Attock

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Attock had a population of 176,544.

Language

In the 2023 census 62.44% of the population spoke Punjabi, 15.58% spoke Pashto, 12.22% spoke Urdu, 2.11% spoke Hindko, 1.19% spoke Saraiki, while 1.32% spoke other national languages of Pakistan (mostly Sindhi and Kashmiri). Another 5.14% of the population chose "Others" for their mother tongue.

Geography

Attock is located east of the Indus River, in the Pothohar Plateau, Geographically, the district is mainly hills, plateaus and river/stream dissected plains. The Indus River flows on the Northern and Western borders of the district. After Haripur, the Haro River passes through the North of the tehsil of Attock where there is a floodplain with fertile soil between 2 mountain ranges, this is where Attock city itself is located. Elevation varies with many of the plains being 300-600m above sea level while the hills and ranges reach upwards of 1200m above sea level. The range south of the city is called the Kala Chitta Mountain Range while the one north of the city is known as Gandghar.

The city is located at a distance of 80 km (50 mi) from Rawalpindi, 100 km (62 mi) from Peshawar, and 10 km (6 mi) from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.

History

Ancient period

Attock is located in the historical region of Gandhara. Alexander the Great, Mahmud of Ghazni, Timur, Nader Shah and Babur crossed the Indus at or about this spot (Attock Fort) in their invasions of Indian subcontinent.

After the founding of the city by the Mughal emperor Akbar, the construction of Attock Fort was completed in 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin, a minister of Akbar. During the Mughal era, Attock was part of the Lahore Subah of Punjab.

Nader Shah crossed through Attock when he defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal and thus ended Mughal power in Northern India.

Attock was then occupied by the Marathas in 1758 but this conquest was short-lived as Ahmad Shah Durrani came in person to recapture Attock and checked the Maratha advance after destroying their forces at Panipat. The Sikh Empire (1799–1849) under maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) captured the fortress of Attock in 1813 from the Durrani Nawab. After the occupation of Kashmir by Sikh Empire in 1820 many Kashmiris migrated to the plains of Attock.

In February 1849, Attock Khurd (Old Attock) was conquered by the British East India Company who created Campbellpur District. Following the Indian Rebellion in 1857, the region's strategic value was appreciated by the British, who established the Campbellpur Cantonment in 1857–58.

Modern Period

The Campbellpur Cantonment was established by the British colonial rulers in 1858. Campbellpur District was organised in 1904, by the division of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fateh Jang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District. Today the Attock district consists of six tehsils: Fateh Jang, Hazro, Hassan Abdal, Jand, and Pindi Gheb.

The city's foundations were laid in 1908 and the city was named after Sir Colin Campbell, British Commander-in-Chief of India. The old city was established near the 16th century near the Attock fort that had guarded the major routes between Central Asia and South Asia. Attock's first oil well was drilled in Khaur in 1915, while the Attock Oil Company was established with a selling arrangement with the Burmah Oil Company. During 1928, the region produced 350,000 barrels of oil.

Attock was one of the northernmost points of the Punjab Province of British India prior to the partition; it thus found itself being a part of the common Hindi-Urdu phrase used to describe the length of colonial India: "Attock se Cuttack" (from Attock to Cuttack). The term "Attock se Cuttack" was first used to describe the extent of the Maratha Empire after they conquered Cuttack in 1750 and Attock in 1758.

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Hindu and Sikh minorities emigrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in Attock. The Government of Pakistan renamed Campbellpur as Attock in 1978. The city and surrounding area are known for their high representation among soldiers of the Pakistan Army.

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2019, Attock is ranked 3 out of 146 districts of Pakistan in terms of the quality of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 17 out of 146. A detailed picture of the district's education performance is also available online.

Notable institutions include:-

• Air University Aerospace and Aviation Campus Kamra
• COMSATS University Islamabad

Notable people

Climate

Attock has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) which has hot and humid summers, and cold to mild winters.

Sports

• Indus Golf Club
• PAC Golf Club