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{{about||the district|Sialkot District|other uses}}
{{for multi|the district|Sialkot District|other uses}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   =  
| official_name           =  
| name                           = Sialkot
| name                     = Sialkot
| native_name                     = {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|سیالکوٹ}}}}
| native_name             = {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|سیالکوٹ}}}}
| other_name                     =  
| other_name               =  
| nickname                        = ''City of [[Muhammad Iqbal|Iqbal]] [[ &  city of exporters]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/07-Nov-2019/ji-demands-sialkot-wide-holiday-on-allama-iqbal-s-birthday|title=JI demands Sialkot-wide holiday on Allama Iqbal's birthday|date=7 November 2019|access-date=7 January 2022|work=The Nation (newspaper)}}</ref>
| nicknames                = ''City of [[Muhammad Iqbal|Iqbal]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/07-Nov-2019/ji-demands-sialkot-wide-holiday-on-allama-iqbal-s-birthday|title=JI demands Sialkot-wide holiday on Allama Iqbal's birthday|date=7 November 2019|access-date=7 January 2022|work=The Nation (newspaper)}}</ref> <br>
| settlement_type                 = [[City]]
| settlement_type         = [[City]]
| image_skyline                   = {{Photomontage
| image_skyline           = {{Photomontage
|photo1a=Clock_Tower_Sial.png
| photo1a = Clock Tower, Sialkot 21.jpg
|photo3a= Sial.jpg
| photo2a  = Sial.jpg
|size   =240
| photo2b  = Iqbal Manzil the birthplace of Iqbal.JPG
| photo3a = Bab ay Sialkot.jpg
| size     = 240
|border  = 1|position=center}}
|border  = 1|position=center}}
| image_caption                   = '''From top:<br />'''[[Clock Tower, Sialkot|Clock Tower]], [[Sialkot International Airport]]
| image_caption           = '''Clockwise from the top:<br />'''[[Clock Tower, Sialkot|Clock Tower]], [[Iqbal Manzil]], Sialkot Gate, [[Sialkot International Airport]]
| mapsize                         =  
| mapsize                 =  
| map_alt                         =  
| map_alt                 =  
| map_caption                     =  
| map_caption             =  
| coordinates                     = {{Coord|32|29|33|N|74|31|52|E|type:city_region:PK|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates             = {{Coord|32|29|33|N|74|31|52|E|type:city_region:PK|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map                     = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan
| pushpin_map             = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan
| pushpin_label_position         = left
| pushpin_label_position   = left
| pushpin_mapsize                 =  
| pushpin_mapsize         =  
| pushpin_relief                 =  
| pushpin_relief           =  
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location in Pakistan
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in Pakistan
| subdivision_type               = Country
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name               = {{PAK}}
| subdivision_name         = {{PAK}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[Subdivisions of Pakistan|Province]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Subdivisions of Pakistan|Province]]
| subdivision_name1               = {{flagicon|Punjab, Pakistan}}&nbsp;[[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{flagicon|Punjab, Pakistan}}&nbsp;[[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Gujranwala Division|Gujranwala]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Gujranwala Division|Gujranwala]]
| subdivision_type3               = [[Districts of Pakistan|District]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Districts of Pakistan|District]]
| subdivision_name3               = [[Sialkot District|Sialkot]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Sialkot District|Sialkot]]
| image_blank_emblem             = Municipal Corporation Sialkot.jpg
| image_blank_emblem       = Municipal Corporation Sialkot.jpg
| blank_emblem_type               = Municipal Corporation logo
| blank_emblem_type       = Municipal Corporation logo
| blank_emblem_alt               = Municipal Corporation Sialkot
| blank_emblem_alt         = Municipal Corporation Sialkot
| blank_name_sec1                 = Old name
| blank_name_sec1         = Old name
| blank_info_sec1                 = [[Sagala]]<ref>{{cite news|author1=Abdul Majeed Abid|title=Pakistan's Greek connection|url=http://nation.com.pk/columns/28-Dec-2015/pakistan-s-greek-connection|access-date=17 March 2017|work=The Nation|date=28 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Tarn|first1=William Woodthorpe|title=The Greeks in Bactria and India|date=24 June 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108009416|page=171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&q=Sagala+Sialkot&pg=PA171|access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref> or Sakala<ref>{{cite news|author1=Mushtaq Soofi|title=Ravi and Chenab: demons and lovers|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/779563/ravi-and-chenab-demons-and-lovers-2|access-date=17 March 2017|work=DAWN.COM|date=18 January 2013}}</ref>
| blank_info_sec1         = [[Sagala]]<ref>{{cite news|author1=Abdul Majeed Abid|title=Pakistan's Greek connection|url=http://nation.com.pk/columns/28-Dec-2015/pakistan-s-greek-connection|access-date=17 March 2017|work=The Nation|date=28 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Tarn|first1=William Woodthorpe|title=The Greeks in Bactria and India|date=24 June 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108009416|page=171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&q=Sagala+Sialkot&pg=PA171|access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> or Sakala<ref>{{cite news|author1=Mushtaq Soofi|title=Ravi and Chenab: demons and lovers|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/779563/ravi-and-chenab-demons-and-lovers-2|access-date=17 March 2017|work=DAWN.COM|date=18 January 2022}}</ref>
| population_total               = 655,852
| population_total         = 655,852
| population_rank                 = [[List of largest cities in Pakistan|13th, Pakistan]]
| population_rank         = [[List of largest cities in Pakistan|13th, Pakistan]]
| population_blank1_title         = Municipal Corporation
| population_blank1_title = Municipal Corporation
| population_blank1               =  
| population_blank1       =  
| population_blank2_title         = [[Sialkot Cantonment|Cantonment]]
| population_blank2_title = [[Sialkot Cantonment|Cantonment]]
| population_blank2               =  
| population_blank2       =  
| population_as_of               = [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017]]
| population_as_of         = [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017]]
| population_footnotes           =<ref name="census2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/bwpsr/punjab/SIALKOT_BLOCKWISE.pdf|title=POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD DETAIL FROM BLOCK TO DISTRICT LEVEL: PUNJAB (SIALKOT DISTRICT)|date=3 January 2018|access-date=27 April 2018|publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-100T.html|title=Pakistan: Provinces and Major Cities – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref>
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="census2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/bwpsr/punjab/SIALKOT_BLOCKWISE.pdf|title=POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD DETAIL FROM BLOCK TO DISTRICT LEVEL: PUNJAB (SIALKOT DISTRICT)|date=3 January 2018|access-date=27 April 2018|publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-100T.html|title=Pakistan: Provinces and Major Cities – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref>
| total_type                     = City
| total_type               = City
| area_total_km2                 =3016
| area_total_km2           = 3016
| on_m                    = 256
| elevation_m_min         =  
| elevation_m_min                 =  
| elevation_m_max         =  
| elevation_m_max                 =  
| population_demonym       = Sialkoti
| population_demonym             = Sialkoti
| population_density_km2   = auto
| population_density_km2         = auto
| government_type         = Municipal Corporation
| government_type                 = Municipal Corporation
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_title                   = Mayor
| leader_name             = None (Vacant)<ref name="tn">{{cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/31-Dec-2021/administrators-appointments-planned-as-punjab-lg-system-dissolves-today|title=Administrators' appointments planned as Punjab LG system dissolves today|date=31 December 2021|access-date=7 January 2022|work=The Nation (newspaper)}}</ref>
| leader_name                     = None (Vacant)<ref name="tn">{{cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/31-Dec-2021/administrators-appointments-planned-as-punjab-lg-system-dissolves-today|title=Administrators' appointments planned as Punjab LG system dissolves today|date=31 December 2021|access-date=7 January 2022|work=The Nation (newspaper)}}</ref>
| leader_title1           = Deputy Mayor
| leader_title1                   = Deputy Mayor
| leader_name1             = None (Vacant)<ref name="tn"/>
| leader_name1                   = None (Vacant)<ref name="tn"/>
| leader_title2           = District Police Officer
| leader_title2                   = District Police Officer
| leader_name2             = Omar Saeed Malik<ref name="dawn"/>
| leader_name2                   = Omar Saeed Malik<ref name="dawn"/>
| leader_title3           = [[Deputy Commissioner (Pakistan)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| leader_title3                   = [[Deputy Commissioner (Pakistan)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| leader_name3             = Tahir Farooq<ref name="dawn">{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1668047|title=Ill-equipped police fail to manage Sialkot traffic|date=7 January 2022|access-date=7 January 2022|work=Dawn (newspaper)}}</ref>
| leader_name3                   = Tahir Farooq<ref name="dawn">{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1668047|title=Ill-equipped police fail to manage Sialkot traffic|date=7 January 2022|access-date=7 January 2022|work=Dawn (newspaper)}}</ref>
| government_footnotes     = <ref name="mcorp-web">{{cite web|url=http://www.mcsialkot.lgpunjab.org.pk/Administrative-Setup.html|title=MC Sialkot: Administrative Setup|publisher=Local Government Punjab|access-date=27 April 2022}}</ref>
| government_footnotes           =<ref name="mcorp-web">{{cite web|url=http://www.mcsialkot.lgpunjab.org.pk/Administrative-Setup.html|title=MC Sialkot: Administrative Setup|publisher=Local Government Punjab|access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref>
| postal_code_type         = [[Postal codes in Pakistan|Postal code]]
| postal_code_type               = [[Postal codes in Pakistan|Postal code]]
| postal_code             = 51310
| postal_code                     = 51310
| area_code               = 052
| area_code                       = 052
| area_code_type           = [[List of dialing codes of Pakistan|Calling code]]
| area_code_type                 = [[List of dialing codes of Pakistan|Calling code]]
| timezone1               = [[Pakistan Standard Time|PST]]
| timezone1                       = [[Pakistan Standard Time|PST]]
| utc_offset1             = +5
| utc_offset1                     = +5
| website                 = [http://www.mcsialkot.lgpunjab.org.pk/ Municipal Corporation Sialkot]
| website                         = [http://www.mcsialkot.lgpunjab.org.pk/ Municipal Corporation Sialkot]
}}
}}


'''Sialkot''' ([[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and {{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|سيالكوٹ}}}}) is a city in [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], Pakistan. It is the capital city of [[Sialkot District]]. It is Pakistan's [[List of most populous cities in Pakistan|12th most populous city]]<ref name="Population city">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tageo.com/index-e-pk-cities-PK.htm|title=Pakistan City & Town Population List|access-date=29 September 2017|publisher=Tageo.com website}}</ref><ref name="census2017" /> and is located in north-east Punjab—one of Pakistan's most industrialised regions.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Azhar|first1=Annus|last2=Adil|first2=Shahid|title=Effect of Agglomeration on Socio-Economic Outcomes: A District Level Panel study of Punjab|url=http://www.pide.org.pk/psde/pdf/AGM32/papers/Effect%20of%20Agglomeration%20on%20Socio-Economic%20Outcomes.pdf|publisher=Pakistan Institute of Developmental Economics|access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref> Along with the nearby cities of [[Gujranwala]] and [[Gujrat City|Gujrat]], Sialkot forms part of the so-called "Golden Triangle" of industrial cities with export-oriented economies.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5pvAwAAQBAJ&q=sialkot+gujranwala+gujrat+golden+triangle&pg=PA2|title=An assessment of industrial employment skill gaps among university graduates: In the Gujrat-Sialkot-Gujranwala industrial cluster, Pakistan|last1=Mehmood|first1=Mirza, Faisal|last2=Ali|first2=Jaffri, Atif|last3=Saim|first3=Hashmi, Muhammad|date=21 April 2014|publisher=Intl Food Policy Res Inst|pages=2}}</ref> Through exports, Sialkot-based industries are obtaining foreign exchange to more than $2.5&nbsp;billion annually to strengthen the national exchequer.<ref name="news">{{Cite web|title=Sialkot vital economic, industrial hub of country|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/727148-sialkot-vital-economic-industrial-hub-of-country|website=www.thenews.com.pk|date=10 October 2020|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>This city is also known as the City of Iqbal. Sialkot has a GDP(nominal) of $13 Billions. [https://biosidmartin.com/which-is-the-richest-city-in-pakistan-2020/] Which make it 4th largest in Pakistan.
'''Sialkot''' ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|سيالكوٹ}}}}) is a city located in [[Punjab, Pakistan]]. It is the capital of [[Sialkot District]] and the [[List of most populous cities in Pakistan|13th most populous city in Pakistan]].<ref name="Population city">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tageo.com/index-e-pk-cities-PK.htm|title=Pakistan City & Town Population List|access-date=29 September 2017|publisher=Tageo.com website}}</ref><ref name="census2017" /> The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with [[Jammu]] (the winter capital of Indian administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]) in the north east, the districts of [[Narowal District|Narowal]] in the southeast, [[Gujranwala District|Gujranwala]] in the southwest and [[Gujrat District|Gujrat]] in the northwest.  
City of Iqbal Sialkot is located on the river of Chenab river. The boundries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the capital of indian occupoied Jammu state) in north east, district Narowal in south east, district Gujranwala in south west and Gujrat district in north west.


Sialkot is believed to be the site of ancient [[Sagala]], a city razed by [[Alexander the Great]] in 326 BCE, and then made capital of the [[Indo-Greek]] kingdom by [[Menander I]] in the 2nd century BCE—a time during which the city greatly prospered as a major centre for trade and [[Milinda Panha|Buddhist thought]].<ref name="google1">{{cite book|last1=McEvilley|first1=Thomas|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies|date=2012|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|isbn=9781581159332|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&q=sagala+sialkot&pg=PT568|access-date=2 June 2017}}</ref> Sialkot continued to be a major political centre, until it was eclipsed by [[Lahore]] around the turn of the first millennium.<ref name=":7" /> The city rose again in prominence during the British era, and is now one of Pakistan's most important industrial centres. Sialkot has a GDP(nominal) of $13Billion . Which make it 4th largest in Pakistan.
Sialkot is believed to be the successor of ancient [[Sagala]], the capital of the [[Madra Kingdom|Madra kingdom]] razed by [[Alexander the Great]] in 326 BCE, and then made capital of the [[Indo-Greek kingdom]] by [[Menander I]] in the 2nd century BCE—a time during which the city greatly prospered as a major center for trade and [[Milinda Panha|Buddhist thought]].<ref name="google1">{{cite book|last1=McEvilley|first1=Thomas|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies|date=2012|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|isbn=9781581159332|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&q=sagala+sialkot&pg=PT568|access-date=2 June 2022}}</ref> In 6th century, it was again made capital of the [[Taank Kingdom]], which ruled Punjab for the next two centuries. Sialkot continued to be a major political centre until it was eclipsed by [[Lahore]] around the turn of the first millennium.<ref name=":7" /> The city rose again in prominence during the British era and is now one of Pakistan's most important industrial centers. The city is also the birthplace of [[Muhammad Iqbal]], Pakistan's national poet.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bentlage |first1=Björn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtY6DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA267 |title=Religious Dynamics under the Impact of Imperialism and Colonialism: A Sourcebook |last2=Eggert |first2=Marion |last3=Krämer |first3=Hans-Martin |last4=Reichmuth |first4=Stefan |date=2016-10-11 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-32900-3 |pages=267 |language=en}}</ref>


Sialkot is wealthy relative to other cities in South Asia, with an estimated 2021 per capita income of $18,500([[Nominal GDP|nominal]]).<ref name="anwar" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ghani|first1=Faras|title=The Story of Football|url=https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/custom/2014/wcball/index.html|access-date=11 October 2017|publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> The city has been noted by ''[[The Economist]]'' for its entrepreneurial spirit, and productive business climate that have made Sialkot an example of a small Pakistani city that has emerged as a "world-class manufacturing hub."<ref name="economist">{{cite news|title=Pakistan's business climate If you want it done right|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21709344-how-small-pakistani-city-became-world-class-manufacturing-hub-if-you-want-it-done-right|access-date=2 June 2017|agency=The Economist|date=27 October 2017}}</ref> The relatively small city exported approximately $2.5&nbsp;billion worth of goods in 2017, or about 10% of Pakistan's total exports.<ref name="economist" /><ref name="Naz">{{cite document|last1=Naz|first1=Neelum|title=Historical Perspective of Urban Development of Gujranwala|url=https://www.academia.edu/9127199|publisher=Dept. of Architecture, UET, Lahore|access-date=22 December 2017}}</ref> The city produces over half of the world's [[ball (association football)|footballs]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldcrunch.com/culture-society/in-pakistan-the-world-capital-of-soccer-ball-production|title = In Pakistan, the World Capital of Soccer Ball Production|date = 21 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/one-city-in-pakistan-produces-nearly-half-of-the-worlds-soccer-balls/373802/|title = One City in Pakistan Makes Nearly Half of the World's Soccer Balls|website = [[The Atlantic]]|date = 2 July 2014}}</ref> Sialkot is also home to the [[Sialkot International Airport]]; Pakistan's first privately owned public airport.<ref name="economist" /> In Sialkot There are also immigrants(muhajir) there are two towns (Mohallah) Shahabpura and kashimiri mohallah with more immigrants. The most living caste in Shahabpura is Gujjar and Rana Caste and than other Ansari, Mughal, Mehar, Rajput and others.
Sialkot is wealthy relative to other cities in South Asia, with an estimated 2021 per capita income of $18,500([[Nominal GDP|nominal]]).<ref name="anwar" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ghani|first1=Faras|title=The Story of Football|url=https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/custom/2014/wcball/index.html|access-date=11 October 2017|publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> The city has been noted for its entrepreneurial spirit and productive business climate that has made Sialkot an example of a small Pakistani city that has emerged as a "world-class manufacturing hub."<ref name="economist">{{cite news|title=Pakistan's business climate If you want it done right|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21709344-how-small-pakistani-city-became-world-class-manufacturing-hub-if-you-want-it-done-right|access-date=2 June 2017|agency=The Economist|date=27 October 2022}}</ref> The relatively small city exported approximately $2.5&nbsp;billion worth of goods in 2017, or about 10% of Pakistan's total exports.<ref name="economist" /><ref name="Naz">{{cite document|last1=Naz|first1=Neelum|title=Historical Perspective of Urban Development of Gujranwala|url=https://www.academia.edu/9127199|publisher=Dept. of Architecture, UET, Lahore|access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref>  
 
The city has been labelled as the ''Football manufacturing capital of the World'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Football Manufacturing Capital in Pakistan Gets a Green Makeover|url=https://www.adb.org/news/videos/world-s-football-manufacturing-capital-pakistan-gets-green-makeover#:~:text=If%2520you%2520have%2520ever%2520played,World%2520Cup%2520in%2520Doha%252C%2520Qatar.&ved=2ahUKEwja1NLpi9T7AhVxwjgGHQKMARYQFnoECAsQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1cGWtOMkcj9wAvA_Rfhy4r |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> as it produces over 70% of [[Association football|footballs]] manufactured in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.adb.org/news/videos/world-s-football-manufacturing-capital-pakistan-gets-green-makeover&ved=2ahUKEwjosMrditT7AhXv6zgGHfPRD7YQFnoECAsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1cGWtOMkcj9wAvA_Rfhy4r |access-date=2022-11-29 |title=Asian Development Bank}}</ref> Sialkot is also home to the [[Sialkot International Airport]]; Pakistan's first privately owned public airport.<ref name="economist" /> Along with the nearby cities of [[Gujranwala]] and [[Gujrat City|Gujrat]], Sialkot forms part of the so-called "Golden Triangle" of industrial cities with export-oriented economies.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last1=Mehmood |first1=Mirza, Faisal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5pvAwAAQBAJ&q=sialkot+gujranwala+gujrat+golden+triangle&pg=PA2 |title=An assessment of industrial employment skill gaps among university graduates: In the Gujrat-Sialkot-Gujranwala industrial cluster, Pakistan |last2=Ali |first2=Jaffri, Atif |last3=Saim |first3=Hashmi, Muhammad |date=21 April 2014 |publisher=Intl Food Policy Res Inst |pages=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Azhar |first1=Annus |last2=Adil |first2=Shahid |title=Effect of Agglomeration on Socio-Economic Outcomes: A District Level Panel study of Punjab |url=http://www.pide.org.pk/psde/pdf/AGM32/papers/Effect%20of%20Agglomeration%20on%20Socio-Economic%20Outcomes.pdf |access-date=2 June 2017 |publisher=Pakistan Institute of Developmental Economics}}</ref> Through exports, Sialkot-based industries are obtaining foreign exchange to more than $2.5&nbsp;billion annually to strengthen the national exchequer.<ref name="news">{{Cite web |date=10 October 2020 |title=Sialkot vital economic, industrial hub of country |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/727148-sialkot-vital-economic-industrial-hub-of-country |access-date=29 October 2020 |website=www.thenews.com.pk}}</ref> Sialkot has a GDP(nominal) of $13 Billions, which make it 4th largest in Pakistan.[https://biosidmartin.com/which-is-the-richest-city-in-pakistan-2020/]


==History==
==History==
{{Main|History of Sialkot}}
{{Main|History of Sialkot}}
[[File:Iqbal Manzil.jpg|thumb|Iqbal Manzil the residence of Allama Iqbal]]
[[File:Insignia of Sialkot.jpg|thumb|Iqbal Chowk]]
===Ancient===
===Ancient===
====Founding====
====Founding====
{{Main|Sagala}}
{{Main|Sagala}}
Ambiguity regarding Sialkot's ancient history has resulted in the promulgation of various myths and legends to explain the city's origins.<ref name="dhillon">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXtVDgAAQBAJ&q=sialkot+garrison&pg=PT102|title=Janamsakhis: Ageless Stories, Timeless Values|last1=Dhillon|first1=Harish|date=2015|publisher=Hay House, Inc|isbn=9789384544843|access-date=3 June 2017}}</ref>  
Sialkot is likely the capital of the [[Madra Kingdom]] [[Sagala]], Sakala ({{lang-sa|साकला}}), or Sangala ({{lang-grc|Σάγγαλα}}) mentioned in the ''[[Mahabharata]]'', a Sanskrit epic of ancient India, as occupying a similar area as Greek accounts of Sagala.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Horace Hayman |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_w3kWAAAAYAAJ |title=Ariana Antiqua: A Descriptive Account of the Antiquities and Coins of Afghanistan |last2=Masson |first2=Charles |date=1841 |publisher=East India Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_w3kWAAAAYAAJ/page/n228 197] |language=en |quote=sangala rebuilt.}}</ref><ref name="Kumar2000">{{cite book |last1=Kumar |first1=Rakesh |title=Ancient India and World |date=2000 |publisher=Classical Publishing Company |page=68 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="Rapson1960">{{cite book |last1=Rapson |first1=Edward James |title=Ancient India: From the Earliest Times to the First Century A. D. |date=1960 |publisher=Susil Gupta |page=88 |language=English |quote=Sakala, the modern Sialkot in the Lahore Division of the Punjab, was the capital of the Madras who are known in the later Vedic period (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=McEvilley |first1=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&q=sagala+sialkot&pg=PT568 |title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies |date=2012 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |isbn=9781581159332 |accessdate=2 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Getzel M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aabFPHxRPUC&q=sagala+location&pg=PA324 |title=The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India |date=2013-06-02 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520953567 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kim |first1=Hyun Jin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-w0DwAAQBAJ&q=sagala+sialkot+-kenya&pg=PA260 |title=Eurasian Empires in Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Contact and Exchange between the Graeco-Roman World, Inner Asia and China |last2=Vervaet |first2=Frederik Juliaan |last3=Adali |first3=Selim Ferruh |date=2017-10-05 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107190412 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Congress |first=Indian History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzdWAAAAYAAJ&q=sagala+sialkot+-kenya |title=Proceedings, Indian History Congress |date=2007 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="dhillon">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXtVDgAAQBAJ&q=sialkot+garrison&pg=PT102|title=Janamsakhis: Ageless Stories, Timeless Values|last1=Dhillon|first1=Harish|date=2015|publisher=Hay House, Inc|isbn=9789384544843|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> The city may have been inhabited by the ''[[Saka]]'', or [[Scythians]], from [[Central Asia]] who had migrated into the Subcontinent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Society |first=Panjab University Arabic and Persian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_lWAAAAMAAJ&q=saka |title=Journal |date=1964 |language=en}}</ref> The region was noted in the ''Mahabharata'' for the  "loose and Bacchanalian" women who lived in the woods there.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Horace Hayman |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_w3kWAAAAYAAJ |title=Ariana Antiqua: A Descriptive Account of the Antiquities and Coins of Afghanistan |last2=Masson |first2=Charles |date=1841 |publisher=East India Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_w3kWAAAAYAAJ/page/n227 196] |quote=sangala rebuilt.}}</ref> The city was said to have been located in the ''Sakaladvipa'' region between the [[Chenab River|Chenab]] and [[Ravi River|Ravi]] rivers, now known as the [[Rechna Doab|''Rechna'' Doab]]. 


==== Greek ====
==== Greek ====
The first record of Sialkot dates from the invasion of [[Alexander the Great]], who conquered upper Punjab in 326 BCE.<ref name="dhillon" /> The ''[[The Anabasis of Alexander|Anabasis of Alexander]]'', written by the Roman-Greek historian [[Arrian]], recorded that Alexander captured [[Sagala|ancient Sialkot]], recorded as '''Sagala,''' from the ''Cathaeans,'' who had entrenched themselves there.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlcIAAAAQAAJ&q=sangala|title=The Anabasis of Alexander, Or the History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great|last=Arrian|date=1884|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kngnd0GlUc4C&q=sangala+sialkot&pg=PA157|title=Alexander the Great: Lessons from History's Undefeated General|last=Yenne|first=Bill|date=13 April 2010|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=9780230106406}}</ref> The city had been home to 80,000 residents on the eve of Alexander's invasion,<ref name=":2" /> but was razed as a warning against any other nearby cities that might resist his invasion.<ref name=":2" />
The ''[[The Anabasis of Alexander|Anabasis of Alexander]]'', written by the Roman-Greek historian [[Arrian]], recorded that Alexander the Great captured [[Sagala|ancient Sialkot]], recorded as '''Sagala,''' from the ''Cathaeans,'' who had entrenched themselves there.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlcIAAAAQAAJ&q=sangala|title=The Anabasis of Alexander, Or the History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great|last=Arrian|date=1884|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kngnd0GlUc4C&q=sangala+sialkot&pg=PA157|title=Alexander the Great: Lessons from History's Undefeated General|last=Yenne|first=Bill|date=13 April 2010|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=9780230106406}}</ref><ref name="dhillon" /> The city had been home to 80,000 residents on the eve of Alexander's invasion,<ref name=":2" /> but was razed as a warning against any other nearby cities that might resist his invasion.<ref name=":2" />


===Indo-Greek===
==== Indo-Greek ====
The ancient city was rebuilt, and made capital by the [[Indo-Greek]] king [[Menander I]], of the [[Euthydemus I|Euthydemid]] dynasty,<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&q=euthymedia+ptolemy&pg=PA89|title=The Greeks in Bactria and India|last=Tarn|first=William Woodthorpe|date=24 June 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108009416}}</ref> who ruled between 135 and 160 BCE.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} The rebuilt city was shifted slightly from the older city, as rebuilding on exactly the same spot was considered inauspicious.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w3kWAAAAYAAJ&q=sangala+rebuilt&pg=PA197|title=Ariana Antiqua: A Descriptive Account of the Antiquities and Coins of Afghanistan|last1=Wilson|first1=Horace Hayman|last2=Masson|first2=Charles|date=1841|publisher=East India Company}}</ref>
[[File:MenandrosCoin.jpg|thumb|[[Menander I]], founder of the Indo-Greek kingdom, with his capital in Sagala.]]
The ancient city was rebuilt, and made capital by the [[Indo-Greek]] king [[Menander I]] of the [[Euthydemid dynasty]], in the 2nd century BCE.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&q=euthymedia+ptolemy&pg=PA89|title=The Greeks in Bactria and India|last=Tarn|first=William Woodthorpe|date=24 June 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108009416}}</ref> The rebuilt city was shifted slightly from the older city, as rebuilding on exactly the same spot was considered inauspicious.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w3kWAAAAYAAJ&q=sangala+rebuilt&pg=PA197|title=Ariana Antiqua: A Descriptive Account of the Antiquities and Coins of Afghanistan|last1=Wilson|first1=Horace Hayman|last2=Masson|first2=Charles|date=1841|publisher=East India Company}}</ref>


Under Menander's rule, the city greatly prospered as a major trading centre renowned for its silk.<ref name="google1" /><ref name="dhillon" /> Menander embraced Buddhism, in a process recorded in the Buddhist text ''[[Milinda Panha]],'' the text offers an early description of the city's cityscape and status as a prosperous trade centre with numerous green spaces.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g31EAQAAMAAJ&q=he+Questions+of+King+Milinda,+translated+by+T.+W.+Rhys+Davids,+1890|title=The Questions of King Milinda|last=Davids|first=Thomas William Rhys|date=1894|publisher=Clarendon Press}}</ref> Following his conversion, Sialkot developed as a major centre for Buddhist though.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&q=sagala+sialkot&pg=PT568|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies|last=McEvilley|first=Thomas|date=7 February 2012|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.|isbn=9781581159332}}</ref>
Under Menander's rule, the city greatly prospered as a major trading centre renowned for its silk.<ref name="google1" /><ref name="dhillon" /> Menander embraced Buddhism in Sagala, after an extensive debating with the Buddhist monk [[Nagasena]], as recorded in the Buddhist text ''[[Milinda Panha]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McEvilley |first1=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&q=sagala+sialkot&pg=PT568 |title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies |date=2012 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |isbn=9781581159332 |accessdate=2 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pesala (Bhikkhu.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CV77jyBU1WgC&pg=PR19 |title=The Debate of King Milinda: An Abridgement of the Milinda Pañha |date=1991 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=978-81-208-0893-5 |pages=19 |language=en}}</ref> the text offers an early description of the city's cityscape and status as a prosperous trade centre with numerous green spaces.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g31EAQAAMAAJ&q=he+Questions+of+King+Milinda,+translated+by+T.+W.+Rhys+Davids,+1890|title=The Questions of King Milinda|last=Davids|first=Thomas William Rhys|date=1894|publisher=Clarendon Press}}</ref> Following his conversion, Sialkot developed as a major centre for Buddhist though.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&q=sagala+sialkot&pg=PT568|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies|last=McEvilley|first=Thomas|date=7 February 2012|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.|isbn=9781581159332}}</ref>


Ancient Sialkot was recorded by [[Ptolemy]] in his 1st century CE work, [[Geography (Ptolemy)|''Geography,'']]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nB-2AAAAIAAJ&q=euthydemus+sialkot+ptolemy|title=Journal of Indian History|date=1960}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> in which he refers to the city as [[Euthydemia|'''Euthymedia''']] (''Εύθυμέδεια'').<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aabFPHxRPUC&q=euthydemia+beyer&pg=PA324|title=The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India|last=Cohen|first=Getzel M.|date=2 June 2013|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520953567}}</ref>
Ancient Sialkot was recorded by [[Ptolemy]] in his 1st century CE work, [[Geography (Ptolemy)|''Geography,'']]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nB-2AAAAIAAJ&q=euthydemus+sialkot+ptolemy|title=Journal of Indian History|date=1960}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> in which he refers to the city as [[Euthydemia|Euthymedia]] (''Εύθυμέδεια'').<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aabFPHxRPUC&q=euthydemia+beyer&pg=PA324|title=The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India|last=Cohen|first=Getzel M.|date=2 June 2013|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520953567}}</ref>


==== White Huns ====
==== Alchon Huns ====
Around 460 CE, the [[Hephthalite Empire|Hephthalites]], also known as the White Huns, invaded the region from Central Asia,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mi45DwAAQBAJ&q=taxila+huns+sialkot&pg=PA260|title=Eurasian Empires in Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Contact and Exchange between the Graeco-Roman World, Inner Asia and China|last1=Kim|first1=Hyun Jin|last2=Vervaet|first2=Frederik Juliaan|last3=Adalı|first3=Selim Ferruh|date=30 September 2017|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108121316}}</ref> forcing the ruling family of nearby [[Taxila]] to seek refuge in Sialkot.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqWGlV6uRDkC&q=sialkot+huns&pg=PA47|title=History of the Punjabees|last=Nanda|first=J. N.|date=2010|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=9788180696510}}</ref> Sialkot itself was soon captured, and the city was made capital of the Hephthalite Empire around 515,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYelDQAAQBAJ&q=sialkot+toramana&pg=PT177|title=A History of India|last1=Kulke|first1=Hermann|last2=Rothermund|first2=Dietmar|date=27 May 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317242123}}</ref> during the reign of [[Toramana]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lHBEAQAAIAAJ&q=hindu+shahi+sagala|title=Gandhara, the Buddhist heritage of Pakistan: Legends, monasteries, and paradise|last1=Drachenfels|first1=Dorothee von|last2=Luczanits|first2=Christian|last3=Deutschland|first3=Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik|date=2008|publisher=Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ; Mainz : Verlag Philipp von Zabern|isbn=9783805339575}}</ref> During the reign of his son, [[Mihirakula]], the Hephthalite Empire reached its zenith.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FcKtIPVQ6REC&q=mihirakula+sialkot&pg=PA142|title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750|last=Dani|first=Ahmad Hasan|date=1999|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120815407}}</ref> The Hepthalites were defeated in 528 by a coalition of princes led by [[Yashodharman|Prince Yashodharman]]<ref name=":4" />
Around 460 CE, the [[Alchon Huns]] invaded the region from Central Asia,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mi45DwAAQBAJ&q=taxila+huns+sialkot&pg=PA260|title=Eurasian Empires in Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Contact and Exchange between the Graeco-Roman World, Inner Asia and China|last1=Kim|first1=Hyun Jin|last2=Vervaet|first2=Frederik Juliaan|last3=Adalı|first3=Selim Ferruh|date=30 September 2017|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108121316}}</ref> forcing the ruling family of nearby [[Taxila]] to seek refuge in Sialkot.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqWGlV6uRDkC&q=sialkot+huns&pg=PA47|title=History of the Punjabees|last=Nanda|first=J. N.|date=2010|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=9788180696510}}</ref> Sialkot itself was soon captured, and the city was made capital of the Alchon Huns around 515,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYelDQAAQBAJ&q=sialkot+toramana&pg=PT177|title=A History of India|last1=Kulke|first1=Hermann|last2=Rothermund|first2=Dietmar|date=27 May 2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317242123}}</ref> during the reign of [[Toramana]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lHBEAQAAIAAJ&q=hindu+shahi+sagala|title=Gandhara, the Buddhist heritage of Pakistan: Legends, monasteries, and paradise|last1=Drachenfels|first1=Dorothee von|last2=Luczanits|first2=Christian|last3=Deutschland|first3=Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik|date=2008|publisher=Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ; Mainz : Verlag Philipp von Zabern|isbn=9783805339575}}</ref> During the reign of his son, [[Mihirakula]] Gujjar, the empire reached its zenith.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FcKtIPVQ6REC&q=mihirakula+sialkot&pg=PA142|title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750|last=Dani|first=Ahmad Hasan|date=1999|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120815407}}</ref> The Alchon Huns were defeated in 528 by a coalition of princes led by [[Yashodharman|Prince Yashodharman]]<ref name=":4" />


==== Late antiquity ====
==== Late antiquity ====
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===Medieval===
===Medieval===
Around the year 1000, Sialkot began to decline in importance as the nearby city of Lahore rose to prominence.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgbsAAAAMAAJ&q=%22hindu+Shahi%22+sialkot|title=Man & Development|date=2007|publisher=Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development}}</ref> Following to fall of Lahore to the [[Ghaznavid Empire]] in the early 11th century, the capital of the [[Hindu Shahi]] empire was shifted from Lahore to Sialkot.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bosworth|first1=C. Edmund|title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|date=2007|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9047423836|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgawCQAAQBAJ&q=Lahore&pg=PA305|access-date=26 December 2017}}</ref> Ghaznavid expansion in northern Punjab encouraged local [[Khokhar]] tribes to stop paying tribute to the Rajas of Jammu.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75FlxDhZWpwC&q=ghuri+fort+sialkot&pg=PA238|title=Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest : 11Th-13th Centuries|last=Wink|first=André|date=1997|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9004102361}}</ref>
Around the year 1000, Sialkot began to decline in importance as the nearby city of Lahore rose to prominence.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgbsAAAAMAAJ&q=%22hindu+Shahi%22+sialkot|title=Man & Development|date=2007|publisher=Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development}}</ref> Following to fall of Lahore to the [[Ghaznavid Empire]] in the early 11th century, the capital of the [[Hindu Shahi]] empire was shifted from Lahore to Sialkot.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bosworth|first1=C. Edmund|title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|date=2007|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9047423836|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgawCQAAQBAJ&q=Lahore&pg=PA305|access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> Ghaznavid expansion in northern Punjab encouraged local [[Khokhar]] tribes to stop paying tribute to the Rajas of Jammu.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75FlxDhZWpwC&q=ghuri+fort+sialkot&pg=PA238|title=Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest : 11Th-13th Centuries|last=Wink|first=André|date=1997|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9004102361}}</ref>


Sialkot became a part of the medieval [[Sultanate of Delhi]] after [[Muhammad of Ghor|Muhammad Ghauri]] conquered [[Punjab region|Punjab]] in 1185.<ref name=":5" /> Ghauri was unable to conquer the larger city of [[Lahore]], but deemed Sialkot important enough to warrant a garrison.<ref name=mehta>{{cite book|last1=Mehta|first1=Jaswant Lal|title=Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India, Volume 1|date=1980|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=9788120706170|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUk5k5AN54sC&q=Khusrau+Malik+sialkot&pg=PA76|access-date=3 June 2017}}</ref><ref name=dhillon/> He also extensively repaired the [[Sialkot Fort]] around the time of his conquest of Punjab,<ref name=":8" /> and left the region in charge of Hussain Churmali while he returned to [[Ghazni]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bTyRYXtxMSEC&q=+sialkot&pg=PA100|title=The history of Hindustan. Vol. 1|last=Firishtah|first=Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī|date=2003|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120819948}}</ref> Sialkot was then quickly laid siege to by Khokhar tribesmen,<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzZFUcDpDzsC&q=medieval+sialkot&pg=PA90|title=Historical Dictionary of Medieval India|last=Khan|first=Iqtidar Alam|date=25 April 2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810855038}}</ref> and [[Khusrau Malik]],<ref name=mehta/> the last Ghaznavid sultan, though he was defeated during Ghauri's return to Punjab in 1186.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":15" />
Sialkot became a part of the medieval [[Sultanate of Delhi]] after [[Muhammad of Ghor|Muhammad Ghauri]] conquered [[Punjab region|Punjab]] in 1185.<ref name=":5" /> Ghauri was unable to conquer the larger city of [[Lahore]], but deemed Sialkot important enough to warrant a garrison.<ref name=mehta>{{cite book|last1=Mehta|first1=Jaswant Lal|title=Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India, Volume 1|date=1980|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=9788120706170|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUk5k5AN54sC&q=Khusrau+Malik+sialkot&pg=PA76|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref><ref name=dhillon/> He also extensively repaired the [[Sialkot Fort]] around the time of his conquest of Punjab,<ref name=":8" /> and left the region in charge of Hussain Churmali while he returned to [[Ghazni]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bTyRYXtxMSEC&q=+sialkot&pg=PA100|title=The history of Hindustan. Vol. 1|last=Firishtah|first=Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī|date=2003|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120819948}}</ref> Sialkot was then quickly laid siege to by Khokhar tribesmen,<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzZFUcDpDzsC&q=medieval+sialkot&pg=PA90|title=Historical Dictionary of Medieval India|last=Khan|first=Iqtidar Alam|date=25 April 2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810855038}}</ref> and [[Khusrau Malik]],<ref name=mehta/> the last Ghaznavid sultan, though he was defeated during Ghauri's return to Punjab in 1186.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":15" />


In the 1200s, Sialkot was the only area of western Punjab that was ruled by the [[Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)|Mamluk Sultanate]] in Delhi.<ref name=":16">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi3cAAAAMAAJ&q=sialkot+mongols|title=A military history of medieval India|last=Sandhu|first=Gurcharn Singh|date=January 2003|publisher=Vision Books|isbn=9788170945253}}</ref> The area had been captured by the [[Ghurid dynasty|Ghauri]] prince [[Taj al-Din Yildiz|Yildiz]], but was recaptured by Sultan [[Iltutmish]] in 1217.<ref name=":16" /> Around 1223, [[Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu]], the last king of the [[Khwarazmian dynasty]] of Central Asia that had fled invasion of [[Genghis Khan]] there, briefly captured Sialkot and Lahore,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=18EKAQAAIAAJ&q=sialkot|title=History of medieval India (1000–1740 A.D.)|last=Sharma|first=L. P.|date=1987|publisher=Konark Publishers|isbn=9788122000429}}</ref> before being driven out by Iltutmish's forces towards [[Uch Sharif]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgawCQAAQBAJ&q=Lahore&pg=PA305|title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|last=Bosworth|first=C. Edmund|date=26 December 2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789047423836}}</ref> During the 13th century, [[Imam Ali-ul-Haq]], Sialkot's most revered [[Sufism|Sufi]] warrior-saint,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_wbAAAAMAAJ&q=Imam+Ali-ul-Haq+premier+saint|title=Hand Book of Important Places in West Pakistan|last=Hasan|first=Masudul|date=1965|publisher=Pakistan Social Service Foundation}}</ref> arrived from [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]], and began his missionary work in the region that successfully converted large numbers of Hindus to Islam, thereby transforming Sialkot into a largely Muslim city.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSRuAAAAMAAJ&q=Imam+Ali+sialkot+convert|title=Pakistan Pictorial|date=1986|publisher=Pakistan Publications}}</ref> The saint later died in battle, and is revered as a martyr.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlQIAAAAQAAJ&q=sialkot+jehangir&pg=PA129|title=The Arāīs̲h-i-maḥfil: Or, The Ornament of the Assembly|last=Afsos|first=Sher ʻAlī Jaʻfarī|date=1882|publisher=J. W. Thomas, Baptist Mission Press}}</ref>
In the 1200s, Sialkot was the only area of western Punjab that was ruled by the [[Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)|Mamluk Sultanate]] in Delhi.<ref name=":16">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi3cAAAAMAAJ&q=sialkot+mongols|title=A military history of medieval India|last=Sandhu|first=Gurcharn Singh|date=January 2003|publisher=Vision Books|isbn=9788170945253}}</ref> The area had been captured by the [[Ghurid dynasty|Ghauri]] prince [[Taj al-Din Yildiz|Yildiz]], but was recaptured by Sultan [[Iltutmish]] in 1217.<ref name=":16" /> Around 1223, [[Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu]], the last king of the [[Khwarazmian dynasty]] of Central Asia that had fled invasion of [[Genghis Khan]] there, briefly captured Sialkot and Lahore,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=18EKAQAAIAAJ&q=sialkot|title=History of medieval India (1000–1740 A.D.)|last=Sharma|first=L. P.|date=1987|publisher=Konark Publishers|isbn=9788122000429}}</ref> before being driven out by Iltutmish's forces towards [[Uch Sharif]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgawCQAAQBAJ&q=Lahore&pg=PA305|title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|last=Bosworth|first=C. Edmund|date=26 December 2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789047423836}}</ref> During the 13th century, [[Imam Ali-ul-Haq]], Sialkot's most revered [[Sufism|Sufi]] warrior-saint,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_wbAAAAMAAJ&q=Imam+Ali-ul-Haq+premier+saint|title=Hand Book of Important Places in West Pakistan|last=Hasan|first=Masudul|date=1965|publisher=Pakistan Social Service Foundation}}</ref> arrived from [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]], and began his missionary work in the region that successfully converted large numbers of Hindus to Islam, thereby transforming Sialkot into a largely Muslim city.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSRuAAAAMAAJ&q=Imam+Ali+sialkot+convert|title=Pakistan Pictorial|date=1986|publisher=Pakistan Publications}}</ref> The saint later died in battle, and is revered as a martyr.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlQIAAAAQAAJ&q=sialkot+jehangir&pg=PA129|title=The Arāīs̲h-i-maḥfil: Or, The Ornament of the Assembly|last=Afsos|first=Sher ʻAlī Jaʻfarī|date=1882|publisher=J. W. Thomas, Baptist Mission Press}}</ref>
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Sialkot fell to [[Shaikha Khokhar]] around 1414.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4C9EDwAAQBAJ&q=sialkot&pg=PT76|title=Early Nineteenth-Century Panjab|last1=Grewal|first1=J. S.|last2=Banga|first2=Indu|date=22 December 2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781317336945}}</ref> Sialkot's population continued to grow in the 1400s under the rule of Sultan [[Bahlul Lodi]], who had granted custodianship of the city to Jammu's Raja Biram Dev, after he helped Lodhi defeat the Khokhars.<ref name=":13" /> Sialkot was sacked during the Lodhi period by [[Malik Tazi Bhat]] of Kashmir, who attacked Sialkot after the governor of Punjab, Tatar Khan, had left the city undefended during one of his military campaigns.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thSltS4Xg4MC&q=medieval+sialkot&pg=PA211|title=Medieval Kashmir|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri}}</ref>
Sialkot fell to [[Shaikha Khokhar]] around 1414.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4C9EDwAAQBAJ&q=sialkot&pg=PT76|title=Early Nineteenth-Century Panjab|last1=Grewal|first1=J. S.|last2=Banga|first2=Indu|date=22 December 2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781317336945}}</ref> Sialkot's population continued to grow in the 1400s under the rule of Sultan [[Bahlul Lodi]], who had granted custodianship of the city to Jammu's Raja Biram Dev, after he helped Lodhi defeat the Khokhars.<ref name=":13" /> Sialkot was sacked during the Lodhi period by [[Malik Tazi Bhat]] of Kashmir, who attacked Sialkot after the governor of Punjab, Tatar Khan, had left the city undefended during one of his military campaigns.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thSltS4Xg4MC&q=medieval+sialkot&pg=PA211|title=Medieval Kashmir|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri}}</ref>


Sialkot was captured by armies of the Babur in 1520,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxhAtCflwOMC&q=sialkot+1524&pg=PA226|title=A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century|last1=Ahmed|first1=Farooqui Salma|date=2011|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131732021|access-date=3 June 2017}}</ref> when the Mughal commander Usman Ghani Raza advanced towards Delhi during the initial conquest of [[Babur]].  Babur recorded a battle with [[Gujjar]] raiders, who had attacked Sialkot, and allegedly mistreated its inhabitants.<ref>{{quote|29th December: We dismounted at Sialkot. If one enters Hindustan the [[Jat]]s and [[Gujjar]]s always pour down in countless hordes from hill and plain for loot of bullocks and buffalo. These ill-omened peoples are senseless oppressors. Previously, their deeds did not concern us because the territory was an enemy's. But they did the same senseless deeds after we had captured it. When we reached Sialkot, they swooped on the poor and needy folk who were coming out of the town to our camp and stripped them bare. I had the witless brigands apprehended, and ordered a few of them to be cut to pieces.'Babur Nama'' page 250 published by Penguin}}</ref> In 1525–1526, Alam Khan, uncle of Sultan [[Ibrahim Lodi]], invaded from Afghanistan, and was able to capture Sialkot with the aid of Mongol forces.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ip5CAAAAcAAJ&q=Alem+Khan&pg=PA77|title=History of the Afghans|last=al-Harawī|first=Niʻmatallāh|date=1829|publisher=Oriental Translation-Fund}}</ref>
Sialkot was captured by armies of the Babur in 1520,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxhAtCflwOMC&q=sialkot+1524&pg=PA226|title=A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century|last1=Ahmed|first1=Farooqui Salma|date=2011|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131732021|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> when the Mughal commander Usman Ghani Raza advanced towards Delhi during the initial conquest of [[Babur]].  Babur recorded a battle with [[Gujjar]] raiders, who had attacked Sialkot, and allegedly mistreated its inhabitants.<ref>{{quote|29th December: We dismounted at Sialkot. If one enters Hindustan the [[Jat]]s and [[Gujjar]]s always pour down in countless hordes from hill and plain for loot of bullocks and buffalo. These ill-omened peoples are senseless oppressors. Previously, their deeds did not concern us because the territory was an enemy's. But they did the same senseless deeds after we had captured it. When we reached Sialkot, they swooped on the poor and needy folk who were coming out of the town to our camp and stripped them bare. I had the witless brigands apprehended, and ordered a few of them to be cut to pieces.'Babur Nama'' page 250 published by Penguin}}</ref> In 1525–1526, Alam Khan, uncle of Sultan [[Ibrahim Lodi]], invaded from Afghanistan, and was able to capture Sialkot with the aid of Mongol forces.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ip5CAAAAcAAJ&q=Alem+Khan&pg=PA77|title=History of the Afghans|last=al-Harawī|first=Niʻmatallāh|date=1829|publisher=Oriental Translation-Fund}}</ref>


===Pre-modern===
===Pre-modern===
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=== Modern ===
=== Modern ===
====British====
====British====
[[File:Iqbal.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Allama Iqbal]], the philosopher-poet credited inspiring the [[Pakistan Movement]], was born in Sialkot in 1877.]]
[[File:Iqbal.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Muhammad Iqbal]], the philosopher-poet credited inspiring the [[Pakistan Movement]], was born in Sialkot in 1877.]]
Sialkot, along with Punjab as a whole, was captured by the British following their victory over the Sikhs at the [[Battle of Gujrat]] in February 1849. During the British era, an official is known as The Resident who would, in theory, advise the Maharaja of [[Kashmir]] would reside in Sialkot during the wintertime.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ingall|first1=Francis|title=The Last of the Bengal Lancers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gW5-AwAAQBAJ&q=sialkot&pg=PA71|date=1989|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=9781473815872|access-date=11 October 2017}}</ref>
Sialkot, along with Punjab as a whole, was captured by the British following their victory over the Sikhs at the [[Battle of Gujrat]] in February 1849. During the British era, an official is known as The Resident who would, in theory, advise the Maharaja of [[Kashmir]] would reside in Sialkot during the wintertime.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ingall|first1=Francis|title=The Last of the Bengal Lancers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gW5-AwAAQBAJ&q=sialkot&pg=PA71|date=1989|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=9781473815872|access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref>


During the [[Sepoy Mutiny]] of 1857, the two Bengal regiments based in Sialkot rebelled against the [[East India Company]],<ref>{{cite book|first=Kim A.|last=Wagner|page=105|title=The Skull of Alum Beg. The Life and Death of a Rebel of 1857|year=2018|isbn=978-0-19-087023-2}}</ref> while their native servants also took up arms against the British.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kaye|first1=John|title=Kaye's and Malleson's History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-8|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108023245|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TogAVyystu0C&q=sialkot&pg=PA472|access-date=11 October 2017}}</ref> In 1877, the Sialkot poet [[Allama Iqbal]], who is credited for inspiring the [[Pakistan Movement]], was born into a [[Kashmiris|Kashmiri]] family that had converted to [[Islam]] from [[Hinduism]] in the early 1400s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=svYphqj8h7UC&q=iqbal+sialkot+kashmiri+hindu&pg=PA1|title=Iqbal: Makers of Islamic Civilization|last=Mir|first=Mustansir|date=2006|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781845110949}}</ref> British India's first [[Bagpipes|bagpipe]] works opened in Sialkot, and today there are 20 pipe bands in the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/25/pakistan.jamesastill |title=Punjab pays tartan homage to Caledonia &#124; World news &#124; The Observer |newspaper=Guardian |date=25 April 2004 |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref>
During the [[Sepoy Mutiny]] of 1857, the two Bengal regiments based in Sialkot rebelled against the [[East India Company]],<ref>{{cite book|first=Kim A.|last=Wagner|page=105|title=The Skull of Alum Beg. The Life and Death of a Rebel of 1857|year=2018|isbn=978-0-19-087023-2}}</ref> while their native servants also took up arms against the British.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kaye|first1=John|title=Kaye's and Malleson's History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-8|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781108023245|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TogAVyystu0C&q=sialkot&pg=PA472|access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> In 1877, the Sialkot poet [[Allama Iqbal]], who is credited for inspiring the [[Pakistan Movement]], was born into a [[Kashmiris|Kashmiri]] family that had converted to [[Islam]] from [[Hinduism]] in the early 1400s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=svYphqj8h7UC&q=iqbal+sialkot+kashmiri+hindu&pg=PA1|title=Iqbal: Makers of Islamic Civilization|last=Mir|first=Mustansir|date=2006|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781845110949}}</ref> British India's first [[Bagpipes|bagpipe]] works opened in Sialkot, and today there are 20 pipe bands in the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/25/pakistan.jamesastill |title=Punjab pays tartan homage to Caledonia &#124; World news &#124; The Observer |newspaper=Guardian |date=25 April 2004 |access-date=22 November 2022}}</ref>[[File:Iqbal Manzil.jpg|thumb|Iqbal Manzil the residence of Allama Iqbal.]]


Sialkot's modern prosperity began during the colonial era.<ref name="Anwar">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNUaBgAAQBAJ&q=1930s+in+Faisalabad&pg=PT119 | title=Infrastructure Redux: Crisis, Progress in Industrial Pakistan & Beyond | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan | author=Nausheen Anwar | year=2014 | page=119 | location=Pakistan | isbn=978-1-137-44818-7}}</ref> The city had been known for its paper making and ironworks prior to the colonial era,<ref name="Anwar"/> and became a centre of metalwork in the 1890s. Surgical instruments were being manufactured in Sialkot for use throughout [[British India]] by the 1920s. The city also became a centre for sports goods manufacturing for British troops stationed along with the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|North West Frontier]] due to the availability of nearby timber reserves.<ref name="Anwar" />
Sialkot's modern prosperity began during the colonial era.<ref name="Anwar">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNUaBgAAQBAJ&q=1930s+in+Faisalabad&pg=PT119 | title=Infrastructure Redux: Crisis, Progress in Industrial Pakistan & Beyond | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan | author=Nausheen Anwar | year=2014 | page=119 | location=Pakistan | isbn=978-1-137-44818-7}}</ref> The city had been known for its paper making and ironworks prior to the colonial era,<ref name="Anwar" /> and became a centre of metalwork in the 1890s. Surgical instruments were being manufactured in Sialkot for use throughout [[British India]] by the 1920s. The city also became a centre for sports goods manufacturing for British troops stationed along with the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–2010)|North West Frontier]] due to the availability of nearby timber reserves.<ref name="Anwar" />


As a result of the city's prosperity, large numbers of migrants from [[Kashmir]] came to the city in search of employment.<ref name="Anwar" /> At the end of [[World War II]], the city was considered the second most industrialised in Punjab, after Amritsar.<ref name="Anwar"/> Much of the city's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes,<ref name="Anwar"/> and the city was one of the few in British India to have its own electric utility company.<ref name="Anwar" />
As a result of the city's prosperity, large numbers of migrants from [[Jammu region]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)| Jammu and Kashmir]] came to the city in search of employment.<ref name="Anwar" /> At the end of [[World War II]], the city was considered the second most industrialised in Punjab, after Amritsar.<ref name="Anwar"/> Much of the city's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes,<ref name="Anwar"/> and the city was one of the few in British India to have its own electric utility company.<ref name="Anwar" />


====Partition====
====Partition====
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Following the demise of industry in the city, the government of [[West Pakistan]] prioritised the re-establishment of Punjab's decimated industrial base.<ref name="anwar"/> The province lead infrastructure projects in the area, and allotted abandoned properties to newly arrived refugees.<ref name="anwar"/> Local entrepreneurs also rose to fill the vacuum created by the departure of Hindu and Sikh businessmen.<ref name="anwar"/> By the 1960s, the provincial government laid extensive new roadways in the district, and connected it to trunk roads to link the region to the seaport in [[Karachi]].<ref name="anwar"/>
Following the demise of industry in the city, the government of [[West Pakistan]] prioritised the re-establishment of Punjab's decimated industrial base.<ref name="anwar"/> The province lead infrastructure projects in the area, and allotted abandoned properties to newly arrived refugees.<ref name="anwar"/> Local entrepreneurs also rose to fill the vacuum created by the departure of Hindu and Sikh businessmen.<ref name="anwar"/> By the 1960s, the provincial government laid extensive new roadways in the district, and connected it to trunk roads to link the region to the seaport in [[Karachi]].<ref name="anwar"/>


During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]], when Pakistani troops arrived in Kashmir, the Indian Army counterattacked in the Sialkot Sector. The Pakistan Army successfully defended the city and the people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops.<ref name="Book">K Conboy, "Elite Forces of India and Pakistan" {{ISBN|1-85532-209-9}}, page 9</ref> In 1966, [[Government of Pakistan]] awarded a special flag of [[Hilal-e-Istaqlal]] to Sialkot, along with [[Lahore]] and [[Sargodha]] in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]for showing severe resistance in front of enemy as these cities were target of enemy's advances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commemorating Sept 1965: Nation celebrates Defence Day with fervour|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/601035/commemorating-sept-1965-nation-celebrates-defence-day-with-fervour|work=[[The Express Tribune]]|date=7 September 2013}}</ref> Every year on [[Defence Day]], this flag is hoisted in these cities as a symbol of recognition of the will, courage and perseverance of the dwellers of these cities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Defence Day celebrated with renewed pledges|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/56110/defence-day-celebrated-with-renewed-pledges|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=7 September 2002}}</ref> The armoured battles in the Sialkot sector like the [[Battle of Chawinda]] were the most intense since the [[Second World War]].<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060503042035/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Books/Synopsis.html The India-Pakistan Air War of 1965]'', Synopsis. Retrieved 26 May 2008 at the [[Internet Archive]]</ref>
During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]], when Pakistani troops arrived in Kashmir, the Indian Army counterattacked in the Sialkot Sector. The Pakistan Army successfully defended the city and the people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops.<ref name="Book">K Conboy, "Elite Forces of India and Pakistan" {{ISBN|1-85532-209-9}}, page 9</ref> In 1966, [[Government of Pakistan]] awarded a special flag of [[Hilal-e-Istaqlal]] to Sialkot, along with [[Lahore]] and [[Sargodha]] in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]for showing severe resistance in front of enemy as these cities were target of enemy's advances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commemorating Sept 1965: Nation celebrates Defence Day with fervour|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/601035/commemorating-sept-1965-nation-celebrates-defence-day-with-fervour|work=[[The Express Tribune]]|date=7 September 2022}}</ref> Every year on [[Defence Day]], this flag is hoisted in these cities as a symbol of recognition of the will, courage and perseverance of the dwellers of these cities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Defence Day celebrated with renewed pledges|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/56110/defence-day-celebrated-with-renewed-pledges|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|date=7 September 2022}}</ref> The armoured battles in the Sialkot sector like the [[Battle of Chawinda]] were the most intense since the [[Second World War]].<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060503042035/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Books/Synopsis.html The India-Pakistan Air War of 1965]'', Synopsis. Retrieved 26 May 2008 at the [[Internet Archive]]</ref>


==Geography==
==Geography==
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| Dec low C = 5.6
| Dec low C = 5.6
| year low C = 16.0
| year low C = 16.0
| Jan record low C = −1.1
| Jan record low C = −3.0
| Feb record low C = -1.0
| Feb record low C = -1.0
| Mar record low C = 3.0
| Mar record low C = 3.0
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   |title = Sialkot Climate Normals 1971–1990
   |title = Sialkot Climate Normals 1971–1990
   |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
   |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
   |access-date = 16 January 2013}}</ref>
   |access-date = 16 January 2022}}</ref>
| date = November 2011
| date = November 2011
| source =  
| source =  
Line 256: Line 255:


== Economy ==
== Economy ==
Sialkot is a wealthy city relative to the rest of Pakistan, with a GDP (nominal) of $13 Billions and a per capita income in 2021 estimated at $18500.<ref name="anwar">{{cite book|last1=Anwar|first1=Nausheen|title=Infrastructure Redux: Crisis, Progress in Industrial Pakistan & Beyond|date=2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=9781137448170|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNUaBgAAQBAJ&q=sialkot&pg=PT84|access-date=11 October 2017}}</ref> The city was considered to be one of [[British India]]'s most industr[[British India|z]]<nowiki/>alised cities,<ref name="anwar" /> though its economy would later be largely decimated by violence and capital flight following the [[Partition of India|Partition]].<ref name="anwar" /> The city's economy rebounded, and Sialkot now forms part of the relatively industriazised region of northern Punjab that is sometimes referred to as the ''Golden Triangle.''<ref name=":11" />
Sialkot is a wealthy city relative to the rest of Pakistan, with a GDP (nominal) of $13 Billions and a per capita income in 2021 estimated at $18500.<ref name="anwar">{{cite book|last1=Anwar|first1=Nausheen|title=Infrastructure Redux: Crisis, Progress in Industrial Pakistan & Beyond|date=2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=9781137448170|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNUaBgAAQBAJ&q=sialkot&pg=PT84|access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> The city was considered to be one of [[British India]]'s most industralised cities,<ref name="anwar" /> though its economy would later be largely decimated by violence and capital flight following the [[Partition of India|Partition]].<ref name="anwar" /> The city's economy rebounded, and Sialkot now forms part of the relatively industriazised region of northern Punjab that is sometimes referred to as the ''Golden Triangle.''<ref name=":11" />


Sialkot has been noted by Britain's ''[[The Economist]]'' magazine as a "world-class manufacturing hub" with strong export industries.<ref name="economist" /> As of 2017, Sialkot exported US$2.5&nbsp;billion worth of goods which is equal to 10% of Pakistan's total exports (US$25&nbsp;billion).<ref name="economi" /> 250,000 residents are employed in Sialkot's industries,<ref name="anwar" /> with most enterprises in the city being small and funded by family savings.<ref name="Dinh" /> Sialkot's Chamber of Commerce had over 6,500 members in 2010, with most active in the leather, sporting goods, and surgical instruments industry.<ref name="Dinh" /> The [[Sialkot Dry Port]] offers local producers quick access to Pakistani Customs, as well as to logistics and transportation.<ref name="economist" /> [[File:Bab_ay_Sialkot.jpg|thumb|Sialkot Gate]]
Sialkot has been noted by Britain's ''[[The Economist]]'' magazine as a "world-class manufacturing hub" with strong export industries.<ref name="economist" /> As of 2017, Sialkot exported US$2.5&nbsp;billion worth of goods which is equal to 10% of Pakistan's total exports (US$25&nbsp;billion).<ref name="economi" /> 250,000 residents are employed in Sialkot's industries,<ref name="anwar" /> with most enterprises in the city being small and funded by family savings.<ref name="Dinh" /> Sialkot's Chamber of Commerce had over 6,500 members in 2010, with most active in the leather, sporting goods, and surgical instruments industry.<ref name="Dinh" /> The [[Sialkot Dry Port]] offers local producers quick access to Pakistani Customs, as well as to logistics and transportation.<ref name="economist" /> [[File:Bab_ay_Sialkot.jpg|thumb|Sialkot Gate]]


Despite being cut off from its historic economic heartland in [[Kashmir]], Sialkot has managed to position itself into one of Pakistan's most prosperous cities, exporting up to 10% of all Pakistani exports.<ref name=economist/> Its sporting goods firms have been particularly successful, and have produced items for global brands such as [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], [[Adidas]], [[Reebok]], and [[Puma (brand)|Puma]].<ref name="anwar"/> Balls for the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] were made in Sialkot.<ref name=FIFA/>
Despite being cut off from its historic economic heartland in [[Kashmir]], Sialkot has managed to position itself into one of Pakistan's most prosperous cities, exporting up to 10% of all Pakistani exports.<ref name=economist/> Its sporting goods firms have been particularly successful, and have produced items for global brands such as [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], [[Adidas]], [[Reebok]], and [[Puma (brand)|Puma]].<ref name="anwar"/> Balls for the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]], [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] and [[2022 FIFA World Cup]] were made by [[Forward Sports]], a Sialkot-based company.<ref name=FIFA/>


Sialkot's business community has joined with the local government to maintain the city's infrastructure, as the local government has limited capacity to fund such maintenance.<ref name="anwar"/> The business community was instrumental in the establishment of Sialkot's Dry Port in 1985,<ref name="Dinh">{{cite book|last1=Dinh|first1=Hinh|title=Tales from the Development Frontier: How China and Other Countries Harness Light Manufacturing to Create Jobs and Prosperity|date=2011|publisher=World Bank|isbn=9780821399897}}</ref> and further helped re-pave the city's roads.<ref name="economist" /> Sialkot's business community also largely funded the [[Sialkot International Airport]]—opened in 2011 as Pakistan's first privately owned public airport,<ref name=economist/> which now offers direct flights from Sialkot to [[Bahrain]], [[Oman]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]].
Sialkot's business community has joined with the local government to maintain the city's infrastructure, as the local government has limited capacity to fund such maintenance.<ref name="anwar"/> The business community was instrumental in the establishment of Sialkot's Dry Port in 1985,<ref name="Dinh">{{cite book|last1=Dinh|first1=Hinh|title=Tales from the Development Frontier: How China and Other Countries Harness Light Manufacturing to Create Jobs and Prosperity|date=2011|publisher=World Bank|isbn=9780821399897}}</ref> and further helped re-pave the city's roads.<ref name="economist" /> Sialkot's business community also largely funded the [[Sialkot International Airport]]—opened in 2011 as Pakistan's first privately owned public airport.<ref name=economist/>


Sialkot is also the only city in Pakistan to have its very own commercial airline, [[AirSial|Airsial]]. This airline is managed by the business community of Sialkot based at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries. As of now, Airsial operates domestic flights and plan to go international in 2–3 years.
Sialkot is also the only city in Pakistan to have its very own commercial airline, [[AirSial|Airsial]]. This airline is managed by the business community of Sialkot based at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries and offers  direct flights from Sialkot to [[Bahrain]], [[Oman]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rizvi |first=Muzaffar |date=2022-08-22 |title=AirSial gets nod to start international flights |url=https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/airsial-gets-nod-to-start-international-flights |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=Khaleej Times |language=en}}</ref>


=== Industry ===
=== Industry ===
[[File:Ennoble International (Sailkot, Pakistan) - manufactures customized team uniforms.jpg|Ennoble International, Sialkot|thumb|right|200px]]
[[File:Ennoble International (Sailkot, Pakistan) - manufactures customized team uniforms.jpg|Ennoble International, Sialkot|thumb|right|200px]]
Sialkot is the world's largest producer of hand-sewn [[ball (association football)|football]]s, with local factories manufacturing 40–60&nbsp;million footballs a year, amounting to roughly 60% of world production.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Eriksen|first1=Thomas Hylland|title=Globalization: The Key Concepts|date=2007|publisher=Berg|isbn=9781847886101|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=trYXD-uXHsMC&q=sialkot+economy&pg=PT71|access-date=11 October 2017}}</ref> The [[2014 FIFA World Cup]]'s footballs were made by [[Forward Sports]], a company based in Sialkot.<ref name="FIFA">http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-150235-Brazilian-ambassador-unveils-Pak-made-FIFA-soccer-ball {{Bare URL inline|date=June 2022}}</ref> Clustering of sports goods industrial units has allowed for firms in Sialkot to become highly specialised, and to benefit from joint action and external economies.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Jovanović|editor1-first=Miroslav N.|title=Economic integration and spatial location of firms and industries: transnational corporations and search for evidence|date=2007|publisher=Edward Elgar|isbn=9781845425838|page=468|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1fMJAQAAMAAJ&q=sialkot+economy|access-date=11 October 2017}}</ref> There is a well-applied child labour ban, the [[Atlanta Agreement]], in the industry since a 1997 outcry,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,683873,00.html|title=The Football Stitchers of Sialkot|author=Hasnain Kazim|date=16 March 2010|newspaper=Spiegel International|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref> and the local industry now funds the Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labour to regulate factories.<ref name="Dinh" />
Sialkot is the world's largest producer of hand-sewn [[ball (association football)|football]]s, with local factories manufacturing 40–60&nbsp;million footballs a year, amounting to roughly 60% of world production.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Eriksen|first1=Thomas Hylland|title=Globalization: The Key Concepts|date=2007|publisher=Berg|isbn=9781847886101|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=trYXD-uXHsMC&q=sialkot+economy&pg=PT71|access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> Since the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]], footballs for the official matches are being made by [[Forward Sports]], a company based in Sialkot.<ref name="FIFA">http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-150235-Brazilian-ambassador-unveils-Pak-made-FIFA-soccer-ball {{Bare URL inline|date=June 2022}}</ref> Clustering of sports goods industrial units has allowed for firms in Sialkot to become highly specialised, and to benefit from joint action and external economies.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Jovanović|editor1-first=Miroslav N.|title=Economic integration and spatial location of firms and industries: transnational corporations and search for evidence|date=2007|publisher=Edward Elgar|isbn=9781845425838|page=468|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1fMJAQAAMAAJ&q=sialkot+economy|access-date=11 October 2022}}</ref> There is a well-applied child labour ban, the [[Atlanta Agreement]], in the industry since a 1997 outcry,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,683873,00.html|title=The Football Stitchers of Sialkot|author=Hasnain Kazim|date=16 March 2010|newspaper=Spiegel International|access-date=7 November 2022}}</ref> and the local industry now funds the Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labour to regulate factories.<ref name="Dinh" />


Sialkot is also the world's largest centre of surgical instrument manufacturing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fairmedtrade.org.uk|title=BMA – Fair Medical Trade|website=www.fairmedtrade.org.uk|access-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308134934/http://www.fairmedtrade.org.uk/|archive-date=8 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sialkot was first noted to be a centre of metalwork in the 1890s, and the city's association with surgical instruments came from the need to repair, and subsequently manufacture, surgical instruments for the nearby Mission hospital. By the 1920s, surgical instruments were being manufactured for use throughout [[British India]], with demand boosted by further by [[World War II]].<ref name=EP />
Sialkot is also the world's largest centre of surgical instrument manufacturing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fairmedtrade.org.uk|title=BMA – Fair Medical Trade|website=www.fairmedtrade.org.uk|access-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308134934/http://www.fairmedtrade.org.uk/|archive-date=8 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sialkot was first noted to be a centre of metalwork in the 1890s, and the city's association with surgical instruments came from the need to repair, and subsequently manufacture, surgical instruments for the nearby Mission hospital. By the 1920s, surgical instruments were being manufactured for use throughout [[British India]], with demand boosted by further by [[World War II]].<ref name=EP />
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=== Public-Private Partnerships ===
=== Public-Private Partnerships ===
Sialkot has a productive relationship between the civic administration and the city's entrepreneurs,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21709344-how-small-pakistani-city-became-world-class-manufacturing-hub-if-you-want-it-done-right|title=If you want it done right|newspaper=The Economist|date=27 October 2016|access-date=1 February 2018}}</ref> that dates to the colonial era. Sialkot's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes on industry,<ref name="anwar" /> and the city was one of the few in '''British India''' to have its own electric utility company.<ref name="anwar" />
Sialkot has a productive relationship between the civic administration and the city's entrepreneurs,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21709344-how-small-pakistani-city-became-world-class-manufacturing-hub-if-you-want-it-done-right|title=If you want it done right|newspaper=The Economist|date=27 October 2016|access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref> that dates to the colonial era. Sialkot's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes on industry,<ref name="anwar" /> and the city was one of the few in British Raj to have its own electric utility company.<ref name="anwar" />


Modern Sialkot's business community has assumed responsibility for developing infrastructure when the civic administration is unable to deliver requested services.<ref name="economist" /> The city's Chamber of Commerce established the [[Sialkot Dry Port]], the country's first dry-port in 1985 to reduce transit times by offering faster customs services.<ref name="economist" /> Members of the Chamber of Commerce allowed paid fees to help resurface the city's streets.<ref name="economist" /> The [[Sialkot International Airport]] was established by the local businesses community, is the only private airport in Pakistan.<ref name="economi">{{cite news|title=How a small Pakistani city became a world-class manufacturing hub|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21709344-how-small-pakistani-city-became-world-class-manufacturing-hub-if-you-want-it-done-right|access-date=29 October 2016|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=29 October 2016}}</ref> The airport now offers flights throughout Pakistan, and several [[Persian Gulf countries]].
Modern Sialkot's business community has assumed responsibility for developing infrastructure when the civic administration is unable to deliver requested services.<ref name="economist" /> The city's Chamber of Commerce established the [[Sialkot Dry Port]], the country's first dry-port in 1985 to reduce transit times by offering faster customs services.<ref name="economist" /> Members of the Chamber of Commerce allowed paid fees to help resurface the city's streets.<ref name="economist" /> The [[Sialkot International Airport]] was established by the local businesses community, is the only private airport in Pakistan.<ref name="economi">{{cite news|title=How a small Pakistani city became a world-class manufacturing hub|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21709344-how-small-pakistani-city-became-world-class-manufacturing-hub-if-you-want-it-done-right|access-date=29 October 2016|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=29 October 2022}}</ref>


== Transportation ==
== Transportation ==
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=== Highways ===
=== Highways ===
A [[Dual carriageway|dual-carriageway]] connects Sialkot to the nearby city of [[Wazirabad]], with onward connections throughout Pakistan via the [[N-5 National Highway]], while another dual carriageway connects Sialkot to [[Daska]], and onwards to [[Gujranwala]] and [[Lahore]]. Sialkot and Lahore are also connected through the motorway [[M-11 motorway (Pakistan)|M11]].
A [[Dual carriageway|dual-carriageway]] connects Sialkot to the nearby city of [[Wazirabad]], with onward connections throughout Pakistan via the [[N-5 National Highway]], while another dual carriageway connects Sialkot to [[Daska]], and onwards to [[Gujranwala]] and [[Lahore]]. Sialkot and Lahore are also connected through the motorway [[M-11 motorway (Pakistan)|M11]].{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}


=== Rail ===
=== Rail ===
The [[Sialkot Junction railway station]] is the city's main railway station and is serviced by the [[Wazirabad–Narowal Branch Line]] of the [[Pakistan Railways]]. The [[Allama Iqbal Express]] travels daily from Sialkot to [[Karachi]] via [[Lahore]], and then back to Sialkot.
The [[Sialkot Junction railway station]] is the city's main railway station and is serviced by the [[Wazirabad–Narowal Branch Line]] of the [[Pakistan Railways]]. The [[Allama Iqbal Express]] travels daily from Sialkot to [[Karachi]] via [[Lahore]], and then back to Sialkot.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}


=== Air ===
=== Air ===
[[File:Sialkot_Airport.jpg|thumb|Sialkot International Airport]]
[[File:Sialkot_Airport.jpg|thumb|Sialkot International Airport]]


The [[Sialkot International Airport]] is located about 20&nbsp;km from the center of the city near [[Sambrial]]. It was established in 2007 by spending 4&nbsp;billion rupees by Sialkot business community. It is Pakistan's only privately owned public airport,<ref name="economist" /> and offers flights throughout Pakistan, with also direct flights to [[Bahrain]], [[Oman]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Qatar]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], France, the UK and Spain.
The [[Sialkot International Airport]] is located about 20&nbsp;km from the center of the city near [[Sambrial]]. It was established in 2007 by spending 4&nbsp;billion rupees by Sialkot business community. It is Pakistan's only privately owned public airport,<ref name="economist" /> and offers flights throughout Pakistan, with also direct flights to [[Bahrain]], [[Oman]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Qatar]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], France, the UK and Spain.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}


==Notable people==
==Notable people==
{{main|List of people from Sialkot}}
{{main|List of people from Sialkot}}
* [[Abdul Hakim Sialkoti]], Islamic scholar
* [[Abdul Hakim Sialkoti]], Islamic scholar
* [[Allama Muhammad Iqbal]], poet of the east, spiritual founder of Pakistan
* [[Muhammad Iqbal]], poet  
* [[Gulzarilal Nanda]], Indian Prime Minister and politician
* [[Gulzarilal Nanda]], Indian Prime Minister and politician
* [[Muhammad Ibrahim Mir Sialkoti]], Islamic scholar
* [[Muhammad Ibrahim Mir Sialkoti]], Islamic scholar
* [[Faiz Ahmed Faiz]], poet
* [[Faiz Ahmed Faiz]], poet
* [[ Faiz-ul Hassan Shah]],Islamic religious scholar, orator, poet and writer.
* [[Faiz-ul Hassan Shah]], Islamic religious scholar, orator, poet and writer
* [[Akhtar Ali Vario]], Politician
* [[Rajendra Kumar]], actor
* [[Rajendra Kumar]], actor
* [[Usman Dar]], politician
* [[Usman Dar]], politician
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* [[Khawaja Muhammad Asif|Khawaja Asif]], politician
* [[Khawaja Muhammad Asif|Khawaja Asif]], politician
* [[Firdous Ashiq Awan]], politician
* [[Firdous Ashiq Awan]], politician
* [[Armaghan Subhani|Armghan Subhani]],politician
* [[Usman Dar]], politician
* [[Khawaja Muhammad Safdar]], politician


==Awards==
==Awards==
In 1966, the [[Government of Pakistan]] awarded a special flag, the [[Hilal-i-istaqlal]] to Sialkot (also to [[Sargodha]] and [[Lahore, Pakistan|Lahore]]) for showing severe resistance to the enemy during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] as these cities were targets of the Indian aggression.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/601035/commemorating-sept-1965-nation-celebrates-defence-day-with-fervour?amp=1|title=Commemorating Sept 1965: Nation celebrates Defence Day with fervour|date=6 September 2013|website=Express Tribune}}</ref> Every year on [[Defence Day]] (6 September), this flag is hoisted in these cities in recognition of the will, courage and perseverance of their people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/56110/defence-day-celebrated-with-renewed-pledges|title=Defence Day celebrated with renewed pledges|date=7 September 2002|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref>
In 1966, the [[Government of Pakistan]] awarded a special flag, the [[Hilal-i-istaqlal]] to Sialkot (also to [[Sargodha]] and [[Lahore, Pakistan|Lahore]]) for showing severe resistance to the enemy during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] as these cities were targets of the Indian aggression.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/601035/commemorating-sept-1965-nation-celebrates-defence-day-with-fervour?amp=1|title=Commemorating Sept 1965: Nation celebrates Defence Day with fervour|date=6 September 2013|website=Express Tribune}}</ref> Every year on [[Defence Day]] (6 September), this flag is hoisted in these cities in recognition of the will, courage and perseverance of their people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/56110/defence-day-celebrated-with-renewed-pledges|title=Defence Day celebrated with renewed pledges|date=7 September 2002|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref>


==Twin cities==
==Twin towns – sister cities==
 
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Pakistan}}
* {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Bolingbrook, Illinois]], United States
Sialkot is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
* {{Flagicon|Turkey}} [[Kayseri]], Turkey
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Bolingbrook, Illinois]], United States<ref>{{cite web |title=About|url=https://www.bolingbrook.com/sistercities|website=bolingbrook.com|publisher=Village of Bolingbrook|access-date=2022-10-31}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Indonesia}} [[Tangerang]], [[Banten]], [[Indonesia]]


==See also==
==See also==
* Sialkot [[Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry|Chamber]] of Commerce & Industry
* [[Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry]]
*[[List of educational institutions in Sialkot]]
* [[List of educational institutions in Sialkot]]
* [[List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by area]]
* [[List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by area]]
* [[List of twin towns and sister cities in Pakistan]]
* [[Sialkot Stallions]]
* [[Sialkot Stallions]]
* [[Shivala Teja Singh temple]]
* [[Shivala Teja Singh temple]]
{{Portal bar|Geography|Asia|Pakistan|Punjab}}
{{Portal bar|Geography|Asia|Pakistan|Punjab}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Jat princely states]]


==External links==
==External links==
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[[Category:Sialkot| ]]
[[Category:Sialkot| ]]
[[Category:Jat princely states]]
[[Category:Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
[[Category:Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Sialkot District]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Sialkot District]]
[[Category:Cities in Punjab (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Cities in Punjab (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Populated places in Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Populated places in Punjab, Pakistan]]

Revision as of 17:10, 24 December 2022

Sialkot
سیالکوٹ
Clockwise from the top:
Clock Tower, Iqbal Manzil, Sialkot Gate, Sialkot International Airport
Municipal Corporation Sialkot
Nicknames: 
City of Iqbal[1]
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 501: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/Punjab Pakistan" does not exist.
Coordinates: 32°29′33″N 74°31′52″E / 32.49250°N 74.53111°E / 32.49250; 74.53111
Country Pakistan
ProvinceTemplate:Country data Punjab, PakistanTemplate:Preview warning Punjab
DivisionGujranwala
DistrictSialkot
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • MayorNone (Vacant)[2]
 • Deputy MayorNone (Vacant)[2]
 • District Police OfficerOmar Saeed Malik[3]
 • Deputy CommissionerTahir Farooq[3]
Area
 • City3,016 km2 (1,164 sq mi)
Population
 • City655,852
 • Rank13th, Pakistan
 • Density220/km2 (560/sq mi)
DemonymSialkoti
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Postal code
51310
Calling code052
Old nameSagala[7][8] or Sakala[9]
WebsiteMunicipal Corporation Sialkot

Sialkot (Urdu: سيالكوٹ‎) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan.[10][5] The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir) in the north east, the districts of Narowal in the southeast, Gujranwala in the southwest and Gujrat in the northwest.

Sialkot is believed to be the successor of ancient Sagala, the capital of the Madra kingdom razed by Alexander the Great in 326 BCE, and then made capital of the Indo-Greek kingdom by Menander I in the 2nd century BCE—a time during which the city greatly prospered as a major center for trade and Buddhist thought.[11] In 6th century, it was again made capital of the Taank Kingdom, which ruled Punjab for the next two centuries. Sialkot continued to be a major political centre until it was eclipsed by Lahore around the turn of the first millennium.[12] The city rose again in prominence during the British era and is now one of Pakistan's most important industrial centers. The city is also the birthplace of Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistan's national poet.[13]

Sialkot is wealthy relative to other cities in South Asia, with an estimated 2021 per capita income of $18,500(nominal).[14][15] The city has been noted for its entrepreneurial spirit and productive business climate that has made Sialkot an example of a small Pakistani city that has emerged as a "world-class manufacturing hub."[16] The relatively small city exported approximately $2.5 billion worth of goods in 2017, or about 10% of Pakistan's total exports.[16][17]

The city has been labelled as the Football manufacturing capital of the World,[18] as it produces over 70% of footballs manufactured in the world.[19] Sialkot is also home to the Sialkot International Airport; Pakistan's first privately owned public airport.[16] Along with the nearby cities of Gujranwala and Gujrat, Sialkot forms part of the so-called "Golden Triangle" of industrial cities with export-oriented economies.[20][21] Through exports, Sialkot-based industries are obtaining foreign exchange to more than $2.5 billion annually to strengthen the national exchequer.[22] Sialkot has a GDP(nominal) of $13 Billions, which make it 4th largest in Pakistan.[1]

History

Ancient

Founding

Sialkot is likely the capital of the Madra Kingdom Sagala, Sakala (Sanskrit: साकला), or Sangala (Ancient Greek: Σάγγαλα) mentioned in the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic of ancient India, as occupying a similar area as Greek accounts of Sagala.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The city may have been inhabited by the Saka, or Scythians, from Central Asia who had migrated into the Subcontinent.[31] The region was noted in the Mahabharata for the "loose and Bacchanalian" women who lived in the woods there.[32] The city was said to have been located in the Sakaladvipa region between the Chenab and Ravi rivers, now known as the Rechna Doab.

Greek

The Anabasis of Alexander, written by the Roman-Greek historian Arrian, recorded that Alexander the Great captured ancient Sialkot, recorded as Sagala, from the Cathaeans, who had entrenched themselves there.[33][34][30] The city had been home to 80,000 residents on the eve of Alexander's invasion,[34] but was razed as a warning against any other nearby cities that might resist his invasion.[34]

Indo-Greek

Menander I, founder of the Indo-Greek kingdom, with his capital in Sagala.

The ancient city was rebuilt, and made capital by the Indo-Greek king Menander I of the Euthydemid dynasty, in the 2nd century BCE.[35] The rebuilt city was shifted slightly from the older city, as rebuilding on exactly the same spot was considered inauspicious.[36]

Under Menander's rule, the city greatly prospered as a major trading centre renowned for its silk.[11][30] Menander embraced Buddhism in Sagala, after an extensive debating with the Buddhist monk Nagasena, as recorded in the Buddhist text Milinda Panha.[37][38] the text offers an early description of the city's cityscape and status as a prosperous trade centre with numerous green spaces.[39] Following his conversion, Sialkot developed as a major centre for Buddhist though.[40]

Ancient Sialkot was recorded by Ptolemy in his 1st century CE work, Geography,[41][35] in which he refers to the city as Euthymedia (Εύθυμέδεια).[42]

Alchon Huns

Around 460 CE, the Alchon Huns invaded the region from Central Asia,[43] forcing the ruling family of nearby Taxila to seek refuge in Sialkot.[44] Sialkot itself was soon captured, and the city was made capital of the Alchon Huns around 515,[45] during the reign of Toramana.[46] During the reign of his son, Mihirakula Gujjar, the empire reached its zenith.[47] The Alchon Huns were defeated in 528 by a coalition of princes led by Prince Yashodharman[46]

Late antiquity

The city was visited by the Chinese traveller Xuanzang in 633,[48] who recorded the city's name as She-kie-lo.[49] Xuanzang reported that the city had been rebuilt approximately 15 li, or 2.5 miles, away from the city ruined by Alexander the Great.[50] During this time, Sialkot served as the political nucleus of the Punjab region.[51] The city was then invaded in 643 by princes from Jammu, who held the city until the Muslim invasions during the medieval era.[52]

Medieval

Around the year 1000, Sialkot began to decline in importance as the nearby city of Lahore rose to prominence.[12] Following to fall of Lahore to the Ghaznavid Empire in the early 11th century, the capital of the Hindu Shahi empire was shifted from Lahore to Sialkot.[53] Ghaznavid expansion in northern Punjab encouraged local Khokhar tribes to stop paying tribute to the Rajas of Jammu.[54]

Sialkot became a part of the medieval Sultanate of Delhi after Muhammad Ghauri conquered Punjab in 1185.[51] Ghauri was unable to conquer the larger city of Lahore, but deemed Sialkot important enough to warrant a garrison.[55][30] He also extensively repaired the Sialkot Fort around the time of his conquest of Punjab,[54] and left the region in charge of Hussain Churmali while he returned to Ghazni.[56] Sialkot was then quickly laid siege to by Khokhar tribesmen,[57] and Khusrau Malik,[55] the last Ghaznavid sultan, though he was defeated during Ghauri's return to Punjab in 1186.[56][57]

In the 1200s, Sialkot was the only area of western Punjab that was ruled by the Mamluk Sultanate in Delhi.[58] The area had been captured by the Ghauri prince Yildiz, but was recaptured by Sultan Iltutmish in 1217.[58] Around 1223, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the last king of the Khwarazmian dynasty of Central Asia that had fled invasion of Genghis Khan there, briefly captured Sialkot and Lahore,[59] before being driven out by Iltutmish's forces towards Uch Sharif.[60] During the 13th century, Imam Ali-ul-Haq, Sialkot's most revered Sufi warrior-saint,[61] arrived from Arabia, and began his missionary work in the region that successfully converted large numbers of Hindus to Islam, thereby transforming Sialkot into a largely Muslim city.[62] The saint later died in battle, and is revered as a martyr.[63]

Sialkot fell to Shaikha Khokhar around 1414.[64] Sialkot's population continued to grow in the 1400s under the rule of Sultan Bahlul Lodi, who had granted custodianship of the city to Jammu's Raja Biram Dev, after he helped Lodhi defeat the Khokhars.[64] Sialkot was sacked during the Lodhi period by Malik Tazi Bhat of Kashmir, who attacked Sialkot after the governor of Punjab, Tatar Khan, had left the city undefended during one of his military campaigns.[65]

Sialkot was captured by armies of the Babur in 1520,[66] when the Mughal commander Usman Ghani Raza advanced towards Delhi during the initial conquest of Babur. Babur recorded a battle with Gujjar raiders, who had attacked Sialkot, and allegedly mistreated its inhabitants.[67] In 1525–1526, Alam Khan, uncle of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, invaded from Afghanistan, and was able to capture Sialkot with the aid of Mongol forces.[68]

Pre-modern

Mughal

During the early Mughal era, Sialkot was made part of the subah, or "province," of Lahore.[52] According to Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, visited the city,[69] sometime in the early 16th century. He is said to have met Hamza Ghaus, a prominent Sufi mystic based in Sialkot, at a site now commemorated by the city's Gurdwara Beri Sahib.

During the Akbar era, Sialkot's pargana territory was placed in the jagir custodianship of Raja Man Singh, who would repair the city's fort, and sought to increase its population and develop its economy.[70] In 1580 Yousuf Shah Chak of Kashmir sought refuge in the city during his exile from the Valley of Kashmir.[71] Paper-makers from Kashmir migrated to the city during the Akbar period,[72] and Sialkot later became renowned as the source of the prized Mughal Hariri paper – known for its brilliant whiteness and strength.[63] The city's metalworkers also provided the Mughal crown with much of its weaponry.[73]

During the reign of Jahangir, the post was given to Safdar Khan, who rebuilt the city's fort, and oversaw a further increase in Sialkot's prosperity.[63] Numerous fine houses and gardens were built in the city during the Jehangir period.[74] During the Shah Jahan period, the city was placed under the rule of Ali Mardan Khan.[75]

The last Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, appointed Ganga Dhar as faujdar of the city until 1654.[76] Rahmat Khan was then placed in charge of the city, and would build a mosque in the city.[77] Under Aurangzeb's reign, Sialkot became known as a great centre of Islamic thought and scholarship,[78][79] and attracted scholars because of the widespread availability of paper in the city.[80]

Post-Mughal

Following the decline of the Mughal empire after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Sialkot and its outlying districts were left undefended and forced to defend itself. In 1739, the city was captured by Nader Shah of Persia during his invasion of the Mughal Empire.[81] The city was placed under the governorship of Zakariya Khan, the Mughal Viceroy of Lahore, who in return for the city promised to pay tribute to the Persian crown.[81]

In the wake of the Persian invasion, Sialkot fell under the control of Pashtun powerful families from Multan and Afghanistan – the Kakayzais and Sherwanis.[75] Sialkot was crept upon by Ranjit Deo of Jammu, who pledged nominal allegiance to the Mughal crown in Delhi.[75] Ranjit Deo did not conquer Sialkot city from the Pashtun families which held the city, but switched allegiance to the Pashtun ruler Ahmed Shah Durrani in 1748,[75] effectively ending Mughal influence in Sialkot. The city and three nearby districts were amalgamated into the Durrani Empire.[52]

Sikh

Sikh chieftains of the Bhangi Misl state encroached upon Sialkot, and had gained full control of the Sialkot region by 1786,[75][64] Sialkot was portioned into 4 quarters, under the control of Sardar Jiwan Singh, Natha Singh, Sahib Singh, and Mohar Singh, who invited the city's dispersed residents back to the city.[64]

The Bhangi rulers engaged in feuds with the neighbouring Sukerchakia Misl state by 1791,[75] and would eventually lose control of the city. The Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh captured Sialkot from Sardar Jiwan Singh in 1808.[81] Sikh forces then occupied Sialkot until the arrival of the British in 1849.[82]

Modern

British

Muhammad Iqbal, the philosopher-poet credited inspiring the Pakistan Movement, was born in Sialkot in 1877.

Sialkot, along with Punjab as a whole, was captured by the British following their victory over the Sikhs at the Battle of Gujrat in February 1849. During the British era, an official is known as The Resident who would, in theory, advise the Maharaja of Kashmir would reside in Sialkot during the wintertime.[83]

During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the two Bengal regiments based in Sialkot rebelled against the East India Company,[84] while their native servants also took up arms against the British.[85] In 1877, the Sialkot poet Allama Iqbal, who is credited for inspiring the Pakistan Movement, was born into a Kashmiri family that had converted to Islam from Hinduism in the early 1400s.[86] British India's first bagpipe works opened in Sialkot, and today there are 20 pipe bands in the city.[87]

Iqbal Manzil the residence of Allama Iqbal.

Sialkot's modern prosperity began during the colonial era.[88] The city had been known for its paper making and ironworks prior to the colonial era,[88] and became a centre of metalwork in the 1890s. Surgical instruments were being manufactured in Sialkot for use throughout British India by the 1920s. The city also became a centre for sports goods manufacturing for British troops stationed along with the North West Frontier due to the availability of nearby timber reserves.[88]

As a result of the city's prosperity, large numbers of migrants from Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir came to the city in search of employment.[88] At the end of World War II, the city was considered the second most industrialised in Punjab, after Amritsar.[88] Much of the city's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes,[88] and the city was one of the few in British India to have its own electric utility company.[88]

Partition

The first communal riots between Hindus/Sikhs and Muslims took place on 24 June 1946,[89] a day after the resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan as a separate state. Sialkot remained peaceful for several months while communal riots had erupted in Lahore, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Rawalpindi.[89] The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement.

While Muslim refugees had poured into the city escaping riots elsewhere, Sialkot's Hindu and Sikh communities began fleeing in the opposite direction towards India.[89] They initially congregated in fields outside the city, where some of Sialkot's Muslims would bid farewell to departing friends.[89] Hindu and Sikh refugees were unable to exit Pakistan towards Jammu on account of conflict in Kashmir, and were instead required to transit via Lahore.[89]

Post-independence

After independence in 1947 the Hindu and Sikh minorities migrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in Sialkot. The city had suffered significant losses as a result of communal rioting that erupted because of Partition.[14] 80% of Sialkot's industry had been destroyed or abandoned, and the working capital fell by an estimated 90%.[14] The city was further stressed by the arrival of 200,000 migrants, mostly from Jammu,[14] who had arrived in the city.[14]

Following the demise of industry in the city, the government of West Pakistan prioritised the re-establishment of Punjab's decimated industrial base.[14] The province lead infrastructure projects in the area, and allotted abandoned properties to newly arrived refugees.[14] Local entrepreneurs also rose to fill the vacuum created by the departure of Hindu and Sikh businessmen.[14] By the 1960s, the provincial government laid extensive new roadways in the district, and connected it to trunk roads to link the region to the seaport in Karachi.[14]

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, when Pakistani troops arrived in Kashmir, the Indian Army counterattacked in the Sialkot Sector. The Pakistan Army successfully defended the city and the people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops.[90] In 1966, Government of Pakistan awarded a special flag of Hilal-e-Istaqlal to Sialkot, along with Lahore and Sargodha in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]for showing severe resistance in front of enemy as these cities were target of enemy's advances.[91] Every year on Defence Day, this flag is hoisted in these cities as a symbol of recognition of the will, courage and perseverance of the dwellers of these cities.[92] The armoured battles in the Sialkot sector like the Battle of Chawinda were the most intense since the Second World War.[93]

Geography

Climate

Sialkot features a humid subtropical climate (Cwa) under the Köppen climate classification, with four seasons. The post-monsoon season from mid-September to mid-November remains hot during the daytime, but nights are cooler with low humidity. In the winter from mid-November to March, days are mild to warm, with occasionally heavy rainfalls occurring. Temperatures in winter may drop to 0 °C or 32 °F, but maxima are very rarely less than 15 °C or 59 °F.

Climate data for Sialkot, Pakistan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 26.1
(79.0)
30.0
(86.0)
35.0
(95.0)
42.2
(108.0)
47.3
(117.1)
48.9
(120.0)
44.4
(111.9)
41.1
(106.0)
39.0
(102.2)
37.2
(99.0)
33.3
(91.9)
27.2
(81.0)
48.9
(120.0)
Average high °C (°F) 18.5
(65.3)
21.0
(69.8)
25.7
(78.3)
32.8
(91.0)
38.0
(100.4)
39.9
(103.8)
34.9
(94.8)
33.6
(92.5)
33.6
(92.5)
31.7
(89.1)
26.1
(79.0)
20.1
(68.2)
29.7
(85.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 11.6
(52.9)
13.8
(56.8)
18.6
(65.5)
25.0
(77.0)
30.0
(86.0)
32.2
(90.0)
29.8
(85.6)
29.0
(84.2)
27.9
(82.2)
23.7
(74.7)
17.8
(64.0)
12.8
(55.0)
22.6
(72.7)
Average low °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0)
7.1
(44.8)
11.8
(53.2)
17.3
(63.1)
22.0
(71.6)
25.1
(77.2)
25.1
(77.2)
24.8
(76.6)
22.3
(72.1)
16.0
(60.8)
9.6
(49.3)
5.6
(42.1)
16.0
(60.8)
Record low °C (°F) −3
(27)
−1.0
(30.2)
3.0
(37.4)
9.0
(48.2)
13.4
(56.1)
18.0
(64.4)
19.5
(67.1)
18.7
(65.7)
13.3
(55.9)
8.5
(47.3)
3.0
(37.4)
−0.6
(30.9)
−3
(27)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 41.1
(1.62)
43.8
(1.72)
53.7
(2.11)
30.1
(1.19)
28.0
(1.10)
65.6
(2.58)
312.6
(12.31)
277.1
(10.91)
94.1
(3.70)
14.5
(0.57)
9.1
(0.36)
30.4
(1.20)
1,000.1
(39.37)
Source: NOAA (1971–1990)[94]

Cityscape

Sialkot's core is composed of the densely populated old city, while north of the city lies the vast colonial era Sialkot Cantonment – characterised by wide streets and large lawns. The city's industries have evolved in a "ribbon-like" pattern along the cities main arteries,[14] and are almost entirely dedicated to export.[14] The city's sporting good firms are not concentrated in any part of the city, but are instead spread throughout Sialkot.[14] Despite the city's overall prosperity, the local government has failed to meet Sialkot's basic infrastructure needs.[95]

Economy

Sialkot is a wealthy city relative to the rest of Pakistan, with a GDP (nominal) of $13 Billions and a per capita income in 2021 estimated at $18500.[14] The city was considered to be one of British India's most industralised cities,[14] though its economy would later be largely decimated by violence and capital flight following the Partition.[14] The city's economy rebounded, and Sialkot now forms part of the relatively industriazised region of northern Punjab that is sometimes referred to as the Golden Triangle.[20]

Sialkot has been noted by Britain's The Economist magazine as a "world-class manufacturing hub" with strong export industries.[16] As of 2017, Sialkot exported US$2.5 billion worth of goods which is equal to 10% of Pakistan's total exports (US$25 billion).[96] 250,000 residents are employed in Sialkot's industries,[14] with most enterprises in the city being small and funded by family savings.[95] Sialkot's Chamber of Commerce had over 6,500 members in 2010, with most active in the leather, sporting goods, and surgical instruments industry.[95] The Sialkot Dry Port offers local producers quick access to Pakistani Customs, as well as to logistics and transportation.[16]

Sialkot Gate

Despite being cut off from its historic economic heartland in Kashmir, Sialkot has managed to position itself into one of Pakistan's most prosperous cities, exporting up to 10% of all Pakistani exports.[16] Its sporting goods firms have been particularly successful, and have produced items for global brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Puma.[14] Balls for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup were made by Forward Sports, a Sialkot-based company.[97]

Sialkot's business community has joined with the local government to maintain the city's infrastructure, as the local government has limited capacity to fund such maintenance.[14] The business community was instrumental in the establishment of Sialkot's Dry Port in 1985,[95] and further helped re-pave the city's roads.[16] Sialkot's business community also largely funded the Sialkot International Airport—opened in 2011 as Pakistan's first privately owned public airport.[16]

Sialkot is also the only city in Pakistan to have its very own commercial airline, Airsial. This airline is managed by the business community of Sialkot based at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries and offers direct flights from Sialkot to Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.[98]

Industry

Ennoble International, Sialkot

Sialkot is the world's largest producer of hand-sewn footballs, with local factories manufacturing 40–60 million footballs a year, amounting to roughly 60% of world production.[99] Since the 2014 FIFA World Cup, footballs for the official matches are being made by Forward Sports, a company based in Sialkot.[97] Clustering of sports goods industrial units has allowed for firms in Sialkot to become highly specialised, and to benefit from joint action and external economies.[100] There is a well-applied child labour ban, the Atlanta Agreement, in the industry since a 1997 outcry,[101] and the local industry now funds the Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labour to regulate factories.[95]

Sialkot is also the world's largest centre of surgical instrument manufacturing.[102] Sialkot was first noted to be a centre of metalwork in the 1890s, and the city's association with surgical instruments came from the need to repair, and subsequently manufacture, surgical instruments for the nearby Mission hospital. By the 1920s, surgical instruments were being manufactured for use throughout British India, with demand boosted by further by World War II.[103]

The city's surgical instrument manufacturing industry benefits from a clustering effect, in which larger manufacturers remain in close contact with smaller and specialised industries that can efficiently perform contracted work.[103] The industry is made up of a few hundred small and medium size enterprises, supported by thousands of subcontractors, suppliers, and those providing other ancillary services. The bulk of exports are destined for the United States and European Union.[103]

Sialkot first became a centre for sporting goods manufacturing during the colonial era. Enterprises were initially inaugurated for the recreation of British troops stationed along the North West Frontier.[14] Nearby timber reserves served to initially allure the industry to Sialkot.[14] The city's Muslim craftsmen generally manufactured the goods, while Sikh and Hindu merchants of the Sindhi Bania, Arora, and Punjabi Khatri castes acted like middle men to bring goods to market.[14] Sialkot now produces a wide array of sporting goods, including footballs and hockey sticks, cricket gear, gloves that are used in international games comprising the Olympics and World Cups.[22][16]

Sialkot is also noted for its leather goods. Leather for footballs is sourced from nearby farms,[95] while Sialkot's leather workers craft some of Germany's most prized leather lederhosen trousers.[16]

Sialkot also has a large share in the agricultural sector. It predominantly produces Basmati rice varieties, wheat and sugarcane. Its area is 3,015 km2 (1,164 sq mi), at least 642,624 acres (260,061 ha) are under cultivation. Potato and sunflower were evident among the minor crops of the district.[104]

Public-Private Partnerships

Sialkot has a productive relationship between the civic administration and the city's entrepreneurs,[105] that dates to the colonial era. Sialkot's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes on industry,[14] and the city was one of the few in British Raj to have its own electric utility company.[14]

Modern Sialkot's business community has assumed responsibility for developing infrastructure when the civic administration is unable to deliver requested services.[16] The city's Chamber of Commerce established the Sialkot Dry Port, the country's first dry-port in 1985 to reduce transit times by offering faster customs services.[16] Members of the Chamber of Commerce allowed paid fees to help resurface the city's streets.[16] The Sialkot International Airport was established by the local businesses community, is the only private airport in Pakistan.[96]

Transportation

A boulevard in Sialkot

Highways

A dual-carriageway connects Sialkot to the nearby city of Wazirabad, with onward connections throughout Pakistan via the N-5 National Highway, while another dual carriageway connects Sialkot to Daska, and onwards to Gujranwala and Lahore. Sialkot and Lahore are also connected through the motorway M11.[citation needed]

Rail

The Sialkot Junction railway station is the city's main railway station and is serviced by the Wazirabad–Narowal Branch Line of the Pakistan Railways. The Allama Iqbal Express travels daily from Sialkot to Karachi via Lahore, and then back to Sialkot.[citation needed]

Air

Sialkot International Airport

The Sialkot International Airport is located about 20 km from the center of the city near Sambrial. It was established in 2007 by spending 4 billion rupees by Sialkot business community. It is Pakistan's only privately owned public airport,[16] and offers flights throughout Pakistan, with also direct flights to Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, France, the UK and Spain.[citation needed]

Notable people

Awards

In 1966, the Government of Pakistan awarded a special flag, the Hilal-i-istaqlal to Sialkot (also to Sargodha and Lahore) for showing severe resistance to the enemy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as these cities were targets of the Indian aggression.[106] Every year on Defence Day (6 September), this flag is hoisted in these cities in recognition of the will, courage and perseverance of their people.[107]

Twin towns – sister cities

Sialkot is twinned with:

See also

References

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External links

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