The district was created in April 1904[1] by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British Raj.
For the oil and gas companies, see Attock Group of Companies. For the other town of the same name, see Attock Khurd.
Attock, Pakistanاٹک |
|
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 33°46′N 72°22′E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Established | 1904 |
| Incorporated | 1978 |
| Government | |
| • Named after | Sir Colin Campbell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,857 km2 (2,648 sq mi) |
| Population (1998) | |
| • Total | 69,588 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC5) |
| Postal code span | 43600 |
| Area code(s) | 057 |
| Website | www.attocknews.com www.attockonians.com |
It is located on the bank of the Indus, 80 km (50 mi) from Rawalpindi, 100 km (62 mi) from Peshawar, and 10 km (6 mi) from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.
History
Gandhara was a historic region of ancient India, corresponding to areas of northwest Pakistan including Attock. Situated astride the middle Indus River, the region had Takshashila and Peshawar as its chief cities. It was occupied by the Persian Empire and was reached in 327 BC by Alexander the Great. The region passed to Chandragupta,[3] founder of the Maurya empire, in the late 4th century BC, and under Asoka was converted in the mid-3rd century BC to Buddhism. It was part of Bactria from the late 3rd century to the 1st century BC. Under the Kushan dynasty (1st century–3rd century AD), and especially under Kanishka, Gandhara developed a noted school of sculpture, consisting mainly of images of Buddha and reliefs representing scenes from Buddhist texts, but with marked Greco-Roman elements of style. The art form flourished in Gandhara until the 5th century, when the region was conquered by the Huns.[4]In the early 11th century, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi launched seventeen expeditions into South Asia. In 1001, he defeated Raja Jayapala of the Hindu Shahi Dynasty of Gandhara in the Battle of Peshawar and marched further into Peshawar and, in 1005, made it the center for his forces. Attock became part of Ghaznavid Empire.
The Attock fort was completed in 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, a minister of Emperor Akbar.[5] In 1759-60, Maratha forces captured the fortress of Attock.[6]
After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Attock District. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Sikh rule. The Sikh Kingdom (1799–1849) under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) captured the fortress of Attock in 1813 from the Afghan Kingdom (Attock was then part of Afghanistan) and the Sikh Empire.
In 1849, Attock conquered by the British who created Campbellpur District. After 1947, the Pakistani Government renamed it as Attock in 1978.
The city's foundations were laid in 1903, and it was named Campbellpur after Sir Colin Campbell. It was established near Attock fort that had guarded the major routes towards Central Asia. The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fateh Jang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British Raj.
Attock's first oil well was drilled in Khaur in 1915.[7] It has an oil and gas field Dakhini near Jand. Dhurnal & Sadkal in Tehsil Fateh Jang.
The predominantly Muslim population supported the Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement. After the Independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs emigrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the Attock.
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