Vehari District
District in Punjab, Pakistan
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Vehari District ( Punjabi: ضلع وہاڑی) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Vehari is the capital of district while Burewala is the largest city and Jallah Jeem is the third largest city of the district.[3]
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Vehari District
ضلع وہاڑی | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Map of Punjab with Vehari District highlighted | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Punjab |
| Division | Multan |
| Headquarters | Vehari, Jallah Jeem, Mailsi |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • District Police Officer | Muhammad Afzal |
| • District Health Officer | N/A |
| Area | |
| 4,364 km2 (1,685 sq mi) | |
| Population | |
| 3,430,421 | |
| • Density | 786.1/km2 (2,036/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 782,915 |
| • Rural | 2,647,506 |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Area code | 067 |
| Website | vehari |
Administrative divisions
History
The district was created on 1 July 1976 out of the four tehsils of Multan District (Vehari, Burewala, Jallah Jeem and Mailsi). The name Vehari means low-lying settlement by a flood water channel. The district lies along the right bank of the river Sutlej, which forms its southern boundary.[8]
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 558,536 | — |
| 1961 | 703,197 | +2.33% |
| 1972 | 1,027,319 | +3.51% |
| 1981 | 1,328,808 | +2.90% |
| 1998 | 2,090,416 | +2.70% |
| 2017 | 2,902,081 | +1.74% |
| 2023 | 3,430,421 | +2.83% |
| Sources:[9] | ||
As of the 2023 census, Vehari district has 543,036 households and a population of 3,430,421. The district has a sex ratio of 102.33 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 59.10%: 66.43% for males and 51.57% for females.[1][10] 940,756 (27.44% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[11] 782,915 (22.82%) live in urban areas.[1]
| Religious group |
1941[13]: 62–63 | 2017[14] | 2023[12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam  |
213,413 | 75.92% | 2,882,036 | 99.31% | 3,397,920 | 99.12% |
Hinduism  [a] |
43,866 | 15.6% | 179 | 0.01% | 226 | 0.01% |
Sikhism  |
21,131 | 7.52% | N/a | N/a | 66 | 0% |
Christianity  |
2,679 | 0.95% | 18,928 | 0.65% | 29,043 | 0.85% |
| Ahmadi | N/a | N/a | 924 | 0.03% | 673 | 0.02% |
| Others[b] | 20 | 0.01% | 14 | 0% | 263 | 0.01% |
| Total Population | 281,109 | 100% | 2,902,081 | 100% | 3,428,191 | 100% |
| Note: 1941 census data is for Malsi tehsil of Multan District, which roughly corresponds to contemporary Vehari district. District and tehsil borders have changed since 1941. | ||||||
At the time of the 2023 census, 74.10% of the population spoke Punjabi, 19.12% Saraiki and 5.83% Urdu as their first language.[15]
Geography
The district is located between 29°36′N 71°44′E and 30°22′N 72°53′E and borders with Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur on the southern side, with Pakpattan on the eastern, with Khanewal and Lodhran on western and with Sahiwal and Khanewal on northern side.
The total area of the district is 4,364 square kilometres (1,685 mi2). It is about 93 kilometres (58 mi) in length and approximately 47 kilometres (29 mi) in breadth and it is sloping gently from northeast to southwest.
Agriculture
141,000 acres of area was growing maize in 2015–16, increasing to 309,000 acres in 2019–20. The total production of maize stood at 428,000 tonnes in 2015–16, and rose to 1.1 million tonnes in 2019–20.[16]
Notable people
- Doctor Mazhar Hussain Mazhar, Urdu Poet (Jallah Jeem)
- Mohammad Irfan, cricketer
- Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed Jatt, politician, member National Assembly of Pakistan from Vehari District[17]
- Tufail Mohammad of Punjab Regiment, recipient of Nishan-e-Haider
- Saleem Sherwani, hockey player
- Waqar Younis, cricketer
Notes
- 1941 census: Including Ad-Dharmis
- Including Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, or not stated