Kharian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Kharian
|
|
|
General Information
|
|
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Calling code | 0537 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| No. of Towns | 1 |
|
Government
|
|
| No. of Union Councils | 1 |
Kharian (Urdu: کھاریاں ) is a city of Gujrat District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city, the chief city of Kharian Tehsil, is located at 31°10'0N 73°16'60E [1] and lies almost midway between Lahore and Islamabad on the Grand Trunk Road (colloquially known as the GT road) crosses the city. This is the road which connects the city all the way to Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan, it was used during British Rule to transport goods across the subcontinent. The main railway line also passes through Kharian thus providing good transportation to the northern and southern parts of Pakistan.
The closest major cities to Kharian are Jhelum (about 10 miles) and Gujrat (around 20 miles). Kharian is well-known for:
- Having the world's second largest army base (cantonment), built during the colonial era.
- Overseas Pakistani citizens who have roots in greater Kharian, and have invested in the area.
Overseas Pakistanis although critical of the government have themselves been criticized for not doing enough for their country - investing in private property rather than schools and hospitals.
Kharian is also home to a large medical facility/hospital (CMH Kharian) run by the Army. This hospital provides specialised indoor and outdoor medical care and houses a special burn centre for treatment of patients with severe burn related injuries
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
About 30 to 40 years ago, when Kharian was just a small town, there were two classes of its inhabitants; land owners who also practiced agriculture (zamindars) and common people performing everyday professions i.e. cobblers, hairdressers and carpenters locally called kammees (derived from workers). These terms have been directly taken from the Hindu culture which still influence the majority of the population and which critics claim encourages segregation and has impacted on development.
