Jhang (Punjabi / ; ; ) is the headquarters of the Jhang District in central Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab River, it is the 14th most populous city in Pakistan.
Etymology The historical name of the city and district is Jhang Sial, literally meaning the "terrain of the Sials". The word Jhang is derived from the Sanskrit word jāṅgala which means rough or forested terrain; the word Jungle shares the same root.
History
The city of Jhang was built in 1288 by Rai Sial, a chief of the Sial tribe. The Sial tribe ruled this region ever since then until the last Sial ruler of Jhang, Ahmad Khan (1812 to 1822) was defeated by Ranjit Singh after fierce fighting.
Under the collective rule of the Sial khans of Jhang and other Sial sub-tribes such as the Rajbana and Bharwana, in the zenith of their power, the Sial territory of Jhang extended up to the Muzaffargarh boundary in the south, and the entirety of Chiniot, Kamalia and Kabirwala . The territory extended to parts of Bhakkar and Sargodha. The Garh Mahraja and Ahmadpur Sial were added to the possessions of the Rajbana Sial tribe who drove out the Baloch tribes to the Thal and defeated the Nawab of Multan by the mid 18th-century.
Under the British Raj, the towns of Jhang and Mighiana, lying apart, became a joint municipality, then known as Jhang-Maghiana.Jhang District article in the Imperial Gazetteer of India , v. 14, pp. 125 - 134
Geography Jhang Sadr is located at 31.27 latitude and 72.33 longitude and is situated at an elevation of 158 meters above sea level.
Jhang is situated at the east bank of the Chenab River which has confluence with Jhelum at Trimmu Barrage near the town of Athara Hazari. The city was endangered in the 2014 floods but it was not flooded as the flood water was redirected towards Athara Hazari. Maghiana lies on the edge of the highlands, overlooking the alluvial valley of the Chenab, while the older town of Jhang occupies the lowlands at its foot.
Demographics
The population of city in 1998 Census of Pakistan was recorded as 293,366. According to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, the population of city rose to 414,131 with a growth of 41.17% in 19 years.
Languages
Religion Religious groups in Jhang City (1868−2023)Religiousgroup1868188118911901191119211931194120172023 Hinduism 9,760 10,187 11,355 12,189 12,395 14,389 16,724 23,286 36 26 Islam 8,942 10,941 11,334 11,684 12,707 14,760 18,042 24,506 427,008 618,728 Sikhism 435 495 573 484 796 970 1,243 2,215 5 Christianity 12 28 25 12 13 26 39 1,836 3,879 Jainism 0 0 0 4 7 0 5 Zoroastrianism 0 0 0 0 0 0 Judaism 0 0 0 0 0 Buddhism 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ahmadiyya 561 433 Others 500 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 Total population 19,649 21,629 23,290 24,382 25,914 30,139 36,035 50,051 429,441 623,093
Administration Jhang Saddar is the administrative center of Jhang Tehsil (a subdivision of the district). The tehsil itself is divided into 55 union councils.Tehsils & Unions in the District of Jhang – Government of Pakistan
Notable people Scientists Abdus Salam, first Pakistani Nobel Laureate (Physics). Yash Pal, Indian scientist. Har Gobind Khorana, Indian American biochemist
Politicians Khan Arif Khan Rajbana, former federal and provincial minister, honourable Chief Whip of All-India Muslim League and a close associate of the Quaid-e-Azam Syeda Abida Hussain, former Pakistani Ambassador to USA and Federal minister. Mian Muhammad Azam, former member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab. Faisal Saleh Hayat, former Interior Minister of Pakistan and FIFA official. Nazir Sultan, former Member National Assembly. Mahboob Sultan, Federal minister. Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Member National Assembly. Najaf Abbas, former member of National Assembly and Provincial Assembly. Waqas Akram, former minister of state for Labour and Manpower Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, Pakistani cleric, founder of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and namesake of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Azam Tariq, Pakistani politician, religious leader, member of national assembly, leader of sunni-Deoband Muslim organization 'Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan' Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, Pakistani Islamic cleric and politician, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Punjab, son of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi Zahoor Ahmed Sajid, former Member of Provincial Assembly. Syed Abid Hussain Shah, former minister of Pakistan.
Sports personalities Aleem Dar, cricketer and umpire Ghulam Shabber, UAE cricket player
Literary personalities Majeed Amjad, Urdu poet Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Pakistani Urdu language columnist Ishtiaq Ahmad, Urdu fiction writer
Artists Raghu Rai, photographer and photojournalist
Religious figures Sultan Bahu, founder of the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order Shah Jeewna, founder of Qalandariyya Sufi order Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, founder of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek Zulfiqar Ahmad Naqshbandi, founder of the Mahadul-Faqir Al-Islami, Jhang
Business people Sheikh Waqas Akram, founder of Shalimar Transport
Sister cities Jhang has one sister city: Madera, California
Notes
References
External links District Jhang – Government of the Punjab Punjab Government (Jhang District profile) Archived Jhang News Portal (in Urdu language)