Taunsa District
District of Punjab in Pakistan
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Taunsa District (Balochi:تونسوآ دمگ ) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was created in 2022 from part of Dera Ghazi Khan district, and was officially notified in 2024.[2] It is situated on the bank of River Indus. It consists of three tehsils: Koh-e-Suleman, Taunsa and Vehowa.[3] The eastern part of district consists of fertile plains irrigated by River Indus and its canal systems, while the western half comprises mountains of Koh e Sulaiman range.It is mainly inhabited by Baloch people with Saraiki Speaking Baloch people making majority in plain areas whereas Balochi is main language in mountainous areas of District.
Taunsa District ضِلع تونسا,تونسہ دمگ | |
|---|---|
Mountains viewed from Fort Munro | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 30°42′20″N 70°39′28″E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Punjab |
| Division | Dera Ghazi Khan |
| Union councils | 13 |
| Headquarters | Taunsa Sharif |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Muhammad Asghar Nawaz Banbhan |
| • District Police Officer | N/A |
| • District Health Officer | Dr. Muhammad Ahsan |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,108 km2 (3,131 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,045,460 |
| • Density | 128.9/km2 (334.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+6 (PDT) |
| Post code | 32100 |
| Number of Tehsils | 3 |
History
The region around Taunsa district was an ancient settlement and remained a village or town earlier to 21st century. The region was conquered by Arab Umayyads in 8th century CE when Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Multan spreading Islam in the region. Taunsa remained part of Multan region in medieval era.
After Baloch Civil War in 14th century Baloch tribes settled in waves in Taunsa and the adjoining mountain range. Taunsa Sharif was part of the Khanate of Kalat from 1717 to 1795, and later controlled by Afghans before being surrendered to the Sikh Empire in 1819. Sakhani (a Baloch tribe was ruler,who pledged allegiance to the Maharaja, before arrival of British rule which made them semi autonomous as part of British divide and rule policy.
Demography
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 142,607 | — |
| 1961 | 161,654 | +1.26% |
| 1972 | 221,378 | +2.90% |
| 1981 | 308,051 | +3.74% |
| 1998 | 491,882 | +2.79% |
| 2017 | 890,437 | +3.17% |
| 2023 | 1,045,460 | +2.71% |
| Sources:[4] | ||
As of the 2023 census, Taunsa district has 161,806 households and a population of 1,045,460.[5] The district has a sex ratio of 104.69 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 53.05%: 64.59% for males and 40.81% for females.[1][6] 353,488 (33.83% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[7] 158,122 (15.12%) live in urban areas.[1]
Religion
| Religious group |
1941[8]: 62–63 | 2017[9] | 2023[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam  |
133,302 | 91.70% | 890,172 | 99.97% | 1,042,464 | 99.76% |
Hinduism  [a] |
12,019 | 8.27% | 50 | 0.01% | 28 | ~0% |
Christianity  |
6 | ~0% | 20 | ~0% | 2,189 | 0.21% |
| Ahmadi | N/a | N/a | 175 | 0.02% | 216 | 0.02% |
| Others[b] | 36 | 0.03% | 20 | ~0% | 40 | 0.01% |
| Total Population | 145,363 | 100% | 890,437 | 100% | 1,044,937 | 100% |
| Note: 1941 census data is for Taunsa and part of De-Excluded Area (then-named Biloch Trans-Frontier Tract) tehsil of erstwhile Dera Ghazi Khan District, which roughly corresponds to contemporary Taunsa district. Population corresponding to de-excluded area was computed based on population of area remaining in the district after the formation of Rajanpur district, with ratios of religions assumed to be the same. District and tehsil borders have changed since 1941. | ||||||
Language
At the time of the 2023 census, 66.79 of the population spoke Saraiki, 31.18 Balochi and 1.19% Pashto as their first language.[11]