Gujranwala PK

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According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Gujranwala was founded by Gurjars and renamed Khanpur by the Sansi Jatts of Amritsar who settled there; however, its old name has survived. Many historians also note that the place was named for the Gurjars[8] who ruled the Gurjara-Pratihara.

In 630, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hsuan Tsang visited a town known as Tse-kia (or Taki), near present-day Gujranwala; a mound near the contemporary village of Asarur has been identified as the site of the ancient city. In 997 Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi succeeded his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, as ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty. He conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, followed by the conquest of the Punjab region. The Delhi Sultanate and, later, the Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab became predominantly Muslim, due to missionary Sufits whose dargahs dot the landscape. Gujranwala evolved as a medieval town, and Sufi missionaries converted the local Gurjar population to Islam. Until the arrival of the Muslims little is known about Gujranwala, except that Taki had fallen into oblivion and Lahore was the chief city. Under Muslim rule the district flourished and then declined. The district gazetteer dates the name "Gujranwala" to about the mid-16th century.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikhs occupied Gujranwala and the Muslims were allowed to practice Islam freely under Sikh rule. The Sikhs dominated the Punjab after the death of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707. Gujranwala became important during the rule of the father and grandfather of Ranjit Singh, who were born in the city. Ranjit Singh, also born there, became the most powerful of the Sikh rulers. Hari Singh Nalwa, military commander of the Sikh army, was credited with building the "new" Gujranwala.

The area was conquered by the British Empire in 1848. In 1881, a railway line was built along the Grand Trunk Road to connect Gujranwala with other cities in the Punjab, facilitating trade. The municipality of Gujranwala was created in 1867, and the North-Western Railway connected Gujranwala with other cities in British India, such as Calcutta and Karachi. Gujranwala's population, according to the 1901 Indian census, was 29,224. In 1903 and 1904, income and expenditure were Rs. 83,100 and Rs. 67,900 respectively. The chief source of income was the octroi (Rs. 59,700). The predominantly-Muslim population supported the Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement. After Pakistan attained independence in 1947, Hindus and Sikhs moved to India and Indian Muslims settled in the district. Gujranwala developed rapidly, and is a leading Pakistani industrial and commercial city. Gujranwala District was governed by a deputy commissioner until it became part of the Gujranwala Division. In 1951 the city became the capital of the district, which encouraged industrial growth. Among its deputy commissioners was Mansur Zaimur Rehman, who served from 1959 to 1962 and began a number of development projects (including the cantonment). In 1991, the city hosted its first test match (at Jinnah Stadium) and several One Day International matches. According to City Mayors Statistics: The world's fastest-growing cities and urban areas Gujranwala will rank 27th in the world in average annual growth from 2006 to 2020 (3.49 percent) and first in Pakistan, ahead of Faisalabad (average annual growth 3.32 percent, 33rd in the world).