| Bahawalnagar | |
| Settlement Type: | District of Punjab |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Pakistan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bahawalpur |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | Bahawalnagar |
| Government Type: | District Administration |
| Leader Title: | Deputy Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Muhammad Waseem |
| Leader Title1: | District Police Officer |
| Leader Title2: | District Health Officer |
| Leader Name1: | Muhammad Essa Khan Sukhera |
| Area Total Km2: | 8878 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Total: | 3550342 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 974,118 |
| Population Rural: | 2,576,224 |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Literacy rate |
| Timezone1: | PKT |
| Utc Offset1: | +5 |
| Area Code: | 063 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | No. of Tehsils |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 5 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Tehsils |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Bahawalnagar Chishtian Fort Abbas Haroonabad Minchinabad |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Main language(s) |
| Demographics Type2: | Literacy |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Punjabi and Urdu |
Bahawalnagar District (Urdu and pa|{{nq|ضلع بہاولنگر), is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. Before the independence of Pakistan, Bahawalnagar was part of Bahawalpur state governed by the Nawab of Bahawalpur. The city of Bahawalnagar is the capital of the district.[2]
The boundaries of Bahawalnagar in the east and south touches the Indian territory of Bikaner and Firozpur districts[3] while Bahawalpur district lies on its west and river Sutlej flows on its northern side. District Bahawalnagar spreads over an area of 8878 square kilometers.[4]
The district of Bahawalnagar is spread over an area of 8,878 square kilometres (3427.8 square miles) comprising five tehsils and 118 Union Councils:[5]
| Tehsil[6] | Area(km²)[7] | Pop.(2023) | Density(ppl/km²) (2023) | Literacy rate(2023)[8] | Union Councils | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahawalnagar | 1,729 | 976,049 | 564.52 | 53.5% | 31 | |
| Chishtian | 1,500 | 845,439 | 563.63 | 60.49% | 29 | |
| Fort Abbas | 2,536 | 510,253 | 201.20 | 61.36% | 16 | |
| Haroonabad | 1,295 | 615,476 | 475.27 | 66.28% | 22 | |
| Minchinabad | 1,818 | 603,125 | 331.75 | 44.05% | 20 | |
| Total | 2,981,919 | 118 |
In 2023, the district had 558,333 households and a population of 3,550,342.[9]
In 2023, 19,653 (0.55%) were from religious minorities, of which Christians were 14,577, Hindus (incl. Scheduled Castes) 3,106, Ahmadi 1,598, Sikhs 39, Parsis 2, and 331 others.[10]
At the time of the 2023 census, 94.08% of the population spoke Punjabi, 1.74% Saraiki and 3.35% Urdu as their first language.[11]
Nawab Bahawal Khan-1[12] as second nawab of Bahawalpur ascended the throne in 1746 A.D.
Muhammad Mubarik, after ruling successfully for years, died issueless in 1772 A.D. He was succeeded by his nephew Sahibzada Jafar Khan alias Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan-II[13] in 1772.
Shaikh Khawaja Tajuddin Chishti also known as Taj Sarwar Chishti was a Sufi saint of Chishti Order. He was a grandson Shaikh Farid-ud-din Ganjshakar of Pakpattan and his descendants founded the village of Chishtian around 1265 CE (574 Hijri, Islamic calendar). Many native tribes in Punjab region accepted Islam due to his missionary Daawah. Shaikh Khawaja Tajuddin Chishti faced hostility from many Mughal and Turk tribes that opposed his Muslim missionary Daawah as it interfered with their plans and he was martyred in a battle and was buried in Chishtian. Shrine of Sufi saint Shaikh Khawaja Tajuddin Chishti, located at the city of Chishtian. The dargah of Shaikh Taj-ud-din Chishti is called Roza Taj Sarwar.[14]