Toba Tek Singh District Explained

Toba Tek Singh District
Native Name:

ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ ਟੋਭਾ ਟੇਕ ਸਿੰਘ
Settlement Type:District of Punjab
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Pakistan
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Type2:Division
Subdivision Name2:Faisalabad
Seat Type:Headquarters
Seat:Toba Tek Singh
Government Type:District Administration
Leader Title:Deputy Commissioner
Leader Name:N/A
Leader Title1:District Police Officer
Leader Name1:N/A
Leader Title2:District Health Officer
Leader Name2:N/A
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:4364
Population As Of:2023
Population Total:2511963
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:PST
Utc Offset1:+5
Blank Name Sec1:District Council
Blank1 Name Sec1:Number of Tehsils
Blank1 Info Sec1:4
Demographics1 Title1:Main language(s)
Demographics1 Info1:Punjabi, Urdu, English

Toba Tek Singh District (Urdu: {{Nastaliq|ضلع ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ, {{Nastaliq|ضلع ٹوبھا ٹیک سنگھ) is a district of Faisalabad Division in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located between 30°33' to 31°2' Degree north latitudes and 72°08' to 72°48' Degree longitudes.[1] It became a separate district in 1982.[2]

Etymology

The city and district is named after a Sikh religious figure Tek Singh. Legend has it that Tek Singh, a kind-hearted man served water and provided shelter to the worn out and thirsty travelers passing by a small pond (Toba in Punjabi) which eventually was called Toba Tek Singh, and the surrounding settlement acquired the same name.[1] There is also a park here named after Singh.[3]

History

British Raj

Toba Tek Singh was developed by the British toward the end of the 19th Century when a canal system was built. People from all over the Punjab (from the current Pakistani and Indian Punjab) moved there as farmlands were allotted to them. Most of the people who migrated there belonged to Lahore, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts.The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the tehsil of Toba Tek Singh as follows:

Tehsil of the new Faisalabad District, Punjab, lying between 30°50' and 31°23' N. and 72° 20' and 72°54' E., with an area of 865sqmi. The population in 1906 was 148,984. It contains 342 villages, including Toba Tek Singh (population, 1,874), the headquarters, and Gojra (2,589), an important grain market on the Wazirabad-Khanewal branch of the North-Western Railway. The land revenue in 1905-6 amounted to Rupees 470,000. The tehsil consists of a level plain, wholly irrigated by the Chenab Canal. The soil, which is very fertile in the east of the tehsil, becomes sandy towards the west. The boundaries of the tehsil were somewhat modified at the time of the formation of the new District of Faisalabad (formerly called Lyallpur).[4]

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Toba Tek Singh District.

After independence

During the 1970s, when many Pakistani cities were renamed to change names given after British Rulers to their original or native names, or to names more acceptable to the local population (for example, Montgomery was renamed to its old original name Sahiwal), Toba Tek Singh remained one of the very few cities to maintain its original name mainly because of noble reputation of Tek Singh. In 1982, Toba Tek Singh, formerly a subdivision, was separated from Faisalabad District and became a separate district.[1]

in 1970, the historical Kisan Conference saw 200,000 Kisans (peasants) and progressive people from the whole country gathered in Toba Tek Singh. The conference had a great impact on the political history of Pakistan and led to the land reforms during the regime of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Demography

Toba Tek Singh is located in central Punjab and occupies 3252 square kilometers and is made up of large areas of lowlands that flood frequently during the rainy season; the floods originate from the Ravi River that runs along the southern and southeastern borders. During the British Raj, Toba Tek Singh had a sizeable Sikh population, much of which migrated to India after the partition in 1947, while many Muslim refugees from present-day India settled in the Toba Tek Singh District.[2]

Religious
group! colspan="2"
1941[5] 2017[6] 2023[7]
Pop.%
271,14468.40%2,122,08496.83%2,440,35096.68%
55,57514.02%1230.01%2790.01%
53,23313.43%19~0%
16,3534.13%66,8393.05%81,2593.22%
Ahmadi2,4190.11%1,9800.08%
Others1000.02%30~0%1570.01%
Total Population396,405100%2,191,4952,524,044100%

At the time of the 2017 census, Toba Tek Singh had a sex ratio of 991 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 67.32% - 73.85% for males and 60.83% for females. 441,971 (20.17%) lived in urban areas. 557,461 (25.44%) were under 10 years of age.[8] In 2023, the district had 391,861 households and a population of 2,511,963.[9]

At the time of the 2023 census, 96.2% of the population spoke Punjabi and 2.48% Urdu as their first language.[10]

Toba Tek Singh People

As per University of Agriculture, Faisalabad research, after Karachi, Toba Tek Singh is the second hub of poultry products in Pakistan. Farmers grow orange (kinoo) gardens and have a major role in the export of oranges from Pakistan. Many Toba people are overseas Pakistanis and these make a major contribution to the Pakistani economy.[11] [12]

Administration

The district of Toba Tek Singh is administratively subdivided into four tehsils and 82 Union Council.

Name of TehsilNo of Union CouncilsParent Tehsil
Gojra24Toba Tek Singh
Kamalia13Kamalia
Pir Mahal15Kamalia
Toba Tek Singh30Toba Tek Singh
Total82

The district is represented in the National Assembly by three elected MNAs who represent the following constituencies:[13] [14]

ConstituencyMNAParty
NA-111Chaudhry Khalid Javaid WarraichPakistan Muslim League (N)
NA-112Muhammad Junaid Anwaar ChaudhryPakistan Muslim League (N)
NA-113Riaz FatynaPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

The district is represented in the provincial assembly by seven elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies:

ConstituencyMPAParty
PP-84Bilal Asghar WarraichPakistan Muslim League (Q)
PP-85Abdul Qadeer AlviPakistan Muslim League (N)
PP-86Saeed Ahmed SaeediPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
PP-87Lieutenant Colonel (R) Sardar Muhammad Ayub Khan GadhiPakistan Muslim League (N)
PP-88Nazia RaheelPakistan Muslim League (N)
PP-89Makhdoom Syed Ali BabaPakistan Muslim League (N)

Until the year 2000, when the Divisions of Pakistan were abolished, Toba Tek Singh and Jhang districts were part of Faisalabad Division (this included Faisalabad District).

Major towns in Toba Tek Singh District are:

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Toba Tek Singh District. https://web.archive.org/web/20080324234632/http://www.tobateksingh.gov.pk/ . District Government Toba Tek Singh website. 2 February 2007. 24 March 2008. 1 June 2021.
  2. Web site: Toba Tek Singh District profile. 30 August 2003. 12 March 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070312011954/http://www.punjab.gov.pk/District/TobaTakeSingh/toba_tek_singh.htm . Government of Punjab website. 1 June 2021.
  3. News: The story of Toba Tek Singh (For whom the bell tolls). Muhammad Hassan Miraj. Dawn (newspaper). 10 June 2013. 2 June 2021.
  4. https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V23_412.gif Toba Tek Singh – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 23, p. 406
  5. Web site: 1941 . Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab . 23 March 2024 . 42 . saoa.crl.28215541.
  6. Web site: District And Tehsil Level Population Summary With Region Breakup. dead. 23 November 2018. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan website. 11 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20181123201454/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk:80/sites/default/files/bwpsr/punjab/GUJRAT_SUMMARY.pdf.
  7. Web site: Pakistan Census 2023 Table 9: Punjab . Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  8. Web site: District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017) . www.pbscensus.gov.pk . Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  9. Web site: 2023 . TABLE 1 : HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE . www.pbscensus.gov.pk . Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  10. Web site: Pakistan Census 2023 .
  11. http://uaf.edu.pk/subcampus/tt_singh/tt_overview.html University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Sub-Campus Toba Tek Singh - Overview)
  12. https://www.dawn.com/news/349788/toba-tek-singh-citrus-plants-to-be-grown-in-30-orchards TOBA TEK SINGH: Citrus plants to be grown in 30 orchards
  13. Web site: Legislators from Toba Tek Singh – Provincial Assembly of Punjab. https://web.archive.org/web/20080702142237/http://www.pap.gov.pk/legislators/present/dist11.htm. Provincial Assembly of Punjab website. 2 July 2008. 1 June 2021.
  14. Web site: Election Results 2008 Punjab Assembly. https://web.archive.org/web/20110726072642/http://www2.ecp.gov.pk/vsite/ElectionResult/AllResults.aspx?assemblyid=PP . 13 April 2008. 26 July 2011. 1 June 2021. Election Commission of Pakistan website.