Bahawalpur City Profile by Directory Pakistan.

Introduction to City:

It is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan.With 760,000 inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan’s 11th most populous city. The City was Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi family of Nawabs until 1955. The Nawabs left a rich architectural legacy, and Bahawalpur is now known for its monuments dating from that period. The city lies at the edge of the Cholistan Desert, and serves as the gateway to the nearby Lal Suhanra National Park.

Bahawalpur was among the 584 princely states before the Partition of India Noor Mahal.

Bahawalpur, the 12th largest city of Pakistan and an important city of southern Punjab is famous for its tranquility, cultural heritage and educational institutions. It was once the capital of former princely state of Bahawalpur, founded by Nawab Bahawal Khan Abbasi II. This remained an autonomous state for over 200 years. During the rule of last Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V, the state acceded to Pakistan on 07 October, 1947 and merged into the Punjab on 14 October, 1954.Bahawalpur enjoys an extremely important strategic location owing to the vast Cholistan desert which serves as a natural boundary between Pakistan and India. Being an agricultural area, Bahawalpur city serves as a center of marketing in south Punjab. The annual Jeep Rally is most splendid sport activity that draws tourist not only from the country but from other parts of the world. Bahawalpur Zoological Garden, The Dring Stadium and SS World recreational park make the city an attraction for the neighboring areas. The Quid-e-Medical College Bahawalpur, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur and no doubt GSCWU have made the city a great center of education in the southern Punjab. Central library housing hundreds of thousands of books with its up-to-date children complex and newspaper section is a priceless asset of the city. In its proximity Bahawalpur Museum presents the history of the culture of Bahawalpur in antiquity. Bahawalpur is a city of palaces. A number of superb palaces like Noor Mahal, Gulzar Mahal, Darbar Mahal and Sadiq Garh Palace add to the beauty of the city. Lal Sohanra National Park, a wild life sanctuary, with its Lion safari and Dear Safari is the large safari park in the South Asia. The city has the distinction to have the currently established Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park which is the very first utility scale solar power plant in the country.

Early history

Bahawalpur State was home to various ancient societies. The Bahawalpur region was part of Multan province of Mughal Empire in recent history. It contains ruins from the Indus Valley civilisation, as well as ancient Buddhist sites such as the nearby Patan minara. British archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham identified the Bahawalpur region as home of the Yaudheya kingdoms of the Mahābhārata. Prior to the establishment of Bahawalpur, Cholistan region’s major city was the city of Uch Sharif – a regional metropolitan centre between the 12th and 17th centuries that is renowned for its collection of historic shrines dedicated to Muslim mystics from the 12–15th centuries built in the region’s vernacular style.

Establishment

Bahawalpur was established in 1748 by Nawab Bahawal Khan I, after he migrated to the region around Uch from Shikarpur, Sindh. Bahawalpur replaced Derawar as the clan’s capital city. The city initially flourished as a trading post on trade routes between Afghanistan and central India.

Durrani Attacks

In 1785, the Durrani commander Sirdar Khan attacked Bahawalpur city and destroyed many of its buildings on behalf of Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhora of Sindh.Bahawalpur’s ruling family, along with nobles from nearby Uch, were forced to take refuge in the Derawar Fort, where they successfully repulsed further attacks. The attacking Durrani force accepted 60,000 rupees as nazrana or tribute, though Bahawal Khan later had to seek refuge in the Rajput states as the Afghan Durranis occupied Derawar Fort.

The princely state of Bahawalpur was founded in 1802 by Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan II after the break-up of the Durrani Empire, and was based in the city.

Sikh Attacks and treaties with the British

In 1807, Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire laid siege to the fort in Multan, prompting refugees to seek safety in Bahawalpur in the wake of his marauding forces that began to attack the countryside around Multan. Ranjit Singh eventually withdrew the siege, and gave the Nawab of Bahawalpur some gifts as the Sikh forces retreated.

Bahalwapur offered an outpost of stability in the wake of crumbling Mughal rule and the declining power of Khorasan’s monarchy. The city became a refuge for prominent families from affected regions and also saw an influx of religious scholars escaping the consolidation of Sikh power in Punjab.

Fearing an invasion from the Sikh Empire, Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan III signed a treaty with the British on 22 February 1833, guaranteeing the independence of the Nawab and the autonomy of Bahawalpur as a princely state. The treaty guaranteed the British a friendly southern frontier during their invasion of the Sikh Empire.

Trade Routes

Trade routes had shifted away from Bahawalpur by the 1830s, and British visitors to the city noted several empty shops in the city’s bazaar. The population at this time was estimated to be 20,000, and was noted to be made up primarily of Hindus. Also in 1833, the Sutlej and Indus Rivers were opened to navigation, allowing goods to reach Bahawalpur. By 1845, newly opened trade routes to Delhi re-established Bahawalpur as a commercial centre. The city was known in the late 19th century as a centre for the production of silk goods, lungis, and cotton goods. The city’s silk was noted to be of higher quality than silk works from Benares or Amritsar.

Increased British Influence

An 1866 crisis over succession to the Bahawalpur throne markedly increased British influence in the princely state. Bahawalpur was constituted as a municipality in 1874. Bahalwapur’s Nawab celebrated the Golden Jubillee of Queen Victoria in 1887 in a state function at the Noor Mahal palace. In 1901, the population of the city was 18,546.

The Second World War

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Bahawalpur’s Nawab was the first ruler of a princely state to offer his full support and resources of the state towards the crown’s war efforts.

 Joining Pakistan

British Princely states were given the option to join either Pakistan or India upon British withdrawal from the Sub-Continent in August 1947. The city and the princely state of Bahawalpur acceded to Pakistan on October 7, 1947, under Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V Bahadur. Following independence, the city’s minority Hindu and Sikh communities migrated to India en masse, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the city and the surrounding region.

There are 6 tehsils in District Bahawalpur, with 109 union councils, 714 villages, and 5 municipal committees.

Climate

Bahawalpur lies some 117m above sea level. The climate is dry. Over the year, there is virtually no rainfall in Bahawalpur. According to the Köppen-Geiger system, it is classified as BWh. The average annual temperature is 25.7 °C | 78.3 °F. The rainfall is around 143 mm | 5.6 inch per year.

Flora

• Shisham
• Sufaida
• Neem
• Siris
• Toot
• Sohanjana

Fauna

• Blackbuck
• Rabbit
• Deer

The main crops for which Bahawalpur is recognised are cotton, sugarcane, wheat, sunflower seeds, rape/mustard seed and rice. Bahawalpur mangoes, citrus, dates and guavas are some of the fruits exported out of the country. Vegetables include onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Being an expanding industrial city, the government has revolutionised and liberalised various markets allowing the caustic soda, cotton ginning and pressing, flour mills, fruit juices, general engineering, iron and steel re-rolling mills, looms, oil mills, poultry feed, sugar, textile spinning, textile weaving, vegetable ghee and cooking oil industries to flourish. Sheep and cattle are raised for export of wool and hides.

 Crafts

Bahawalpur is famous for its carpets, embroidery, and pottery. The Punjab government has set up a Craft Development Centre from where handicrafts can be purchased. These handicrafts are mostly manufactured in the Cholistan area. Following is the list of some of the mementos manufactured in the city:

• Flassi:It is made up of camel hair and can be used as a carpet or wall hanging
• Gindi:A colourful combination of cotton cloth with delicate needlework. It can be used as a blanket, carpet, or bed cover
• Changaries:Made up of palm leaves. They can be used as a decorative wall hanging or can be used to store chapatis / wheat bread
• Khalti:A kind of purse with multi-coloured threadwork
• Artwork:Special traditional embroidery done on kurta, chaddar/shawl etc

 Demography:

According to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, the city’s population was recorded as having risen to 762,111 from 408,395 in 1998.

Religion

Bahawalpur emerged as a centre of Chishti Sufism following the establishment of a khanqa by Noor Muhammad Muharvi in the mid-18th century. Most residents are Muslims with a small minority being Hindus and Christians. There are about 2000 Christian families with one church, St. Dominic’s Church built in 1962 by the Government of Punjab (the Dominican Convent School for girls and St. Dominican’s Middle School for Boys were also built under the same project). Father Zafar Iqbal was the first Parish priest of the church until his death on February 19, 2009.

Bahawalpur was announced as one of six cities in Punjab whose security would be improved by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. 5.6 billion Rupees were allocated for the project, for the city to be modeled along the lines of the Lahore Safe City project in which 8,000 CCTV cameras were installed throughout the city at a cost of 12 billion rupees to record and send images to the Integrated Command and Control Centres.

• The city’s Noor Mahalpalace was completed in 1875.
• In 1878, the 4,285-foot long Empress Bridge was constructed as the only rail crossing over the Sutlej River.
• Two hospitals were established in the city in 1898.
• The Bahawal Stadiumor (formerly) The Bahawalpur Dring Stadium.
• The Darbar Mahalwas built in 1905.

Language:

Above ninety percent of the population are locals from the Punjab province. Urdu is widely spoken and understood by a significant number of people whereas English is understood by the educated lot. These people have different punjabi dialects, Siraiki being one of them. The city has a mixture of people from different cultures of Great Bahawalpur State, Cholistan and Punjab. Other majorly spoken languages include Riyasti, Majhi, Bagri and Haryanvi. These languages are spoken according to different districts and are a mix of many other punjabi dialects. For example, in desert area a significant population speaks a Punjabi Rajhistani mix, which constitutes 9 percent of the total population. Also Balochi is spoken by a small number of people.

Bahawalpur Museum

The Bahawalpur Museum, established in 1976, is a museum of archaeology, art, heritage, modern history, and religion. It comes under the control of the Bahawalpur district government.The current director of the museum is Hussain Ahmed Madni. It has eight galleries:

1. Pakistan Movementgallery
2. Archaeological gallery
3. Islamic gallery; manuscripts, inscriptions, and Quranicdocuments
4. Cultural heritage gallery
5. Art gallery
6. Coins gallery
7. Cholistangallery
8. Nawab Bahawal Memorial gallery

 Bahawalpur Zoo

The Bahawalpur Zoo, established in 1942, is a 25-acre (10 ha) zoological garden. It is managed by the Government of Pakistan.

The zoo has occasionally bred and supplied wild cats, such as Asiatic lions and Bengal tigers, to other zoos in the country. It also has an aquarium and zoological museum with stuffed birds, reptiles, and mammals. The Bahawalpur Zoo is the fourth biggest zoo in Pakistan, after Lahore Zoo, Karachi Zoo and Islamabad Zoo.

Railway Station

Bahawalpur Railway Station is located in Bahawalpur city at the elevation of 385 ft. It is one of the major railway stations of Pakistan Railways on the Karachi-Peshawar main line.

• The station is staffed and has advance and current reservation offices.
• In 2016, the Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiqueannounced that PKR. 280 million will be spent on the construction of a Model Railway Station in Bahawalpur.
• The routes linked Bahawalpur to the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Nawabshah, Attock, Sibi, Khanewal, Gujrat, Rohri, Jacobabad, and Nowshera.

Lal Suhanra National Park

Lal Suhanra is a national park in Pakistan. The park itself is situated some 35 kilometres east of Bahawalpur. It is one of South Asia’s largest national parks and is a UNESCO declared Biosphere Reserve. Lal Sohanra is notable for the diversity of its landscape, which includes desert, forest, and wetland ecosystems.

Bahawalpur’s Sadiq Egerton College was founded in 1886.The first university, Islamia University was founded as Jamia Abbasia in 1925. The city’s Quaid-e-Azam Medical College was founded in 1971. The District has an overall literacy rate of 48% with a total of 1662 schools and 24 colleges.

Local transportation vehicles include buses, cars, motorbikes, and rickshaws.

N-5

Pakistan’s longest national highway, N-5, also passes through the city, connecting Bahawalpur to Karachi and Lahore.

Railroad

The railway connects Bahawalpur with the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Nawabshah, Attock, Sibi, Khanewal, Gujrat, Rohri, Jacobabad, and Nowshera.

Bahawal Stadium or (formerly) The Bahawalpur Dring Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the city. It hosted a sole international match, a test match between Pakistan and India on the 15th and 18 January 1955.Motiullah hockey stadium is in the Bahawal Stadium and is used for various national and international hockey tournaments in the country. Aside from the cricket ground, it has a gym and a pool facility for citizens. There are also tennis courts, under the administration of the Bahawalpur Tennis Club, and a 2-kilometre jogging track around the footb all ground.

• Former field hockey player, Samiullah Khan, was born in the city.
• Former journalist, presenter and producer at the BBC World Service, Durdana Ansari, OBE, was born in the city.
• Pakistani footballer, Muhammad Adil.
• Former Member of National AssemblyNawab Salahuddin Abbasi.
• Member of the Provincial Assemblyof Punjab, Samiullah Chaudhary.
• Former member of the National Assembly of Pakistanand elected member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Mumtaz Jajja.
• Disabled Cricket Team Player, Muhammad Zubair Saleem.
• Television and theater actor and writer, Saqib Sameer.
• Member of National Assembly of Pakistan, Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik.
• Mastana – Murtaza Hassan, Pakistani Comedian and Stage Actor.

 Bahawalpur Waste Management Company

Bahawalpur Solid Waste Management Company is established under the section 42 of the Company Ordinance from the SECP (Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan) in July-2013 and become fully operational in May 2014.

  Achievements

The achievements of Bahawalpur Waste Management Company are:

• Addition of 20 mini dumpers, 02 compactors and 01 road washer
• Attendance of sanitary workers are raised upto 95%
• Establishment of workshop
• Division of 18 Union Councils into 03 Zones
• Waste collection efficiency increased from 50% to 70%
• GIS based planning of all union councils
• Establishment of Quick Response Unit on complaint in all 03 zones 
• Deployment of vehicle tracking and monitoring system
• Installment of weight bridge at dump site
• Arrangement of public awareness walks and distribution of waste bags
• Cleanliness at ramzan bazars and dastarkhwans

Shopping Centers

A number of shopping centers are being built in Bahawalpur considering the amount of tourism it attracts and also for the development of the city. Shahi Bazaar, Machli Bazaar, Farid Gate and The Mall are the main shopping areas. These markets resemble the old markets of Lahore such as Anarkali Bazaar etc. Shopping has become an important part of today’s lifestyle. These markets are attractive spots for traders and craftsmen. These craftsmen sell all sorts of art and handwork to the travelers and the tourists for a handsome amount.Considering the popularity of malls in a number of other major cities, Bahawalpur’s malls also provide for all kinds of customer demands. The main shopping malls include Bobby Plaza, Takbeer Shopping Mall, Time and Prince.

Historical places

A major portion of Bahawalpur comprises of the Cholistan Desert i.e. around 15000 kms. It is located on the east of the city and extends into the Indian Thar Desert. There was a time when this area consisted of around four hundred forts. The Derawar Fort was the only fort with a permanent waterhole which indicates that it is from the time period of the Indus Valley Civilization. Due to less rainfall at that time, underground wells were made in order to maximize cultivation in the area. The water was drawn up by camels. And to protect these camel routes, three rows of forts were built starting from Phulra to Lera, from Rukhanpur to Islamgarh and from Bilcaner to Kapoo. Some of these forts were built in 1000 BC with walls of gypsum blocks and mud and have been destroyed and rebuilt many times.

Other historical places include a fort named as MundeShahid which is located at a distance of 50 km from Bahawalpur and Marot Fort. Marot Fort is famous for a place outside it named as ‘BaithakMolaAli’.Furthermore there are a number of palaces in the city, which are locally termed as Mahals. Some of the famous include Noor Mahal, Gulzar Mahal, Shimla Khoti and Darbar Mahal. One of the oldest gates called Farid Gate also remains intact and is now situated in the middle of a very busy market. This gate was the only way through which its rulers entered the city.

Also the Bahawalpur Museum and Bahawalpur Library are home to a wide compilation of medals, postage stamps, coins of the former state. They also include manuscripts, wood carvings, camel skin paintings and stone carvings from Islamic and pre-Islamic eras.

Some of the most prominent leaders are buried in this very city and mausoleums are built to honour them. The tombs of Channen Peer, Tomb Yazman and Mausoleums of Haugha Sahib are the some of the most important ones.

Following are the top 10 historical places in Bahawalpur Pakistan.

1. Derawar Fort
2. Noor Mahal
3. Darbar Mahal
4. Gulzar Mahal
5. Abbasi Mosque
6. Bahawalpur central library
7. SS World Family Park Bahawalpur
8. Uch Sharif
9. Bahawalpur Museum
10. Cholistan Desert

1.Derawar Fort

Derawar fort is located 130 kilometers south of Bahawalpur City and is quite well worththe drive. It has forty paragons that can be seen for miles around in the Cholistan Desert. It was initially a Rajput fort constructed in the 9th century, and its five-foot thick walls have withstood the test of time very well.

2) Noor Mahal

Noor Mahal is one of the hidden gems of Bahawalpur constructed by NawabSadiq Muhammad Khan the fourth in 1872, who was also known as the Shah Jahan of Bahawalpur for his passion for constructing beautiful buildings.

Mr. Heennan, an Englishman who was the state engineer, designed the building. Most of the place’s materi and furniture were imported from England and Italy. The construction of the palace was completed in 1875 at a cost of Rs. 1.2 million.

3) Darbar Mahal

Darbar Mahal is a royal palace in the city of Bahawalpur. The palace was built by Bahawal Khan V for his wife. It was completed in 1905. The palace has been controlled by armed forces since 1971 and is not open to the general public.

4 Gulzar Mahal

The Gulzar Mahal is a castle located in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, built between 1906 and 1909. It was approved during the reign of Sadeq Mohammad Khan V, and was built to house the female members of the former royal family. In the Bahawalpur region, excluding the Queen. The palace is surrounded by a large garden, and is located in the Bahawalgarh Palace Complex near the palaces of Darbar Mahal, Farrukh Mahal, and Nishat Mahal.

The palace has been occupied by the military since 1966, and is currently not open to the public.

5) Abbasi Mosque

Abbasi mosque is a most beautiful mosque that is famous in Bahawalpur City. It is situated near the Derawar Fort in the Cholistan desert. It is basically located in Yazman Tehsil. It was built in 1849 by Nawab Bahawal Khan. It is constructed so beautifully and with a great passion. Its interior is very amazing which makes it more attractive. It’s open to the general public and anyone can visit this.

6) Bahawalpur Central Library

Bahawalpur Central Library is the most amazing place in Bahawalpur that everyone should visit. It is also known as the Sadiq Reading library. It is considered the 2nd largest library in Punjab.  It was founded on 8 March 1924. The whole building was built by Nawabs in a Victorian style. The library has 1000000 books and many old versions of newspapers and historic documents etc. It is open for everyone to visit.

7) SS World Family Park

SS World Family Park Bahawalpur appears to be built in 2015 and completed in 2017. It is a fun place for kid’s families. It has everything in which a kid wants food, Rides, 3D movies, trains, Boating, etc. It’s a 40/-RS ticket but the enjoyment is unlimited. Lastly, there is a lake where kids could go boating.SS World is a marvelous weekend spending place.

8) Uch Sharif

Uch Sharif is situated 50km to the west of Bahawalpur on a road leading from Ahmadpur East towards Panjnad, is well worth a visit. This is now one of the oldest centers of learning and culture in Pakistan. It used to be at the confluence of the rivers with the Indus, but in 1790 the rivers deserted Uch for Mithankot. The ancient history of Uch Sharif involves the inevitable reference to Alexander, who ordered the city to be built in the first place, thinking that a spot where two rivers met was a likely site for a flourishing town.

9) Bahawalpur Museum

The Bahawalpur Museum, established in 1976, is a museum of archaeology, art, heritage, modern history and religion located in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. It comes under the control of Bahawalpur district government. The current director of the museum is Hussain Ahmed Madni.

The Bahawalpur Museum was established in 1974. It is a museum of archaeology, ethnology,art, heritage, of traditional and modern history. It is supervised by the local government of Bahawalpur district. It has eight galleries.

10) Cholistan Desert

The Cholistan Desert, also locally known as Rohi, 30 km (19 mi) from Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan and covers an area of 26,300 km2 (10,200 sq mi). It adjoins the Thar Desert, extending over to Sindh and into India.Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water .The desert also hosts an annual Jeep rally, known as Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally. It is the biggest motor sports event in Pakistan.

Area Division:

Major concentrations of service uses (including commercial) are in old town and in area immediately east of the old town (Zone of government Offices and the other Public Building). There are also small concentrations of jobs in Model Town . The journey to work is quite short for most groups except for some high incoming groups for whom low cost housing in outlying areas was provided by Government.

 (a) Old Town The total area of old town is about 590 acres. The central business district is located in this zone. Majority of the structures both residential and commercial are in bad condition and some of them collapsed during heavy rains of 1973 and being reconstructed. Streets are quite narrow and dirty and sewerage facilities none exist. Timber market having saw mills is also located in this zone and is creating nuisance to the surrounding residential area

 (b) Model Town Area The Area is located immediately north –west and west of old town. The model town comprised of total 1036 acer area. This area is dominated by residential land use while major industrial area of Bahawalpur is also located in this zone, which has attracted low income people to settle down nearby. Gulzar-e- Sadiq one of the public parks is also located in this zone.

(c) Medical College and Trust Colony Area Located south and south –west of old town Comprises of Quaid-e- Azam Medical College, trust Colony , Circuit House, Noor Mehal , Sadiq Colony and area adjacent to them . The total area of this zone is about 756 acres. Some important Government buildings and other institution like High court, Circuit House, Quaid-e- Azam Medical College are located in this zone

 (d) Zone of Administrative and Educational Buildings This zone is located immediately east of the old town and consists of courts, Government Offices, police Stations, General Post Office, jails, Education institutions, due to this zone got central position. This zone is well connected with all other part of city. The total area of this zone is 955 acres. This zone has got a great potential for its development to a civic and commercial centre

(e) Zone of Planned Colonies and Gulzar Mehal area This zone is located in the eastern fringe of the city comprises of planned colonies such as Canal Colony , One Unit Colony , Satellite Town and mehar Colony. The total area of this

Service Delivery

(a)Water Supply The water supply network in Bahawalpur covers 10% of the town and 3% of the population and the water quality is reported to be very poor. PCRWR carried out a survey of major cities in the Punjab among which was Bahawalpur. The results of the survey indicated that around 24% of the sampled water was polluted with E.Coli, 52% samples were found to be contaminated with Coliform bacterium, and 76% possessed excess Arsenic (As) – most of the samples contained more than 50 ppb which is 5 times more than the limits set by the WHO. PHED is presently executing Rehabilitation and Augmentation of Urban Water Supply Scheme Bahawalpur City. Additionally, in 2006 the World Bank and the Government of Punjab developed an “Urban Water and Sewerage Reform.” Plan .However, there is still no overall water supply plan has been developed

(b) Sewerage and Drainage The sewerage system in Bahawalpur covers 70% of the city and serves 82% of the population. There are 5 existing wastewater disposal (pumping) stations, which are periodically out of order. At present there is no facility for treatment of the waste water. The wastewater pumped from disposal stations is utilized without any treatment by farmers for irrigation, presenting a potential health hazard. The excess wastewater from the disposal stations is pumped either into the Sutlej River or into canals. A major component under the Southern Punjab Basic Urban Services Project (SPBUSP) for TMA Bahawalpur City is the construction of new sewerage system. However, a proper sanitation plan has still not been developed.

 (c) Solid Waste Management The existing solid waste collection is divided into primary and secondary collection system. However, there is no proper solid waste disposal system in the Town. No proper solid waste plan has been developed.

Economic Zones – Industry Sites Bahawalpur lies at the junction of trade routes from the east, south-east, and south. It is a center for trade in wheat, cotton, millet, and rice grown in the surrounding region. Dates and mangoes are also grown here. Canals supply water for irrigation. The principal industries are cotton ginning, rice and flour milling, and the hand weaving of textiles. The main crops for which Bahawalpur is recognized are cotton, sugarcane, wheat, sunflower seeds, rape/mustard seed and rice. Bahawalpur mangoes, citrus, dates and guavas are some of the fruits exported out of the country. Vegetables include onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Being an expanding industrial city, the government has revolutionized and libertised various markets, allowing the caustic soda, cotton ginning and pressing, flour mills, fruit juices, general engineering, iron and steel re-rolling mills, looms, oil mills, poultry feed, sugar, textile spinning, textile weaving, vegetable ghee and cooking oil industries to flourish. The defunct West Pakistan Small Industries Corporation on inception in 1960 immediately launched a programme to establish five (5) Small Industries Estates (in the area now comprising the Province of Punjab) at Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Bahawalpur & Lahore. Bahawalpur Small Industrial Estate comprised 203 plots varying in sizes. The total area of Industrial estate is 52 acres. The Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) established a Craft Development Center for Cholistan area, outside Farid Gate, Bahawalpur from where handicrafts manufactured in Cholistan can be purchased. C. Largest Industries- Chamber of Commerce As reported, there are different major industries exist in Bahawalpur6 .i.e. Fuji fertiliser Company Ltd,Coca Cola Beverages,Unilever Industries, Itehad Sugar Mills, Jamal Din Wali Sugar Mills, Humza sugar Mills,United Sugar Mills, Haleeb Foods Industries Bahawalpur is an important trade and commercial center of Pakistan. Bahawalpur Division is playing a vital role in the e It was a princely state before the partition of the Indian sub continent and inception of Pakistan. It is an agro based area and produces 34% best quality of cotton of the whole country besides wheat, sugarcane, rice, fruits and vegetables etc.

Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry

It was established in October, 1986 and BCCI is striving to play its role for the betterment of trade & industrial development of Bahawalpur. Bahawalpur Division consists of three districts i.e. Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. Bahawalpur Division is producing 42% Mangoes of the total production in the Punjab province. Bahawalpur Division is an Agro-based area and most of the industry exists on agriculture produce. It is the first area in Pakistan which had been declared as contamination free cotton area and is producing approximately 34% sharing in cotton of the whole country. Bahawalpur has a vast area mostly consists of Desert of Cholistan which keeps 23% Live Stock (Sheep, Cow, Goat, Camel) of total Pakistan share. Bahawalnagar, Hasilpur, Haroonabad are producing a large quantity of rice and its share of Par-boiled Rice is about 10% of the whole country. The Traditional garments of Bahawalpur Region are Rille, Hand Woven Carpets, Mukesh Work and Hand Embroidery Garments but this sector is unorganized and most of the work is done in the villages and it‟s difficult to collect the actual data, so accurate statistics is not available. Eight years before, Bahawalpur Division was known to produce Terry Towels Fabrics but now-a-days this industry has come to an end.conomy of Pakistan. It consists of two districts i.e. Bahawalpur and Bahawal nagar.

^Specialities

Handicrafts

• Bahawalpur is famous for its carpets, embroidery and pottery. The Punjab government has given notice to such amazing hand work and has set up a Craft Development Centre from where handicrafts can be purchased. These handicrafts are mostly manufactured in the Cholistan area
• A major portion of Bahawalpur comprises of the Cholistan Desert i.e. around 15000 kms. It is located on the east of the city and extends into the Indian Thar Desert. There was a time when this area consisted of around four hundred forts. The Derawar Fort was the only fort with a permanent waterhole which indicates that it is from the time period of the Indus Valley Civilization. Due to less rainfall at that time, underground wells were made in order to maximize cultivation in the area. The water was drawn up by camels. And to protect these camel routes, three rows of forts were built starting from Phulra to Lera, from Rukhanpur to Islamgarh and from Bilcaner to Kapoo. Some of these forts were built in 1000 BC with walls of gypsum blocks and mud and have been destroyed and rebuilt many times.
• Other historical places include a fort named as Munde Shahid which is located at a distance of 50 km from Bahawalpur and Marot Fort. Marot Fort is famous for a place outside it named as ‘Baithak Mola Ali’.
• Furthermore there are a number of palaces in the city, which are locally termed as Mahals. Some of the famous include Noor Mahal, Gulzar Mahal, Shimla Khoti and Darbar Mahal. One of the oldest gates called Farid Gate also remains intact and is now situated in the middle of a very busy market. This gate was the only way through which its rulers entered the city.
• Also the Bahawalpur Museum and Bahawalpur Library are home to a wide compilation of medals, postage stamps, coins of the former state. They also include manuscripts, wood carvings, camel skin paintings and stone carvings from Islamic and pre-Islamic eras.
• Bahawalpur is said to be the 12th largest city of Pakistan and is situated in Punjab. It was recognized as the capital of a princely state after the decline of Durrani Empire. This princely state was founded by Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan-II in the early nineteenth century. Later on, Bahawalpur was also given the status of a province. Historically Bahawalpur city  has been used as the hometown and hub of various different nawabs and rulers of their times. In the United India, Bahawalpur was called the Rajputana State which is now Rajhistan in India.
• ahawalpur has been home to most of the kings and nawabs so it is an important attraction for tourists, historians and archaeologists. The kings built palaces for themselves which are now a major attraction for the tourists
• International air links provide a good trading channel to scale-up local industries for export.
• Bahawalpur City Services Comparison with Other Cities The overall analysis of the data collected shows that Bahawalpur is in a better position compared to other PCIIP cities in Punjab i.e Jhang, Okara, D.G Khan, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Sahiwal. Table E1 presents information about the total population, services delivery coverage, economic activities, collection against demand, O&M Cost, investment .
• Internal Fair connectivity by land to the major urban centres as well as good links by air, abroad. 
• Good industrial economic base for further investment, growth and development.
• Generally good collection against demand for water supply services. 
• Reasonable utilization of non-development expenditure.
• The high level of TMA management vacancies may prove damaging in the short term to effectively mobilize resources for service delivery.

Issues in the City:

• Reasonable utilization of non-development
• expenditure Revenues only make up 10% of the O&M costs of water supply services.
• Poor solid waste management.Poor water quality.Slow utilization of development expenditure Opportunities Threats External Many possible tourist sites to scale-up SME services sector development in the future. 
• The existence of an Urban Master Plan that is considered to reflect the current state of development can provide a good basis for information to the private sector.
• The high level of TMA management vacancies may prove damaging in the short term to effectively mobilize resources for service delivery. Currently low investment in basic municipal services.
• Waste collected from few households Unauthorised dumping of household waste Unpaved roads generate dirt.
• Poor areas have narrow access.
• Sweepers depend on private work.
• Inadequate equipment:The SWM department lacks strategic direction, an under-developed workforce and poor management systems. Inadequate planning capacity, poor information and weak financial management.  The administration is typically absorbed by its own internal procedures and processes, and largely deaf to the needs of citizens and communities.  Information is still managed using a manual, paper-based system with a high level of inconsistencies, long outdated records and difficult access and retrieval. This makes for ad hoc, arbitrary decision-making
• The equipment and machinery of the SWM department is also constantly being used for removing encroachment and debris from roads. Similarly management complains that due the negligence and inefficiency of line departments their workload also increases. Whenever there is construction of new road, street, laying of new sewerage line or water supply etc.  Existing institutional arrangements for SWM suffer from fragmentation,lack of clear division of responsibilities, and inadequate planning, management and enforcement capacity.  The legal and regulatory framework for SWM has shortcoming that limits its effectiveness. The main weaknesses are fragmentation and lack of clear allocation of duties and responsibilities.
• Increasing traffic volumes and Unplanned urban growth insufficient capacity to manage transport system
• Poor traffic management.
• Government agencies have overlapping or poorly delineated responsibilities  Governments‟ weak capacities lead to low institutional coordination  and an inefficient institutional framework  Private sector involvement in urban transport is generally limited to the provision of urban transport services.

Conclusion:

Bahawalpur is the 11th largest city of Pakistan. The population of Bahawalpur is 1 million. Bahawalpur is considered the cultural and historical center of Pakistan. The city was founded in 1748. The place has been famous for its Nawabs. The most notable place in Bahawalpur is Noor Mahal. It was built is 1872 and people from all over the world to see this beautiful and mesmerizing palace.