Chakwal ضلع چکوال
District
Top: Katas Raj Temples Bottom: Neela Wahn Waterfall, Malot Fort
Chakwal is located in the north of Punjab.
Coordinates: 33°40′38″N 72°51′21″E / 33.67722°N 72.85583°E / 33.67722; 72.85583
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Division	Rawalpindi
Headquarters	Chakwal
Tehsils (3)	List Chakwal Kallar Kahar Choa Saidan Shah
Government
• Type	District Administration
• Deputy Commissioner	Quratulain Malik (PAS)
• District Police Officer	Capt. (R) Wahid Mehmood
• District Health Officer	Dr. Anjum Qadeer
Area
• District	3,593 km2 (1,387 sq mi)
Population  (2023)[1]
• District	1,132,608
• Density	320/km2 (820/sq mi)
• Urban	25.06%
• Rural	74.94%
Literacy [2]
• Literacy rate	Total: (77.79%) Male: (86.12%) Female: (69.52%)
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
Area code	0543
Main language(s)	Punjabi
Website	chakwal.punjab.gov.pk

Chakwal District (Urdu: ضلع چکوال) is a district located on the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern area of the Punjab province, bordered by Talagang to its south, Rawalpindi to its northeast, Jhelum to its east. The district was created out of parts of Jhelum and Attock in 1985.^[3]

During British rule, Chakwal was a tehsil of Jhelum district, the population according to the 1891 census of India was 164,912 which had fallen to 160,316 in 1901. It contained the towns of Chakwal and Bhaun and 248 villages. The land revenue and cesses amounted in 1903-4 to 3–300,000.^[4] The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India and later it was upgraded as a District on 1 July 1985.

The district of Chakwal, which covers an area of 6,524 km², is subdivided into five tehsils.^[5] These tehsils were formerly part of neighbouring districts:^[6]: 1

• Chakwal Tehsil was annexed from Jhelum District and made part of the newly formed Chakwal District.
• Choa Saidan Shah was carved out of sub-division Pind Dadan Khan of Jhelum District and was amalgamated with sub-division Chakwal. Choa Saidan Shah was upgraded to the level of a sub-division in 1993.

Now the district is administratively subdivided into five tehsils and 45 union councils.^[7]

There is one district council, one municipal committees — Chakwal — and two town committees — Choa Saidan Shah and Kallar Kahar.

The district is represented in the National Assembly by two constituencies: NA-60 and NA-61. The district is represented in the provincial assembly by four elected MPAs and in National Assembly by two MNAs who represent the following constituencies:^[9]

Chakwal district borders the districts of Rawalpindi and Attock in the north, Jhelum in the east, Khushab in the south and Mianwali in the west. The total area of Chakwal district is 6,609 square kilometres, which is equivalent to 1,652,443 acres (6,687.20 km²).^{[clarification needed]}

The southern portion runs up into the Salt Range and includes the Chail peak, 3,701 feet (1,128 m) above the sea, the highest point in the district. Between this and the Sohan river, which follows more or less the northern boundary, the country consists of what was once a fairly level plain, sloping down from 2,000 feet (610 m) at the foot of the hills to 1,400 feet (430 m) in the neighbourhood of the Sohan; the surface is now much cut up by ravines and is very difficult to travel over.^[4]

As of the 2023 census, Chakwal district has 288,838 households and a population of 1,734,854. The district has a sex ratio of 99.23 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 77.79%: 86.12% for males and 69.52% for females.^[1][13] 398,401 (23.01% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.^[14] 434,805 (25.06%) live in urban areas.^[1]

Muslims formed the overwhelming majority at 1,722,147 (99.45%) while 9,542 (0.55%) were from religious minorities, mainly Christians, who mostly live in Chakwal town.^[15]

Religion in Chakwal District

Religious group	1941[16][a]		2017[17]		2023[15]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	365,291	90.31%	1,490,510	99.67%	1,722,147	99.45%
Hinduism [b]	21,507	5.32%	187	0.01%	142	0.01%
Sikhism	17,594	4.35%	—	—	26	~0%
Christianity	58	0.01%	3,764	0.25%	8,478	0.49%
Others	21	0.01%	1,002	0.07%	896	0.05%
Total Population	404,471	100%	1,495,463	100%	1,731,689	100%

At the time of the 2023 census, 92.04% of the population spoke Punjabi, 5.47% Pashto and 1.66% Urdu as their first language.^[18]

The local Punjabi dialects are Dhani and Awankari.^[19][20]

Chakwal has a total of 1,140 government schools out of which 52.63% (600 schools) are for female students. The district has an enrollment of 181,574 in public sector schools.^[21]

Notable Educational institutions in the Chakwal District include:

• Government Post Graduate College (Chakwal)
• University Of Chakwal
• Govt. High School No.1, Chakwal
• Govt. Girls High School No.1, Chakwal
• Govt. Islamia High School, Chakwal

• Yahya Khan, former President of Pakistan, was born in Chakwal city in 1917.
• Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India, was born in Gah village (formerly part of Jhelum District)
• Khudadad Khan VC, British Indian Army, operated a machine gun despite being wounded after his team was overrun and bayoneted by the Germans, holding them back long enough for reinforcements in the Western Front
• Nur Khan, was a three-star air officer, politician, sports administrator, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force, serving under President Ayub Khan from 1965 until 1969.
• Tajammul Hussain Malik, War Hero of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, held an impenetrable defence in the Battle of Hilli against a multiple times larger force and famously refused to surrender vowing to fight till the end
• Muhammad Safdar, Lt. General Muhammad Safdar is the former Governor of Punjab, having served from 1999 to 2001. He has also previously served as the ambassador to Morocco and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Punjab until 1993.
• Colonel Imam – Brigadier Sultan Amir Tarar was a one-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army, member of the Special Service Group (SSG) of the army, and an intelligence officer of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
• Rafiuddin Hashmi, an Iqbalist, researcher, travel writer and a professor in Oriental College, and the University of the Punjab
• Sukh Devis, an Indian organic chemist, academic, researcher and writer, known for his contributions in the development of Guggulsterone, a plant-derived steroid used as a therapeutic and nutritional agent.

• University of Engineering and Technology. Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Engineering; Pakistan Science Foundation (1979), National Seminar on Land and Water Resources Development of Barani Areas, [July 21-24, 1979], The University of Wisconsin, ISBN 978-01-9023-806-3

"Official Website of Chakwal District". Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2023.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Punjab (Pakistan).