Shakargarh Tehsil


Shakargarh is a tehsil located in Narowal District, Punjab, Pakistan. Shakargarh was the only one of the four tehsils of Gurdaspur district which was included in Pakistan at the time of the independence in 1947.

History

Shakargarh became a tehsil in 1853. Its literacy rate is 97 percent. Sialkot was annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849. In 1853, Shakargarh Tehsil of Sialkot district was transferred to Gurdaspur District and it remained an administrative subdivision of Gurdaspur district until the Partition in 1947. Under the Radcliffe Award, three of the four tehsils of Gurdaspur district on the eastern bank of the Ujh river – Gurdaspur, Batala and Pathankot – were awarded to India and only one, Shakargarh, was assigned to Pakistan. After the creation of Pakistan, Shakargarh became a part of Sialkot district once again. In July 1991, two tehsils were split off from Sialkot district and Shakargarh became a tehsil of the newly formed Narowal district.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India, written over a hundred years ago during British rule, describes Shakargarh as follows:
Tahsīl of Gurdāspur District, Punjab, lying between 32°2' and 32° 30' N. and 74° 57' and 75° 23' E., with an area of. The Ravi divides it from the rest of the District to the south, while on the north it touches Jammu territory. West of the narrow lowlands along the Ravi, the country is an arid expanse of rolling downs intersected by torrent beds. The population in 1901 was 234,465, compared with 250,336 in 1891. It contains 703 villages, of which Shakargarh is the headquarters. The land revenue and cesses in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 4,29,000.

Administration

The tehsil of Shakargarh is administratively subdivided into union councils, three of which form the tehsil capital Shakargarh. These are:
  • Achli
  • Akhlaspur
  • Babral
  • Bara Manga
  • Chak Fatehpur
  • Afghana
  • Bhati
  • Bua Shakargarh
  • Badwal
  • Bajjar Chak
  • Chandwal
  • Chatrana
  • Darapur, Shakargarh|Darapur
  • Darman, Shakargarh|Darman
  • Dinga
  • Dinga Narainpur
  • Fatwal
  • Gamrola
  • Jamwal
  • Kanjrur
  • Mangri, Shakargarh|Mangri
  • Masrur
  • Nagwal
  • Nurkot
  • Rambari
  • Shakargarh-I
  • Shakargarh-II
  • Shakargarh-III
  • Shahpur

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Shakargarh Tehsil in Narowal District, Punjab, Pakistan, has a total population of 769,339, with 642,597 residing in rural areas and 126,742 in urban areas. The tehsil covers an area of 835 square kilometers, resulting in a population density of approximately 921.36 people per square kilometer. The literacy rate in Shakargarh Tehsil is 76.28%, with male literacy at 81.38% and female literacy at 70.95%. The average annual growth rate is 1.35.
Shakargarh city, the administrative center of the tehsil, has a population of 126,742 as of 2023.

Religion

An overwhelming majority are Muslims with a small minority adhering to Christianity. Local Sikhs and Hindus.

Tribes

Gujjar and Jats are the predominant caste followed in order by Ansaris, Pathans, and Rajputs. The tehsil has one of the highest literacy rates in Pakistan at over 87%.

Notable people