Sargodha is the sixth-largest city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located along the Kirana Hills in central Punjab, it serves as the headquarters of its eponymous district and division. Sargodha is the 11th-most populous city in Pakistan, being one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. It is also known as the City of Eagles. It is one of the few planned cities of Pakistan (others include Faisalabad, Islamabad and Gwadar).
History Sargodha was established by the British as a canal-colony in 1903 (originally spelled Sargoda) as a tehsil of Shahpur district. Sargodha was badly affected by an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1903, and experienced a milder outbreak in 1904. Although it was a small town in the beginning, the British Royal Air Force built an airport there due to its strategic location. The term "Sargodha" has its origin in the words "Sar" (from "sarowar") meaning "pond" and "Godha" meaning "Sadhu", which means "Pond of Godha". The city was founded by Lady Trooper by the supervision of Sir Charles Montgomery Rivaz KCSI (1845 – 7 October 1926), a colonial administrator in British India and Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab from 1902 to 1907. Being the District Headquarters since 1940, Sargodha was given the status of Divisional Headquarters in 1960.
Geography Location Location and distance of Sargodha with respect to five major cities of Pakistan is as follow: north of Karachi west of Lahore south of Islamabad north-west of Faisalabad south of Rawalpindi
Sargodha is situated in Pakistani province of Punjab. It is located northwest of Lahore, in Sargodha District. It lies about from the M-2 motorway, which connects Lahore and Islamabad. It is connected to the M-2 by several interchanges at different locations. Sargodha is roughly from Faisalabad, due southeast. Directly east connected by the M-2 motorway are Lahore and the route to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Due east is the city of Jhang; toward the west are the city of Mianwali and the Chashma Barrage.
Topography Sargodha mainly comprises flat, fertile plains, although here are a few small hills along the Sargodha-Faisalabad Road. The River Jhelum flows on the western and northern sides, and the River Chenab on the eastern side of the city. The city is located 190 metres above sea level.
Climate The city has a climate of extreme heat in the summers and moderate cold in the winters. The maximum temperature reaches in the summer while the minimum temperature recorded is as low as freezing point in the winter.
Demographics
The total population of the city was 458,440 according to the 1998 census. The majority of the people in the city speak Punjabi with Shahpuri dialect. According to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, the population of city was recorded as 872,557 with a rise of 43.94% from 1998. The population of the metropolitan area (City District) reached 3,903,588, in which around 1 million forms the urban population. The population of Sargodha Division was recorded as 8,181,499 by the 2017 Census of Pakistan.
+ Religious groups in Sargodha City (1911−2023)Religiousgroup191119211931194120172023 Islam 4,064 6,967 9,146 12,060 623,293 1,001,238 Hinduism 3,563 8,189 11,709 17,413 22 163 Sikhism 964 2,168 5,201 5,920 36 Christianity 232 403 704 998 34,053 48,781 Jainism 5 0 1 7 Zoroastrianism 1 0 0 2 Buddhism 0 1 0 Ahmadiyya 817 434 Others 0 0 0 22 23 53 Total population 8,849 17,728 26,761 36,420 658,208 1,050,707
Language
The majority of the population in Sargodha city speaks Punjabi at 79.60%, 18.54% speak Urdu, 1.45% speak Pashto while 0.41% speak other minor languages (mostly Sindhi and Seraiki).
Economy The majority of Sargodha's economy is based on agriculture. Sargodha is considered the best citrus-producing area of Pakistan and therefore is also known as the California of Pakistan. Sargodha is largest kinnow-producing district of the world. It produces oranges that are considered high-quality, and supplies them to the different parts of the country. These oranges are also exported to other countries. Sargodha produces a large amount of wheat, cotton, rice and vegetables that are transported to other parts of country and exported to other countries.
There are also textile mills, rice processing plants and Nestle and Shezan juice factories.
The Sargodha Chamber of Commerce and Industry monitors industrial activity in the city and reports their findings to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry and provincial government. A dry port is also under construction in Sargodha.
There are also several shopping malls and trade centres with both international and national outlets. Some of them include:
Mall of Sargodha Burj Ismail Mall Xin Mall Chenone Tower Burj Huraira Mall Al-Rehman Trade Centre Toheed Mall Modern Shopping Mall (MSM) Shaheen Shopping Mall
The fifteen bazaars (markets) of Sargodha remain major trading zones in the city. Each of the fifteen bazaars has a particular name and is known for selling certain goods. The Model Bazaar contains food court, joyland and shops of grocery and garments. The Urdu Bazaar contains shops of stationery and books. The Kachehry Bazaar contains bakeries, street food restaurants and shops of shoes, garments and general stores. The Amin Bazaar contains shops of fabrics, boutiques, garments and electric appliances. The Muslim Bazaar contains sanitary items and motorcycle repair shops. The Anarkali Bazaar contains shops of household items. The Sarafa Bazaar contains gold and jewellery shops. The Rail Bazaar contains fabric shops. The Liaquat Bazaar provides shops for new bicycles and sports cycles. The Faisal Bazar provides shops for spices, oil, meat and poultry. The Karkhana Bazaar provides shops for crockery and cutlery products. The Bans Bazaar supplies dairy and milk products. The Kabaarhi Bazaar contains shops of brokers. The Fruit Mandi is a fruit market. The Sabzi Mandi is a vegetable, meat, fish and grocery market. The Main Satellite Town Bazar contains hospitals and pharmacies.
Administration Divisional and District Administration
Sargodha is the capital of Sargodha Tehsil. As of October 2012, the division system in Punjab Province has been restored and Sargodha became the divisional headquarters of districts Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali and Bhakkar. Sargodha became the administrative capital of the Sargodha Division, handling over a population of about 8.1 million.
Local Government
The Municipal Committee, Sargodha city was upgraded into Municipal Corporation in 1981 when the population of city was increased over half a million. In December 2019, Sargodha Municipal Corporation was upgraded into Metropolitan Corporation under Punjab Local Government Act, 2019. Metropolitan Corporation Sargodha is currently headed by the Divisional commissioner whereas the seat of mayor is vacant.
Sargodha Development Authority (SDA) was established by the government of Punjab in 2017 which replaced the Sargodha Improvement Trust. SDA is responsible for new planned development in Sargodha. It also regulates and issues permits for new construction and housing projects, private houses, and commercial development.
Sargodha also has a Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) which maintains all the parks and horticulture in the city. Moreover, Sargodha Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and Sargodha Waste Management Company (SWMC) are currently under planning phase.
Safe City Authority Project
In 2017, Sargodha was announced as one of six cities in Punjab whose security would be improved by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. 5.5 billion Rupees were allocated for the project, which was to be modeled along the lines of the Lahore Safe City project in which 8,000 CCTV cameras were installed throughout the city at a cost of 12 billion rupees to record and send images to Integrated Command and Control Centres. In October 2024, the project was finally launched and in the project's first phase, the installation of cameras begin along the main roads of the city.
Health
Hospitals HospitalTypeLocation Combined Military Hospital Army Sargodha Garrison DHQ Teaching Hospital Public Mianwali Road PAF Hospital Air force PAF Base Mushaf Fauji Foundation Hospital Army Satellite Town A-Block Halal-e-Ahmar Hospital Public Satellite Town B-Block University Medical and Research Centre Public University of Sargodha
Education
According to the census of 1998, the literacy rate of Sargodha was 67.8%, while in 2017 the literacy rate was recorded as 80.5%.Sargodha City Profile – The Urban Unit The city is considered the educational hub of Sargodha Division, handling a population of about 8.1 million. Sargodha Division has its own Education Board for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Examinations. There are about four universities and numerous colleges of Medical Sciences, Law, IT, Commerce, Engineering and Intermediate Courses. Quaid-e- Azam Law College is famous for law education.
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education The Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education, Sargodha handles the whole Sargodha Division. It was established in 1968 under the West Pakistan Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (Multan and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Sargodha) Ordinance No. VII of 1968, with the jurisdiction of Sargodha and Rawalpindi Civil Divisions.
Educational institutes
Institute Type Location Established Website University of Sargodha Public University Road 2002 University College of Agriculture Public Sargodha Bypass near Jhal Chakian 2002 University of Lahore, Sargodha Campus Private Lahore Road 2002 University of Central Punjab, Sargodha CampusPrivateLahore Road2002 Sargodha Medical College Public Faisalabad Road 2006 Army Public College Army Mianwali Road 1975 PAF College Air force PAF Base Mushaf 1953 Cornelius Law College Private Fatima Jinnah Road 2015 Quaid-e-Azam Law College Private Lahore Road 1998 Punjab College of Science Private Khayaban-e-Sadiq (Main Campus) 1985 The Superior College Private Satellite Town A-Block 2000 Dar-e-Arqam College Private Satellite Town A-Block 2002 Superior University Lahore Road 2020 Sargodha Institute of Technology University Road 1927 American Lycetuff School Private Queens Road 1996 Root Millennium School Private Queens Road 1988"About Roots Millennium Schools". Retrieved on 26 February 2015. Beaconhouse School System Private University Road 1975 The City School Private Queens Road 1978 Lahore Grammar School Private Mushaf Ali Mir Road 1979 Army Public School Army Mianwali Road 1975 Fauji Foundation School Army Civil Lines 1954 Allied School Private Main Garden Town Road 1985 KIPS Academy Private Satellite Town A-Block 1992
Transportation Road
Roads and flyovers The long University Road runs from 47 Pull to Khayyam Chowk. Other main roads include long Fatima Jinnah Road & City Road, Canal Road, Katchery Road, Stadium Road, Club Road, Jail Road, Queens Road, Mushaf Ali Mir Road, Railway Road, Lahore Road, Faisalabad Road, Eid Gah Road, Mianwali Road, Sillanwali Road, Bhalwal Road, and Shaheenabad Road.
There are 3 flyovers located in the city area to regulate the flow of traffic: Khayyam Chowk's flyover has a length of that leads to Mianwali Road. Fatima Jinnah Road's flyover also has a length of . A long flyover is located on Kachehry Road.
Motorways and highways
Sargodha lies about from the M-2 Motorway, which connects Lahore and Islamabad. The N-60 National Highway runs from Sargodha to Lahore through Pindi Bhattian and Sheikhupura. It is also connected to Faisalabad by a highway.
Buses
General Bus Stand is located on Fatima Jinnah Road that provides bus service from Sargodha to almost every part of the country. Daewoo Bus Service drives regular routes from Sargodha to the rest of the country. Others include Niazi Express, Faisal Movers, Bilal Travels, Islamabad Express and Skyways etc.
Taxi and rickshaws