Burewala (Urdu: بورے والا) is a city of Vehari District in southern Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 30°10'0N 72°39'0E and has an altitude of 133 metres (439 feet).^[1] According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, Burewala had about 150,000 people.^[2] As of 2000, it is the 31st biggest city in Pakistan by population.^[3] The city of Burewala is the headquarters of Burewala Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of the district.^[4] It is located 1035 km away from Karachi, 187 km from Faisalabad, 208 km from Lahore, 135 km from Multan, 35 km from Vehari. 40 km from Arifwala,75 km from Pakpattan and 103 km from Bahawalpur.

Burewala is situated on the Dehli Multan Road. Sutlej River crosses Burewala near the towns Jamlera and Sahuka. Shrine of Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Dewan Chawli Mashaikh is also situated in Dewan Sahib at a distance of 18 km. from Burewala. In the very beginning it was just a jungle which was 'humanized' by local tribes called "Langrial". When the Pakpattan canal operating in this area, people started to settle in villages as agriculture developed, resulting in jungles being cut to make way for cultivation fields. As this area was in 'Eastern Canal Division' so it was named village no. 122/EB (EB = Eastern Bar). In the northern side of Burewala, there are still signs of an old water canal which is now called Sukh Bias.^[5] It is 35 km east of District Capital Vehari on main Dehli Multan Road. Burewala is the second biggest tehsil of Punjab.

Etymology

The exact origin of Burewala's name is unknown; however, there are different theories. One theory is that the city is named after a person named "Burha." He was, according to some people, 'Sikh'. The village is also called "Old Bura" or "Purana Boora." The people of this villages constructed a well with a diameter of 8 feet and named it after their ancestor so it was called "Chah Boorhay wala" (Well of Burha). This well is now included in the P.I. Link canal. Due to this well the new city was named Burewala. In July 1976, Burewala was upgraded as a subdivision. The areas of Gaggoo, Jamlera, Sahuka and Sheikh Fazal were included in the subdivision.

City facts

Burewala has approximately 188,986 inhabitants (2006). It is situated about 35 km from Vehari District and 135 km east of historical city of Multan.

Burewala has the first shrine of Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Dewan, who was one of the earliest Muslim saints in the subcontinent. In sports, World renowned fast bowler of Pakistan cricket team, Waqar Younis is from Burewala and is dubbed as "Burewala Express."^[6]

Waqar Younis

Burewala is known for the invention of three wheel motor-bike rickshaw known as "Chandgari."^{[citation needed]} Asia's largest Textile industry was in the city of Burewala, owned by Dawood Group of Industries called (BTM) Burewala Textile Mills, which is now known as Lawrencepur Limited. Burewala also has shopping bazaars and plazas. City Center is an addition in the city to match the life style of the people living here. Burewala is surrounded by boundaries of few industrial and agricultural cities (e.g. Vehari, Arifwala, Chichawatni, Hasilpur, Chishtian). Burewala has a large telephone exchange located on the Burewala-Multan Road near Lari Adda.^{[citation needed]} Along with this is Pakistan's largest technical college on tehsil bases situated in 507/EB. Tufail Muhammad Shaheed resided in Burewala.^{[citation needed]}

Burewala has a tehsil headquarters hospital. The medical complex was opened on 5 October 2008 by a number of private sector specialists from Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Business

Burewala has an all seasonal grain market in the area and it is a major business centre. Other business activities include 7 Flour Mills, 2 ghee mill, 50+ rice mills, 50+ cotton ginning factories and about 250+ oil mills and an extensively growing network of rice husking/processing mills, cotton gins, and flour mills.^{[citation needed]} It is Pakistan's second largest cotton-seed-cake producing city (after Rahim Yar Khan).^{[citation needed]} Dawood Lawrencepur Limited (formerly known as Burewala Textile Mills Limited) is also located in the city with an installed ring spinning capacity of 216,000 spindles. Three PVC products factories are also situated in the city. Additionally, Nillibar Agriculture Research Institute, under the guidance of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council(PARC), works towards the growth of agriculture and related fields.

Government

Municipal Corporation

Burewala and Vehari were declared as Mandi's in 1925 and Railway station were established and it was named as "Mandi Burewala" and in 1927 Secretary Government of Punjab Ram Chand declared it "Notified Area Corporation" and Mr. Vas, CIS was its first Chairman. In 1935, Chaudhary Ata Ullah was elected as the head of the Grand Girga, overlooking social and legal problems of the area. The Government of the Punjab on 27 August 1957 upgraded "Notified Area Corporation" to 2nd Class "Municipal Corporation" and Mr. Faiz Kareem was named its first Chairman. According to 2000 local bodies system Burewala Municipal Corporation became "Municipal Corporation".

Political division

Burewala has two National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies seat. NA-167 and NA-168 seats.However; NA-168 is shared by both Vehari and Burewala sub-divisions. NA-167 Burewala consists of Burewala, Gaggo mandi urban and rural areas while NA-168 shares Burewala and Vehari sub-divisions most of the rural areas and it includes 3-R Qannogo block of Burewala, Machiwal, Luddan, Sahuka towns. Provincial Assembly four seats in the Burewala sub-division includes PP-232, Gaggo Mandi urban & rural, PP-233 Burewala City urban and rural, PP-234 Sahuka rural, PP-235 Machiwal and also two seats shared by both Vehari and Burewala sub-divisions. There is also a seat for the sadar of the grain market. The first sadar who was first selected without an election was Tariq Mahmood Ghumman.

Burewala is also known for its volunteers and their humanitarian work apolitically.^{[citation needed]} There are seventeen registered NGOs in the area and thousands of volunteers. World Life Organization planted 100,000 hardwood trees under, "Green Vehari Initiative 2009" in one day on the August 14, 2009. Ch. Usman Ali gathered 15 NGOs and over a thousand volunteers for this event.

Shrine of Baba Haji Sher Dewan

The Shrine of Baba Haji Sher Dewan is the first shrine of sub-continent Indo-Pak.^{[citation needed]} It is situated here some 17 kilometers away from Burewala, located in Chak No. 317 EB, on the Burewala-Sahuka road. Hazrat Baba Haji Sher Muhammad Dewan Chawali Mashaikh is the saint of early years of the establishment of Islam. The place has a rich spiritual significance in the area. Tapasthan Baba Guru Nanak Dev is also situated there where Baba Guru Nanak performed Taphasya. The present Sajjada Nasheen is Peer Gulzar Hussain Shah Sahib.