 Hasan
Abdal is a
historical town in
Northern Punjab. It
is centerd on the
confluence of GT
Road and Karakoram
Highway near the
NWFP province,
northwest of Wah. It
is 40 km northwest
of Rawalpindi. Its
population is about
40,000. It is famous
for Gurdwara Sri
Panja Sahib, one of
the most sacred
places of Sikhism.
Thousands of Sikhs
and Hindus visit the
Gurudwara on the eve
of Besakhi every
year. The other
historical place is
a tomb erroneously
called Lala Rukh
Tomb. There is a
grave inside a
square walled Garden
and a fresh water
fish pond near the
tomb. On the nearby
hill there is a
meditation chamber
attributed to a
saint Baba Hasan
Abdal also known as
Baba Wali Qandhari
with local folks.
The city is named
after this saint.
Administratively the
city is a part of
Attock District,
formerly known as
Campbell Pur. Hasan
Abdal is one of the
five tehsils of the
District Attock.
There is a military
style boys
residential school
called Cadet College
Hasan Abdal
administered by a
board of directors
and is associated to
the provincial
Government of
Punjab.
The city in
recent past
The city has been
an idyllic place
till a couple of
decades ago. It was
hardly imaginable
that its fresh water
springs with crystal
clear water and
loquat orchards will
turn to ruins so
soon. In 1980 it had
a population of
about ten thousands
and everything
seemed to be in
control. Now, the
population of the
city has more than
quadrupled in a
matter of two
decades without any
plan. One can see
houses and
commercial buildings
built at every
imaginable place.
The fresh air of the
1970s and early
1980s has become a
nostalgic memory. |
