192. Gurdwara Block 10, Sargodha!
I was looking for something else in Sargodha when I came across an old traditional-style building. This red, vintage structure immediately caught my attention, and on closer inspection, to my utter surprise, it turned out to be a gurdwara. For many years, I had passed close to this place and, despite catching a glimpse once…
191. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Khushab!
I was in Hadali when a friend told me about a gurdwara in Khushab and roughly described its location as well. It was easy to find this prominent building in the main bazar of the city, inside the Kabuli Gate, one of the four gates of the city, at 32°17’40.05″N, 72°21’7.19″E. Until a few years…
190. Sardar Chanchal Singh of Hadali and his Haveli in Bhalwal!
Pakistan’s, indeed South Asia’s, first motorway, the M2 (Islamabad–Lahore), was inaugurated in 1997. Fortunately, it passed only 4 kilometers away from my ancestral town, Lilla, in the district of Jhelum. It completely changed the way we travelled to Islamabad, Lahore, and Sargodha. Sargodha is a city where we have close relations, so we frequently travel…
189. Two Historic Mosques in Khushab: Mosque of Sharifuddin & Markazi Jame Masjid!
Khushab is an old town of Punjab, located on the east bank of the river Jhelum. Its earliest mention is found in the Baburnama, where Emperor Babur writes about its location. In the Ain-i-Akbari, it is mentioned as a pargana, a revenue unit in the Mughal administrative system, roughly equivalent to a modern tehsil. It…
188. Arya Samaj Temple and a Janj Ghar (Wedding Guesthouse) in Khushab!
On September 20, 2025, I was wandering in Khushab in search of a few old buildings. A young man suggested that I meet Shehzad Aslam, who owns a shop in the main bazar. I met him, and indeed he turned out to be a man of extensive knowledge about the history of Khushab and its…
187. Baoli of Wan Bhachran! (District Mianwali)
Baolis, or stepwells, were a common feature of South Asian social life. Even today, thousands of baolis exist in India, some of them architectural wonders. In Pakistan, too, at least around two dozen baolis still exist. I have visited seven of them so far, and this baoli is the eighth one. You can find the…
186. Grave of Lt. General Henry Marshman Havelock; Victoria Cross! (Rawalpindi)
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military award given to a soldier for displaying extraordinary bravery and dedication to duty. In official words, it is awarded for: “…most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, of extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy…” It was named…
185. Sri Guru Nanak High School, Mitha Tiwana, Khushab! (Govt. Higher Secondary School, Mitha Tiwana)
Deep in rural western Punjab, in the district of Khushab, lies a town called Mitha Tiwana. Once, it was the stronghold of a small state ruled by the Tiwana clan, a clan that played a considerable role in the history of Punjab during the last two centuries. But that is not the subject of this…
184. Khalsa High School, Rawalpindi ! (Govt. Muslim Higher Secondary School, No. 1, Saidpur Road, Rawalpindi)
The Sikh community, before partition, built many schools in this region to promote education, and their efforts deserve high appreciation and praise. A couple of them I have already visited. One such school is formerly Khalsa High School, Rawalpindi. It is a very famous school and its history too is widely known, due to the…
183. Gurdwara Akalgarh, Rawalpindi! (Govt. Muslim Elementary School, Gulshanabad.)
Before 1947, Sikhs formed a significant proportion of the population of Rawalpindi. According to the 1941 census, they constituted 17.32% of the population, while Hindus made up 33.72% and Muslims, being the largest community, 43.79%, out of a total population of 185,042. Naturally, all these communities had their places of worship in the city, including…