| Official Name: | Sahiwal |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Punjab |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Sahiwal |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Sahiwal |
| Area Metro Km2: | 3201 |
| Area Total Km2: | 60 |
| Total Type: | City |
| Elevation M: | 152.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Total: | 538,344 |
| Population Rank: | 19th in Pakistan 12th in Punjab |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] [2] |
| Established Date: | 1865 |
| Timezone1: | PST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5 |
| Population Demonym: | Sahiwalian, Sahiwali |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Main language(s) |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Punjabi, Urdu, English |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 57000 |
| Area Code: | 040 |
| Area Code Type: | Calling code |
| Blank Name: | No. of Union Councils |
| Blank Info: | 52 (11 urban, 41 rural) |
| Government Type: | Metropolitan Corporation |
Sahiwal (Punjabi / ur|{{Nastaliq|ساہيوال; pronounced as /pa/; pronounced as /ur/), formerly known as Montgomery in British India, is a city in central Punjab, Pakistan.
It is the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. It is the 19th most populous city of Pakistan, according to the 2023 census. Sahiwal is located approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and 100 km from Faisalabad and lies between Lahore and Multan.[3]
Sahiwal is approximately 152 meters above the sea level.
The ancient city of Harappa, one of the major Indus Valley Civilisation sites, is located just 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of Sahiwal.
The city lies in a densely populated region between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers. The principal crops are wheat, cotton, tobacco,[4] legumes, potato[5] and oil seeds. Cotton goods and lacquered woodwork are manufactured.[6] [7]
See main article: Sahiwal District. The modern-day city of Sahiwal was founded in 1865 when a train station was built at the site of a small village on the Karachi-Lahore railway line. The site was named Montgomery for Sir Robert Montgomery, then lieutenant governor of the Punjab and it replaced Gogera as the capital of the recently created Montgomery district. Two years later in 1867, it was constituted a municipality.[8]
In 1914, construction began of the Lower Bari Doab Canal which now irrigates both the city and the wider region.[8]
During the Partition of India in 1947 the city, being part of the Montgomery district, was allocated to Pakistan by the Punjab Boundary Commission. This was on the basis of being a Muslim-majority area, despite claims from the Indian National Congress and Sikh groups on the basis of greater property ownership and revenues paid to the state.[9]
The climate of Sahiwal district is hot semi arid, reaching 47 °C in summer, and down to 5 °C in winter. The soil of the district is very fertile. The average rainfall is about 685 mm, peaking during the summer monsoon season.[10]
According to the 2023 census, Sahiwal city had a population of 538,344.[1] [11]
According to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, Urban Sahiwal has an overwhelmingly Punjabi-speaking population, spoken by 94.01% of residents. Urdu forms the largest minority language, accounting for 4.99% of the population. This is followed by Pashto at 0.66%, while the remaining 0.34% consists of speakers of other languages of Pakistan.[12]
Notable educational institutes of the city include:
Sahiwal is twinned with the town of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. Approximately eight per cent of Rochdale's population is of Asian origin, most of whom have links with Pakistan. The twinning arrangement was agreed between Rochdale and Sahiwal in 1998.[15]
