Jacobabad District

Jacobabad District is a district in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is located in the north of Sindh, by the provincial boundary with Balochistan. Its headquarters is the town of Jacobabad, which was founded by General John Jacob in 1847.[2]

Jacobabad District ضلع جیکب آباد
District
Map of Sindh with Jacobabad District highlighted
Country	Pakistan
Province	Sindh
Headquarters	Jacobabad
Area
• Total	2,686 km^2 (1,037 sq mi)
Population  (2017)[1]
• Total	1,006,297
• Density	370/km^2 (970/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
Number of Tehsils	4

History

During British India, the town was the administrative headquarters of the Upper Sind Frontier District of the Bombay Presidency; with a station on the Quetta branch of the North-Western railway, 37 m. from the junction at Ruk, on the main line. It is famous as having consistently the highest temperature in Pakistan. During the month of June the thermometer ranges between 120° and 127 °F. The town was founded on the site of the village of Khangarh in 1847 by General John Jacob, for many years commandant of the Sind Horse, who died here in 1858, and left a marvellous Victoria Tower in his remembrance in the heart of the city. It has cantonments for a cavalry regiment, with accommodation for caravans from Central Asia. It is watered by two canals. An annual horse show is held in January.

The district has had its present name since 1952.[2] For a brief period after 1961, it included the Nasirabad subdivision.[2] In 2004 Kashmore District was formed out of its eastern half.

Administration

District Council Jacobabad have 44 Union councils, 2 Municipal Committees and 3 Town Committees

The district is administratively subdivided into the following talukas:

• Garhi Khairo
• Jacobabad
• Thul

Demography

According to the 1998 census results for the talukas of Garhi Khairo, Jacobabad and Thul, the first language of 93% of the population was Sindhi, whereas Balochi was native to 3.6%.[3]

Airport and airbase

The commercial airport at Jacobabad, about 300 miles (480 km) north of Karachi and 300 miles (480 km) southeast of Kandahar, is located on the border between Sindh and Balochistan provinces. The Shahbaz Air Base (co-located with the commercial airport in Jacobabad) was one of the three Pakistani air bases used by U.S. and allied forces to support the Operation Enduring Freedom campaign in Afghanistan and reportedly ongoing drone strikes in North Western Pakistan tribal regions

See also

• Bakhshapur
• Thul
• Garhi khero

References

1. "DISTRICT WISE CENSUS RESULTS CENSUS 2017" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
2. PCO 1999, p. 1.
3. PCO 1999, pp. 111–12.

Bibliography

• 1998 District census report of Jacobabad. Census publication. 17. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1999.