Mianwali مِيانوالى | |
|---|---|
 Thal Canal from the main bridge main of Mianwali City. | |
  Mianwali  Mianwali | |
| Coordinates:32°35′7″N71°32′37″E / 32.58528°N 71.54361°E /32.58528; 71.54361 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Punjab |
| Division | Sargodha[1][2] |
| District | Mianwali |
| Government | |
| • MNA(s) |
|
| Elevation | 210 m (690 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 129,500 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Calling code | 0459 |
| mianwali | |
Mianwali[a] is the capital city ofMianwali District inPunjab, Pakistan.[4] Located to the east of theIndus River, the city is irrigated by theThal Canal.[5]
The name Mianwali literally means the "Land of the Mian".[6] According to the local tradition, this name was originally given to a hamlet by aSufiQadiriyya saint Shaikh Mian Ali,[6] who migrated fromBaghdad and settled in the area in the 16th-century.[7][8][9] Gradually the town, originally known as Kachchi, came to be known as Mianwali.[6]
The city of Mianwali was originally founded in the 16th-century by Shaikh Mian Ali, as a small village. The municipality of Mianwali was created in 1875, during theBritish colonial period.[6] The British had made the town of Mianwali astehsil headquarters ofBannu District, then part ofDera Ismail Khan Division ofPunjab province. In 1901 it became headquarters of Mianwali District when it was carved out of Bannu District after the creation ofNorthwest Frontier Province. It had a population of 3,591 according to the 1901census of India, which rose to 31,398 people in 1961.[6]
The city of Mianwali is located in North-west region of thePunjab. The city is located near to theChashma lake to south west andNamal Lake to its north east. The Chasma lake is home to the Chasma Barrage, that houses a 184 MW power station.[10] The Chasma lake also houses one of the two nuclear power facilities in Pakistan – theChashma Nuclear Power Plant. The city has an airport built near the oldWorld War II aerodrome and known asM.M.Alam Base Mianwali. It is one of the major operational and training air bases of the country. The No. 1 Fighter Conversion Unit of thePAF is stationed here.
TheChashma Nuclear Power Plant (orCHASNUPP), is a large commercialnuclear power plant located in the vicinities ofChashma colony in Mianwali DistrictPunjab inPakistan. Officially known asChashma Nuclear Power Complex, the nuclear power plant is generating energy for industrial usage with four nuclear reactors with one being in planning phase in cooperation with theChina. Supported by theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) andDepartment of Energy of theUnited States.
It was established in 2000, the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant became operational, when it joined the nation's grid system withChina National Nuclear Corporation overseeing the grid connections of the power plant. In 2004, the China National Nuclear Corporation was awarded contract for building a second unit based on the first reactor, followed by contracting for two more reactors in 2011.
PAF Base M.M. Alam is aPakistan Air Forceairbase located at Mianwali, in thePunjab province ofPakistan. The base is named afterMuhammad Mahmood Alam. It primarily serves as the Fighter converter base for the Pakistan Air Force.
Originally aWorld War II airstrip, it was decided that Mianwali would be upgraded into a satellite airbase forPAF Base Mushaf (then PAF Base Sargodha) during the1965 Indo-Pak War to act as an alternate recovery airfield. The airbase was again upgraded to a permanent operational airbase in August 1974, although construction of facilities was not completed for another three years.
TheNamal University is aprivate university about 20 min drive from the city of Mianwali. The university is located on 30 km,Talagang Mianwali Road nearNamal Lake. Initially it was established as an affiliate college of theUniversity of Bradford, UK. In 2019, Namal College acquired degree awarding status and thus became Namal University. There are further plans to turn the small campus into an education city. Construction is already underway.[11]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 23,340 | — |
| 1961 | 31,398 | +3.01% |
| 1972 | 48,304 | +3.99% |
| 1981 | 59,159 | +2.28% |
| 1998 | 80,171 | +1.80% |
| 2017 | 118,865 | +2.09% |
| 2023 | 129,500 | +1.44% |
| Sources:[12] | ||
According to the 2023 census, Mianwali city has an urban population of 129,500.[3] The literacy rate of urban population ofMianwali Tehsil in 2023 was 77.9%, considerably less than other urban cities inPunjab.[13]