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Faisalabad (also known as Lyallpur) is the third largest city in Pakistan after Karachi and Lahore. It is the second largest city in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center. . It was one of the first planned cities within British India. Pricewaterhouse Coopers has projected Faisalabad's GDP to be around USD 87 billion by 2025. The city is also referred to as the "Manchester of Pakistan" Faisalabad is a major contributor towards Pakistan's GDP, contributing over 20%. According to the World Bank's Doing Business Report of 2010, Faisalabad was ranked as the best place do to business in Pakistan and the second best location, after Islamabad, to start a business in.

The city is at a road and railway junction, which has played an influential role in the development of the city's trade and economy markets. The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the lower Chenab River, has allowed for the production of cotton, wheat, sugarcane, vegetables and fruits, which form 55% of Pakistan's exports. The city is an industrial centre with major railway repair yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Faisalabad is a major producers of superphosphates, cotton and silk textiles, hosiery, dyes, industrial chemicals, beverages, apparels, pulp and paper, printing, agricultural equipment, and ghee (clarified butter). The city also have a major dry port which has increase the levels of import and exports from the city.

Faisalabad is home to the prestigious University of Agriculture as well as the renowned Ayub Agricultural Research Institute and National Textile University. The Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry is also one of the most influential bodies within Pakistan aiding in the development of the most technilogical advances within the agricultural industry.

A number of famous artists and sportsmen have also hailed from the city. The legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Dildar Hussain and the Fateh Ali Group trace its roots back to the city. Teji Bachchan, mother to Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachan was also born in the city and spent many of her years in Lyallpur. Renowned cricketers Saeed Ajmal and Rameez Raja also reached international stardom starting out their careers in Faisalabad. Rai Bahadur Saudagar Mal Nagpal, owner of one of the largest grain exchange in the city, was made the Crown Representative by the King George V during Delhi Durbar in 1911. Sikh activists Bhagat Singh and Sunder Singh Lyallpuri also spent much of their childhood in Lyallpur.

Etymology
Lyallpur traces its origins back to the reign of the British Empire. The British Empire decided to name the city after, Sir Charles James Lyall, who worked tirelessly to bring the market town it once was to a significant trading and cultural hub within West Punjab. The name was coined by combining the surname of the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, Lyall, with Pur which is derived from old Sanskrit language meaning "city". It was not until the late seventies, the Government of Pakistan decided to change the name of the city from Lyallpur to Faisalabad to pay homage to the late King of Saudi Arabia that had been assassinated in Saudi Arabia.

Early history
From the beginning of the 7th century Rajput kingdoms dominated the eastern divisions of what is now Pakistan and northern India. In 712 A.D. Muhammad Bin Qasim's forces had conquerted the region including Shorkot. In 997 A.D, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty established by his father. In 1005, the Sultan Sebuktegin conquered the Shahis in Kabul and lead conquests into the Punjab region bringing the region into the rule of the Delhi Sultanate.

Mughal and British rule


The region slowly developed and many Muslim Sufi missionaries gained popularity during the reign of the Mughal Empire. The population and cultivation of the land increased. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire invaded and occupied the region from 1765 to 1846. The region was also the site of where two major battles took place between the British Empire and the Sikh armies.

On 22 February 1849, the British declared victory in the Punjab and the region came under  control of the British Empire. In the 1870s, the British Punjab government decided to increase the cultivation of the land by making barrages and canal based irrigation systems for greater agricultural growth. The region grew rapidly as farmers settled on the newly irrigated land. A large number of settlers came from different areas of the Punjab especially from Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Ambala. With the extensively planned distribution of land,the canal irrigated areas of Sandalbar soon became populated. During the 1880, a colonial officer, Captain Poham Young, with the support of Sir James Broadwood Lyall, proposed a new town. The design was based on the Union Jack, with eight roads extending from a a large clock tower at its epicentre. The eight roads developing into eight separate bazaars (markets).

In 1892, the British Empire decided to add Lyallpur to its rail network. In 1895, the rail link between Wazirabad and Lyallpur was completed. In 1896, Lyallpur was given the status of a tehsil of the Jhang District, and its administration was carried in the Theh (mound) of Pucca Mari (present day, Tariqabad). The clock tower was constructed out of the funds raised the biggest landlord, the Mian Family of Abdullahpur, who collected it at a rate of Rs. 18 per square of land. The funds raised were handed over to the Town Committee, which undertook to completion the project. Today, the clock tower still stands and is known as the symbol of Faisalabad. In 1903, an agricultural college was also founded and today is one of the most prestigious universities in Pakistan.

In 1904 the new district of Lyallpur was constituted, composed of the tehsils of Lyallpur, Samundri and Toba Tek Singh, with a subtehsil at Jaranwala which later became a full tehsil. By 1906, the district headquarters began to function in Lyallpur and all the bazaars and settlements within the bounds of a ring road were nearing completion. The city began to spread outside the circular road. The Town Committee was upgraded to a Municipal Committee in 1909 and the Deputy Commissioner was appointed as its first chairman. In 1916, the grain market saw its shops surging with customers. In the same year, the civil hospital was expanded.

Industry came to the town during the 1930's with the Lyallpur Cotton Mills (completed in 1934) being the first major unit followed by three other units during the same decade. Initial industrial mills relating to cotton and basic textiles, were set up which were soon followed up expansion into food processing, grain crushing and small chemical industry had also been established. In 1943, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah came to Lyallpur and addressed a gathering of over 2 million in Dhobi Ghat Grounds. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Faisalabad district. Muslim refugees from East Punjab, Haryana, Jammu started arriving and crossed the border into Pakistan; many were given land in Faisalabad District.

20th century
After independence of Pakistan in 1947, the city enjoyed considerable development due to the influx of Muslim refugees from India and later due to government policies that promoted industrialisation and green revolution technologies. In 1977, the name of the city was changed to "Faisalabad", after the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. In 1985, the city was upgraded as a division with the districts of Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. Today Faisalabad has become a rapidly expanding city characterised with exponential population growth leading it to become the third largest city in Pakistan. The District Government has been working with The Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries to manage the growth and bring economic growth to the region.

Geography
Faisalabad stands in the rolling flat plains of northeast Punjab, between longitude 73°74 East, latitude 30°31.5 North, with an elevation of 184 m above sea level. The proper city covers an area of approximately 1230 km2, while the district covers more than 16000 km2.

There are no natural boundaries between Faisalabad and adjoining districts. The Chenab River flows about 30 km to the north-west while the River Ravi meanders about 40 km south-east of the city. The lower Chenab canal is the main source of irrigation water, which meets the requirements of 80% of cultivated land. The soil of Faisalabad comprises alluvial deposits mixed with loess having calcareous characteristics, making it very fertile.

Climate
Due to its high evapotranspiration, Faisalabad features a hot desert climate (BWh) in Köppen-Geiger classification. The climate of the district can see extremes, with a summer maximum temperature 50 C and a winter temperature of -2 C. The mean maximum and minimum temperature in summer are 39 C and 27 C respectively. In winter it peaks at around 17 C and 6 C respectively. The summer season starts from April and continues until October. May, June and July are the hottest months. The winter season starts from November and continues until March. December, January and February are the coldest months. The average yearly rainfall lies only at about 300 mm and is highly seasonal with approximately half of the yearly rainfall in the two months July and August.

Civic administration
The city of Faisalabad is governed by the City District Government, chaired by the district coordination officer (DCO) Noor ul Amin Mangal. Since 2009 the government of Punjab has revived the colonial system of commissionaires and enacted a commissionaire for Faisalabad. This has reduced the City District Government power, severely hindering the process of transfer of power to grass-root level.

In 2005, Faisalabad was reorganised as a City-District composed of eight autonomous towns:
 * 1) Lyallpur Town
 * 2) Madina Town
 * 3) Jinnah Town
 * 4) Iqbal Town
 * 5) Chak Jhumra Town
 * 6) Jaranwala Town
 * 7) Samundri Town
 * 8) Tandlianwala Town

Economy


A PricewaterhouseCoopers study released in 2009, surveying the 2008 GDP of the top cities in the world, calculated Faisalabad's GDP (PPP) at $14 billion. The city was third behind Karachi ($78 billion) and Lahore ($40 billion). Faisalabad's GDP is projected to rise to $87 billion in 2025 at a growth rate of 5.7%, higher than the growth rates of 5.5% and 5.6% predicted for Karachi and Lahore. According to  the  2010 World  Bank's  Doing  Business  Report, Faisalabad was ranked as the best place do to business in Pakistan and the second  best  location,  after  Islamabad, to start a business in.

Faisalabad is known as the centre textile industry in Pakistan. The textile industry of Faisalabad constitutes more than 65% of the textile export market of Pakistan, which itself forms 58% of total exports from Pakistan. This makes Faisalabad's share of total exports from Pakistan more than 40%. Reports by The Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FCCI) showed that exports of locally manufactured machinery (such as auto looms, towel machinery and wheat threshers) to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and some parts of Africa were particularly high.

Faisalabad also has a large industries in the manufacturing of sugar, fertilizer, chemical, steel, rubber, leather tanning, vegetable ghee, and paints. A detailed breakdown by The Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries revealed that there are 25 ginning units, 73 spinning units, 35 weaving units, 254 processing units, 27 textile made ups, 6 sugar units, 110 foundry units, 53 rice mills, 59 soap industries, 38 flour mills and 25 confectioneries. Faisalabad is also another exporter of traditional arts and crafts. The city is known for its hand woven clothes and wood carving. Other traditional  products  produced  in Faisalabad include handbags, carpets, rugs, and lace.

The Faisalabad Industrial Estate developed by the Punjab Small Industries Corporation covers an area of over 244 acres. A total of 1019 plots were built of which 80% are currently occupied today. Two further industrial estates, VAC and FIC are currently under construction due to be opened soon.

Faisalabad Dry Port started operations on an experimental basis  in 1994, which export and import crossing 33,000 export containers and 5,500 import containers per annum. Cargo is expeditiously cleared by customs at the dry port prior to unloading. An on-line tracking facility has also been provided to customers by installing trackers in  the Dry Port’s registered vehicles. The Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) has established its office at The Dry Port to evaluate the customs duty and automation of import and export data of customs. The port was constructed on Jumhra Road. Export items include cotton yarn, grey fabrics, shoes/leather products, textile made ups, garments and bed sheets whilst import items include mineral fuel oil, RBD palm oil, textile machinery parts, chemicals, auto spare parts, and vehicles.

Within the banking sector, there are 45 commercial banks (including Islamic banks) licensed by  State Bank of Pakistan to operate within the city of Faisalabad. There are also an additional 30 specialised banks (which include Punjab  Provincial  Co-operative Bank, Micro Finance Banks. As agricultural exports are a major exporter the bank systems within the city offer a package known as "Farm credit" to help businesses to generate capital.

As the economy has shown signs of improving within Pakistan due to various micro and macro economic policies, the wealth of the city has also known signs of growth. Development of international brands are also on the rise. In the late nineties, Faisalabad saw the rise of branded outlets and malls springing up. Fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and Subway all have been very successful in the city. With more foreign investment being made in the city, there has been a rise of shopping malls and housing schemes to tailor the growing needs of the population.

Rail
The Faisalabad railway station was built in 1896 during the reign of the British. Today there are connections available to Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan, Quetta, and Peshawar. Pakistan Railways also has a special cargo facility in Faisalabad for shifting of goods from the city to other region of Pakistan. The major import and export through the railway cargo is salt from Khewra  Mines and  final  textile goods from and to Karachi respectively.

Bus
The Faisalabad Urban Transport System Service (FUTS) is the main bus operator within the city. They operate a number of large CNG buses connecting the majority of the city. The Federal and Provincial Government is planning to build a Metrobus service similar to the one in operation in Lahore.

Road
The National Highway Authority has rebuilt and improved the standards of roads to meet international standards and improve logistical networks for freight companies. There is a public bus network Brothers Metro (BM) a consortium between govt of Punjab and Private firm operating aircondition CNG buses. As well as private coaches within the city and many privately operated auto-rickshaws and taxis to get around the city.

There are many highways under the control of the National Highway Authority, linking Faisalabad with other cities of the country. The M3 access-controlled motorway connects Faisalabad with the motorway M2 near Pindi Bhattian which furthermore connects with Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Lahore and Multan. There is an expressway which connects Faisalabad with Lahore, Sheikhupura and Mananwala. The city is connected with Sargodha by a highway known as the Sargodha-Faisalabad road. Furthermore, motorway M4 is also under construction which will connect Faisalabad with Multan. The newly furnished Grand Trunk Road, otherwise known as GT Road, is a popular highway that links most parts of Pakistan as well as neighbouring countries. There are several bus operators that offer quick services to the provincial capital, Lahore, as well as Islamabad, Jhang, Multan, Peshawar, Karachi and several smaller localities.

Air
Faisalabad International Airport is approximately 15 km from the city centre and is a major transit point for exporting goods to other parts of Pakistan and abroad. As of August 2014 passenger flights are run by Pakistan International Airlines, and Shaheen Air. Flights are mostly domestic and some international destinations are available from the airport. Major flying within Pakistan is towards Karachi & Multan, whereas major international destinations are Dubai, Jeddah and Glasgow (suspended). There have been demands to renovate the airport and attract international carriers to the airport but lack of direction has prevented this. In March 2015, Qatar Airways announced direct flights from Doha to Faisalabad. The first international airline to launch operations to the city.

Health care
Health care services are provided to the citizens by both public and private sector hospitals. The government run hospitals are Allied Hospital, DHQ Hospital, PINUM Cancer Hospital, Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology (FIC) and General Hospital Samanabad. There is also a number of private hospitals, clinics and laboratories in the city.

Demographics
The city of Faisalabad carried out a census in March 1981 which showed the population of Faisalabad city as 1,092,000, which indicates that growth rate of Faisalabad city is only 3.37 percent per annum. In April 1981 the survey was carried out again which recorded the population to 1,232,000 which made the growth rate approximately 4.6%. Given this growth rate, the population at the end of 1981 was estimated to be 1,240,000.

The emergence of Faisalabad as a major agriculture and industrial center created a great increase in the city's population. From a population of 69,930 in 1941, it rose to 179,000 in 1951, an increase of 152.2% this was mainly due to the settlement of Muslim refugees from East Punjab and Haryana who came from India and settled in Faisalabad. The population rose to a future figure of 425,248 in 1961, an increase of 137.4%. Faisalabad became a record in the demographic history for Pakistan by registering an overall population increase of 508.1% between 1941 and 1961. This record has never been matched by the largest city of Pakistan.

Religion
The religion of a majority of Faisalabadites is Islam with small minorities of Sikhs, Christians and Ahmadis. Majority of Muslims belong to Sunni Hanafi Barelvi school of thought with a minority of Shiites.

Languages
According to the 1999 census of Pakistan, Punjabi language is spoken by 87% of the population. Faisalabad being the capital of the province of Punjab exhibits a great variety of Punjabi dialects spoken by the people of different district's living in the city.


 * Majhi spoken by the majority
 * Pothohari
 * Dhani
 * Shapuri
 * Jhangochi
 * Jangli/Rachnavi
 * Chenavari
 * Thalochi
 * Hindko
 * Chhachi
 * Jandali
 * Multani/Saraiki
 * Derawali
 * Riasti
 * Ghebi
 * Dogri/Darhab

Other languages include:
 * Urdu being the national language is also spoken and understood by most of the population and primarily used as a second language.
 * English is also understood and spoken by a sizeable segment of the educated population.
 * Minority Languages spoken by people of different parts of Pakistan and Afghan refugees living in Faisalabad (Pahari, Raangri, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Brahui, Kashmiri, Shina, Balti, Khowar/Chitrali, Burushaski and Dari).

Culture
The culture of Faisalabad is quite diverse because it is an industrial city and people from all over Pakistan come to the metropolitan area to work in factories.

The city of Faisalabad has many parks and places of public interests. The Jinnah Gardens, also known as Company Bagh, is situated right in the middle of the city. The Tomb of Sir James Broadwood Lyall is also situated in Jinnah Garden. It's a big park with a jogging track. It has women community club and a library within it.

Along with the canal, on Sumandari Road, there is another big park called Canal Gardens. It is also public maintained park. An artificial lake is made using canal water where pedal boats are available for people visiting the park.

Forest Park, commonly known as Gutwala Park is the biggest park in Faisalabad. This park is maintained by Forest Department. It is situated on Lahore Road little away from city. It has a small Forest in it and a zoo as well. There's a lake in the Park where boating facility is available for public.

Apart from these big public parks, there are privately maintained Fun Land and Sindbad. Both are situated opposite to Iqbal Stadium. Both are amusement parks for families.

Media
The Daily Express, and Daily Dunya  are the national newspaper published from Faisalabad. (The Daily Asas used to publish from Faisalabad; it is now published elsewhere.) It is the product of Express Media Group, largely circulating in the Faisalabad Division. The Daily Express started publishing in Faisalabad on 17 September 2002. There are other popular Urdu Faisalabadi newspapers including Daily Permanent News-Declaration cancelled on 25 April 2014, Daily Shelter, Daily Awam, Daily Aman, Daily Tajarti Rahber, Daily Paygaam, Daily Business Report, Daily Report and the Daily Surrat-E-Haal.

Cinemas have fallen in number in the city since the ban on most Bollywood films. The lack of interest in English and Lollywood-related films has caused many cinema halls to close down and many owners to invest in other forms of entertainment. Punjabi stage dramas are still quite popular among Faisalabadis, and there are still some theatres operating quite successfully. There are many stars in Lollywood that hail from Faisalabad, which draws in the crowds from far and wide. Shows usually take place at night and involve a range of day-to-day topics as well as dances to many types of music from female artists.The DAWN Media Group. State-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) transmits five terrestrial and cable television channels. There also a number of private television channels that have offices in Faisalabad including Express News, Geo TV, Apna Channel and Punjab TV.

Weekly Lyallpur Akhbar is one of the oldest newspapers in district of Faisalabad. As a source of agriculture media this newspaper was established in 1933 and still serving rural and agriculture business communities. Their office is in Killa Gift Fund Trust Building, Inside District Courts of Faisalabad. Bashir Ahmad Mumtaz is publisher and editor of the newspaper.

The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government-owned FM channels being introduced. The FM radio channels that broadcast in the city include the government-owned Radio Pakistan.

Education
In Faisalabad City there are public and private universities like Agriculture university Faisalabad, National Textile University, UET Lahore Faisalabad Campus ,NFC engineering institute, Govt College University etc. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad is the largest university in Asia situated in Faisalabad. The population of Faisalabad has a literacy rate of approximately 60%, with a split of 60% for males and 56% for females (all figures are higher than the national average).

Sport
Cricket, The most popular sport in Pakistan, is the most popular sport in the city. It is played anywhere a city dweller will find a large piece of land. This is known as Bat aur Gendh. It is played in the narrow by-lanes of the city. Night-time cricket can be seen at weekends when people play brightly lit matches on less-traversed city streets, disused construction sites, parks and several grounds in the district. The oldest and only venue for international cricket matches is Iqbal Stadium. The Faisalabad Wolves, Faisalabad's local team, are based at this venue and often regional matches are played throughout the spring season which draws in plenty of crowds such as Faysal Bank T20 Cup. The ground hosted matches for the 1987 Cricket World Cup as well as the 1996 Cricket World Cup.

Other popular sports in the city are hockey, Weightlifting, association football, Kabaddi, table tennis, billiards and snooker, squash, and horse racing. Sports like badminton, volleyball, swimming, Boxing and basketball have started to gain popularity as western influences have affected the locals. Faisalabad has its own team, called the PMC FC who take part in the Pakistan Premier League. The Punjab Medical College and Divisional Public School have their own stadiums built on their campuses to train and host matches for the sport.

The city has facilities for hockey. The Faisalabad Hockey Stadium on Susan Road mostly hosts field hockey matches for most national and some international matches. The stadium has plenty of shops and restaurants which bring a lot of life to the area. A new sports complex is being planned to host athletic and gymnastic matches as well as Olympic training for future Pakistan participation.

PMC Club Athletico Faisalabad is the city's only participant in the Pakistan Premier League. Athletico's city rival Panther FC plays in the 2nd Division of Pakistani Football pyramid.