Gojra

{{Short description|City in Punjab, Pakistan}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=May 2023}} {{for-multi|the city in Mandi Bahauddin|Gojra, Mandi Bahauddin|the fort in Tamil Nadu, India|Sajra and Gojra Forts}} {{other uses|Gojira (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox settlement   | name = Gojra | official_name = | native_name = {{Nastaliq|گوجرہ}} | other_name = | settlement_type = City | image_skyline = Tanki Gojra.JPG | image_caption = Old water tank in Gojra | pushpin_map = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Punjab##Location within Pakistan | coordinates = {{coord|31|9|N|72|41|E|display=inline}} | coor_pinpoint = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Pakistan | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Punjab | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Toba Tek Singh District | established_title = Established | established_date = 1896 | seat_type = | seat = | parts_type = No of Towns | parts_style =  | parts = 21+  | p1 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = {{nowrap|Union Councils}} | leader_name = 24 | leader_title1 =  | leader_name1 = | unit_pref = Imperial | area_footnotes = | area_magnitude = | area_metro_km2 = 1.619 | area_land_km2 =  | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent =  | elevation_footnotes =  | elevation_m = 465 | elevation_ft = 1526 | elevation_min_m = | elevation_min_ft =  | population_total = 214000 | population_as_of = WorldoMeters | population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan Population (2023) – Worldometer |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/pakistan-population/ |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=www.worldometers.info |language=en}}</ref> | population_rank = 50th, Pakistan<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan Population (2023) – Worldometer |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/pakistan-population/ |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=www.worldometers.info |language=en}}</ref> | population_density_km2 = auto  | population_blank1_title = | population_blank1 =  | population_note = | postal_code_type = Zip Code | postal_code = 36120 | area_code = +9246 | p2 =  | elevation_max_m = | elevation_max_ft = | timezone = PST | utc_offset = +5 | timezone_DST = PDT | utc_offset_DST = +6 | image_blank_emblem = Municipal Committee Gojra.jpg | blank_emblem_size = 100px | blank_emblem_type = Municipal Committee logo | blank_emblem_alt = Municipal Committee Gojra | area_total_km2 = 25 }}

'''Gojra''' ({{langx|pa|{{nq|گوجرا}}}}; {{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|گوجرہ}}}}), is the administrative capital of Gojra Tehsil and a city in the Toba Tek Singh District in Punjab province of Pakistan.

Gojra is {{convert|50|km|mi}} from Faisalabad, {{convert|170|km|mi}} from Lahore and {{convert|20|mi|km}} north of Toba Tek Singh.<ref name=IGI>{{cite web |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V12_312.gif |title=Gojra – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 12, p. 306 |publisher=Digital South Asia Library (DSAL), University of Chicago website |access-date=17 May 2023 |archive-date=18 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218145114/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V12_312.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> Founded in 1896 during the British colonial period,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Municipal Committee Gojra |url=http://www.mcgojra.lgpunjab.org.pk/ |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=Municipal Committee Gojra, Local Governments of Punjab website}}</ref> Gojra was the commercial centre of lands which had recently come under cultivation, and was known for its "mandi" (market) for cash crops. It is the 50th largest city of Pakistan by population, according to the 2017 census.<ref name=city>{{cite web |title=PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities (Gojra population per 2017 census) |url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-Punjab.html |website=Citypopulation.de website|access-date=17 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629022922/http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-Punjab.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2020}}</ref>

== History ==

===Pre-Independence=== Gojra city was established in 1896, when the colonisation of Faisalabad (formerly Lyallpur) began. The railway line between Faisalabad and Gojra was laid in 1899. The town was designated a notified area committee in 1904 and upgraded to a B-Class Municipality in 1925. In 1906, the population was 2,589. According to ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', "The business done in this rising mart on the railway, which has sprung into existence in the last six years owing to the extension of the Chenab Canal to the surrounding country, bides fair to rival in importance that of Lyallpur itself".<ref name="IGI"/><ref name=":0" />

In 1919, following the Rowlatt Act, hartals (strikes) broke out throughout Punjab. Gojra was affected by the serious protests and a member of the Church Mission Society had to be escorted out of the town by loyal residents.<ref>Punjab disturbances, April 1919; compiled from the ''Civil and Military Gazette.'' (1919)</ref><ref name=":0" />

===Post-Independence=== In August 1947, India and Pakistan achieved independence. Riots and local fighting followed the expeditious withdrawal of the British, resulting in an estimated one million civilians deaths, particularly in the western region of Punjab.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/partition1947_01.shtml | title=The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies | work=British History | publisher=BBC website|date=3 March 2011 |access-date=17 May 2023| author=Crispin Bates}}</ref> Gojra, which was in the region of the Punjab Province that became West Pakistan, was populated by several Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the district.<ref name="Yale">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/greatpartitionma00khan | title=The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan | publisher=Yale University Press | author=Yasmin Khan | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-300-12078-3 | url-access=registration }}</ref>

After independence from Britain, in view of its increasing size, Gojra was declared a 2nd class Municipal Committee in 1960. Gojra received the status of tehsil town and was affiliated with the newly established district Toba Tek Singh on 1 July 1982. After the introduction of Devolution of Power Plan, the Tehsil Municipal Administration Gojra came into being on 12 August 2001.<ref name=":0" />

== Demographics ==

=== Population === {{Historical populations|1951|20407|1961|29665|1972|41975|1981|68000|1998|117,892|2017|174,860|2023|214,349|align=center|percentages=pagr|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{cite web |title=Population by administrative units 1951-1998 |url=https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/13673/Administrative%20Units.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1 |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=20 May 2025 |archive-date=23 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723012012/https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/13673/Administrative%20Units.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} According to 2023 census, Gojra had a population of 214,349.

== Government and public services ==

===Civic administration === thumb|225x225px|Civic Administration Building The city was raised to the status of Tehsil town and affiliated with the newly established district Toba Tek Singh on 1 July 1982. After the introduction of the Devolution of Powers Plan, the Tehsil Municipal Administration Gojra came into being on 12 August 2001.<ref name=":0" /> The Canal resthouse is the oldest building constructed during British government in 1898.

===Transport=== {{Excerpt|Gojra railway station}}

== Culture ==

=== Festivals === The arrival of spring brings the annual "Rang-e-Bahar" festival during the month of March, where the Parks & Horticulture Authority of the Gojra Municipal Committee organise a flower show and exhibition at Civil Club, Gojra.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tea stall owner beaten by extortionists |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/296118-tea-stall-owner-beaten-by-extortionists |access-date=2023-05-17 |newspaper=The News International (newspaper) |language=en}}</ref>

== Education == thumb|MC High School Gojra ===Private institutes=== The city has 344 state-run primary and higher secondary educational institutions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://schoolportal.punjab.gov.pk/schoolinfoNew.asp|title= SCHOOL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT|website=schoolportal.punjab.gov.pk|access-date=2023-05-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126053156/http://www.schoolportal.punjab.gov.pk/schoolinfoNew.asp|archive-date=26 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Sports == Gojra is famous for hockey and has produced more than a hundred international players for the Pakistan hockey team.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2012-08-16 |title=Gojra has produced 112 international hockey players |url=http://nation.com.pk/national/16-Aug-2012/gojra-has-produced-112-international-hockey-players |access-date=2023-05-17 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322012118/http://nation.com.pk/national/16-Aug-2012/gojra-has-produced-112-international-hockey-players |archive-date=22 March 2017 |url-status=dead|newspaper=The Nation (newspaper)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-01-01 |title=TOBA TEK SINGH: Hockey players honoured (from Gojra)|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/378665/toba-tek-singh-hockey-players-honoured |access-date=2023-05-17 |newspaper=Dawn (newspaper) |language=en}}</ref> In 2015, Gojra Hockey Club, a local club, won the Jat Tar Singh memorial Under-19 hockey tournament. This high-profile tournament was held in India, where Gojra city team competed again best of Indian U19 hockey teams and won the championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36477&Itemid=2 |title=Gojra club wins hockey final in India |publisher=Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) website |access-date=17 May 2023|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113180337/http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36477&Itemid=2 |archive-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> The Gojra team won this title by defeating Amritsar Academy 4–2 at Ludhiana Hockey Stadium.

In cricket, Gojra's Ehsan Adil has represented the Faisalabad Wolves, Habib Bank Limited cricket team and Pakistan Under-19 cricket team. He was selected in Pakistan's Test Squad for tour to South Africa in February 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ehsan Adil profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/ehsan-adil-547092 |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>

== Notable people ==   * Ehsan Adil – cricketer * Abdul Qadeer Alvi – Politician * Tariq Imran – hockey player * Muhammad Irfan – hockey player * Muhammad Ishaq – former Member, National Assembly of Pakistan * Chaudhary Khalid Javed – Member, National Assembly of Pakistan * Mehak Malik – dancer and actress * Muhammad Nadeem – hockey player * Muhammad Qasim – hockey player and former Olympic Games player<ref name="WorldHock">{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldhockey.org/vsite/vcontent/page/custom/0,8510,1181-179832-197050-39918-264846-custom-item,00.html |title=Obituary – Muhammad Qasim – World Hockey |access-date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203123440/http://www.worldhockey.org/vsite/vcontent/page/custom/0,8510,1181-179832-197050-39918-264846-custom-item,00.html |archive-date=3 December 2008 |url-status=dead|website=Pakistan Hockey Federation website}}</ref> * Imran Shah – hockey player * Tahir Zaman – hockey player, former Olympic Games player, Pride of Performance Award winner in 1994<ref name=PSB>[http://www.sports.gov.pk/Detail/MTE2ZDk5NGItNjMzNy00MWViLWI2OTUtNjNhYjZjZmQ3NmY5 Tahir Zaman (listed as #34 on the Award Winners List)] Pakistan Sports Board, Government of Pakistan website, Retrieved 17 May 2023</ref>

==See also== *Gojra railway station *2009 Gojra riots

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

Category:Populated places in Toba Tek Singh District