History Sialkot

1 history

1.1 ancient sagala
1.2 medieval
1.3 mughal
1.4 post-mughal
1.5 british
1.6 modern

history


iqbal manzil residence of allama iqbal


ancient sagala

sialkot traditionally believed have been founded raja shalya, uncle of mama of pandavas, nakul , sehdeva brothers of mahabharata, , rebuilt raja satya vachan.

alexander great conquered upper punjab in 326 bce, , razed ancient sialkot, cathaeans had entrenched themselves. ancient sialkot made capital indo-greek king menander i, of euthydemid dynasty, under reign city prospered major trading centre renowned silk. menander embraced buddhism, in process recorded in buddhist text milinda panha.

medieval

sialkot became part of medieval sultanate of delhi after muhammad ghauri conquered punjab in 1185. ghauri unable conquer larger city of lahore, deemed sialkot important enough warrant garrison. sialkot laid siege khusrau malik, tried unsuccessfully capture city.

mughal

sialkot captured armies of mughal empire in 1520, when mughal commander usman ghani raza advanced towards delhi during initial conquest of babur. babur recorded battle gujjar raiders, had attacked sialkot, , allegedly mistreated inhabitants.

post-mughal

following collapse of mughal empire in 18th century, sialkot , outlying districts undefended , forced defend itself. sialkot city appropriated powerful families of pashtuns multan , afghanistan: kakayzais , sherwanis. in 1748 city , 3 nearby districts, sambrial, pasrur , daska, given pashtun ruler ahmed shah durrani, , later amalgamated afghan empire. after 1751 ahmed shah durrani left son taimur rule lahore , surrounding districts. during time raja ranjit deo of jammu expanded dominion on peripheral areas, did not capture sialkot.

the sikh empire of maharaja ranjit singh occupied sialkot 40 years.

british

sialkot, along punjab whole, captured british following victory on sikhs @ battle of gujrat in february 1849. during british era, official known resident in theory advise maharaja of kashmir reside in sialkot during wintertime. during sepoy mutiny of 1857, regiments based in sialkot rebelled against british colonialists, while native servants took arms against british.

in 1873, poet allama iqbal born in sialkot during colonial era. british india s first bagpipe works opened in sialkot, , today there 20 pipe bands in city.

sialkot s prosperity began during colonial era. city had been known paper making , ironworking prior colonial era. sialkot first noted centre of metalwork in 1890s, , city s association surgical instruments came need repair, , subsequently manufacture, surgical instruments nearby mission hospital. 1920s, surgical instruments being manufactured use throughout british india. city s industry further boosted demand instruments during world war two, technology imported britain.

the city became centre sporting goods manufacturing british troops stationed along northwest frontier due availability of nearby timber. muslim craftsmen manufactured goods, while sikh , hindu merchants of sindhi bania, arora, , punjabi khatri castes acted middle men bring goods market. during late british period, hindu businessman h.s. uberoi controlled of city s sporting goods trade.

as result of city s prosperity, migrants kashmir came city in search of employment. @ end of world war 2, city considered second industrialized in punjab, after amritsar. of city s infrastructure paid local taxes, , city 1 of few in british india have own electric utility company.

the first communal riots between hindus , muslims took place on 24 june 1946, day after resolution calling establishment of pakistan separate state. sialkot remained peaceful several months while communal riots had erupted in lahore, amritsar, ludhiana, , rawalpindi. predominantly muslim population supported muslim league , pakistan movement. while muslim refugees had poured city escaping riots elsewhere, sialkot s hindu , sikh communities began fleeing in opposite direction towards india. congregated in fields outside city, of sialkot s muslims bid farewell departing friends. hindu , sikh refugees unable exit pakistan towards jammu on account of conflict in kashmir, , instead required transit via lahore.

modern

after independence in 1947 hindu , sikh minorities migrated india, while muslim refugees india settled in sialkot. city had suffered significant losses result of communal rioting erupted because of partition. 80% of sialkot s industry had been destroyed or abandoned, , working capital fell estimated 90%. city further stressed arrival of 200,000 migrants, jammu, had arrived in city.

following demise of industry in city, government of west pakistan prioritized re-establishment of punjab s decimated industrial base. province lead infrastructure projects in area, , allotted abandoned properties newly arrived refugees. local entrepreneurs rose fill vacuum created departure of hindu , sikh businessmen. 1960s, provincial government laid extensive new roadways in district, , connected trunk roads link region seaport in karachi.

during indo-pakistani war of 1965, when pakistani troops arrived in kashmir, indian army counterattacked in sialkot sector. pakistan army defended city , people of sialkot came out in full force support troops. in 1966 government of pakistan awarded hilal-i-istaqlal citizens of sialkot, lahore , sargodha courage , bravery. armoured battles in sialkot sector battle of chawinda intense since second world war.

despite being cut off historic economic heartland in kashmir, sialkot has managed position 1 of pakistan s prosperous cities, exporting 10% of pakistani exports. sporting goods firms have been particularly successful, , have produced items global brands such nike, adidas, reebok, , puma. balls 2014 fifa world cup made in sialkot.

sialkot s business community has joined local government maintain city s infrastructure, local government has limited capacity fund such maintenance. business community instrumental in establishment of sialkot s dry port in 1985, allowing customs services performed in sialkot overcome logistics restraints. business community largely funded sialkot international airport – opened in 2011 pakistan s first privately owned public airport, offers direct flights sialkot bahrain, oman, qatar, saudi arabia, , united arab emirates.