presently there are two revenue sub division of the District. A tribal belt/political area spread along with western side of the District. Mirani has been extinct three centuries ago. The population according to the 1901 census of India (then a British colony
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
) was 471,149 - the great majority being Baloch
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
Muslims. The frontier tribes on the Dera Ghazi Khan border include the Qasmani, Qaisrani
Qaisrani
Qaisrani Also spelled as is a Baloch tribe in Balochistan, Pakistan. The Qaisranis claim their ancestry from Qaiser Khan who was the nephew of Mir Chakar Khan Rind.-Location:...
, Lund
Lund (tribe)
Lund is a Baloch tribe of Pakistan. It is a tribe of Balochistan Lund, Setharja, Khairpur mir's, Khairpur_District, Sindh, originated from other tribes . Exact origins are not known but by seeing their generations now residing it is found that they are originated from central Balochistan...
, Bozdar
Bozdar
Bozdar or Buzdar is a Baloch tribe found primarily in the mountainous area of the Suleiman Mountains, situated in Balochistan, Pakistan.- Etymology and origin :...
, Khosa
Khosa
The Khosa, Khoso, or Khosug are a Baloch tribe of Pakistan and a Gotra found in Yaduvanshi Ahirs. According to Baloch history, Khoso was the grandson of Hooth....
, Leghari
Leghari
The Leghari , or Laghari) are a Baloch tribe living in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. The Leghari Baloch primarily speak the Seraiki, Sindhi, and Balochi language, and are largely Sunni Muslims....
, Jatoi
Jatoi
Jatoi is the name of a Baloch tribe in Sindh, Pakistan. The Jatoi originated from Balochistan.sub clans of jatoi baloch are bullo,misrani,nacharani,shar,kharoos...
, Nutkani
Nutkani
The Nutkani or Notkani Nodhkani are a Saraiki, Sindhi and Balochi speaking Baloch tribe of Eastern Pakistan.The name of the Nutkani tribe is derived from Notak Khan, who was with the chieftain Sardar Mir Chaker Khan Rind when he migrated to Punjab from Baluchistan .-Sub tribe :The descendants of...
, gorgij, Mirani {Chandio}. Pakistan. Their ancestors came in from Afghanistan around 200 years ago and settled in the old Dera Ghazi Khan. In very small number people belonging to Saharan Jat lineage were also setteled in the old Dera Ghazi Khan, they basically belongs to Jangladesh, Utterpardesh & Rajhistan (India). After the major floods of early 1900s that washed away the city, they moved into the new Dera Ghazi Khan. They are still settled in Block 11. One of the Family Member Akhund Nadir Majeed (Late) Ex Joint Secretary PML-N was knoned as a Great Social Worker .Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th edition published in 1911 mentions Baluchs of this area as:
There are petroleum and gas reservoirs in district Dera Ghazi Khan at sites rodho, zindapir, afiband, Dhodhak etc.
The Koh-e-Sulaiman Range constitutes a major part of this area, This range is full of naturl deposits like Marble & Lime Stone. A big cement plant DG Cement is also situated in Kofla Sattai Tehsil Dera Ghazi Khan.
Administration
The district is divided into 3 tehsilTehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
s
, which are divided into a total of sixty Union Councils
Union Councils of Pakistan
A sherwan or village council in Pakistan is an elected local government body consisting of 21 councillors, and headed by a nazim and a naib nazim...
: REHMANI BALOCH
| Tehsil | No. of Unions |
|---|---|
| Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil is an administrative subdivision of Dera Ghazi Khan District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.-History:Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil was created as a subdivision of Dera Ghazi Khan District during British rule... |
41 |
| Taunsa Sharif Tehsil | 13 |
| De-Ex.Area of D.G.Khan | 05 |
| Total | 59 |
Notable areas
Fort Munro is a hill station in Dera Ghazi KhanDera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....
which lies on the Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
Road at 85 km from Dera Ghazi Khan city in the Sulaiman Mountains Range. Its altitude is 1800 meters (6,470 feet) above sea level and attracts many people for short stays during the summer.