Attock

Attock (Punjabi, Urdu: ‫)اٹک‬, formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, Urdu: ‫)کیمبل پور‬,[3] is a city in
Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock
District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest city in the country, by population. The
city was founded in 1908 several miles southeast of the historical city of Attock Khurd (Urdu: ‫اٹک‬
‫خورد‬:),[4] which had been established by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century,[5] and was
initially named in honour of Sir Colin Campbell.[6]

Etymology

The city was initially founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar as Atak-Banāras (Urdu: ‫)اٹک بنارس‬.[6] It
was changed to Campbellpur after the Commander-in-Chief of British forces Sir Colin Campbell,
who rebuilt the city of Campbellpur.[6] The name 'Attock' was returned in 1978 because of the
people's preferences.[6]

Geography

Attock is located east of the Indus River, 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 respective
invasions of India.[7]

After the founding of the city by the Mughal emperor Akbar,[6] the Attock Fort was completed in
1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, a minister of Akbar.[8] During the
Mughal era, Attock was part of the Lahore Subah of Punjab.[9]
 Attock
‫اٹک‬
Campbellpur

City

Attock in the Lahore Subah, depicted

in map of Mughal India by Robert
Wilkinson (1805)

Nader Shah crossed through Attock when he

defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal and
thus ended Mughal power in Northern India. The
Battle of Attock took place at Attock Khurd on 28
April 1758, between the Durrani state and
Maratha Empire. The Marathas under
Raghunathrao Ballal Peshwa and Tukojirao Holkar
Bahadur were victorious in the battle and Attock
was captured.[10]

But this conquest was short-lived as Ahmad Shah

Durrani came in person to recapture Attock and
checked the Maratha advance after destroying From top left to right: Attock city view, Attock
Fort, Attock River near Akhori, Attock Bridge
their forces at Panipat. After the decline of the
Durrani state, the Sikhs invaded and occupied
Attock
Attock District. The Sikh Kingdom (1799–1849)
under Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) captured the
fortress of Attock in 1813 from the Durrani
Nawab. After the occupation of Kashmir by Sikh
Kingdom 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.[4]
 Show map of Punjab, Pakistan
Modern Period Show map of Pakistan
Show all
The Campbellpur Cantonment was established by
Coordinates: 33°46′0″N 72°22′0″E (https://geo
the British colonial rulers in 1858. Campbellpur hack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=A
District was organised in 1904,[4] by the division ttock&params=33_46_0_N_72_22_0_E_type:cit
y_region:PK)
of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the
Pindigheb, Fateh Jang and Attock tehsils from Country Pakistan

Rawalpindi District. Today the Attock district Province Punjab

consists of six tehsils: Fateh Jang, Hazro, Hasan Division Rawalpindi
Abdal, Jand, and Pindi Gheb.
District Attock
The city's foundations were laid in 1908 and the Established 4 April 1904
city was named after Sir Colin Campbell, British
Incorporated 1978 (Renamed to
Commander-in-Chief of India.[4] The old city was Attock)
established near the 16th century near the Attock Government
fort that had guarded the major routes between
• Type District
Central Asia and South Asia. Attock's first oil well Administration
was drilled in Khaur in 1915,[11] while the Attock
• Deputy Rao Atif Raza[1]
[12]
Oil Company was established with a selling Commissioner
arrangement with the Burmah Oil Company. Elevation 355 m (1,165 ft)
During 1928, the region produced 350,000 barrels
Population (2017)[2]
[13]
of oil.
• City 146,396
Attock was one of the northernmost points of the
• Rank 60th, Pakistan
Punjab Province of British India prior to the
Time zone UTC5 (PST)
partition; it thus found itself being a part of the
common Hindi-Urdu phrase used to describe the Postal code span 43600

length of colonial India: "Attock se Cuttack" (from Area code 057

Attock to Cuttack). The term "Attock se Cuttack" Website punjab.gov.pk/attock
was first used to describe the extent of the (https://punjab.gov.p
k/attock)
Maratha Empire after they conquered Cuttack in
1750 and Attock in 1758.[14]

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.[5] The city and surrounding area are known for their high representation among
soldiers of the Pakistan Army.[15]
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.[16] A detailed picture of the district's education performance is also
available online.[17]

Fazaia Degree College, Government Graduate College, Government College for Women, FG Public
High School, University of Education Attock Campus, Fazaia Inter College, Army Public School &
College, Government Polytechnic Institute,[18] Beacon Light English Model Secondary School,[19]
COMSATS University Islamabad, Air University Aerospace and Aviation Campus Kamra and Punjab
College Attock are a few important educational institutes in Attock.

Notable people

Malik Nur Khan (22 February 1923 – 15 December 2011), Air Marshal, politician, sports
administrator, and commander in chief of Pakistan Air Force

Ali Khan (13 December 1990), Pakistani-born American professional cricketer.

Haider Ali (2 October 2000), Pakistani professional cricketer

Ghulam Jilani Barq (26 October 1901 – 12 March 1985), Pakistani Islamic scholar

Qazi Ashfaq (12 December 1967 – 13 November 2001), Pakistani footballer

Asfandyar Bukhari (1988-2015) , Pakistan Army Officer

Climate

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

Sports

Indus Golf Club

See also

Attock Cantonment
 Battle of Attock, 1813

List of people from Attock

Potohar Plateau

Raja Birbal

Taank Kingdom

References

1. "E-registry system to be launched in Punjab" (https://www.dawn.com/news/1806108) . Dawn

(newspaper). 16 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

2. "PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities" (http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-100T.html) . PAKISTAN:

Provinces and Major Cities. citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 May 2020.

3. Shackle, Christopher (1980). "Hindko in Kohat and Peshawar". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies. 43 (3): 482. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00137401 (https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0041977X0013740
1) . ISSN 0041-977X (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0041-977X) . S2CID 129436200 (https://api.sema
nticscholar.org/CorpusID:129436200) .

4. Pike, John. "Attock City Cantonment" (https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/cantt-attoc

k) . www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2018-03-09.

5. Everett-Heath, John (2017-12-07). The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=qgJCDwAAQBAJ&q=campbellpur+name+change&pg=PT332) . Oxford University Press.
ISBN 9780192556462.

6. Everett-Heath, John (2017-12-07). The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=qgJCDwAAQBAJ&q=attock&pg=PT332) . Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192556462.

7. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public
domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Attock". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge
University Press. p. 886.

8. Hasan, Shaikh Khurshid (2005). Historical forts in Pakistan (https://books.google.com/books?id=HH_fAAA

AMAAJ) . National Institute of Historical & Cultural Research Centre of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam
University. p. 37. ISBN 978-969-415-069-7. Retrieved 17 July 2011.

9. Singh, Surinder (1985). The Mughal Subah of Lahore, 1581-1751: A Study of Administrative Structure and
Practices. Panjab University.

10. "Attock to Cuttack, PM Narendra Modi causes a stir" (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politic

s-and-nation/attock-to-cuttack-pm-narendra-modi-causes-a-stir/articleshow/59332065.cms) . The
Economic Times. June 27, 2017.
11. World oil (https://books.google.com/books?id=CXVAAQAAIAAJ) . Gulf Publishing Company. March
1947. p. 12. Retrieved 17 July 2011.

12. (India), Punjab (1932). Punjab District Gazetteers: Attock district, 1930 (https://books.google.com/books?id
=3MNFAQAAIAAJ&q=%22campbellpur+attock) . Superintendent, Government Printing.

13. "India is natural kerosene market". The Japan Times and Mail. 26 December 1929.

14. Rajghatta, Chidanand (27 June 2017). "Attock to Cuttack, PM Narendra Modi causes a stir" (https://econo
mictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/attock-to-cuttack-pm-narendra-modi-causes-a-stir/arti
cleshow/59332065.cms) . The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 June 2020.

15. Jaffrelot, Christophe (2015-08-15). The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience (https://books.google.c
om/books?id=_XdeCwAAQBAJ&q=campbellpur+&pg=PT152) . Oxford University Press.
ISBN 9780190613303.

16. "Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings, 2014" (http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/alifailaan/

pages/324/attachments/original/1400690777/District_Ranking_Report_Binded_-_comp.compressed.pd
f) (PDF). Alif Ailaan. Retrieved 2014-05-06.

17. "Individual district profile link, 2014" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194813/http://www.pace-tec

h.com/edurankings/profiles/19007.pdf) (PDF). Alif Ailaan. Archived from the original (http://www.pace-t
ech.com/edurankings/profiles/19007.pdf) (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-05-06.

18. "Government Polytechnic Institute" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120312222929/http://www.gpiattock.

edu.pk/) . Archived from the original (http://www.gpiattock.edu.pk/) on 2012-03-12.

19. "Beacon Light English Model Secondary School official website" (https://web.archive.org/web/201610032
35618/http://beaconjand.edu.pk/) . Beacon Light English Model Secondary School. Archived from the
original (http://beaconjand.edu.pk/) on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2018-09-05.