Abbottabad

Infobox City Pakistan
official_name= Abbottabad
ایبٹ آباد

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province= North-West Frontier Province
city_

location_

n1= 34
n2= 09
n3= 00
e1= 73
e2= 13
e3= 00
elevation_m= 1250
area_total_km2=
census_year= 1998
estimate_year=
census_pop= 27,915
estimate_pop=
population_density_km2=
code= 0992
towns=
uc=
nazim= Haider Zaman
naib nazim = Junaid Khan Tanoli
footnotes= [http://www.abbottabad.gov.pk Abbottabad Government Website]


map_size = 150 px

Abbottabad (Pashto: ایبٹ آباد) is the principal city of Abbottabad District in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is located 150 km north of Islamabad and 205 km from Peshawar, at an altitude of 4120 feet (1250 m) above sea level. The city is located in the Orash Valley, and is known for its pleasant weather, educational institutes of high standards and military establishments. It remains a hub for tourism in the summer.

History

Abbottabad was a city of British India and the headquarters of Hazara Division (then a district). It was named after Major James Abbott. Major Abbott settled this district in 1853 after the annexation of the Punjab and he became its first Deputy Commissioner. Abbottabad was an important military cantonment and sanatorium, being the headquarters of a brigade in the second division of the northern army corps] . The garrison consisted of four battalions of native infantry (Gurkhas) and four native mountain batteries [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V05_009.gifAbbottabad Town - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 5, p. 1.] ] . In 1901 the population of the town and cantonment was 7764. In 1902 income averaged around Rs. 14,900 and the expenditure around Rs. 14,000. In 1903 the income averaged Rs. 22,300, chiefly derived from octroi, while expenditure was around Rs. 18,100. The receipts and expenditure of cantonment funds during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 7,300. The chief public institutions were the Albert Victor unaided Anglo-Vernacular High School, a municipal Anglo-Vernacular High School and a Government dispensary. . Before leaving, Major Abbott wrote a poem titled "Abbottabad".

Partition

In June 1948, the British Red Cross opened a hospital in Abbottabad to deal with 80-100 patients daily who were being "brought in from the Kashmir fighting areas". [ [http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=70104 Partition of India and Pakistan 1947 - British Red Cross] ]

2005 Earthquake

On the 8 October 2005 Abbottabad was devastated by the Kashmir earthquake. Although most of Abbottabad survived many old buildings were destroyed or damaged. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4328028.stm BBC News - Doctor's diary] ]

Demographics

In 1998, the population of Abbottabad District was 881,000. Many people identify themselves with hereditary nations ("Qaum" in Urdu). Among these are Abbasis, Awan, Utmanzai, Jadoons, Karal, Syed,Tanoli etc. According to the 1998 census, the linguistic groups are:
* Hindko 94.26%
* Punjabi– 2.30%
* Pashto– 2.22%
* and Urdu– 1.05%. [ [http://www.abbottabad.sdnpk.org/people.htm#lan People Of District Abbottabad - Language] ] Although the first language of many is Hindko, Urdu, which is the national language of Pakistan, is understood and spoken by everyone and is commonly used. While English is widely used in business and education.

Education

With its good weather and beautiful landscape, Abbottabad attracts people from all over Pakistan, some for tourism but many for its educational institutions. Abbottabad (sometimes called "The City of Schools") is home to a number of schools, colleges and training institutes. These educational institutions help to promote a high standard of education throughout the entire country.

Military Training Institutes

Military Training Institutes like the PMA Kakul, (Pakistan Military Academy) the Regimental Training centres of the Pakistan Army are also located in Abbottabad.Abbottabad Educational Board

Medical And Engineering Institutes

Abbottabad has four Medical Colleges and two Engineering universities. In Medical colleges there are Ayub Medical College [http://www.ayubians.com/] [http://www.ayubmed.edu.pk] , Women Medical College, Frontier Medical College and Abbottabad International Medical College. And the Engineering universities are Comsats Institute Of Information Technology Abbottabad and a campus of UET Peshawar(University of Engineering and Technology).Recently it got Hazara University Mansehra Abbottabad campus

chools and Colleges

The Government Postgraduate College offers higher education of Bachelors and Masters level in Literature, Natural Sciences and Exact Sciences. The college attracts students from all over the NWFP. A few Technical Institutions like Government Polytechnical Institute offer courses for skill-based technical & industrial education e.g. Diploma in Associate Engineering. Quite a few Computer Institutes are also functioning in and around Abbottabad. These institutes are generally affiliated with Board of Technical Education, Peshawar. Other than that, many private and government school and colleges are located in Abbottabad city which are renowned for their high standard of education. Among these are Abbottabad Public School, Pakistan Grammar School [http://www.pakgrammar.edu.pk/] [http://pgs.montessori.edu.pk/] , IQRA Academy, Concept School of Learning, Iqra Public School, F.G. School for Boys/Girls, Army Public School, Abbottabad Jamia Public School, Al-Imtiaz Academy, Army Burn Hall College, Pine Hills Public School and College and Pakistan International Public School and College. Federal Govt Boys/Girls Public High School, Pine View Road & a branch of the famous Beacon House School System,Banat Taleem Ul Quran High School & College,Gateway International Public School& College.

Transport

Abbottabad's main public transport consist of modified Suzukis, which can accommodate anywhere from 8 to 13 people at one time. Taxis are also available as well as wagons which connect Abbottabad to the surrounding cities and towns in the region. Abbottabad is also served by Daewoo Express, a national bus service which connects over 50 cities in Pakistan.

Economy

The economy of Abbottabad mainly relies on tourism and Military and civilian educational institutes. Mainly Pakistan Military Academy, Army training centers and Ayub Medical Complex.

Tourism

According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, "the town is picturesquely situated at the southern corner of the Rash (Orash) plain, convert|4120|ft|m above the sea". Like much of the mountainous Northern Areas of Pakistan, tourism is one of the important sources of economic activity in Abbottabad, in summer when temperatures in the plains of Pakistan rise to well above 45 degrees Celsius, large number of tourists travel north to Abbottabad to shelter from the blistering heat. The Karakoram Highway, which traces one of the paths of the ancient Silk Road, starts from Havelian 15 km south of the Abbottabad town, and passes through the city. The Karakorum Highway is an attraction for the adventure tourists. Abbottabad is the last big town, the first mild-weather tourist city in Northern Pakistan for the tourists coming from the plains in the south.

Places of Tourism

The Karakoram, Himalayas and the Hindu Kush ranges can be approached from Abbottabad and it continues to be a transit city for tourists, serving as a base for visiting numerous nearby places, such as Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu and Indus Kohistan, of the Karakoram Range.

Notable people

* Asghar Khan - Well respected politician and first Pakistani C-in-C of Pakistan Air Force
* Jalal-ud-Din Jalal Baba - Leader of Pakistan's independance movement and former Interior Minister West Pakistan
* Omar Asghar Khan - Former Federal Minister and founder of SUNGI, PILER and SEBCON
* Ali Afzal Khan Jadoon- Ex Law Minster
* Manoj Kumar - Hindhi film Actor
* Amanullah Khan Jadoon - Former Minister of Petroleum
* Iqbal Khan Jadoon - Former Chief Minister N.W.F.P
* Dr.Syed Mehboob - Famous writer, columnist and researcher
* Mehtab Ahmed Khan- Former Chief Minister of NWFP, current Railways Minister. [ [http://www.infopak.gov.pk/minrail.aspx Federal Minister for Railway] ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~pakwgw/british_cemeteries_nwfp_abbottabad.html Abbottabad Cemetery]
* [http://www.nwfptourism.com.pk Sarhad Tourism Corporation (STC) Official Website]
* [http://www.pakgrammat.edu.pk Pakistan Grammar School Official Website]
* [http://pgs.montessori.edu.pk/ PGS Montessori]

See also