Toba Tek Singh District

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Toba Tek Singh District
District
Map of Toba Tek Singh District.
Map of Toba Tek Singh District.
CountryPakistan
ProvincePunjab
HeadquartersToba Tek Singh
Area
 • District4,364 km2 (1,685 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • District2,190,015
 • Density500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
 • Urban
441,930
 • Rural
1,748,085
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Number of Tehsils4

Toba Tek Singh District (Punjabi and Urdu: ضلع ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ‎) is a district of Faisalabad Division in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located between 30°33' to 31°2' Degree north latitudes and 72°08' to 72°48' Degree longitudes.[2] It became a separate district in 1982.[3]

Etymology[]

The city and district is named after a Sikh religious figure Tek Singh. Legend has it that Tek Singh, a kind-hearted man served water and provided shelter to the worn out and thirsty travelers passing by a small pond ("TOBA" in Punjabi) which eventually was called Toba Tek Singh, and the surrounding settlement acquired the same name.[2] There is also a park here named after Tek Singh.[4]

British Raj[]

Toba Tek Singh was developed by the British toward the end of the 19th Century when a canal system was built. People from all over the Punjab (currently Indian and Pakistani Punjab) moved there as farmlands were allotted to them. Most of the people who migrated there belonged to Lahore, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur districts. The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the tehsil of Toba Tek Singh as follows:

Tehsil of the new Faisalabad District, Punjab, lying between 30°50' and 31°23' N. and 72° 20' and 72°54' E., with an area of 865 square miles (2,240 km2). The population in 1906 was 148,984. It contains 342 villages, including Toba Tek Singh (population, 1,874), the headquarters, and Gojra (2,589), an important grain market on the Wazirabad-Khanewal branch of the North-Western Railway. The land revenue in 1905-6 amounted to Rupees 470,000. The tehsil consists of a level plain, wholly irrigated by the Chenab Canal. The soil, which is very fertile in the east of the tehsil, becomes sandy towards the west. The boundaries of the tehsil were somewhat modified at the time of the formation of the new District of Faisalabad (formerly called Lyallpur).[5]

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Toba Tek Singh District.

After independence[]

During the 1970s, when many Pakistani cities were renamed to change names given after British Rulers to their original or native names or more acceptable names to local population like Montgomery was renamed to its old original name Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh remained one of the very few cities to maintain its original name mainly because of noble reputation of Tek Singh. In 1982, Toba Tek Singh, formerly a subdivision, was separated from Faisalabad District and became a separate district.[2]

1970 Historical Kisan Conference, 200,000 Kisans (peasants) and progressive people from the whole country gathered in Toba Tek Singh. The conference left a great impact on political history of Pakistan and led to the land reforms during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto regime.

Demography[]

The exterior of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, Pakistan

Toba Tek Singh is located in central Punjab and occupies 3252 square kilometers and is made up of large areas of lowlands that flood frequently during the rainy season; the floods originate from the Ravi River that runs along the southern and southeastern borders. During the British Raj, Toba Tek Singh had a small Sikh population, much of which migrated to India after the partition in 1947, while many Muslim refugees from modern-day India settled in the Toba Tek Singh District.[3]

According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the population was 905,580. Of this, 720,601 were Muslim and 184,979 were non-Muslim, mainly Christian. According to the 2017 census, the population had risen to 2.19 million people.[1]

According to the 1998 census, Punjabi was the predominant first language,[6] accounting for 98.9% of the district's population.[7]

Toba Tek Singh People[]

As per University of Agriculture, Faisalabad research, after Karachi, Toba Tek Singh is the second hub of poultry products in Pakistan, farmers grow oranges (kinoo) garden and have major role in Pakistan oranges export. Many Toba people are overseas Pakistanis and those have a major contribution in Paksitani economy.[8][9]

Administration[]

The district of Toba Tek Singh is administratively subdivided into four tehsils and 82 Union Council.

Name of Tehsil No of Union Councils Parent Tehsil
Gojra[3] 24 Toba Tek Singh
Kamalia[3] 13 Kamalia
Pir Mahal 15 Kamalia
Toba Tek Singh[3] 30 Toba Tek Singh
Total 82

The district is represented in the National Assembly by three elected MNAs who represent the following constituencies:[10][11]

Constituency MNA Party
NA-111 Chaudhry Khalid Javaid Warraich Pakistan Muslim League (N)
NA-112 Muhammad Junaid Anwaar Chaudhry Pakistan Muslim League (N)
NA-113 Riaz Fatyna Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

The district is represented in the provincial assembly by seven elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies:

Constituency MPA Party
PP-84 Bilal Asghar Warraich Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
PP-85 Abdul Qadeer Alvi Pakistan Muslim League (N)
PP-86 Saeed Ahmed Saeedi Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
PP-87 Lieutenant Colonel (R) Sardar Muhammad Ayub Khan Gadhi Pakistan Muslim League (N)
PP-88 Nazia Raheel Pakistan Muslim League (N)
PP-89 Makhdoom Syed Ali Baba Pakistan Muslim League (N)

Until the year 2000, when the Divisions of Pakistan were abolished, Toba Tek Singh and Jhang districts were part of Faisalabad Division (this included Faisalabad District).

Major towns in Toba Tek Singh District are:

Notable people[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "DISTRICT AND TEHSIL LEVEL POPULATION SUMMARY WITH REGION BREAKUP (2017 census)" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Toba Tek Singh District". District Government Toba Tek Singh website. 2 February 2007. Archived from the original on 24 March 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Toba Tek Singh District profile". Government of Punjab website. 30 August 2003. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. ^ Muhammad Hassan Miraj (10 June 2013). "The story of Toba Tek Singh (For whom the bell tolls)". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  5. ^ Toba Tek Singh – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 23, p. 406 Digital South Asia Library website, Retrieved 1 June 2021
  6. ^ The census report has "mother tongue", defined as the language of communication between parents and children.
  7. ^ 1998 District Census report of Toba Tek Singh. Census publication. 85. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 2000.
  8. ^ University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Sub-Campus Toba Tek Singh - Overview) Retrieved 1 June 2021
  9. ^ TOBA TEK SINGH: Citrus plants to be grown in 30 orchards Dawn (newspaper), Published 30 January 2004, Retrieved 1 June 2021
  10. ^ "Legislators from Toba Tek Singh – Provincial Assembly of Punjab". Provincial Assembly of Punjab website. Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Election Results 2008 Punjab Assembly". Election Commission of Pakistan website. 13 April 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 30°58′N 72°29′E / 30.967°N 72.483°E / 30.967; 72.483

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