Forum Pakistan

1. Founded in 1748 by Nawab Bahawal Khan, after whom it was named, it was the capital of Bahawalpur princely state until 1955, when the state was abolished. Today it is the administrative centre of the division of the same name and the main town serving the Cholistan Desert. The city is a major trade centre, dealing mainly in the food industry and large-scale light manufacturing. It is also home to a university and several colleges. Bahawalpur is known as a centre for Islamic study and is the location of a theological college, J amia Abbasia.

2. A former Princely State, n~w an administrative Division in the southeastern part of the Punjab. In 1951 the area was 45,400 sq.km. with a population of 1,823,000, mostly *Siraikis. The rulers (Nawabs) of Bahawalpur came from the Abbasi-Daudputra dynasty. Originally from Sindh, they claimed to have descended from the Abbasid caliphs who ruled in Baghdad in 7491258 and in Cairo in 1261-1517. From 1748 to 1802 the Bahawalpur rulers were vassals of the *Durrani kings and since 1833 vassals of the Briti h sovereign. Bahawalpur's rulers actively helped Britain during the first Anglo-Afghan War (1838-42), in the conquest of the Punjab (1847-48), and during the second AngloAfghan War (1878-80). Bahawalpur was included as a part of Pakistan on 5 October 1947. The State was abolished in 1955 and amalgamated into *West Paki tan.

3. A Division in the Province of Punjab, consisting of three districts: Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahimyar Khan. Area: 45,400 sq.km.; population: 4.7 million (1981).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: R. Hashmi, 'Brief for BahawaLpur Province', Karachi, 1972; Shahamat ALi, 'History of Bahawalpur', London, 1848.

Bahawalpur Central Library
It was built in 1948 in *Bahawalpur to house about 200,000 books, mainly in English and Urdu, including
collections of Oriental manuscripts, geographical maps, newspapers and periodicals that appeared after 1948. The library houses a special children's collection.