Jhelumਜੇਹਲਮ

Jhelum is a historic city on the western bank of the Jhelum River in northern Punjab, Pakistan, nicknamed the City of Soldiers for the generations of its men who served in the British Indian Army and later the Pakistan Armed Forces. The 2023 census counted 312,426 people in the city, which is the capital of Jhelum District.

Where is Jhelum?

Jhelum stands on the western bank of the Jhelum River in northern Punjab, Pakistan, about 110 kilometres southeast of Islamabad. It is the capital of Jhelum District in Rawalpindi Division, and the National Highway N-5 links it with Lahore, roughly a three-hour drive away. The ancient Grand Trunk Road, in use for centuries, passes straight through the city.

History

Jhelum's name is commonly traced to Jal, meaning pure water, and Ham, meaning snow, a reference to the river that rises in the snow-covered Himalayas. The earliest known settlers of the area included Rajput, Gurjar, Labana and Arain communities. In 326 BC the banks of the river a few miles downstream from the modern city saw the Battle of the Hydaspes, where Alexander the Great faced the local ruler Porus. Alexander founded the city of Bucephala nearby in memory of his horse Bucephalus, which died there.

In the early Muslim era the Gakhars were the dominant power in the region and held their independence for a long period. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni took the area in 997 CE and conquered the Punjab region, including Jhelum, in 1005. The Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire ruled it in turn. After the Mughals declined, the Sikh Empire invaded and occupied the Jhelum district in 1808, taking it from its Gakhar ruler Sultan Muqarrab Khan. In 1849 the whole of the Sikh territories, Jhelum with them, passed to the British Raj.

Under the British, Jhelum became a cantonment town and the headquarters of the civil administration, with its municipality founded in 1867. During the uprising of 1857, thirty-five British soldiers were killed at the Battle of Jhelum, and a lectern inside St John's Church still carries their names. The church itself was built in 1860 and, after decades of disuse, was renovated and reopened in 2007. The railway bridge over the river was built in 1873. During the First World War the Jhelum district stood first among all districts in recruiting for the British war effort. After the partition of 1947, the city's Hindu and Sikh residents migrated to India while Muslim refugees from India settled in the district.

Geography & people

Jhelum lies at about 32.94 degrees north and 73.73 degrees east, on the edge of the Pothohar plateau country. It has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate: summers are extremely hot and humid, with a recorded maximum of 49.2 degrees Celsius, while winters are mild and dry. The city receives around 900 millimetres of rain a year, and in 1992 flood waters almost completely submerged Jhelum and its surroundings.

The 2023 census counted 312,426 people in the city, making Jhelum the 31st largest city of Pakistan. Punjabi is the mother tongue of about 83 percent of the urban population, with Urdu at around 11 percent and Pashto near 4 percent. Jhelum's literacy rate stands at 79 percent, among the highest in Pakistan, and its Human Development Index of 0.770 is reported as the highest in the country after Karachi.

Places of interest

The great sight near the city is Rohtas Fort, the 16th-century garrison fort built by Sher Shah Suri about 18 kilometres northwest of Jhelum, with walls running some 4 kilometres around. In the Salt Range nearby stand the ancient temples of Tilla Jogian, and the district's Salt Range around Pind Dadan Khan holds working salt mines.

Inside Jhelum, St John's Church (1860) remains a landmark beside the river, and the old city keeps its maze of narrow streets and bazaars. The Major Akram Shaheed Memorial Park and library sit near the centre of the city, where a parade is held every year on 6 September, Defence Day. Sports lovers have the Zamir Jaffri Cricket Stadium, upgraded for regional events in 2008, the River-View Golf Club, and Altaf Park beside the stadium.

Day trips from the city include the Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River about 30 kilometres away, completed in 1967 and counted among the largest dams in the world, and the Rasul Barrage about 30 kilometres downstream, whose lake is a popular picnic spot. Lehri Nature Park lies 30 kilometres away on the road toward Islamabad, in the hilly Pothohar region.

Notable people

Jhelum's notable names include Inder Kumar Gujral, the thirteenth Prime Minister of India, and Rabia Qari, recognised as the first female Muslim barrister in South Asia.

Getting there

Jhelum sits on the N-5 National Highway: about ninety minutes from Islamabad and three hours from Lahore. Gujrat, Gujranwala, Chakwal and Mirpur are all within a one to two hour drive. The railway station, built in 1928, stands on the main line of Pakistan Railways and connects the city with the whole country. The nearest international airports are Islamabad International, about 110 kilometres by road, and Sialkot International, about 100 kilometres away. Inside the city, auto-rickshaws, many running on CNG, taxis and small vans cover short routes, and long-distance bus services including Daewoo Express run to destinations across Pakistan.

Today

Jhelum remains a garrison city with a strong cantonment, but its economy reaches well beyond the military. Industries in and around the city include a tobacco factory and wood, marble, glass and flour mills. It is also an education centre: the University of the Punjab runs its Jhelum Campus here, the prestigious Military College Jhelum stands across the river at Sarai Alamgir, and Virtual University campuses serve the city. With its high literacy, strong services and growing industry, Jhelum keeps expanding as one of northern Punjab's important cities.