Taunsa District


Taunsa District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was created in 2022 from part of Dera [Ghazi Khan District|Dera Ghazi Khan] district, and was officially notified in 2024. It is situated on the bank of River Indus. It consists of three tehsils: Koh-e-Suleman, Taunsa and Vehowa. 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.

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

As of the 2023 census, Taunsa district has 161,806 households and a population of 1,045,460. 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. 353,488 are under 10 years of age. 158,122 live in urban areas.

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.

Administration

The district is administratively subdivided into three tehsils.
TehsilArea
Pop.
Density
Literacy rate
Union Councils
Koh-e-Suleman5,339248,68346.5836.04%6
Taunsa2,769796,777287.7557.96%68
Vehowa...............